Missouri Basketball: 5 Bold Predictions for Tigers' 2011-12 Season

After losing star forward Laurence Bowers for the year to an ACL injury, things weren't looking so good for the Missouri Tigers' basketball team and first year head coach Frank Haith. 

Now, the 21st-ranked Tigers are 5-0 coming off a monstrous 39-point victory over the Cal Bears.

Led by talented seniors Marcus Denmon and Kim English, this high-powered offense looks to move past the Bowers injury, while continuing to chase their goal of an NCAA championship.

Missouri Will Sweep the Kansas Jayhawks This Regular Season

The rivalry between Kansas and Missouri is one of the oldest in college sports. There has been tension between the two states dating back to the mid-1800's.

When it comes to football, the "Border War," as it's called is one of the most unpredictable rivalries in the sport. In basketball however, Kansas has definitely had Missouri's number.

Kansas leads the all-time series, 171-94.

However Missouri can definitely hang with Kansas this year. The Jayhawks lost star guard Josh Selby to the NBA last year, along with twin forwards Marcus and Markieff Morris. 

Excluding Bowers, Missouri is returning their same starting lineup as last year, with Denmon and English being touted as NBA prospects as well.

Kansas point guard Tyshawn Taylor is KU's best player this year, and is recognized as one of the best guards in the nation. Missouri's Phil Pressey is by no means a slouch though, and should be able to defend Taylor well.

With Bowers out of the lineup, the Tigers may not be as defensively strong as they could be. With Denmon, English, and Pressey running the show in Columbia though, they have the potential to outscore anybody in the country, including the Kansas Jayhawks.

Missouri Will Win the Big 12 Tournament

People nationwide have mixed emotions about Missouri leaving the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference next year. Frank Haith's team however, is solely focused on this year. 

Winning their final Big 12 tournament ever would be huge for the Tigers, and it's a completely real possibility for them this season.

Kansas, Texas, and Texas A&M will pose the biggest problems for Missouri in this year's tournament, all ranked in this week's AP top-25 poll.

However if Missouri can play like they did in their past two games against Notre Dame and Cal, they will be a force in the Big 12 tournament. 

Texas A&M is a good team, but they do not have enough defense to stop a Missouri offense that knows how to pile on points. Texas and Kansas are elite teams year in and year out, but after losing their best players to the NBA, they don't have anybody that can handle Missouri's outstanding offensive firepower.

Frank Haith Will Win Big 12 Coach of the Year

After former coach Mike Anderson's departure from Missouri, Tiger fans questioned the acquisition of newcomer Frank Haith. 

Haith came to Columbia from the University of Miami, whose entire athletic department was under national scrutiny due to multiple NCAA violations.

Haith came to Missouri after the Tigers were unable to reach a deal with Purdue coach Matt Painter.

With Haith as Missouri's new commander-in-chief, as well as Bowers' injury, things weren't looking so good for the 25th ranked Tigers' 2011-2012 campaign.

Now, with five games under his belt, Haith's team has yet to lose. They've had dominant wins over Notre Dame and Cal in the two most recent games, winning 87-58 and 92-53 respectively.

Haith has Missouri's seniors playing great in Bowers' absence. Ricardo Ratliff has done a great job picking up the slack down low, averaging 11 points and seven rebounds per game. Marcus Denmon has picked where he left off last season, leading the Tigers in scoring so far this year.

Senior Kim English has also stepped up this season, after averaging a disappointing 10 points per game last season. Now English is averaging 16 points per game after five games, shooting the lights out from beyond the arc.

With Missouri team seemingly picking up more and more momentum each game, Frank Haith is becoming the talk of the Big 12. If Haith can continue his winning ways once conference play begins, he should have no problem winning coach of the year.

The Tigers' Season Will End in the Elite Eight

Missouri's team this year has all sorts of offensive weapons at their disposal, even without Laurence Bowers. Seniors Marcus Denmon, Kim English, and Ricardo Ratliff can all put the ball in the basket with ease. Guards Phil "Flip" Pressey and Michael Dixon have outstanding scoring capabilities as well.

As a team, Missouri has the 21st ranked offense in division one basketball, shooting .513 from the field while scoring 85 points per game. With an offense as powerful as the Tigers', Missouri can easily shoot their way through the first few rounds of the NCAA tournament this coming Spring.

Unfortunately for Missouri, Bowers' ACL injury does present an Achilles heel for Haith's team: defense.

With Bowers now out of the starting lineup, Missouri gives up a lot of size. With Ratliff anchoring the middle, Kim English, standing at 6'6'', has had to start at the power forward, while the 6'3'' Denmon is forced to play small forward. Phil Pressey and his older, yet underachieving brother Matt start at the two guard positions.

Luckily for the Tigers, 6'9" giant Steve Moore comes off the bench to help Ratliff. However Moore has been very unproductive in his previous three years in Columbia. He has never averaged more than three points per game throughout the course of a season, and has never averaged more than four rebounds.

Missouri is ranked 217th in rebounding so far this year, averaging only 35 per game.

Seniority is by far the Tiger's best asset. Even with a new coach at the helm, having seven seniors on a team can't hurt. These seven have played in the big games, and they know what it takes to make a strong tournament run in March. 

If these veterans can play to their full potential, Frank Haith and Missouri will make a run through the NCAA Tournament. But with Bowers out, their defense just can not match up with the Jared Sullingers, Mason Plumlees, and Tyler Zellers out there, and will lose in the Elite Eight to a team such as Ohio St., Duke, or North Carolina.

Three Tigers Will Be Picked Up in the Next NBA Draft

After Kim English's outstanding sophomore season, in which he averaged 14 points per game, he was projected to be taken in the second round of the 2011 NBA draft. However, his junior year at Missouri was a colossal disappointment, averaging only 10 points per game. 

Now in his last year in Columbia, English is playing the best hoops of his career. His three-point shooting has been ridiculous, landing 60% of his shots from behind the arc. 

If English can continue the success that he has had so far this year, he will at least be a second round pick in the upcoming NBA draft. As good of a shooter as he is, some pro team will pick him up looking for a three-point specialist.

After a successful junior campaign by Marcus Denmon, the current Missouri captain spent his summer playing for Team USA in the under-21 World Championships. He was coached by Purdue coach Matt Painter, who Missouri courted in their search for a new leader.

Denmon has the ability to score inside and out, and possesses great defensive skills as well. Obviously the most talented player for the Tigers, there is no reason why Denmon would not be a first round pick for some NBA team next summer.

Even Laurence Bowers, who is missing this entire season, is an NBA talent. With the success that Missouri is having right now, people are beginning to realize how dominant the Tigers could actually be with Bowers on the court. 

Bowers is definitely more of a stretch than English or Denmon to go pro. But if he can show NBA scouts the Inside scoring and post-defense skills that fans in Columbia know he has, he will get a phone call from somebody next summer looking to upgrade the talent on their bench.