by Benjamin Herrold
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Missouri athletics enjoyed a pretty good run last week. The men’s basketball team went 3-0, notching three wins in six days at Mizzou Arena to improve to 6-3 on the season. The women’s basketball team picked up a pair of wins. And the football team set itself up for an offseason of excitement when Clemson transfer quarterback Kelly Bryant announced he was going to play for Missouri for his final season of eligibility.
The Bryant news was huge for the Tigers. The quarterback was heavily recruited by several other successful programs, including Auburn. It showed Missouri can land a talented player even when the big boys of college football are trying to get him, too. Bryant is not on the level of his dazzling predecessor at Clemson, Deshaun Watson, but he is a good quarterback. His presence helps shore up the quarterback situation at Missouri, which had been one of the biggest question marks for the 2019 Tigers, with Drew Lock graduating. Incoming freshman recruit Connor Bazelak could be the longer-term answer at the crucial position.
Right after Bryant announced his transfer, Arkansas transfer receiver Jonathan Nance also announced he was coming to Missouri for his final year of eligibility. Nance bolsters the offensive talent around Bryant. He led the Razorbacks in receiving yards and touchdowns in 2017.
Missouri followed up the transfer news by announcing an extension and a raise for Coach Barry Odom. It felt like the right time for it, and there is clear positive momentum for the program. A Liberty Bowl win would take it up another notch.
On the basketball side, two of those three home wins were pretty easy and expected, but the first of them, an overtime win against UCF, was a tossup game and a quality win for the Tigers. Missouri got a last-second Jordan Geist three at the end of regulation to force overtime, and then hit some big shots in the extra time to pull out the win. The Tigers were somewhat fortunate to win, but this team showed good fight in the game.
Like usual, the Tigers don’t have any games this week to give the players a break for finals. The week off is usually a good time to take stock of the team and parse through the early returns of the season.
The Tigers are in rebuilding mode this season, especially since forward Jontay Porter is out for the season with a torn ACL. Missouri’s two toughest games, at Iowa State and against Kansas State on a neutral court, were both losses by at least 15 points. This is still a team that will probably struggle against top-notch competition.
But you still hope for making the NCAA Tournament until it’s no longer possible, and Coach Cuonzo Martin should have the team playing better as the season progresses.
Missouri returns to action with another decent test when they host Xavier on Dec. 18 (6 p.m. on ESPNU). Then it’s off to St. Louis for the annual Braggin’ Rights game with Illinois.