COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Freshman forward Michael Porter Jr.'s long-anticipated return for the Missouri basketball team did not happen Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
It didn't matter for the Tigers.
With Porter Jr. sitting on the bench in sweats as he has for every game since injuring his back in the season opener against Iowa State on Nov. 10, Missouri still had more than enough firepower to beat the Razorbacks 77-67 at Mizzou Arena before an announced crowd of 15,061.
Porter Jr. -- the No. 1 high school player in the nation last season and a projected lottery pick in the NBA Draft -- returned to practice last week.