MU BB who else is excited about it?

[hdhntr148]

MM and Ant are the two returning proven performers but they have a lot of parts that could prove effective. Very curious as to Boating and TO. Did they fix Pierce's yips at FT line and can he be a more consistent player if so he could be a force.

Lot of talent and possibilities but we won't really have a great idea until Braggin Rights as always as they mix and match combinations and who can do what.

anyway who are you all excited about for coming season.

[Armchair QB]

Excited about this season but really excited about the trajectory of the program. Lots of talent coming in the next class. Don’t think we’re going away anytime soon. Hope Gates can take it to the next level and get us to the mountain top. That’s what’s always been missing that we’re all dreaming about. But thrilled we’re relevant again regardless.

[TheMajicMan]

This year's team is predicted to be average and mostly because we didn't replace Bates and Grill and somebody will have to step up as 3 point shooters. They didn't do much in the overly-expensive transfer portal, but have gotten money from somewhere to invest into the future with some nice high school talent. The future looks bright!

https://x.com/PowerMizzoucom/status/1973937780897296484

[rezero]

I fir sure am excited about the upcoming season. Great OOC schedule with Kansas (KC), Illinois (The Lou), and Notre Dame (S. Bend). All of these should get national television time slots.

[Armchair QB]

This year's team is predicted to be average and mostly because we didn't replace Bates and Grill and somebody will have to step up as 3 point shooters. They didn't do much in the overly-expensive transfer portal, but have gotten money from somewhere to invest into the future with some nice high school talent. The future looks bright!

https://x.com/PowerMizzoucom/status/1973937780897296484

Definitely think 3 point shooting as a team will be a question mark, although we have several guys capable. We have 2 likely all conference players in Mitchell and Robinson with potentially another player or 2 capable of it. My hope is some guys like maybe Boateng really worked in the off season and will surprise. Also hope some newbies can make immediate impacts.

I don’t think you could rationally predict this team being as good as last year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if are either. We definitely have some good pieces.

[straight out of st louis robert ave]

Robinson and Mitchell are solid but we will miss the three point shooting from Bates and Grill.

What I want to see is how three players will do in SEC play. (Nicholas Randall, Aaron Rowe and TO Barrett).

I hear good things about N. Randall as an All-Around player. I guess it will take time but Randall has to be better than that fat slob Peyton Marshall,

Hometown Aaron Rowe could also contribute. The problem is can he play and keep up with bigger, stronger guards from the SEC.

Also, I hope Sebastian Pack can contribute like Tony Perkins did last year. Is Sebastian Pack the same type of player as Perkins? Hope so!

[acco40]

I’ll get excited after Mizzou football is finished (hopefully in mid to late January).

That said, shortest player is listed at 6’2” and the have two 7 footers (7’0” & 7’5”) so height should not be a problem.

[Rvrartst]

Several players that, if things broke right, could be major contributors. Pierce is a big one. If he can gain some confidence in his game and fix his free throw woes, he could be a match-up nightmare for opposing teams. Crews could possibly become the offensive replacement for Grill; he was starting to show confidence in his shot later in the season. But will have to improve on everything else to see more minutes than last year. Newcomer Stone is an intriguing question mark...nobody knows what to expect from him after being injured last year, but he was a high volume three point shooter before. He shot barely over 30% but that could improve. We have no idea what to expect from Burns, but a 7'5" guy that can step out and hit threes is interesting. Porter, the incoming freshmen, who knows. Mack will be a steady guard, maybe Boateng develops an offense. Point is, this looks like a team that can defend and rebound better than previous teams, but as has been the case the last couple years with Gates, it's probably going to take a while before everybody settles into their roles; just about everybody on the team COULD be good enough to get significant minutes at this point.

[woofy25]

All comes down to Trent pierce imo. If he reaches his potential then they’re are three legit offensive threats. Ant and to should be on the floor together with bribing to the two. TO will be a playmaker (not a scorer). Those two defensively would be a real problem for opponents backcourts.
Mizzou has a chance to be really good. Hopefully someone can become a sharp shooter.

[icon]

All comes down to Trent pierce imo. If he reaches his potential then they’re are three legit offensive threats. Ant and to should be on the floor together with bribing to the two. TO will be a playmaker (not a scorer). Those two defensively would be a real problem for opponents backcourts.
Mizzou has a chance to be really good. Hopefully someone can become a sharp shooter.

