# 2017–18 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Missouri in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by head coach Cuonzo Martin who was in his first year at Missouri. The team played its home games at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri as sixth-year members of the Southeastern Conference. On October 22, 2017, the Tigers renewed their rivalry against Kansas in an exhibition game for four different charities for Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Maria relief funds. It marked the first time the teams played since Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC. The event raised $1.75 million for hurricane relief. They finished the season 20–13, 10–8 in SEC play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. As the No. 5 seed in the SEC tournament, they lost in the second round to Georgia. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the First Round to Florida State.

## Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2016–17 season 8–24, 2–16 in SEC play to finish in a tie for 13th place. As the No. 14 seed in the SEC tournament, they defeated Auburn in the first round before losing in the second round to Ole Miss.
On March 5, 2017, head coach Kim Anderson was asked to step down as head coach of the Tigers following the season. He was allowed to coach the team in the SEC tournament. On March 15, the school hired Cuonzo Martin as head coach.

## Offseason

Shortly after his hiring at Missouri, Cuonzo Martin hired Michael Porter Sr. as an assistant coach. Shortly thereafter, after being released from his commitment to Washington following the firing of Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar, Porter's son, No. 2 overall recruit Michael Porter Jr., committed to Missouri to play for the 2017–18 season. Nearly two months later, his younger brother, Jontay Porter, would join the family to play in Missouri this season.

### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Willie Jackson | 2 | F | 6'6" | 212 | Sophomore | Cleveland, OH | Transferred to Toledo |
| Frankie Hughes | 3 | G | 6'4" | 192 | Sophomore | Cleveland, OH | Transferred to Duquesne |
| Jakoby Kemp | 4 | F | 6'9" | 215 | Sophomore | Layton, UT | Transferred to Salt Lake CC |
| KJ Walton | 11 | G | 6'3" | 200 | Junior | Indianapolis, IN | Transferred to Ball State |
| Trevor Glassman | 13 | G | 6'3" | 205 | Senior | Bedford, NH | Graduated |
| Russell Woods | 25 | C | 6'8" | 236 | Senior | Chicago, IL | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Kassius Robertson | 5 | G | 6'3" | 175 | Senior | Toronto, ON | Transferred from Canisius. Will be eligible to play immediately since Robertson graduated from Canisius. |
| Ronnie Suggs | 2 | G | 6'5" | 179 | Junior | Washington, MO | Transferred from Bradley. Under NCAA transfer rules, Suggs will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. Will join the team as a preferred walk-on. |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Michael Porter Jr. #1 SF | Columbia, MO | Nathan Hale High School (WA) | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 212 lb (96 kg) | Mar 24, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 97 ||||||
| Jeremiah Tilmon #7 C | East St. Louis, IL | East St. Louis High School | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | May 15, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| Blake Harris #29 CG | Chapel Hill, NC | Word of God Christian Academy | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 4, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| C. J. Roberts #35 PG | North Richlands Hills, TX | Richland High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 19, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Jontay Porter #9 PF | Columbia, MO | Nathan Hale High School (WA) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | May 22, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #7 Rivals: #7 247Sports: #8 ESPN: #7 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: ||||||

