Mizzou Tiger Hoops

Throughout the season I would like to take a look at team’s we have beaten and see how they have done since we played them. Clearly, our biggest win so far came against currently 5-3 USC. Not an impressive record for a team that opened in the top 25, but a ranked win is a ranked win.

I hope USC wins the rest of their games. That'd be cool.

USC lost its first game to Seton Hall by 2 points. Seton Hall is by no means a stellar team, but they are currently sitting pretty with a 7-1 record with wins over presumably solid teams Virginia Tech and obviously USC. I would categorize losing by 2 points to a power conference team, early season, with a freshman a crucial role, and in a strange setting like Puerto Rico as “kind-of understandable.” 

USC’s other loss besides Mizzou came at Oklahoma by 1 point in a game that they no doubt had many opportunities to win. OU currently checks in at #5 in the country (I personally think that is a bit high), which makes that loss perfectly understandable and in my opinion, encouraging for Mizzou fans. 

In the OU game, freshman sensation DeMar DeRozan scored 10 points in 37 minutes. Those number aren’t bad for a freshman, but with his supposed talent I can only assume they will continue to improve over the course of the year. OU already showed it can play with a top 5 team on the road, even without DeRozan playing at the level he very well could be during conference play. 

I believe in a rebuilding Pac 10, with only a somewhat disappointing (2 losses already) UCLA being an established power, USC can get 10 or more conference wins. This would surely put them back in the top 25 and in the NCAA tournament. 

Come tournament time, if Mizzou (pray they aren’t) is on the bubble, how great would that USC win look. I believe that that win in Puerto Rico was Mike Anderson’s 4th biggest at Mizzou, only behind Texas and K-State last year and Ok-State two years ago. 

USC plays a tough non-conference against Georgia Tech on Dec. 22, so that will be a good litmus test to see where they are at. Let’s hope that they have continued to improve.