/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70345000/Narrower_Daily_Links_Draft_3.0.png)
Beat the undefeated No. 1? No ranking for you!
If I told you there was a basketball team that was 12-2, with two losses to top-15 level teams and a win over the consensus best team in the country, what would you think? You’d think that team would be ranked, right? At the very least, somewhere in the top 20-25 range?
Well, you’d. Be. WRONG!
Turns out, beating your undefeated rival down to 8 players (not including your best player) doesn’t count for much in basketball these days — what is this world coming to?! Despite last week’s dramatic win, Mizzou still hasn’t cracked the Top 25 of the Associated Press poll. They’re knocking on the door, but not quite in the doorway.
Missouri, bolstered by its victory over South Carolina last Thursday with just eight active players, went from receiving no votes last week to just missing the AP Top 25.
Missouri (12-2, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) beat the Gamecocks (13-1, 1-1) by a score of 70-69 in overtime on a last-second layup by Lauren Hansen. South Carolina, which rebounded with a victory on Sunday, still received 22 of the 30 first-place votes from a national media panel to stay the top choice in the poll.
The problem here is Mizzou’s weak non-conference schedule, which is clearly hurting their perception in some voters’ eyes. Mizzou ranks just 44th in NET, which is actually a spot lower than they ranked last week (which I don’t get, but whatever).
Not everyone is still underrating the Tigers, though. RPI (Rating Percentage Index) currently has Missouri as the country’s 10th (!!!) best team according to their on-court results.
In a bit of positive (meh, maybe it’s just neutral) news, Missouri’s postponed game against Vanderbilt has been rescheduled to later this month.
Schedule Update
— Mizzou Basketball (@MizzouWBB) January 3, 2022
We are now set to take on Vandy on Jan. 20th at 7 p.m. in Nashville.#OurTownOurTeam pic.twitter.com/LWQ97UtZXi
On the men’s side of things, it’s definitely worse. As if struggling to a 6-7 start wasn’t enough, Mizzou will now be knocked out for at least another 5 days due to positive COVID-19 cases in the program.
The Tigers’ game on Wednesday against Mississippi State has been postponed due to coronavirus protocols being enacted within MU after a positive test.
There was no makeup date announced for the matchup against the Bulldogs. Missouri’s next scheduled game is Saturday at home against Alabama.
It’s a tough blow for the Tigers, who will now go about 10 days between games, which will make it tough to regain momentum for a date with No. 15 Alabama. Though if it were up to Cuonzo Martin, Wednesday’s game might not be off at all?
#Mizzou basketball coach Cuonzo Martin was asked his thoughts on the current COVID-19 protocols in place on Tiger Talk on KTGR tonight.
— Andrew Kauffman (@AndrewABC17) January 4, 2022
"I know this is serious, so I'm not taking anything for granted, but if I feel good, then I'm good. I should be able to play if I feel good." pic.twitter.com/kGx4ggXL9Q
Not even going to touch that one. I’m sure the comments section will dissect it enough without my unnecessary commentary.
Yesterday at Rock M
- In which Matt W. examines the tape of Mizzou vs. Kentucky, because I guess he’s a sadist?
- In which COVID-19 postpones Wednesday’s game against Mississippi State
More Links:
- It was a day of looking back at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which published a whole set of stories looking back at 2021 in Mizzou Sports: a column about the up-and-down nature of the season; superlatives for a roster that went 6-7; and the biggest moments of the season.
- Here’s something we missed yesterday morning: #TigerStyle put nine wrestlers on the podium and took home the team trophy at this weekend’s Southern Scuffle.
- Mizzou Soccer officially added a forward to their roster yesterday. Welcome to Columbia, Marlee Heaven!
- KOMU’s Ben Arnet brought KC Star beat writer Lila Bromberg on for a segment talking Mizzou’s big win over South Carolina and the scuffling men’s team.
- Mizzou’s dive team kicked off their 2022 schedule yesterday at the Tennessee Diving Invitational, which runs through Thursday. Head to divemeets.com for more info.
- I will not be commenting on the fact that The Bachelor is a former Mizzou Football player, that is unless he starts plugging Mizzou on national TV. If you want to keep up, head to their Twitter, or Karen will be happy to provide all the deets about #BachelorNation.
- If you’re looking to sign up for ESPN+, Rock M Nation now has an affiliate link: click Here for ESPN+ Now!
- If you’re looking to sign up for a new streaming service, you can try FuboTV: click HERE for FuboTV access — FuboTV now has ESPN, CBS, FS1 and more sports channels.
(** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)