Missouri Basketball: Keys to Tigers' 2012 NCAA Tournament Run

The 27-4 Missouri Tigers closed the regular season as the No. 5 team in the country.

After a successful run in the Big 12 tournament, the conference powerhouse has earned a No. 2 seed in the 2012 NCAA tournament.

The toughest opponents in their immediate bracket include a No. 1-seeded Michigan State, No. 3-seeded Marquette, No. 4-seeded Louisville and No. 5-seeded New Mexico.

The Tigers' keys to success in the West region? Simple.

For your printable NCAA Bracket, click here.

Superstars Who Must Shine

Marcus Denmon and Kim English are the top scorers for the Tigers and will need to be on point if the they want to roll in March.

Denmon is hitting at 41 percent from beyond the arc while English is hitting at 45 percent. Shooting the three-ball will be extremely important for this team.

English is actually hitting 50 percent of his shots from the field as well, and Denmon isn't far behind at nearly 47 percent.

They'll need to keep hitting high percentage shots because they are one of the worst rebounding teams in the country.

Role Player Who Must Emerge

Senior guard Matt Pressey plays less minutes than his younger brother, Phil, but will be counted on heavily in the Tigers' tournament run.

He brings more size to floor and is a player who can score, pass and rebound the basketball.

He's the only guy on the bench averaging more than half the game on the court and if the Tigers get production out of him it will make them even more dangerous.

Offensive Strategy to Watch

Missouri is one of the worst rebounding teams in the country, but is still one of the highest scoring teams. The team's two top scorers, Denmon and English, are both talented scorers who can shoot the three.

To offset their deficiencies under the basket, the Tigers' shooters must be able to shoot and run.

Mizzou is 11th in the nation in assists per game and they are the third best in the nation in field-goal percentage. None of that is possible without taking and making high percentage shots in transition.

The Tigers don't have a relevant player bigger than 6'9", but do sport a number of talented guards ranging from 5'10" to 6'6". 

Missouri's best chance for success is to tire teams out in transition and continue to shoot the rock effectively when they have good looks.

Defensive Strategy to Watch

How the Tigers plan to match up on the glass will make or break their tournament run. One way to help their cause is to pressure the basketball and use their speed, quickness and perimeter athleticism to force turnovers and deny any play in the block.

They don't have much size and they can't just sit back and double down all day either.

Missouri will likely look to press and hope to force teams into bad passes. They already average a little over eight steals per game and they'll look to expand on that even further in the Big Dance.

Their assist-to-turnover ratio is among the highest in the country at 4.3.

Biggest NCAA Tournament Hurdle

There are no easy games in the NCAA tournament, but the Tigers' most dangerous opponent is a potential No. 2 vs. 3 matchup against Marquette in the Sweet 16.

Their second-round matchup with either Florida or Virginia is no joke either, as both played solid schedules this year and can spring an upset at any time, but the Golden Eagles were a legitimate top 10 for almost the entire year.

Anything could happen by the time the Elite Eight rolls around, but to even make it that far Mizzou will likely have to knock off Marquette.

Last-Second NCAA Tournament Prediction

The Big 12 champions dominated the Phillips 66 Big 12 tournament from start to finish.

Even in the title game, against a super-talented Baylor squad, Mizzou lit the court on fire shooting 53 percent from the field and never trailed in the second half.

Even though Michigan State is the No. 1 seed, the Tigers could very easily be considered the favorite in the West region.

Look for them to make a Final Four run and possibly even win the whole thing if they keep shooting lights out.