NCAA Tournament 2012: Did the Missouri Tigers Get the Best Draw in the Field?

The Missouri Tigers, led by new head coach Frank Haith, are quite possibly the most overachieving team in all of college basketball this season.

Starting with the departure of their former coach, Mike Anderson, to Arkansas; fans and pundits were already unsure of Missouri’s prospects for the 2011-12 season. Throw in all of the SEC talk, along with big man and team leader Laurence Bowers going down in the preseason with an ACL tear, and you would have thought that the preseason prediction of finishing fourth in the Big 12 Conference was a stretch at best.

Fast forward to Selection Sunday, just a day after Missouri shredded the rest of the field to be crowned Big 12 tournament champion.

Already a lock for a No. 2 seed, the Tigers were hoping to possibly snag that last No. 1 seed that a handful of teams were being considered for. But as the brackets were unveiled, Missouri learned that it had, in fact, been labeled as the last No. 2 seed, being placed in the West Region.

At face value, the assignment is a bit demoralizing. But upon further review, it actually couldn’t be any better for the chances of Missouri to make its first Final Four in school history.

Keeping the first point in house—with the Big 12 tournament ending on Saturday and with the Tigers' first NCAA tournament game not being played until Friday—Missouri gets an extra two days for its leaders, Marcus Denmon and Kim English, to rest up after being banged up a bit during the Big 12 tournament.

With a rotation of only seven players, it is crucial that Missouri not get thumped with the injury bug, so the extra time is a major plus. Having run out the same starting five in all 34 games this season, anything dissimilar would be detrimental to a potential Final Four run.

Missouri also features one of the smallest rotations in the country, which causes mismatches not only for them, but their opponents as well.

Looking at potential adversaries as the tournament progresses, Missouri wouldn’t have to face a team with great size and interior play until a likely meeting with Michigan State in the Elite Eight, assuming chalk prevails.

Every team in the bottom half of the West Region that poses a real threat to knock off Mizzou en route to the Elite Eight (Marquette, Murray State, Florida and Virginia) plays a similar brand of up-tempo basketball. And no team all season long has played that tune better than Missouri.

Even the top half of the West Region, other than No. 1 seed Michigan State, is comprised of teams that like to play at a fast pace. Although it doesn’t have the names, the West Region is quite possibly the most exciting portion of the bracket, regardless of the matchup.

Being the Robin to Michigan State’s Batman isn’t all that bad, either. Considered the last No. 1 seed and obviously the weakest of the bunch, Tom Izzo and the Spartans, although well-coached and led by Draymond Green, are susceptible to quickness and good shooting.

Playing in the Big 10, Michigan State is accustomed to a slow-paced, grind-it-out type of game. Although the Spartans can fill the bucket if they need to, they prefer to keep games at a manageable pace. And with the entire region chock-full of opposite-minded teams, Michigan State could easily tire out before even getting to that game against Mizzou in the Elite Eight.

Not discounting any of Missouri’s potential opponents, but as you look at the individual matchups and scenarios, it is very difficult to not envision the Tigers booking a trip to New Orleans as all the madness ensues.

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