King's Court: Predicting Mizzou's top 10 contributors
It’s a quiet time for Mizzou basketball at the moment. Summer workouts just wrapped up and the team is currently on break, with several players (and staffers) taking the next few weeks off before school starts back up on Aug. 19. There aren’t likely to be any recruits visiting till then and club season’s pretty much over with, too.
It’s still a little early for me to have a real feel for what kind of record the team will have, how the Tigers stack up compared to the rest of the SEC, who’s going to crack the starting lineup, etc. But some folks have gone ahead and already stepped off that ledge.
Bart Torvik is one of those people. He’s already got preliminary 2025 projections up for every team in the country. He has Missouri ranked 63rd overall and 15th in the SEC, boasting the 25th-best adjusted offensive efficiency rating but a just-OK 124th-ranked adjusted defensive efficiency rating. And that’s probably well within the realm of possibilities for the Tigers this year — after how Dennis Gates’ first two seasons have gone here, just about everything is on the table.
Except, well, um…
One of the things that Torvik bases his projections on is who the computer expects to be the team’s top 10 contributors. And at present, one of those contributors is Jeremy Sanchez, a walk-on transfer who averaged 2.6 points at Saint Leo University last year (a Division II school) but is expected by the computer to have a higher offensive rating than four-star freshmen Annor Boateng and Marcus Allen and the same offensive rating as Northern Kentucky transfer Marques Warrick … the nation’s current leader in career points. There’s also Aidan Shaw, who only averaged 3.6 points per game (albeit on 72.1% shooting from the field) but is tied for the top offensive rating on the team with Tennessee Martin transfer Jacob Crews … who was one of the top-10 most efficient scorers in the country last season.
None of this is meant to be a criticism of Torvik. The computer doesn’t know what it doesn’t know. But, I do think I’ve got a better grasp on who Mizzou’s top 10 will be. Here’s my thoughts on it, 88 days out from the season opener:
Locks to make the cut
These three guys are the most sure things of anyone on the team — guys who have proven they can be productive in the toughest leagues in the sport. We all saw what Bates is capable of last year. I know he hasn’t been mentioned yet in the newcomer interviews when I ask about who the best shooter on the team is, but it wouldn’t shock me if he ends the year with the highest 3-point percentage on the team, just on a lower volume than some of the other guys. And if we’re talking all-around scorer, I think he might lead the pack.
Stay up to date on all the Mizzou news with your premium subscription
Talk about this story and more in The Tigers' Lair
Make sure you're caught up on all the Tiger news and headlines
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video and live streaming coverage