Columbia local and five-star recruit Michael Porter Jr’s. commitment to Missouri last March jump-started coach Cuonzo Martin’s revamped program, aiming to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2013.
Missouri was listed on too-early Top 25 rankings, drawing interest from other top recruits and being recognized as a program capable of making a run. Then, 2 minutes, 7 seconds into the opening game against Iowa State, Porter went down. He has not seen the floor since.
And yet, the Tigers have won nine conference games (as of Saturday morning). They’ve exceeded expectations without their star freshman, and with two guaranteed games left, they’re in position to advance to the NCAA Tournament.