Missouri Basketball comes in at No. 20 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll

Happy New Year! In Year 1 of the Dennis Gates era, the Missouri Tigers have been one of the most surprising teams in college basketball in the early portion of the 2022-2023 season.

Off to a 12-1 start with back-to-back ranked wins (at the time) over Illinois and Kentucky both by double digits, Mizzou Men’s Basketball has earned a No. 20 ranking to their name.

It’s not just the wins over Illinois and Kentucky. The true road win over Wichita State and the neutral site win over Central Florida carry some weight as respectable Quadrant 2 wins for their NCAA Tournament resume.

The Tigers are back in the rankings for the first time since late February of the 2020-2021 season, and Missouri also checked in at No. 21 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

Senior Kobe Brown has been the main reason for the Tigers’ success with back-to-back 30-point games against ranked competition.

The Tigers are one of five SEC teams ranked in this week’s AP Top 25. Here is the full poll on January 2nd.

1. Purdue (13-0)
2. Houston (14-1)
3. Kansas (12-1)
4. UConn (14-1)
5. Arizona (13-1)
6. Texas (12-1)
7. Alabama (11-2)
8. Tennessee (11-2)
9. Gonzaga (12-3)
10. UCLA (13-2)
11. Virginia (10-2)
12. Miami (FL) (13-1)
13. Arkansas (11-2)
14. Wisconsin (10-2)
15. Indiana (10-3)
16. Duke (11-3)
17. TCU (12-1)
18. Xavier (12-3)
19. Baylor (10-3)
20. MISSOURI (12-1)
21. New Mexico (14-0)
22. Auburn (11-2)
23. Charleston (14-1)
24. Ohio State (10-3)
25. Iowa State (10-2)

Others receiving votes: LSU 83, San Diego State 72, Mississippi State 62, Kentucky 53, Kansas State 41, Illinois 21, Marquette 20, Providence 14, Virginia Tech 7, Memphis 6, West Virginia 5, Michigan State 5, Florida Atlantic 3, Creighton 1

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Missouri, however — as the Tigers travel to No. 13 Arkansas on Wednesday night in a very tough place to play at Bud Walton Arena. The Razorbacks will be desperate for a win after starting SEC play 0-1 with a loss to LSU.