2018–19 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team

2018–19 Missouri Tigers men's basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record15–17 (5–13 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Chris Hollender
  • Cornell Mann
  • Michael Porter Sr.
Home arenaMizzou Arena
Seasons
2018–19 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 15 LSU 16 – 2   .889 28 – 7   .800
No. 10 Tennessee 15 – 3   .833 31 – 6   .838
No. 7 Kentucky 15 – 3   .833 30 – 7   .811
No. 5 Auburn† 11 – 7   .611 30 – 10   .750
South Carolina 11 – 7   .611 16 – 16   .500
Mississippi State 10 – 8   .556 23 – 11   .676
Ole Miss 10 – 8   .556 20 – 13   .606
Florida 9 – 9   .500 20 – 16   .556
Alabama 8 – 10   .444 18 – 16   .529
Arkansas 8 – 10   .444 18 – 16   .529
Texas A&M 6 – 12   .333 14 – 18   .438
Missouri 5 – 13   .278 15 – 17   .469
Georgia 2 – 16   .111 11 – 21   .344
Vanderbilt 0 – 18   .000 9 – 23   .281
† 2019 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018–19 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Missouri in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by head coach Cuonzo Martin in his second year at Missouri. The team played its home games at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri as seventh-year members of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 15–17 overall, 5–13 in the SEC to finish in 12th place.

Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2017–18 season 20–13, 10–8 in SEC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. As the No. 5 seed in the SEC tournament, they lost to the Georgia Bulldogs in the second round. The Tigers received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 8 seed in the West region. The Tigers lost in the First Round to Florida State.

Offseason

On March 26, 2018, Michael Porter Jr. announced he would declare for the 2018 NBA draft and would forgo his final years of eligibility by signing with an agent.[1][2] On April 5, his younger brother Jontay Porter also declared for the NBA draft, but did not sign with an agent. Shortly before the deadline to withdraw from the draft, the younger Porter did so and will return for his sophomore year.[3]

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Michael Porter Jr. 13 F 6'10" 215 Freshman Columbia, MO Declared for 2018 NBA draft
Kassius Robertson 3 G 6'3" 180 RS-Senior Toronto, ON Graduated
Jordan Barnett 21 F 6'7" 215 Senior St. Louis, MO Graduated
Brett Rau 10 G 6'4" 175 Senior Burlington, IL Graduated
C. J. Roberts 0 G 6'0" 180 Freshman North Richland Hills, TX Transferred to Broward College
Terrence Phillips 1 G 5'11" 185 Junior Orange County, CA Left team
Blake Harris 55 G 6'3" 195 Freshman Chapel Hill, NC Transferred to NC State

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Mark Smith 13 G 6'4" 220 Freshman Edwardsville, IL Illinois[4]
Dru Smith 12 G 6'3" 200 Sophomore Evansville, IN Evansville[5]
K. J. Santos 2 F 6'8" 220 Sophomore Geneva, IL Tallahassee Community College.
Ronnie Suggs 3 G 6'6" 190 Junior Washington, MO Bradley University.

