What we all want to see from Missouri Basketball in 2026

If thing else, 2025 was an absorbing twelvemonth for Mizzou men’s basketball.

At nan commencement of nan twelvemonth they were playing for illustration 1 of nan 10 champion teams successful College Basketball. It was fun, it was exciting. Then it trailed off.

Then nan offseason deed and location was each sorts of weird nosy recruiting things! Then nan play started and location were little nosy things!

I for illustration this workout because it’s a different measurement to look astatine nan maturation of a hoops program, complete conscionable a play by play outlook. Mainly because nan offseason is thing that really cultivates a builds your hoops programme successful bid to triumph much games each season. Let’s recap:

With 2025 down us, let’s return a speedy look astatine really Missouri performed against our hopes for nan almanac year:

2025 was a mix. They played and competed pinch nan country’s champion teams successful nan champion convention successful NCAA hoops history. They hit nan eventual nationalist champion connected their ain level successful January. Then they faded a spot down nan stretch, losing 6 of their past 8 games, and bowing retired successful nan first information of nan tournament.

The recruiting wins were a bully alteration of gait complete nan summer, but past this commencement of nan play hasn’t gone arsenic planned. The Tigers haven’t seemed to really build connected their occurrence past season, and person struck retired connected their only Quad 1 opportunities truthful acold this season.

If there’s dream it’s because nan SEC is simply a acold outcry from what it was past year, while still being a value convention overall. Last play nan SEC had 2 1 seeds, 2 2 seeds, a 3 seed, a 4 seed, 2 six seeds, and 14 of 16 teams made nan tournament. It was historically good, and included 2 Final Four participants and nan eventual National Champion.

This twelvemonth nan SEC has nary of that. The highest rated squad successful KenPom.com is 8th rated Vanderbilt, who person yet to play anyone wrong nan apical 30, and needed OT to hit a bad Memphis team. Florida’s defender play has weakened their chances of a repeat, and they’re joined by Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky wrong nan apical 20. Currently BartTorvik.com lists nan astir apt script for nan convention getting 9 NCAA tourney bids. That’s still a bully twelvemonth for nan SEC, but markedly down from wherever they were past year.

Mizzou hasn’t played each that good this season, and they’ve looked a batch much for illustration a squad watching nan tourney than playing successful it. But nan convention will springiness them opportunities, if they tin fig retired really to beryllium nan champion type of themselves.

They’re a acold outcry from being what I thought they could be, which is simply a imaginable apical 4 squad successful nan league. But I besides don’t deliberation they’re arsenic bad arsenic they’ve looked against Kansas and Illinois. There’s clip to hole things, but you amended commencement soon.

Perhaps my biggest title astir this existent type of nan hoops Tigers is they deficiency a existent personality arsenic a team. They person guards who are bully successful nan prime and roll, but don’t look to tally overmuch prime and roll. They person 1 of nan apical forwards successful nan country, 1 who excels successful nan unfastened floor, but they don’t play fast. They person coagulated extent but don’t property defensively, and are really very passive connected defense.

In short, I don’t really cognize astatine this constituent really Dennis Gates wants to play. In twelvemonth 1 and twelvemonth 3 they mostly played fast. In twelvemonth 2 they seldom changeable free throws, and past past twelvemonth astir led nan federation successful FTA.

With nan building of nan existent roster, location seems to beryllium a bully postulation of talent, but they’re not each playing nan aforesaid game. And it’s holding them back.

I recognize location are detractors, but Gates is simply a smart man, and a bully hoops coach. But if you want to beryllium a awesome hoops coach you request to beryllium capable to enforce your style of play connected your opponent, and not set your style of play to effort and hit them astatine their game. At this level location are conscionable excessively galore bully teams, who play specified contrasting styles, for that attack to win complete nan agelong term.

I don’t cognize if this play will consequence successful an NCAA Tournament berth aliases not. Frankly it mightiness beryllium bully for them to miss again. Missing nan tourney (and frankly having specified an embarrassing season) resulted successful 1 of nan champion seasons successful caller Mizzou hoops history. But I really judge Gates tin execute each nan things he stated successful his property conference, nevertheless successful bid to do that he really needs to statesman by figuring retired who he wants his Tigers to be.

The reality is Mizzou has 3 incoming freshmen signed who are arsenic bully arsenic immoderate they’ve singed successful a azygous people successful programme history.

We’re officially astatine nan extremity of COVID years, Jacob Crews and Jayden Stone correspond nan past 2 eligibility waivers nan Tigers are apt to spot granted for guys who played College Basketball measurement backmost successful 2021. The only remaining wrench could beryllium nan NCAA granting a 5th twelvemonth of eligibility, which isn’t retired of nan realm of possibility, but seems for illustration a agelong changeable astatine this point.

A 5th twelvemonth would impact Shawn Phillips, Mark Mitchell and Jevon Porter. Crews and Stone are done nary matter what this year. But short of nan 5th twelvemonth being granted, we’re looking astatine a minimum of needing to switch 3 spots.

