2019–20 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Missouri in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season and was led by head coach Cuonzo Martin, who was in his third year at Missouri. The team played its home games at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri as eighth-year members of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 15–16, 7–11 in SEC play to finish in a tie for tenth place. They were set to take on Texas A&M in the second round of the SEC tournament. However, the SEC Tournament was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

2019–20 Missouri Tigers men's basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record15–16 (7–11 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Chris Hollender
  • Cornell Mann
  • Marco Harris
  • Michael Porter Sr.
Home arenaMizzou Arena
Seasons
2019–20 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 8 Kentucky 15 3   .833 25 6   .806
No. 20 Auburn 12 6   .667 25 6   .806
LSU 12 6   .667 21 10   .677
Mississippi State 11 7   .611 20 11   .645
Florida 11 7   .611 19 12   .613
South Carolina 10 8   .556 18 13   .581
Texas A&M 10 8   .556 16 14   .533
Tennessee 9 9   .500 17 14   .548
Alabama 8 10   .444 16 15   .516
Arkansas 7 11   .389 20 12   .625
Missouri 7 11   .389 15 16   .484
Ole Miss 6 12   .333 15 17   .469
Georgia 5 13   .278 16 16   .500
Vanderbilt 3 15   .167 11 21   .344
Note: The 2020 SEC tournament was canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Tigers finished the 2018–19 season 15–17, 5–13 in SEC play to finish in 12th place. As the No. 12 seed in the SEC tournament, they defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in the first round 71–61. Missouri would lose in the second round to the number five seed Auburn. The Tigers did not receive an at-large bid or earn an automatic-bid to the NCAA tournament.

Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Jordan Geist 15 G 6'2" 180 R-Senior Fort Wayne, IN Graduated
Kevin Puryear 24 F 6'7" 238 Senior Blue Springs, MO Graduated
Adam Wolf 32 F 6'7" 219 Senior Beaver Dam, WI Graduated
Cullen VanLeer 33 G 6'4" 208 Senior Pacific, MO Graduated
Jontay Porter 11 F 6'11" 240 Sophomore Columbia, MO Declared for 2019 NBA draft[1]
Christian Guess 55 G 6'5" 180 Freshman Cleveland, OH Transferring to Tallahassee Community College
Ronnie Suggs 3 G 6'6" 190 Junior Washington, MO Transferred to Southern Illinois
K. J. Santos 2 F 6'8" 220 Sophomore Geneva, IL Left to play professionally for Brujos de Guayama

2019 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
LaTrayvion Jackson
PF
Ypsilanti, Michigan Sunrise Christian Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Nov 14, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 86
Mario McKinney Jr.
PG
St. Louis, Missouri Vashon High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sep 24, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 81
Kobe Brown[2]
SF
Huntsville, AL Lee High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) May 14, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 82
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:

Incoming Transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Axel Okongo[3] 15 C 7'0" 240 Junior Saâcy-sur-Marne, France Transfer from Northwest College

Preseason

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SEC media poll

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The SEC media poll was released on October 15, 2019.[4]

Media poll
Predicted finish Team
1 Kentucky
2 Florida
3 LSU
4 Auburn
5 Tennessee
6 Alabama
7 Mississippi State
8 Ole Miss
9 Georgia
10 South Carolina
11 Arkansas
12 Texas A&M
13 Missouri
14 Vanderbilt

Roster

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2019–20 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) 205 lb (93 kg) So Whitfield School St. Louis, MO
G 1 Xavier Pinson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Simeon Career Academy Chicago, IL
F 2 LaTrayvion Jackson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Sunrise Christian Academy Ypsilanti, MI
G 4 Javon Pickett 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Belleville East High School Belleville, IL
F 5 Mitchell Smith 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 221 lb (100 kg) RS Jr Van Buren High School Van Buren, AR
G 10 Evan Yerkes (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 187 lb (85 kg) So Victor J. Andrew High School Tinley Park, IL
G 11 Mario McKinney Jr. (S) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Vashon High School St. Louis, MO
G 12 Dru Smith 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 203 lb (92 kg) RS Jr Reitz Memorial High School
Evansville
Evansville,IN
G 13 Mark Smith 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Edwardsville High School
Illinois
Edwardsville, IL
C 14 Reed Nikko 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Maple Grove High School Maple Grove, MN
F 15 Axel Okongo 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr Thetford Prep
Northwest College (WY)
Saâcy-sur-Marne, France
C 23 Jeremiah Tilmon 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Jr East St. Louis High School East St. Louis, IL
F 24 Kobe Brown 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Lee High School Huntsville, AL
G 25 Brooks Ford (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 187 lb (85 kg) So De Smit High School St. Louis, MO
F 42 Parker Braun 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 217 lb (98 kg) RS 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
Last update: May 1, 2019

