No. 13 Missouri (3-0)
The coach: Frank Haith—Haith won 30 games in his first season with the Tigers after a 129-101 record across seven years in the ACC with Miami.
The season so far: Missouri returns just two players from last year’s 30-5 squad, and lightning-quick point guard Phil Pressey remains the Tigers’ leader, with 15.3 points and 4.7 assists per game. The other returner, Michael Dixon, will travel to the Bahamas but his return from an early-season suspension is uncertain.
The Tigers have shot a remarkable 44 percent from beyond the arc and played excellent interior defense to mask poor inside shooting and perimeter defense.
The player to watch: Alex Oriakhi. One of four transfers on Haith’s roster, Oriakhi considered Duke after leaving Connecticut. The physical 6-foot-9 senior has averaged 12.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game with his new team.
Projected starting five: G Phil Pressey, G Earnest Ross, G Keion Bell, F Laurence Bowers, F Alex Oriakhi
Road to the championship: The Tigers must beat Stanford in the first round before facing the winner of No. 2 Louisville-Northern Iowa in the semifinals. If Missouri wins both games, then they get to face the other side of the bracket's winner in the championship.
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