2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Torrence Watson
SG 		St. Louis, MO Whitfield School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Aug 9, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 84
Xavier Pinson
PG 		Chicago, IL Simeon Career Academy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Feb 5, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Parker Braun[6]
PF 		Blue Valley Northwest 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) May 31, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2018–19 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Torrence Watson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Whitfield School St. Louis, MO
G 1 Xavier Pinson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Simeon Career Academy Chicago, IL
F 2 K. J. Santos 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Vermont Academy
Tallahassee Community College 		Geneva, IL
G 3 Ronnie Suggs (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Bradley University Washington, MO
G 4 Javon Pickett 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 207 lb (94 kg) Fr Belleville East High School Belleville, IL
F 5 Mitchell Smith 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Van Buren High School Van Buren, AR
G 10 Evan Yerkes (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Victor J. Andrew High School Tinley Park, IL
F 11 Jontay Porter Injured 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Nathan Hale High School Columbia, MO
G 12 Dru Smith Current redshirt 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS So Reitz Memorial High School
Evansville 		Evansville,IN
G 13 Mark Smith Injured 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS So Edwardsville High School
Illinois 		Edwardsville, IL
C 14 Reed Nikko 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr Maple Grove High School Maple Grove, MN
G 15 Jordan Geist 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Sr Homestead High School
Ranger College 		Fort Wayne, IN
C 23 Jeremiah Tilmon 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 252 lb (114 kg) So East St. Louis High School East St. Louis, IL
F 24 Kevin Puryear 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 238 lb (108 kg) Sr Blue Springs South High School Blue Springs, MO
G 25 Brooks Ford (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr De Smit High School St. Louis, MO
F 32 Adam Wolf (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 219 lb (99 kg) Sr Beaver Dam High School Beaver Dam, WI
G 33 Cullen VanLeer 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Sr Pacific High School Pacific, MO
F 42 Parker Braun (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Blue Valley Northwest High School Overland Park, KS
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2018*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		Central Arkansas W 68–55  1–0
  19 – Ma. Smith   10 – Tied   4 – Pinson  Mizzou Arena (9,436)
Columbia, MO
November 10, 2018*
6:00 pm 		at Iowa State L 59–76  1–1
  15 – Ma. Smith   7 – Tied   5 – Geist  Hilton Coliseum (14,384)
Ames, IA
November 16, 2018*
2:00 pm, FloSports 		vs. Kennesaw State
Paradise Jam Quarterfinals 		W 55–52  2–1
  17 – Puryear   9 – Tilmon   3 – Pickett  Sports and Fitness Center (522)
St. Thomas VI
November 18, 2018*
4:30 pm, FloSports 		vs. Oregon State
Paradise Jam Semifinals 		W 69–63  3–1
  18 – Geist   8 – Puryear   6 – Ma. Smith  Sports and Fitness Center 
St. Thomas VI
November 19, 2018*
6:30 pm, FloSports 		vs. No. 12 Kansas State
Paradise Jam championship game 		L 67–82  3–2
  24 – Geist   4 – Tied   4 – Ma. Smith  Sports and Fitness Center (2,274)
St. Thomas, VI
November 27, 2018*
8:00 pm, SECN 		Temple L 77–79  3–3
  19 – Ma. Smith   10 – Tilmon   3 – Geist  Mizzou Arena (9,971)
Columbia, MO
December 2, 2018*
2:00 pm, ESPNU 		UCF W 64–62 OT 4–3
  18 – Geist   7 – Mi. Smith   3 – Pickett  Mizzou Arena (10,067)
Columbia, MO
December 4, 2018*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		Texas–Arlington W 65–45  5–3
  12 – Watson   12 – Tilmon   3 – Geist  Mizzou Arena (9,428)
Columbia, MO
December 7, 2018*
6:00 pm, SECN 		Oral Roberts W 80–64  6–3
  14 – Ma. Smith   6 – Tilmon   4 – Pinson  Mizzou Arena (9,813)
Columbia, MO
December 18, 2018*