On January 11, 2020, Martin announced that the Tigers had suspended freshman Mario McKinney indefinitely for unspecified reasons.[5]

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Central Missouri W 80–56 
 12  Brown   7  M. Smith   7  D. Smith  Mizzou Arena (7,072)
Columbia, MO
Regular season
November 6, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Incarnate Word W 82–42  1–0
 16  Tilmon   8  Pickett   5  Pinson, D. Smith  Mizzou Arena (8,185)
Columbia, MO
November 8, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Northern Kentucky W 71–56  2–0
 19  Ma. Smith   7  Mi. Smith   6  Pinson  Mizzou Arena (8,486)
Columbia, MO
November 12, 2019*
6:00 pm, CBSSN
at No. 21 Xavier L 58–63 OT 2–1
 22  D. Smith   10  D. Smith   4  D. Smith  Cintas Center (10,224)
Cincinnati, OH
November 18, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Wofford
Hall of Fame Classic campus-site game
W 75–56  3–1
 19  Ma. Smith   5  Tilmon   7  D. Smith  Mizzou Arena (8,144)
Columbia, MO
November 20, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Morehead State
Hall of Fame Classic campus-site game
W 70–52  4–1
 21  Ma. Smith   9  D. Smith   5  D. Smith  Mizzou Arena (8,142)
Columbia, MO
November 25, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. Butler
Hall of Fame Classic semifinals[6]
L 52–63  4–2
 19  D. Smith   4  Mi. Smith   3  Pinson  Sprint Center (8,963)
Kansas City, MO
November 26, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPNews
vs. Oklahoma
Hall of Fame Classic third place game
L 66–77  4–3
 18  Ma. Smith   8  Ma. Smith   7  D. Smith  Sprint Center (8,506)
Kansas City, MO
December 3, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Charleston Southern L 60–68  4–4
 15  Tilmon   9  Tilmon   4  D. Smith  Mizzou Arena (7,894)
Columbia, MO
December 7, 2019*
6:30 pm, ESPNU
at Temple W 64–54  5–4
 16  Pickett   6  Ma. Smith, D. Smith   3  D. Smith, Pinson  Liacouras Center (6,405)
Philadelphia, PA
December 15, 2019*
3:00 pm, SECN
Southern Illinois W 64–48  6–4
 23  Ma. Smith   8  D. Smith   3  Pinson  Mizzou Arena (8,216)
Columbia, MO
December 21, 2019*
12:00 pm, SECN
vs. Illinois
Braggin' Rights
W 63–56  7–4
 19  D. Smith   6  Mi. Smith, Pickett   4  D. Smith  Enterprise Center (15,259)
St. Louis, MO
December 30, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Chicago State W 91–33  8–4
 24  Watson   6  Brown   7  Smith  Mizzou Arena (9,359)
Columbia, MO
January 4, 2020
1:00 pm, SECN
at No. 17 Kentucky L 59–71  8–5
(0–1)
 11  D. Smith   3  Tied   2  Tied  Rupp Arena (20,396)
Lexington, KY
January 7, 2020
6:00 pm, SECN
Tennessee L 59–69  8–6
(0–2)
 11  Jackson   7  Mi. Smith   4  Tied  Mizzou Arena (8,663)
Columbia, MO
January 11, 2020
7:30 pm, SECN
Florida W 91–75  9–6
(1–2)
 22  D. Smith   6  Ma. Smith   6  D. Smith  Mizzou Arena (9,001)
Columbia, MO
January 14, 2020
8:00 pm, SECN
at Mississippi State L 45–72  9–7
(1–3)
 14  Brown   4  Tied   3  Tied  Humphrey Coliseum (5,904)
Starkville, MS
January 18, 2020
2:30 pm, SECN
at Alabama L 74–88  9–8
(1–4)
 18  D. Smith   6  Tied   2  Tied  Coleman Coliseum (10,950)
Tuscaloosa, AL
January 21, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPNU
