May 11, 2010
Columbia, Mo. -
Preseason polls for the 2010-11 college basketball season are already hitting the streets and Fox Sports College Basketball expert Jeff Goodman has pegged Missouri Basketball #9 in his initial preseason Top 25 poll for next season.
Missouri is one of two Big 12 clubs ranked inside the Top 10 of Goodman's ledger, ranked just behind #5 Kansas State and two spots ahead of rival Kansas.
"Obviously, Mike's system has proven to work," Goodman said. "You look at what was lost a season ago (three 1,000-point scorers) and then they come out and win 23 games this year. To a lot of people, the loss of (Zaire) Taylor and (J.T.) Tiller will be the biggest questions mark, but I love the young players at Missouri. I love Marcus Denmon and think he will play an even bigger role this season. Kim English has proven himself and the recruiting class just adds to the program.
"Phil Pressey, to me, is the ideal point guard for Mike Anderson's system," Goodman continued. "If you picked one point guard in the country to play for Missouri, it would be Phil Pressey. He's so fast and so unselfish. And then you add guys like Tony Mitchell and Ricardo Ratliffe, the top junior college player, and I think this is the team that has the talent and depth to have a special season."
Missouri returns a pair of starters from last season's 23-11 club and has four of its top five returning scorers coming back, along with a Top 10 national recruiting class. Kim English led Missouri in scoring last season at 14.0 points per game en route to Third Team All-Big 12 honors. Marcus Denmon (10.4) and Laurence Bowers (10.2) also return for their junior seasons after averaging better than 21 minutes per game.
Missouri qualified for its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under the direction of Head Coach Mike Anderson in 2010 and toppled the #7-seeded Clemson Tigers, 86-78, in the first round in Buffalo, N.Y.
Season ticket information for the 2010-11 season is available now online at mutigers.com.
Rk. Team 2009-10 Record
1. Duke 35-5
2. Purdue 29-6
3. Michigan State 28-9
4. Ohio State 29-8
5. Kansas State 29-8
6. Villanova 25-8
7. Pittsburgh 25-9
8. Washington 26-10
9. Missouri 23-11
10. Florida 21-13
11. Kansas 33-3
12. Gonzaga 27-7
13. Memphis 24-10
14. Illinois 21-15
15. BYU 30-6
16. North Carolina 20-17
17. Baylor 28-8
18. Kentucky 35-3
19. Temple 29-6
20. Virginia Tech 25-9
21. Richmond 26-9
22. Florida State 22-10
23. Syracuse 30-5
24. UNLV 25-9
T25. Minnesota 21-14
T25. Butler 33-5
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