Missouri basketball barges into NCAA Tournament discussion with stunning upsets

The Tigers needed overtime to win at Wichita State, and they needed DeAndre Gholston‘s buzzer-beating heave to defeat UCF. That victory had value, because the Knights have built a NET ranking of 63.

The thrilling conclusion gave the Tigers a huge emotional lift ahead of their tougher games.

Conversely, the Illini and Wildcats were both vulnerable coming into their games with Missouri. Brad Underwood was still trying to instill toughness in his team, and Calipari was still searching for his playing rotation.

Going forward, their daunting SEC schedule, the non-conference home game with Iowa State and the SEC Tournament will give the Tigers opportunities to add quality victories to the ledger.

They could reach the NCAA Tournament by winning most of their home games and stealing a road win or two. Doing damage at the SEC Tournament would help as well.

This team appears equipped to check all of those boxes.

Gates has settled on a nine-man rotation that does not include talented scorer Isiaih Mosley. Those nine players are giving maximum effort while remaining cohesive at both ends of the court.

The Tigers take care of the ball and share it. They feature excellent guard play. Nick Honor provides steady playmaking and a 3-point threat. He’s been through the wars and it shows.

Sean East II is a slasher who creates off the dribble and finishes at the rim. Gholston is at his best attacking downhill, but he can hit 3-point and mid-range shots as well.

Speedy D’Moi Hodge is a fast break waiting to happen and a catch-and-shoot threat from beyond the arc. Tre Gomillion sets the defensive tone while containing bigger players on switches and rebounding in heavy traffic.

Forward Kobe Brown took over offensively in the last two games while scoring 61 points, but forward Noah Carter and Hodge, Gholston, East and Honor have also delivered scoring surges during key stretches of games.

Missouri played guard-heavy lineups during the soft portion of their schedule, raising skepticism about their viability against bigger and better teams.

But Gates worked sturdy Ronnie DeGray III into the rotation while also bringing freshman Aidan Shaw along. Now, they are offering sufficient support for Brown and Carter up front.

The Tigers want to play fast, but their experience, unselfishness and ballhandling skills allow them to slow down and run an effective half-court offense too.

“They did a good job in the end,” Calipari said. “They ground it out like my teams do. You get that lead, now we’re going grind it, we’re going to shoot late in the clock, get a back door, make a tough three.”