Texas A&M L 64–66  9–9
(1–5)
 19  Ma. Smith   11  Mi. Smith   8  D. Smith  Mizzou Arena (8,529)
Columbia, MO
January 25, 2020*
11:00 am, ESPN
at No. 14 West Virginia
Big 12/SEC Challenge
L 51–74  9–10
 19  Watson   5  Tied   2  Tied  WVU Coliseum (14,031)
Morgantown, WV
January 28, 2020
7:30 pm, SECN
Georgia W 72–69  10–10
(2–5)
 16  Tied   7  Mi. Smith   3  Tied  Mizzou Arena (8,451)
Columbia, MO
February 1, 2020
2:30 pm, SECN
at South Carolina L 54–76  10–11
(2–6)
 12  Pinson   8  Pickett   3  D. Smith  Colonial Life Arena (14,678)
Columbia, SC
February 4, 2020
8:00 pm, SECN
at Texas A&M L 51–68  10–12
(2–7)
 9  Mi. Smith   11  Mi. Smith   7  D. Smith  Reed Arena (5,755)
College Station, TX
February 8, 2020
2:30 pm, SECN
Arkansas W 83–79 OT 11–12
(3–7)
 24  Pinson   11  Tied   3  Pinson  Mizzou Arena (11,439)
Columbia, SC
February 11, 2020
8:00 pm, SECN
at No. 25 LSU L 78–82  11–13
(13–8)
 20  D. Smith   8  Nikko   7  Pinson  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,990)
Baton Rouge, LA
February 15, 2020
5:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 11 Auburn W 85–73  12–13
(4–8)
 28  Tied   9  Brown   5  Pinson  Mizzou Arena (12,506)
Columbia, MO
February 18, 2020
7:30 pm, SECN
Ole Miss W 71–68  13–13
(5–8)
 32  Pinson   7  Braun   4  D. Smith  Mizzou Arena (8,677)
Columbia, MO
February 22, 2020
12:00 pm, SECN
at Arkansas L 68–78  13–14
(5–9)
 17  Brown   10  Brown   7  Pinson  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
February 26, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPNU
at Vanderbilt W 61–52  14–14
(6–9)
 17  Pinson   12  Mi. Smith   3  D. Smith  Memorial Gymnasium (8,497)
Nashville, TN
February 29, 2020
2:30 pm, SECN
Mississippi State L 63–67  14–15
(6–10)
 20  Pinson   9  D. Smith   2  Tied  Mizzou Arena (10,397)
Columbia, MO
March 4, 2020
8:00 pm, SECN
at Ole Miss L 67-75  14-16
(6-11)
 16  Pinson   7  Tilmon   5  Pinson  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (6,887)
Oxford, MS
March 7, 2020
1:30 pm, SECN
Alabama W 69-50  15-16
(7-11)
 17  D. Smith   9  Tilmon   8  D. Smith  Mizzou Arena (10,047)
Columbia, MO
SEC tournament
March 12, 2020
6:00 pm, SECN
(10) vs. (7) Texas A&M
Second round
Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[7] Bridgestone Arena
Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APRVRVRVRVNot released
CoachesRV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

References

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  1. ^ "' Jeremiah Tilmon to Test NBA Draft Waters, Maintain Collegiate Eligibility".
  2. ^ "Signs 4-Star Forward Kobe Brown".
  3. ^ "Signs 7-Foot Center Axel Okongo".
  4. ^ "UK picked to win 2020 SEC Men's Basketball Championship". SEC Sports. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  5. ^ Matter, Dave. "Mizzou Suspends Freshman Mario McKinney Indefinitely". www.stltoday.com. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  6. ^ "To Compete in Hall of Fame Classic Next Season".
  7. ^ "SEC cancels remainder of Men's Basketball Tournament". SECSports.com. The Southeastern Conference. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.