With a state championship in the rear view, Michael Porter Jr. is about to focus on recruiting

Here are today's Mizzou Links.

By Bill Connelly@SBN_BillC Mar 21, 2016, 5:05am CDT

What's on

The Mizzou women get ready for tonight's NCAA second-round battle at Texas (8:15 p.m. CT, ESPN2).

MUtigers.com: @MizzouWBB Faces Texas Monday Night in NCAA Tournament Second Round

KC Star: Close-knit Missouri Tigers prepare for Texas with NCAA women’s Sweet 16 berth at stake

Austin American-Statesman: Texas aims to climb Missouri's tall wall

ESPN.com: Five observations from the Day 2 of the women's NCAA tournament

AMP

Post-Dispatch: Mizzou's Penton shifts focus to senior year

Penton said he wasn’t sure what to expect from his draft feedback. At 5-10, the former CBC Cadet is shorter than the NFL’s ideal early-round cornerback, but he’s been productive the last two years as a starter, with 95 tackles, four interceptions and 18 pass breakups.

Former coach Gary "Pinkel told me whatever feedback I got he would be honest with me and lead me to the right way," he said. "And that was to come back and play my last season."

PowerMizzou: Penton ready for big senior year

Note: We've got our own Penton piece coming up later in the day.

Gulp

PowerMizzou: State-champion Porter ready to buckle down on recruiting

Porter said he plans to cut his list down soon and already has a good idea of the schools he’s going to stick with. He plans to make it public in the near future.

"In my head its cut down a little bit, I just haven’t put it out yet," he said. "But in my head it’s lower than 11."

And speaking of basketball...

The SEC still kinda stinks at basketball (for now)

Shreveport Times: What is wrong with SEC basketball?

The hashtag took on a life of its own on Twitter — #SECBasketballFever.

An SEC team loses an out-of-conference game — #SECBasketballFever. Only three teams make the NCAA Tournament field in 2016 after having half the Final Four field in 2014 — #SECBasketballFever.

It would be funny, if not for the fact that it’s not funny for SEC men’s basketball fans. As good as the SEC has been in football, it has struggled to find its footing in men’s basketball in its recent years.

And it’s not for a lack of trying.

The league made quite a few good hires last year and, as Steve Walentik wrote last year, has begun the process of investing further into basketball. But while four teams improved by at least 18 spots in the KenPom ratings this year (Mississippi State rose by 99, Texas A&M by 44, Mizzou by 39, and South Carolina by 18), seven others dropped. Auburn plummeted in Bruce Pearl's second year, Alabama and Tennessee both stumbled in their respective head coaches' first seasons, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Arkansas all struggled to replace lost production, and LSU ... did whatever LSU did, signing the best freshman in the country and diving from 44th to 84th.

Investment takes time, and I would assume Tennessee and Alabama both take steps forward next year (while Arkansas and Georgia bounce back). Still ... #SECbasketballfever.