2018–19 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team

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.

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
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 15 LSU162 .889287 .800
No. 10 Tennessee153 .833316 .838
No. 7 Kentucky153 .833307 .811
No. 5 Auburn117 .6113010 .750
South Carolina117 .6111616 .500
Mississippi State108 .5562311 .676
Ole Miss108 .5562013 .606
Florida99 .5002016 .556
Alabama810 .4441816 .529
Arkansas810 .4441816 .529
Texas A&M612 .3331418 .438
Missouri513 .2781517 .469
Georgia216 .1111121 .344
Vanderbilt018 .000923 .281
2019 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

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

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Michael Porter Jr.13F6'10"215FreshmanColumbia, MODeclared for 2018 NBA draft
Kassius Robertson3G6'3"180RS-SeniorToronto, ONGraduated
Jordan Barnett21F6'7"215SeniorSt. Louis, MOGraduated
Brett Rau10G6'4"175SeniorBurlington, ILGraduated
C. J. Roberts0G6'0"180FreshmanNorth Richland Hills, TXTransferred to Broward College
Terrence Phillips1G5'11"185JuniorOrange County, CALeft team
Blake Harris55G6'3"195FreshmanChapel Hill, NCTransferred to NC State

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Mark Smith13G6'4"220FreshmanEdwardsville, ILIllinois[4]
Dru Smith12G6'3"200SophomoreEvansville, INEvansville[5]
K. J. Santos2F6'8"220SophomoreGeneva, ILTallahassee Community College.
Ronnie Suggs3G6'6"190JuniorWashington, MOBradley University.

2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Torrence Watson
SG
St. Louis, MOWhitfield School6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)175 lb (79 kg)Aug 9, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 84
Xavier Pinson
PG
Chicago, ILSimeon Career Academy6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)170 lb (77 kg)Feb 5, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Parker Braun[6]
PF
Blue Valley Northwest6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)205 lb (93 kg)May 31, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPNN/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
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G0Torrence Watson6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg)FrWhitfield SchoolSt. Louis, MO
G1Xavier Pinson6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)170 lb (77 kg)FrSimeon Career AcademyChicago, IL
F2K. J. Santos6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)220 lb (100 kg)SoVermont Academy
Tallahassee Community College
Geneva, IL
G3Ronnie Suggs (W)6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)190 lb (86 kg)JrBradley UniversityWashington, MO
G4Javon Pickett6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)207 lb (94 kg)FrBelleville East High SchoolBelleville, IL
F5Mitchell Smith6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)215 lb (98 kg)SoVan Buren High SchoolVan Buren, AR
G10Evan Yerkes (W)6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg)FrVictor J. Andrew High SchoolTinley Park, IL
F11Jontay Porter  6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)240 lb (109 kg)SoNathan Hale High SchoolColumbia, MO
G12Dru Smith  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)200 lb (91 kg)RS SoReitz Memorial High School
Evansville
Evansville,IN
G13Mark Smith  6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)220 lb (100 kg)RS SoEdwardsville High School
Illinois
Edwardsville, IL
C14Reed Nikko6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)250 lb (113 kg)JrMaple Grove High SchoolMaple Grove, MN
G15Jordan Geist6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)180 lb (82 kg)RS SrHomestead High School
Ranger College
Fort Wayne, IN
C23Jeremiah Tilmon6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)252 lb (114 kg)SoEast St. Louis High SchoolEast St. Louis, IL
F24Kevin Puryear6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)238 lb (108 kg)SrBlue Springs South High SchoolBlue Springs, MO
G25Brooks Ford (W)6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)170 lb (77 kg)FrDe Smit High SchoolSt. Louis, MO
F32Adam Wolf (W)6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)219 lb (99 kg)SrBeaver Dam High SchoolBeaver Dam, WI
G33Cullen VanLeer6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)208 lb (94 kg)SrPacific High SchoolPacific, MO
F42Parker Braun (W)6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)205 lb (93 kg)FrBlue Valley Northwest High SchoolOverland 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#ResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsSite (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2018*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Central ArkansasW 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 StateL 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
TempleL 77–79 3–3
 19  Ma. Smith  10  Tilmon  3  Geist Mizzou Arena (9,971)
Columbia, MO
December 2, 2018*
2:00 pm, ESPNU
UCFW 64–62 OT4–3
 18  Geist  7  Mi. Smith  3  Pickett Mizzou Arena (10,067)
Columbia, MO
December 4, 2018*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Texas–ArlingtonW 65–45 5–3
 12  Watson  12  Tilmon  3  Geist Mizzou Arena (9,428)
Columbia, MO
December 7, 2018*
6:00 pm, SECN
Oral RobertsW 80–64 6–3
 14  Ma. Smith  6  Tilmon  4  Pinson Mizzou Arena (9,813)
Columbia, MO
December 18, 2018*
6:00 pm, ESPNU
XavierW 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 StateW 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 TennesseeL 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 CarolinaL 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
AlabamaL 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&MW 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 ArkansasL 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 LSUL 80–86 OT10–8
(1–5)
 25  Geist  11  Geist  2  Tied Mizzou Arena (11,513)
Columbia, MO
January 30, 2019
7:30 pm, SECN
at AuburnL 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
VanderbiltW 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 TennesseeL 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&ML 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
ArkansasW 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 MissL 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 KentuckyL 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 FloridaL 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 StateL 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 CarolinaW 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 GeorgiaW 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 MissL 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