Missouri Tigers Basketball: Ricardo Ratliff Is Key to the Team's Success

Since star forward Laurence Bowers went down in the preseason with a knee injury, it has been an outstanding start for the 13th-ranked Missouri Tigers basketball team. 

New head coach Frank Haith's team is now undefeated after seven games, including dominant wins over Notre Dame and California last week.

The Tigers so far don't seem to be feeling the loss of Bowers yet, but one player on Missouri's team surely does. 

Ricardo Ratliff, a senior forward out of Hampton, VA is the only solid post player left after the team lost Bowers. He's done a good job so far this season, averaging 14 points and seven rebounds.

Despite being short for the center position at just 6'8'', Ratliff pretty much has to be the sole contributor down low for Haith and the Tigers.

Missouri still has the giant Steve Moore on their roster. The 6'10'', 270-lb. center seems like he would be a great partner for Ratliff defensively in the paint.

But with the minutes he's been receiving, it's obvious coach Haith doesn't have enough trust in him to keep him in games for extended amounts of time.

Canadian freshman Kadeem Green is really the only other realistic option for the Tigers down low, but he has yet to receive much playing time, either.

Three-point specialist Kim English has been forced to start at power forward this season in Bowers's absence. Meanwhile, senior Matt Pressey has been filling in at guard alongside his younger brother, Phil.

Offensively, English has thrived, averaging 16 points per game, but down the road this lineup definitely poses problems defensively.

Luckily for Missouri, English and Naismith Award hopeful Marcus Denmon have been able to pile on the points this season.

Once conference play begins, though, Missouri's fate seems to be on the shoulders of Ricardo Ratliff.

Big 12 teams like Texas, Kansas and Baylor have rosters stocked with excellent depth at the forward positions. If English and Ratliff still have to start at the 4- and 5-spots by then, Missouri is bound to struggle on defense.

The Tigers have the offensive firepower to score with any of the best teams in college basketball, but if Missouri wants to be a force in the Big 12 and make a deep NCAA tournament run, Ratliff has to be on his A game defensively.

Some of the other bigs will need to step up their play as well.