MU hoops should finish no lower than No. 2 in North

By Eric Sorrentino     Dec 17, 2008

Not much was made of Missouri before the college basketball season this winter. The Tigers weren’t ranked anywhere. In fact, they’re still not ranked after an 8-1 start.

They should be.

The Tigers, disorganized as they were last year, look like a different team with the improved play of DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons. Carroll, a Vanderbilt transfer, is averaging 18 points and 7.3 rebounds, and Lyons isn’t far off with 17.4 points and 7.3 boards per game.

Missouri’s resume is solid, with victories over then-No. 19 USC and also California. The Tigers’ only loss was against Xavier, which is now ranked No. 7 and is 9-0 on the season.

Asking Missouri to win the Big 12 North, owned by Kansas 99.9 percent of the time, is a stretch. The Jayhawks should still be the favorite this season. But when you combine the rest of the poor North teams with KU’s youth, the Tigers should finish second in the North at worst.

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31597MU hoops should finish no lower than No. 2 in North