With things not going arsenic smoothly arsenic you mightiness want, it’s easy to spot really location could beryllium immoderate further roster turnover.

The only different wrench successful nan plans is nan wellness of Trent Pierce. We’re astatine nan shape wherever it’s imaginable he takes a aesculapian redshirt and conscionable focuses connected getting patient for nan 2026-27 season. Then he would beryllium slotted backmost into nan aforesaid people arsenic Annor Boateng and TO Barrett. Missouri could person arsenic galore arsenic 9 returning players adjacent season.

Continuity is nan logic why Gates is investing power and resources into prep recruiting, wherever astir different coaches are focusing much connected nan portal. Roster turnover is expected and moreover past twelvemonth we didn’t needfully expect Marcus Allen and Peyton Marshall to some deed nan portal, yet they did. Here is nan newcomer count (we mightiness arsenic good conscionable support this going):

Jason Crowe, Jr. is going to beryllium a foundational subordinate connected adjacent years roster. It looks for illustration Anthony Robinson II isn’t bursting towards being drafted, and Aaron Rowe is still a precocious ceiling constituent guard. The defender rotation should beryllium beautiful coagulated pinch those three, positive TO Barrett. Next is you request to fig retired your beforehand court, and find immoderate further thief connected nan wing.

I’m excited for what Jason Crowe, Jr tin supply nan Tigers this year. He’s a scorer connected a squad that really needs a scorer. But I’m besides not judge Crowe will past agelong successful Columbia, he’s a apical 10 subordinate and an elite scorer, and guys for illustration that thin to time off for nan draught sooner than later. But this adjacent offseason will beryllium astir building astir 1 of my favourite players to perpetrate to Mizzou successful caller years: Scottie Adkinson.

It’s difficult to task a roster 1 twelvemonth out, overmuch little 2 years out. But Adkinson is simply a typical player, and he’s a winner. You tin build astir him for adjacent years recruiting class, arsenic good arsenic your roster for nan adjacent 3-4 years. Having a defender for illustration Adkinson, pinch an upperclassmen Rowe, Aidan Chronister and Toni Bryant, positive a developed Nicholas Randall… location are reasons to really for illustration wherever this is going.

Mizzou needs to brace Adkinson pinch different attacking guard, and 1 who tin sprout it from outside. Matt Harris already profiled nan 2027 class, I propose you publication it here. But I’m a continued believer successful recruiting and retaining precocious schoolhouse talent complete prioritizing nan transportation portal. With Adkinson successful nan fold, 2027 could beryllium a typical class.

I’m not going to beryllium arsenic greedy arsenic I was past twelvemonth successful asking that you hit some KU and Illinois. I am, however, going to petition that these games are competitive. There’s nary logic to get boatraced against either of these 2 teams, particularly erstwhile some are looking for illustration good, but acold from elite, teams.

One point that helped Cuonzo Martin get shown nan doorway was his deficiency of competitiveness against these 2 rivals. Mizzou hoops fans are a beautiful diligent bunch, and I deliberation astir are mostly still pinch Gates and his tenure. But you’ve sewage to commencement building retired consistency. Year complete year. Yes immoderate of that will see beating Illinois and Kansas, but what you can’t do is not beryllium competitory pinch them.

I besides would propose a move distant from nan difficult clang lab, scheduling arsenic galore arsenic 9 Quad 4 games astatine home, erstwhile astir teams are only going to 5-6. I understand you request a equilibrium of games wherever you tin activity retired nan kinks and grow your lineups and each that. But if you’ve sewage 10 returners and a mates of transfers nan magnitude of rotation up clip you request to fig retired rotations should beryllium greatly reduced.

You want to schedule a fewer of your friends coaching low-major programs? Do it. But I think, astatine most, 7 Q4 games is enough. And really it should beryllium nary much than 6. You request to trial your squad earlier. Doing that will thief you fig retired wherever things are incorrect connected your roster, truthful you’re not waiting until precocious December still moving retired groups that don’t activity together.

Some of nan competitiveness will beryllium fixed pinch a roster of violative players who tin do much things. Missouri is conscionable constricted this year, much than we expected them to be. You can’t spot nan sophomores to people nan ball, truthful you request to get creative. A subordinate for illustration Crowe will hole a batch of that, arsenic will much development. But you won’t study those things playing South Dakota, aliases 4 games against nan SWAC and nan MEAC. You’ve sewage to amended scheduling.

Go play Iowa. Maybe fig retired really to hit Ben McCollum. Go play Nebraska, fig retired really to hit Fred Hoiberg. There are plentifulness of opportunities to amended your tourney resume, and nary of them impact beating an OVC schoolhouse astatine location successful early November.

At this point, I’ve written a lot. So I’m going to motion off. My past thought present is that what I want, much than anything, from Missouri hoops successful 2026? A move towards consistency. Be good, twelvemonth aft year.