Missouri Tigers

2023-24 Result: 8-24 (0-18 SEC)

Key Additions

Tony Perkins (Iowa)

Mark Mitchell (Duke)

Jacob Crews (Tennessee Martin)

Marques Warrick (Northern Kentucky)

Josh Gray (South Carolina)

Dennis Gates’ squad made some notable pickups this offseason landing Tony Perkins, Mark Mitchell, and two low major scoring threats in Jacob Crews and Marques Warrick. Losing Sean East, Nick Honor, and Noah Carter is important, but with how poor of a season Missouri had last year, it is probably a good thing to have the roster turnover, especially with the pickups that Gates made after such a bad season. The return of Tamar “Scoop” Bates, Missouri’s leading scorer from a year ago, will provide a steady presence for the team. Gates also got 4 four star recruits in this year’s class in Annor Boateng, Peyton Marshall, Marcus Allen, and Trent Burns. Missouri should be in for an improved 2024 campaign.

The frontcourt of Missouri’s defense is a bit uncertain. They have Mark Mitchell, who came over from Duke, but he is not exactly a force on the defensive end. They brought in Josh Gray, a 7 footer from South Carolina, but he has never had much of a role so what he can bring is unknown. Two of the freshmen 4 stars are over 7 feet tall, but in all likelihood, they won’t be ready to make an impact in the SEC right away. Annor Boateng, a high end 4 star recruit, should be able to make some contributions this season, and at 6 ‘6, he should help Mark Mitchell and Josh Gray in the frontcourt. The leader of this defense will be Tony Perkins, who is a hard-nosed guard coming over from Iowa that is a pest on the ball. Alongside him will be experienced Caleb Grill, formerly of Iowa State. Grill had an ugly departure from Iowa State in 2023, but he played there on one of the top defensive teams in the country, so he should be able to step in and make an impact on that end right away.

Missouri’s shooting is its biggest weakness. They have Scoop Bates and Jacob Crews, but outside of them, they have a bunch of sub-30% three point shooters. Caleb Grill shot it at 29.2% last season in limited action, so they will look for him to get back to the near 37% clip he shot it at with Iowa State in 2022-23. Perkins will play as the lead guard, loving to get downhill to the rim and get to the foul line. His ability to attack should open up shots for Bates and Crews, and hopefully Grill. The biggest x-factor in this offense is Mark Mitchell. If he can finally break out after two mediocre seasons at Duke, then this team could be a lot better than expected. The biggest issue for Mitchell has been his lack of a jump shot as an undersized 4 man. I worry about his lack of shooting ability clogging up the offense and closing up driving lanes for guys like Marques Warrick and Tony Perkins, who will rely on that because they are not great shooters. Tony Perkins will lead this offense, but Jacob Crews will need to be the player that he was at Tennessee Martin if they want to hang around in games in the SEC.

Missouri is likely in for an improved season compared to last year, but do not expect much from them. They will finish near the bottom of the SEC yet again and miss the tournament for a second straight season. Gates did some good things this offseason, but it’s not enough to make that big of a leap this season. However, the strong recruiting class and ability to land some solid portal names bodes well for the Tigers moving forward.