On Saturday, Missouri capitalized on yet another Quadrant 1 opportunity, handing Alabama their first SEC loss of the season in a 68-65 win. Sure, they almost blew it – but they didn’t!

The Tigers are now 13-3 (6-3 SEC) and have won six out of their last seven games. In what might have been considered their toughest stretch of the season, the Tigers went 4-1 against Tennessee, Auburn, TCU, Kentucky, and Alabama. This latest surge is just enough to move Mizzou up to a No. 2 seed in this latest Rock M Tology. That’s because of their four Quadrant 1 wins. Only Ohio State, Baylor, Illinois, Gonzaga, and Alabama have more. That number can easily improve though — as Oregon is sitting eight spots out of the Top 50 and Wichita State is just one spot out of the Top 75 right now. Something to monitor.

Missouri is up to No. 24 in today’s NET rankings, and they check in at No. 29 on KenPom and 20th on Bart Torvik. That might scream four-seed territory, but the national media is just a little more complimentary of the Tigers, as Mizzou showed up in the Top 10 in both Gary Parrish’s and Seth Davis’ rankings.

In this week’s AP Top 25 poll, Mizzou jumped eight spots, checking in at No. 10.

Though it’s safe to say that a No. 2 seed is Missouri’s ceiling— there are not a lot of Quadrant 1 opportunities down the stretch, but they sure can capitalize on a favorable schedule.

TRENDING UP:

• West Virginia (13-5): After a 91-79 win over kansas on Saturday, the Mountaineers have won four out of their last five games and sit at second place in the Big 12 standings.
• Oklahoma State (12-5): The Cowboys are 5-2 in their last seven games and bolstered their resume on Saturday with a 75-67 double-overtime win over Texas.
• Ohio State (15-4): The Buckeyes are 7-1 in their last eight games highlighted by road wins over Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Their eight Quadrant 1 wins currently lead the country, which is No. 1 seed worthy.
• Creighton (14-5): After back-to-back losses to Butler and Providence, the Blue Jays have won four out of their last five games with three solid road wins in that stretch.

TRENDING DOWN:

• Texas (11-5): It hasn’t been the greatest stretch for the Longhorns as of late, having lost four out of their last five games with their only win being against a lowly Kansas State team.
• Iowa (13-6): The Hawkeyes have lost four out of their last five games with two of those to Indiana, and missed opportunities against Ohio State and Illinois.
• Maryland (10-9): The Terrapins have some good wins this season, but the losses certainly count, too. They’re just 2-3 in their last five games coming off a loss against Penn State.
• Boise State (14-4): It was a rough road trip for the Broncos. Just 1-3 in their last four games against Colorado State and Nevada.

Last Few In

These would be among the last in without their conference’s automatic bid.

• Saint Louis (8-3)
• VCU (13-4)
• Maryland (10-9)
• Indiana (10-8)

First Few Out

• LSU (11-6)
• Stanford (11-7)
• Wichita State (11-4)
• Penn State (7-8)

TOP 16 SEEDS:

1. Gonzaga (18-0)
2. Baylor (17-0)
3. Michigan (13-1)
4. Ohio State (15-4)
5. Villanova (12-2)
6. Illinois (13-5)
7. Alabama (15-5)
8. Missouri (13-3)
9. Houston (16-2)
10. Virginia (13-3)
11. Iowa (13-6)
12. Texas (11-5)
13. West Virginia (13-5)
14. Creighton (14-5)
15. Texas Tech (14-5)
16. Oklahoma (12-5)

BY CONFERENCE:

Big Ten: 10

Big 12: 7

ACC: 6

Big East: 6

SEC: 5

Mountain West: 4

Missouri Valley: 2

THE BRACKET:

FIRST FOUR (Assembly Hall):

• North Carolina A&T (8-9) vs Prairie View (7-4)
• Saint Louis (8-3) vs Maryland (10-9)
• Bryant (10-5) vs Grand Canyon (12-3)
• VCU (13-4) vs Indiana (10-8)

[REGIONAL 1]

• No. 1 Gonzaga (18-0) vs No. 16 North Carolina A&T/Prairie View
• No. 8 Colorado (14-5) vs No. 9 Drake (18-1)
• No. 5 USC (15-3)) vs No. 12 Indiana/VCU
• No. 4 Oklahoma (12-5) vs No. 13 Winthrop (16-1)
• No. 6 Virginia Tech (14-4) vs No. 11 Seton Hall (11-8)
• No. 3 Texas (11-5) vs No. 14 Siena (8-2)
• No. 7 Xavier (11-2) vs No. 10 St. Bonaventure (9-2)
• No. 2 Missouri (13-3) vs No. 15 UC Santa Barbara (12-3)

[REGIONAL 2]

• No. 1 Ohio State (15-4) vs No. 16 Cleveland State (14-5)
• No. 8 Clemson (12-5) vs No. 9 Boise State
• No. 5 Tennessee (13-4) vs No. 12 Western Kentucky (13-4)
• No. 4 West Virginia (13-5) vs No. 13 Belmont (20-1)
• No. 6 Oklahoma State (12-5) vs No. 11 Minnesota (11-7)
• No. 3 Houston (16-2) vs No. 14 Sam Houston State (14-6)
• No. 7 Louisville (11-4) vs No. 10 Oregon (10-4)
• No. 2 Villanova (12-2) vs No. 15 Northeastern (8-6)

[REGIONAL 3]

• No. 1 Baylor (17-0) vs No. 16 Bryant/Grand Canyon
• No. 8 BYU (15-4) vs No. 9 UCONN (8-4)
• No. 5 Wisconsin (14-6) vs No. 12 San Diego State (13-4)
• No. 4 Texas Tech (14-5) vs No. 13 UAB (16-2)
• No. 6 UCLA (13-4) vs No. 11 St. John’s (13-7)
• No. 3 Iowa (13-6) vs No. 14 UMBC (12-4)
• No. 7 Florida (10-5) vs No. 10 North Carolina (12-6)
• No. 2 Illinois (13-5) vs No. 15 Eastern Washington (8-6)

[REGIONAL 4]

• No. 1 Michigan (13-1) vs No. 16 South Dakota (11-7)
• No. 8 Rutgers (11-6) vs No. 9 Colorado State (14-4)
• No. 5 Florida State (10-3) vs No. 12 Saint Louis/Maryland
• No. 4 Creighton (13-5) vs No. 13 Texas State (13-6)
• No. 6 Purdue (13-7) vs No. 11 Loyola-Chicago (17-3)
• No. 3 Virginia (13-3) vs No. 14 Liberty (15-5)
• No. 7 Kansas (12-7) vs No. 10 Arkansas (14-5)
• No. 2 Alabama (15-5) vs No. 15 Navy (11-2)

First Glance At A Final Four:

Gonzaga, Villanova, Baylor, Michigan.

Second glance: Gonzaga, Houston, Illinois, Michigan

Missouri’s inevitable path to destiny:

UC Santa Barbara, Xavier (it wouldn’t be a Mizzou basketball season without playing Xavier, right?), Texas, Gonzaga, Ohio State, Baylor. LET’S DO IT!