We’ve made it to Selection Sunday, and the NCAA Tournament picture is starting to clear up for Missouri men’s basketball after weeks (if not months) of uncertainty.
The Tigers are included in 131 of 132 brackets that are part of the Bracket Matrix and are listed as the top 11-seed, on average.
There were some questions earlier in the week if bid stealers could make Mizzou’s selection show viewing uncomfortable after three straight MU losses heading into March Madness, but conference tournament results Saturday put those concerns to rest.
The Tigers head into a likely tournament bid at 20-12 overall with a 5-7 record against Quad 1 opponents and 9-12 mark against Quads 1 and 2 combined. MU is ranked No. 40 and 41, respectively, in the crucial strength of record and wins above bubble resume metrics, but is weighed down slightly by its predictive metrics including a No. 51 ranking in KenPom.
Those predictive metrics could send Mizzou to the First Four and force it to play its way into the field of 64.
The Tigers might have an ace in their hand, though, with three wins in games at the top of Quad 1. If the committees values these wins highly, it could help MU stand out from other teams around the bubble and gain direct inclusion into the First Round.
That’s certainly something the committee will have to consider, but in this edition of Rock-M-Tology, Mizzou lands in the First Four as the top member of the Last Four In.
Here’s our projected bracket.
- Duke (East)
- Michigan (Midwest)
- Arizona (East)
- Florida (South)
FIRST FOUR GAMES IN DAYTON:
- (11) Mizzou vs. (11) Miami (OH)
- (11) SMU vs. (11) Texas
- (16) Long Island vs. (16) Howard
- (16) Lehigh vs. (16) Prairie View A&M
- 1: Duke, Michigan, Arizona, Florida
- 2: Houston, UConn, Iowa State, Michigan State
- 3: Purdue, Illinois, Nebraska, Gonzaga
- 4: Vanderbilt, Virginia, Alabama, Kansas
- 5: Arkansas, St. John’s, Tennessee, Wisconsin
- 6: Texas Tech, Louisville, BYU, North Carolina
- 7: Kentucky, Saint Mary’s, UCLA, Miami (FL)
- 8: Clemson, Georgia, Utah State, Villanova
- 9: Ohio State, TCU, SLU, Iowa
- 10: Texas A&M, UCF, Santa Clara, N.C. State
- 11: VCU, Mizzou, Miami (OH), SMU, Texas, UCF
- 12: McNeese State, Yale, Akron, High Point
- 13: Northern Iowa, Hofstra, Cal Baptist, Hawaii
- 14: North Dakota State, Troy, Wright State, Idaho
- 15: Kennesaw State, Furman, Tennessee State, UMBC
- 16: Siena, Queens, Howard, Long Island, Lehigh, Prairie View A&M
East Region Bracket (Washington DC)
1) Duke vs 16 ) (Lehigh/Prairie View A&M)
8) Villanova vs 9) Ohio State
5) Arkansas vs 12) High Point
4) Kansas vs 13) Northern Iowa
6) North Carolina vs 11) (Mizzou/Miami (OH))
7) Kentucky vs 10) N.C. State
2) Iowa State vs 15) Furman
South Region Bracket (Houston)
4) Virginia vs 13) Cal Baptist
6) BYU vs 11) (SMU/Texas)
3) Illinois vs 14) Wright State
7) Saint Mary’s vs 10) UCF
West Region Bracket (San Jose)
5) Wisconsin vs 12) McNeese State
4) Vanderbilt vs 13) Hawaii
3) Gonzaga vs 14) North Dakota State
7) Miami (FL) vs 10) Texas A&M
2) Michigan State vs 15) Kennesaw State
Midwest Region Bracket (Chicago)
1) Michigan vs 16) (Long Island/Howard)
5) St. John’s vs 12) Akron
4) Alabama vs 13) Hofstra
7) UCLA vs 10) Santa Clara
2) UConn vs 15) Tennessee State
First Glance At A Final Four:
- Duke, Michigan, Arizona, Florida
- Second Glance: Duke, Michigan, Arizona, Houston
- Missouri’s path to destiny:
- Miami (OH), North Carolina, Purdue, Iowa State, Duke, Houston, Michigan….Happy Selection Sunday!
