Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
Missouri (Projected: 14th in SEC)
It was a disastrous year in 2023-24 for the Missouri Tigers, going 8-24 and 0-19 in SEC games. The Tigers made the tournament in Dennis Gates’ first season, but now everything is in question heading into year three. Even with a bad year, Gates was able to pull in a lot of talent, giving Tigers fans hope for 2024-25.
The leading returner for Missouri is Tamar Bates (14 ppg), a former Indiana transfer who finished second in scoring on the team last season. Bates was an efficient second option on a bad team, but the fact is that last year’s team lacked any quality outside of the top four players. Caleb Grill (8 ppg, 6 rpg) returns having played just nine games last season, a veteran sharpshooter that could give this team a boost if he keeps his head aligned and stays injury-free. Anthony Robinson II (4 ppg), Aidan Shaw (4 ppg, 4 rpg), and Trent Pierce (2 ppg) round out the returning core.
Eight players left after the disaster of a season, many due to graduation. Bates stayed, but the rest of the Tigers’ top four left, including Sean East II (18 ppg, 4 rpg, 4 apg), Nick Honor (11 ppg), and Noah Carter (11 ppg, 5 rpg). Bench pieces Connor Vanover (4 ppg), John Tonje (3 ppg), Jesus Carralero-Martin (2 ppg), Curt Lewis (2 ppg), and Jordan Butler (2 ppg) all departed as well.
Dennis Gates worked the portal very well to fill the gaps left by three of his top players and the holes that were there all season long in 2023-24. My favorite pickup of the lot was Tony Perkins (14 ppg, 5 apg at Iowa). At 6-4, 205, Perkins is a big point guard and used his size well to get to the hoop and create for others. Perkins was an integral contributor to Iowa’s success last season and automatically raises Missouri’s floor as an all-conference caliber point guard. Another big get for Gates was Duke sophomore transfer Mark Mitchell (12 ppg, 6 rpg at Duke). Mitchell isn’t much of a floor spacer, but is an athletic big that can rebound the ball well, especially on the offensive glass. Mitchell has loads of potential and can very well breakout at Missouri this season if everything aligns.
Marques Warrick (20 ppg at NKU) joins the Tigers this offseason as well, a premier mid-major player for the last four seasons at Northern Kentucky. Warrick now finally makes the jump up to the power conference level, and will look to showcase his skills as a 6-2 three-level scorer. With less pressure on him to be “the guy”, I think Warrick can become a more efficient player in the SEC with a much lower usage rate.
Jacob Crews (19 ppg, 8 rpg at UT Martin) transfers in from UT Martin as a 6-8 do-it-all guard. Crews will likely come off the bench as a scoring threat and a great ability to space the floor (41.2% 3P%). Crews isn’t the most athletic guy in the gym but has a scoring talent that will make him at least a valuable depth piece at any level of college basketball. The final transfer of the class is Josh Gray (3 ppg at South Carolina), a veteran transfer with four years of limited experience in the SEC.
Even during a bad season, Gates struck gold on the high school recruiting trails. The Tigers landed the #14 ranked class in the country, highlighted by four top-100 players. Forward Annor Boateng (4*, NAT 31), forward Marcus Allen (4*, NAT 71), and center Peyton Marshall (4*, NAT 82) will likely all play contributing roles as freshmen, and one of them possibly starting in the frontcourt alongside Mark Mitchell. Center Trent Burns (4*, NAT 92) and guard T.O. Barrett (3*, NAT 126) will both likely redshirt in 2024-25 from what I’ve seen.
We’ve seen an NCAA Tournament appearance and a total fallout in two seasons at Missouri from Dennis Gates. Year three will be a big one to see what direction this program is headed under Gates, especially with the talent level of this roster. I think 2024-25 will be a step in the right direction for the Tigers, though I’m not sure this roster is fully set to compete in the SEC this season.
There’s no shortage of experience in the backcourt for the Tigers, with senior returners Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill and experienced transfers Tony Perkins, Marques Warrick, and Jacob Crews. The frontcourt is largely unproven and we have yet to see Mark Mitchell as a focal point of a frontcourt in his two years at Duke. The X-factors for Missouri for me are the three freshmen forwards, Annor Boateng, Marcus Allen, and Peyton Marshall. Likely at least two of these three will play big minutes in the frontcourt, and the faster they get up to speed, the easier it will be for Missouri to compete in the SEC.
Dennis Gates needs a bounce-back year in 2024-25, and it’ll have to be in a loaded SEC. There’s no possible way this upcoming year has as bad of a fallout as last year with the talent level it’s at, but I’m not confident the Tigers will be a threat in the SEC. I’ve picked the Tigers to finish 14th in the conference, ahead of Vanderbilt and South Carolina.