6:00 pm, ESPNU 		Xavier W 71–56  7–3
  23 – Tilmon   9 – Tilmon   5 – Pinson  Mizzou Arena (9,785)
Columbia, MO
December 22, 2018*
7:00 pm, BTN 		vs. Illinois
Braggin' Rights 		W 79–63  8–3
  20 – Geist   12 – Tilmon   7 – Geist  Enterprise Center (16,397)
St. Louis, MO
December 29, 2018*
1:00 pm, SECN+ 		Morehead State W 75–61  9–3
  22 – Ma. Smith   8 – Puryear   3 – Tied  Mizzou Arena (11,458)
Columbia, MO
SEC regular season
January 8, 2019
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 3 Tennessee L 63–87  9–4
(0–1) 		 14 – Pinson   5 – Tied   5 – Geist  Mizzou Arena (10,165)
Columbia, MO
January 13, 2019
12:00 pm, SECN+ 		at South Carolina L 75–85  9–5
(0–2) 		 21 – Pickett   6 – Watson   5 – Geist  Colonial Life Arena (12,747)
Columbia, SC
January 16, 2019
8:00 pm, SECN 		Alabama L 60–70  9–6
(0–3) 		 13 – Tied   8 – Smith   3 – Tied  Mizzou Arena (8,530)
Columbia, MO
January 19, 2019
2:30 pm, SECN 		at Texas A&M W 66–43  10–6
(1–3) 		 17 – Geist   10 – Puryear   5 – Geist  Reed Arena (6,396)
College Station, TX
January 23, 2019
8:00 pm, SECN 		at Arkansas L 60–72  10–7
(1–4) 		 22 – Smith   7 – Smith   4 – Geist  Bud Walton Arena (13,881)
Fayetteville, AR
January 26, 2019
5:00 pm, SECN 		No. 25 LSU L 80–86 OT 10–8
(1–5) 		 25 – Geist   11 – Geist   2 – Tied  Mizzou Arena (11,513)
Columbia, MO
January 30, 2019
7:30 pm, SECN 		at Auburn L 58–92  10–9
(1–6) 		 15 – Tilmon   9 – Geist   4 – Pinson  Auburn Arena (7,213)
Auburn, AL
February 2, 2019
7:30 pm, SECN 		Vanderbilt W 77–67  11–9
(2–6) 		 19 – Tilmon   10 – Puryear   6 – Geist  Mizzou Arena (11,091)
Columbia, MO
February 5, 2019
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		at No. 1 Tennessee L 60–72  11–10
(2–7) 		 12 – Pickett   8 – Pinson   5 – Geist  Thompson–Boling Arena (17,264)
Knoxville, TN
February 9, 2019
5:00 pm, SECN 		Texas A&M L 59–68  11–11
(2–8) 		 15 – Pickett   7 – Puryear   6 – Pinson  Mizzou Arena (11,171)
Columbia, MO
February 12, 2019
8:00 pm, ESPNU 		Arkansas W 79–78  12–11
(3–8) 		 21 – Tilmon   9 – Pinson   4 – Puryear  Mizzou Arena (9,489)
Columbia, MO
February 16, 2019
2:30 pm, SECN 		at Ole Miss L 65–75  12–12
(3–9) 		 23 – Geist   9 – Pinson   3 – Pickett  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (8,248)
Oxford, MS
February 19, 2019
8:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 4 Kentucky L 58–66  12–13
(3–10) 		 13 – Suggs   7 – Tilmonn   4 – Geist  Mizzou Arena (10,703)
Columbia, MO
February 23, 2019
3:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Florida L 60–64  12–14
(3–11) 		 16 – Geist   6 – 2 tied   3 – Pinson  Exactech Arena (10,450)
Gainesville, FL
February 26, 2019
6:00 pm, SECN 		at Mississippi State L 49–68  12–15
(3–12) 		 12 – Watson   7 – Pickett   2 – 2 tied  Humphrey Coliseum (7,058)
Starkville, MS
March 2, 2019
2:30 pm, SECN 		South Carolina W 78–63  13–15
(4–12) 		 20 – Watson   8 – Tilmon   3 – 3 tied  Mizzou Arena (10,376)
Columbia, MO
March 6, 2019
5:30 pm, SECN 		at Georgia W 64–39  14–15
(5–12) 		 18 – Geist   11 – M. Smith   6 – Geist  Stegeman Coliseum 
Athens, GA
March 9, 2019
2:30 pm, SECN 		Ole Miss L 68–73  14–16
(5–13) 		 20 – Pinson   7 – Tilmon   6 – Pinson  Mizzou Arena 
Columbia, MO
SEC Tournament
March 13, 2019
6:00 pm, SECN 		(12) vs. (13) Georgia
First Round 		W 71-61  15-16
  30 – Geist   7 – Puryear   1 – 4 tied  Bridgestone Arena 
Nashville, TN
March 14, 2019
2:30 pm, SECN 		(12) vs. (5) No. 22 Auburn
Second Round 		L 71–81  15–17
  25 – Geist   5 – Tilmon   5 – Pinson  Bridgestone Arena 
Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

References

  1. ^ "Missouri's Michael Porter Jr. declares for the NBA draft". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  2. ^ "Michael Porter Jr. declares for NBA draft". SI.com. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  3. ^ Snelling, Sam; Connelly, Bill (May 30, 2018). "Jontay Porter withdraws from the 2018 NBA draft and will return to Missouri". Rock M Nation. Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  4. ^ Schiffer, Alex (October 28, 2018). "Hoops transfer Mark Smith cleared to play for Missouri this season". KansasCity.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  5. ^ "AJC: UGA Sports News".
  6. ^ "PowerMizzou - Braun a late addition for Mizzou".