Will Mizzou Fail On The Road Again To Another Lame Sec Team?

[snap]

I don't think the SEC is as weak as many think!!!! and I really have a problem with joe lunardi's thinkin of boise state in and kentucky out after yesterday!!! kentucky loses at arkansas...who does boise state play week in and week out??? put thoses two on a neutral floor and kentucky wins by double digits!!!!

[ozark trout fisher]

Kentucky would probably win head to head, but Boise State plays in a much better conference this year and has more good wins...Kentucky is talented but hasn't put much together this season outside of the big win over Missouri. So unless they beat Florida or go on a little run in the SEC tournament, in my opinion it'll be justified if they're left out of the field. I still think they'll do just enough to sneak in, but it's highly questionable.

The SEC had an awful day yesterday, in terms of getting multiple teams in the SEC tournament. Florida is still a strong candidate for a #1 or #2 seed, and Missouri should make it quite easily but the so called bubble teams just can't seem to get it done... Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky all lost. And finally, Ole Miss is in trouble after losing to Mississippi State. They are not out of it altogether, but need a big time run spanning the rest of the regular season and most of the SEC tournament.

So where does that leave us? Two safe tournament teams in Florida and Missouri, and two real bubble teams in Kentucky and Tennessee. So a two-bid league is actually one of the most likely scenarios, if Kentucky and Tennessee can't finish well. Ole Miss, Alabama, and even Arkansas and LSU could still get back into the conversation but all probably need to win out and go on big-time runs in the SEC tournament to have even a solid chance...It should never have been this way. Florida promised to be good, and is. Kentucky has struggled, despite sky-high expectations. Missouri might have disappointed slightly but is in the general vicinity of where we thought we'd be. Either in the preseason or at some point in the season, Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Tennessee all appeared to be solid NCAA tourney teams. So not much of our preseason/early season expectations ever panned out. The SEC is just left with a whole bunch of half-way decent teams. So don't be too surprised if our league ends up with two bids and a whole lot of scorn from the national media on selection Sunday, right or wrong. Significant tournament success by whoever does get in could really improve that image though, and I do think we're likely to see that.

[hank franklin]

I think Mizzou will be one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament. They are not an elite team but they have enough to beat anyone on any given day. The loss to Kentucky was really disappointing, it was their chance to beat a tough team on a big night. People dog Kentucky but I thought they played very well against Mizzoui, and we kind of withered. I really feel the next three SEC games will tell the tale; either we finally rise up and put it together or we sink down into the malaise.

People forget, we have big-time talent but the moving parts never played together until this year. We're still trying to find it, but I sense it coming together lately. Pressey is the key and needs to take a cue from Larkin (Miami) and Burke (Michigan) and the show they put on this weekend. Pressey is in their class but so far he's faltered when the spotlight shone big. The more he can involve Bell and Brown and of course the big men the better.

I actually feel we have better overall talent than last year, just not the overall leadership and smarts. We don't have a real gunner like Dixon was, but we are much stronger inside. If we finish the year strong we could maybe get a 4 or 5 seed (maybe even better if we really start rolling) and then I'd like our chances to make someone's day miserable. Of course knowing Mizzou it's us who will go home heartbroken.

[ozark trout fisher]

I've given up on ever trying to predict tournament success. Over the past decade, Missouri has proving that it's capable of being the lowest seed ever to make the Elite 8 and one of just a few 2 seeds to lose to a 15. So I guess I just want this team to get there and see what happens. We could make a run to the sweet 16 or elite 8 or lose by 20 to a middle of the road team in the first round. Neither would surprise me in the least.