Missouri Tigers' SEC Tournament Bid on the Bubble

0:00On March 10, Missouri's Tigers basketball team wrapped up the regular season with two tough losses, sitting at 20 wins and 11 losses. Overall, they snagged 10 conference victories but couldn't beat Oklahoma on the road or Arkansas at home. That stumbled dropped them to the 8-seed in the SEC tournament in Nashville, where just one win would lock in their spot for March madness. Now heading into the second round, the Tigers face either Kentucky or LSU. Their tournament resume shows a net ranking of number 60, with a five and six record in top tier Quad 1 games and strong marks against weaker opponents. Recent slides have bumped them down a spot in key metrics, adding some edge to their bubble status. Fans and analysts feel the pressure after what could have been a double buy with one more win. Coach Dennis Gates' squad had the path cleared earlier, but these losses have stirred up real angst around Colombia, even as most projections still. Favor a tournament birth. Bracket experts updated their takes this week.

1:01USA Today slots Missouri as an 11-seed in St. Louis against North Carolina. ESPN keeps them at 10-seed in Oklahoma City, facing St. Mary's, while CBS drops them to a first-four match-up with Southern Methodist in Dayton. Analytics site Torvik gives them about a 64% shot based on thousands of simulations. The Tigers need to shake off the skid starting Thursday in Nashville to turn projections into reality and ease into Selection Sunday.