Entering Selection Sunday, Mizzou Hoping Resume 'Speaks for Itself'

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — T.O. Barrett still believes Missouri will be "just fine" on Selection Sunday.

With Missouri's loss to Kentucky in Round 2 of the SEC Tournament, the Tigers will enter Sunday with more uncertainty than if they had won just one of their final three games. But the Tigers feel confident in what their resume shows, for good reason.

'We know we deserve it," forward Trent Pierce said to Missouri On SI after the Tigers' loss to Kentucky.

At their best, the Tigers have looked more than capable of competing with the best teams in the conference. One of the top traits of Missouri's resume that Dennis Gates has constantly emphasized is their Quad-1 wins, with the Tigers' 714-percent winning percentage in that category ranking as the 29th best in the country entering Thursday.

"Hopefully our body of work speaks for itself, trying, clawing and beat some great teams," guard Jayden Stone said.

Missouri nearly clawed back in its final two games of the season, falling to Arkansas in overtime in its regular-season finale, then nearly completing a 16-point comeback against Kentucky.

Missouri has had blowout losses this season, losing by 43 to No. 20 Illinois, by 20 to No. 21 Kansas and by 26 to No. 23 Alabama. The Tigers also have had losses in what Stone called "gimme games," suffering unexpected losses to LSU and Ole Miss.

But the last two losses have been far from tarnishes on Missouri's resume. Had the Tigers executed in just the final two minutes of both of those games, they would've been riding high into the NCAA Tournament proving they have the DNA of a tough March team.

"The last two games, our fight, our toughness, we show we're not gonna go away," forward Mark Mitchell said. "We just clean some little things and we're right there."

Missouri forward Mark Mitchell (25) has the ball ripped away by Kentucky guard Otega Oweh (00) during their Day 2 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, March 12, 2026. | DENNY SIMMONS / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Against Kentucky, the "little things" we're turnovers and fouls, albeit on some calls that were questionable. The Tigers gave up four turnovers in the first five minutes of the game that disrupted their offense.

"I think just the turnovers gave them life," Mitchell said. "When you're playing a game that's almost like a road game, you can't do things like that."

Those turnovers led to an overall slow start for Missouri. The game started tied at seven, but Missouri then gave up seven unanswered points. Missouri didn't gain a lead until 2:34 remained, an advantage it only held for 28 seconds. Against Arkansas, Missouri trailed by 15 with 5:32 still remaining in the first half.

"I think we got to fight for 40 minutes," forward Trent Pierce said. "We didn't have that today. We didn't have that against Arkansas. We've shown that we can come back, that we can compete with these great teams, and that we are one."

Besides the final two minutes that have decided both games, Missouri did enough in the second half to win both. It's what they've done in the first half that has held them back and prevented them from ever finding stable ground.

"There's always optimism," Stone said. "Just if we complete two halves, I think we put us in good stead. We just haven't been able to do that. And it's on me and that's one me and the guys in the starting five to come out of the gate."

The three-game losing skid to end the season is the longest Missouri has had all season. The required bounce-back won't come from motivation, but from pressure.

"It's not really a lot of 'inspiration,' like, it's win or go home now," Barrett said. "We're back against the wall."

The Tigers should benefit from the rest of the teams on the "bubble" not having a strong closing argument. Having to travel to Dayton, Ohio, for a play-in game to earn a spot in the field of 64 also isn't out of the equation for the Tigers.

Missouri has looked like a team worthy of a tournament bid several times throughout conference play. But they've left room for uncertainty.

"I hope we'll have a shot, but we'll see," Gates said.

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