When it was announced in November that Missouri freshman phenom Michael Porter Jr. would miss the rest of the season with a back injury, just about everyone ruled the Tigers out. Making the NCAA Tournament seemed like a pipe dream, remaining competitive in the SEC was laughable, and even finishing above .500 was questionable.
Three months later, Missouri (19-10, 8-7 SEC) is in a six-way tie for third place in the SEC, a projected 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and has three wins over ranked opponents under its belt.
Instead of believing in the outside noise and doubt, Mizzou turned it into motivation.