Early this past Saturday afternoon, Missouri could revel in being minted as a protected seed, occupying the No. 4 line during the NCAA’s early reveal show.
The feeling was all too fleeting.
A short time later, the program announced Jeremiah Tilmon would miss that day’s tilt against Arkansas, returning to East St. Lois after a death in his family. Missing its anchor in the middle, MU scrapped and fought but ultimately came up short in overtime against Arkansas. Tilmon’s absence lingered into Tuesday and a road trip to Athens, one that saw Mizzou’s ball-handling and offensive execution careen into a ditch against Georgia.