### 2018 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Torrence Watson SG | St. Louis, MO | Whitfield School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Aug 9, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 |||||||
| Xavier Pinson PG | Chicago, IL | Simeon Career Academy | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Feb 5, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 22, 2017* 3:00 pm, PPV | | vs. Kansas Showdown for Relief / Border War | L 87–93 | – | 21 – M. Porter | 12 – M. Porter | 5 – Phillips | Sprint Center (18,951) Kansas City, MO |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 10, 2017* 8:00 pm, SECN | | Iowa State | W 74–59 | 1–0 | 17 – Puryear | 8 – Puryear | 4 – Geist | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| November 13, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Wagner | W 99–55 | 2–0 | 23 – Robertson | 8 – Nikko, J. Porter | 5 – Phillips | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| November 16, 2017* 7:00 pm, P12N | | at Utah | L 59–77 | 2–1 | 12 – Robertson | 9 – Nikko | 5 – Robertson | Jon M. Huntsman Center (12,064) Salt Lake City, UT |
| November 20, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Emporia State | W 67–62 | 3–1 | 13 – Tilmon, Puryear | 11 – J. Porter | 4 – Harris | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| November 23, 2017* 10:30 am, ESPN2 | | vs. Long Beach State AdvoCare Invitational quarterfinals | W 95–58 | 4–1 | 16 – Geist | 7 – Geist | 9 – Harris | HP Field House (2,712) Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| November 24, 2017* 10:00 am, ESPNews | | vs. St. John's AdvoCare Invitational semifinals | W 90–82 | 5–1 | 19 – Barnett | 9 – Barnett, Geist | 5 – Robertson, Phillips | HP Field House (2,367) Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| November 26, 2017* 8:30 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. No. 23 West Virginia AdvoCare Invitational championship game | L 79–83 | 5–2 | 21 – Barnett | 11 – Barnett | 4 – Robertson, Geist | HP Field House (2,591) Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| November 30, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at UCF AutoCare Invitational non-bracket game | W 62–59 | 6–2 | 19 – Barnett, Robertson | 7 – Tilmon | 3 – Harris, Phillips, Robertson | CFE Arena (5,122) Orlando, FL |
| December 5, 2017* 8:00 pm, SECN | | Miami (OH) | W 70–51 | 7–2 | 20 – Puryear | 8 – Barnett, J. Porter | 4 – Geist | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| December 9, 2017* 8:00 pm, SECN | | Green Bay | W 100–77 | 8–2 | 28 – Geist | 11 – Tilmon | 4 – Phillips, Porter | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| December 16, 2017* 7:30 pm, SECN | | North Florida | W 85–51 | 9–2 | 18 – Barnett | 11 – Barnett | 7 – Harris | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| December 19, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | Stephen F. Austin | W 82–81 | 10–2 | 23 – Robertson | 6 – Barnett | 5 – Harris | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| December 23, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Illinois Braggin' Rights game | L 64–70 | 10–3 | 22 – Robertson | 10 – Barnett | 2 – Harris, Phillips | Scottrade Center (21,289) St. Louis, MO |
| SEC regular season |||||||||
| January 3, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at South Carolina | W 79–68 | 11–3 (1–0) | 23 – Robertson | 7 – J. Porter | 6 – Geist | Colonial Life Arena (9,846) Columbia, SC |
| January 6, 2018 12:00 pm, CBS | | Florida | L 75–77 | 11–4 (1–1) | 28 – Barnett | 9 – Barnett | 6 – J. Porter | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| January 10, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Georgia | W 68–56 | 12–4 (2–1) | 15 – J. Porter, Robertson | 10 – J. Porter | 4 – Geist | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| January 13, 2018 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Arkansas | L 63–65 | 12–5 (2–2) | 26 – Robertson | 10 – Barnett | 3 – Barnett, Geist, Phillips | Bud Walton Arena (18,297) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 17, 2018 8:00 pm, SECN | | No. 21 Tennessee | W 59–55 | 13–5 (3–2) | 12 – Puryear | 10 – Puryear | 3 – Geist | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| January 20, 2018 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Texas A&M | L 49–60 | 13–6 (3–3) | 9 – Barnett, Geist, Tilmon | 7 – Robertson | 3 – Geist, Robertson | Reed Arena (11,704) College Station, TX |
| January 24, 2018 8:00 pm, SECN | | No. 19 Auburn | L 73–91 | 13–7 (3–4) | 21 – Robertson | 8 – J. Porter | 3 – Phillips | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| January 27, 2018 7:30 pm, SECN | | at Mississippi State | L 62–74 | 13–8 (3–5) | 20 – Robertson | 7 – Geist | 4 – Geist, Robertson | Humphrey Coliseum (7,169) Starkville, MS |
| January 31, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Alabama | W 69-60 | 14–8 (4–5) | 22 – Robertson | 9 – Geist | 4 – Geist, Robertson | Coleman Coliseum (11,603) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 3, 2018 1:00 pm, CBS | | No. 21 Kentucky | W 69–60 | 15–8 (5–5) | 16 – Barnett, Robertson | 8 – J. Porter | 4 – Robertson | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| February 6, 2018 8:00 pm, SECN | | at Ole Miss | W 75–69 | 16–8 (6–5) | 27 – Robertson | 13 – J. Porter | 6 – Geist | The Pavilion at Ole Miss (6,204) Oxford, MS |
| February 10, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Mississippi State | W 89–85 $^{OT}$ | 17–8 (7–5) | 22 – Robertson | 8 – Barnett | 3 – Puryear, Robertson | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| February 13, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | No. 21 Texas A&M | W 62–58 | 18–8 (8–5) | 16 – Robertson | 9 – J. Porter | 5 – Geist | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| February 17, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at LSU | L 63–64 | 18–9 (8–6) | 18 – Barnett | 10 – Geist | 3 – Robertson | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,635) Baton Rouge, LA |
| February 20, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Ole Miss | L 87–90 $^{OT}$ | 18–10 (8–7) | 17 – Porter | 12 – Tilmon | 6 – Robertson | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| February 24, 2018 7:15 pm, ESPN | | at Kentucky | L 66–88 | 18–11 (8–8) | 26 – Robertson | 8 – Robertson | 3 – Robertson, Geist | Rupp Arena (23,038) Lexington, KY |
| February 27, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Vanderbilt | W 74–66 | 19–11 (9–8) | 24 – J. Porter | 7 – J. Porter | 6 – J. Porter | Memorial Gymnasium (8,812) Nashville, TN |
| March 3, 2018 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Arkansas | W 77–67 | 20–11 (10–8) | 19 – Barnett, J. Porter | 11 – Barnett | 4 – J. Porter, Geist | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 8, 2018 2:45 pm, SECN | (5) | vs. (12) Georgia Second Round | L 60–62 | 20–12 | 20 – J. Porter | 8 – J. Porter, M. Porter | 3 – Robertson | Scottrade Center (15,129) St. Louis, MO |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 16, 2018* 8:45 pm, TBS | (8 W) | vs. (9 W) Florida State First Round | L 54–67 | 20–13 | 19 – Robertson | 10 – Porter Jr. | 5 – J. Porter | Bridgestone Arena (17,549) Nashville, TN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||