Anyone familiar with Coach Mike Anderson knows the style and tempo he likes to run. If there is any team in the nation that can plug new players into new roles with matching skills, it is Missouri. Tiller and Taylor exemplified the ideal CMA tempo.
Good thing the Tigers possess a stable of guards ready to continue the legacy left by Tiller and Taylor.
Junior Marcus Denmon ranked second in scoring last year, averaging 10.4 points per game. A majority of his production came from behind the arc as he hit nearly 41 percent of his three-point tries. Look for Denmon to contribute in an expanded role this year thanks to a clean bill of health.
Sophomore Michael Dixon, freshman Phil Pressey and junior Kim English look to round out the back court for the Tigers. Freshman Ricky Kreklow's perimeter shooting may get him minutes as he continues to add bulk and knowledge of CMA's system. Matt Pressey, older brother to Phil and a junior college transfer himself, found himself on JUCO All-American teams and looks to compete for minutes.
The major knock against CMA's squads at Missouri have been the glaring rebounding disparity in every season. En route to ranking 11th in the Big 12 in rebounding margin last year, the Tigers were out rebounded 101-56 in their two losses to Kansas, 35-23 in their loss to Baylor that included a last-second offensive tip-in to win the game for the Bears and 41-24 in a loss to Texas A&M that snapped their 32 game home winning streak.
The arrival of 6'8'', 240 pound Ricardo Ratliffe has Tiger fans looking to reverse this trend. The JUCO national player of the year spent his first two seasons at the College of Central Florida. Ever since arriving in Columbia days after the start of the fall semester, he has spent his time proving his reputation right.
The most exciting part of what Ratliffe brings to the Tigers is a low-post presence. Junior Laurence Bowers and senior Justin Safford provide size for the Tigers, but are not considered prototypical post players. Ratliffe can camp out on the block, play with his back to the basket and put on post moves that demand double teams, opening up the whole floor for the Tiger snipers.
Ratliffe has already began piling up awards before clocking a minute of D-I basketball. Preseason accolades are nice indicators, but notching double-doubles in the rugged Big 12 will announce Ratliffe's arrival officially.
Look for Ratliffe to open up post scoring chances for Bowers and Safford as well. Safford, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear last February, looks to be full speed as the Tigers open practice. Freshman Kadeem Green, 6'8'' and 200 pounds, is coming off an Achilles tendon tear but also seems to be acclimating to CMA's high-tempo style.
A pivotal player in the post for the Tigers will be junior center Steve Moore. Moore's progression in the program has been solid, getting into CMA shape and then contributing significant minutes last year after Safford's injury. After playing on a Global Sports Academy team that toured Europe this summer, Moore looks to have an expanded knowledge of the game that should translate to on-court success.
As talented and deep as the Tigers are, they could have been even deeper. The NCAA deemed prize recruit Tony Mitchell ineligible for at least the fall semester after questions about his attendance and transfer credits surfaced this summer.
For the Tigers to finish above the fifth place spot Big 12 coaches voted them to in their annual pre-season poll, a few things must happen. CMA must find a cohesive back court rotation to replace the solidarity exhibited by Taylor and Tiller the last two seasons. The forwards need to become more aggressive as a group to seriously contend with Kansas, Kansas State and Texas. CMA must discover a way to break up offensive droughts that crippled particular games last year. Spot substitutions of Kreklow or other sharpshooters could remedy this.
CMA will need to act fast on these issues as the Tigers will go through a non-conference schedule that will pay off in later RPI ratings. Missouri faces number 21 Georgetown on November 30th in Kansas City. Vanderbilt travels to Mizzou Arena December 8th with the Tigers looking to avenge their loss to the Commodores last year. The annual Braggin' Rights game puts the Tigers against number 16 Illinois December 22 in St. Louis.
If CMA can find answers to these questions, the Tigers may finish higher than the 15th position they sit in currently.
