Two should finish off Tiger class

The late signing period for college basketball opens on Wednesday and it should be a big day at Missouri. The Tigers are expecting two National Letters of Intent on the first day of the late period.

Junior college all-Americans Matt Pressey and Ricardo Ratliffe both committed to Mizzou during official visits last weekend. Both have told PowerMizzou.com they intend to sign with the Tigers on the first day they can.

Ratliffe led Central Florida Community College to a 26-7 season with 27.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He chose the Tigers over Arkansas, Alabama, Clemson, Cincinnati and others.

"I always liked the coaches, I thought they were real straight up guys," Ratliffe told PowerMizzou.com on Sunday night. "I always kept them in the back of my mind and they were always in my top three. I just wasn't quite as close to them as I was some other coaches because they started recruiting me a little later. But the more I got to know them, the more I felt comfortable with them and felt that I can have an impact right away. When I came on my visit, they let me know everything was true that they told me."

Pressey had a breakout season for Navarro Junior College. The team went 28-7 and finished fourth in the NJCAA tournament. Pressey was the Region XIV most valuable player.

"They're missing some pieces, they're losing some key guys that they need to fill up," Pressey said after his visit. "In talking to coach Anderson, he thought I was the perfect guy to fill that spot."

Pressey's younger brother, Phil Pressey, signed with the Tigers out of the Episcopal School of Dallas in December.

PowerMizzou.com will be in touch with both players to confirm their signings with the Tigers and will have comments from head coach Mike Anderson once the class is complete.

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