Robinson was a 40% 3-point shooter last year. He should be moved to shooting guard. That would help him, I think, stay out of foul trouble, which is his main problem.

[TheMajicMan]

Here's a look at Mizzou scrimmaging and working out during Saturdays pro-day. I see good and bad, but looking at some other school's scrimmaging I see the same thing.

https://youtu.be/J_yVwUAoEaw?si=JxoOwQupu1AF9j15

[woofy25]

All comes down to Trent pierce imo. If he reaches his potential then they’re are three legit offensive threats. Ant and to should be on the floor together with bribing to the two. TO will be a playmaker (not a scorer). Those two defensively would be a real problem for opponents backcourts.
Mizzou has a chance to be really good. Hopefully someone can become a sharp shooter.

Robinson was a 40% 3-point shooter last year. He should be moved to shooting guard. That would help him, I think, stay out of foul trouble, which is his main problem.

Agreed. I’ve posted that multiple times on powermizzou and get crushed for it. Idc. It would be the right move if Barrett is as good as I think he is. Now, that does not mean I think Barrett is a scorer. He’s not, but he can pass guys open and lock down defensively.

[dhsux]

I can easily see a better team this year over last, particularly over the second half of last season.

Of course this depends upon progression and good play from the many returning vets (Pierce, Robinson, Mitchell) is huge and guys like TO producing.

Look for Crews to crown his last year. He could be a big 3 guy too.

[Red7]

Once again, Gates is rebuilding a team from scratch. Did he assemble a bunch of talented players who compliment each other (as he had in 22-23 and in 24-25) or bunch of pretty but mismatched carpet fragments as he had in 23-24? How long will it take him to figure out his player combinations and substitution patterns? Can he coach through rough waters and keep the team afloat or will we see 20+ and 8 game losing streaks? The one thing you can say about Gates, you sure as hades don’t know what to look forward to.

[icon]

Once again, Gates is rebuilding a team from scratch. Did he assemble a bunch of talented players who compliment each other (as he had in 22-23 and in 24-25) or bunch of pretty but mismatched carpet fragments as he had in 23-24? How long will it take him to figure out his player combinations and substitution patterns? Can he coach through rough waters and keep the team afloat or will we see 20+ and 8 game losing streaks? The one thing you can say about Gates, you sure as hades don’t know what to look forward to.

Actually, he's not.

[Rvrartst]

Once again, Gates is rebuilding a team from scratch. Did he assemble a bunch of talented players who compliment each other (as he had in 22-23 and in 24-25) or bunch of pretty but mismatched carpet fragments as he had in 23-24? How long will it take him to figure out his player combinations and substitution patterns? Can he coach through rough waters and keep the team afloat or will we see 20+ and 8 game losing streaks? The one thing you can say about Gates, you sure as hades don’t know what to look forward to.

No, he isn't building a team from scratch. Mizzou actually has more returning production than all but one other SEC team. Robinson, Mitchell, Pierce all were starters and produced a lot of offense. Crews saw major minutes and was getting more and more productive as the season went along. Barrett proved to be a serviceable replacement at point guard by the end of the year. Contrast this to Gate's situation his second year. His returnees were Nick Honor, Noah Carter, Sean East, Aiden Shaw, and Kaleb Brown. Honor was the closest thing to a full time starter the year before. None were major offensive threats the year before. Shaw and Brown were basically end of the bench players. There is simply no comparison.

Gates's problem in 2023-24 was that he missed or had bad luck on every major need. He whiffed on reliable big men and had to take Vanover and Carralero-Martin. He thought he had a reliable outside shooter in Grill, but Grill missed most of the season with injury. And he thought he had a true scorer with Tonje, who also missed basically the whole season. He was left with trying to fit square pegs in round holes; making Honor a big offensive threat, making Carter an inside threat to replace Kobe Brown. The only luck he had was in East turning into a go-to scorer, and East wasn't nearly enough.

This year, he again missed on a reliable center, but he got some good players (on paper), and has some freshmen and returnees that have a chance to contribute. The only player that he didn't get a good replacement for is Bates.