Mizzou Basketball Is 8-0 - But Now Comes the Real Test
Missouri men’s basketball is off to a blazing 8-0 start, and while the win column looks pristine, the numbers behind the scenes tell a more complicated story. The first NET rankings of the season dropped Monday, and the Tigers landed at No. 51 - a solid spot, but not quite where you’d expect for an undefeated team. So what’s holding them back?
It starts with the strength of schedule - or more accurately, the lack of it. Mizzou’s current SOS ranks 364th out of 365 Division I programs.
That’s not a typo. The Tigers have been winning, but they’ve been doing it against teams that won’t exactly move the needle come Selection Sunday.
Their best win so far? A road victory over Minnesota, which qualifies as a Quad 3 win.
Every other game has fallen into Quad 4 territory.
But here’s the thing: that’s about to change - fast.
Missouri’s non-conference slate is heating up in a hurry. They’ll face Notre Dame tonight in the SEC/ACC Challenge (8:00 p.m.
CST, ESPNU), followed by high-profile matchups against Kansas and Illinois. And then comes the grind of the SEC schedule, where quality wins - and opportunities to rise in the rankings - will be there for the taking.
Despite the soft early schedule, national attention is starting to trickle in. The Tigers received votes in this week’s AP Top 25, sitting just outside the rankings at No.
- In Andy Katz’s Power 37, they’ve climbed to No. 20 - up three spots from last week.
Katz put it bluntly: “Missouri is getting no love. They are 8-0 and will finally get on the national stage against Kansas in Kansas City.”
Jon Rothstein’s Top 45 has Mizzou at No. 31, and the advanced metrics are starting to catch up too. The Tigers are currently ranked 30th in both KenPom and Bart Torvik’s systems - a sign that, at least analytically, they’re starting to earn some respect.
This week is a major inflection point for Dennis Gates and his squad. The Tigers have taken care of business so far, but now the spotlight is coming.
A win over Notre Dame on the road would be a step in the right direction. A strong showing against Kansas?
That could be the statement game this team needs to vault into the national conversation.
Missouri has the pieces - a balanced offense, a deep rotation, and a coach who’s quickly proving he belongs in the Power Five spotlight. But now it’s time to prove it against real competition. The next few games won’t just define their non-conference résumé - they’ll tell us if this hot start is the beginning of something special or just a product of a favorable early schedule.
The Tigers are 8-0. The rankings are catching up. And now, the real season begins.