Mizzou Basketball Roster Breakdown: Defensive Versatility
As the college basketball offseason is in full swing, Missouri Tigers men's basketball has compiled together a rotation consisting of 14 hungry competitors ready to go to battle for Dennis Gates.
After Missouri's winless 2023-2024 Southeastern Conference record, the Tigers bounced back in 2024-2025, finishing 10-8 and nabbing a win in the SEC Tournament, and will surely look to continue that success next season.
As many know, that's much easier said than done.
Surviving let alone thriving in the SEC takes toughness, physicality and grit.
That can't just come from the lumbering bodies down low either, it takes full effort from each of the five men on the court, no matter the position.
The Tigers perimeter defense will be helmed by team captain Anthony Robinson, while the interior defense is held down by a collective of psuedo-centers alongside Shawn Phillips Jr, but how the two groups work as a cohesive unit particularly through switching is just as important.
Over the course of the last decade, basketball has loosened the roles of positions to an extreme, as many players at every position can now handle the ball and shoot from distance.
As a result, plenty of big-men and forwards have become capable perimeter players, meaning that traditional defensive bigs have had to adapt to guard beyond the arc, or become a detriment.
The same goes for many small guards who aren't elite scorers, if they can't wall up and hold their own against an opposing wing.
Many offenses are schemed to draw up screens to create switches on one-dimensional defensive players, who then become a target for offenses to pick on and get easy buckets.
As Missouri will be tasked with holding down some of the nation's best scorers next season, here's how the Tigers can fully utilize their defensive versatility.
Bigs For starters, the Tigers big-man rotation added legitimate mobility over the offseason in the former of Phillips and redshirt freshman Trent Burns.
Oftentimes last season, Missouri would deploy lineups with the giant Josh Gray manning down the center spot, who weighed 260 pounds.
He lacked the foot-speed to hang with guards, which typically forced the Tigers to over-commit on a high trap or hang back in a zone to prevent an exploitable mismatch.
While Phillips isn't lightning quick, he's certainly a quicker athlete than Gray, and is a trustworthy option to hang with guards on a switch for a few possessions per game.
His lateral movement and recovery speed provides the Tigers with a much better defensive pick-and-roll anchor.
As for Burns, he's not the fastest mover, but towers at 7-foot-5 and engulfs defenders with a ginormous wingspan, making it hard to imagine many guards are blowing by him.
The Tigers can also still lean on Mark Mitchell as a small-ball center, who saw significant minutes and even starts in the role last season.
Mitchell has held his own against perimeter ball-handlers, while still being a serviceable paint defender in the gritty SEC.
Incoming freshman Nicholas Randall could see less important spot minutes as a small-ball five as well.
He's undersized, standing at 6-foot-7, but plays larger than listed.
It's unlikely he plays a major role with the team next year, but can still be an emergency look as stocky big.
Having versatile bigs who are comfortable in a multitude of defensive looks is a key component to the foundations of an elite defense, which the Tigers aim to form.
Guards As for the guards, the quarter of Robinson, T.O.
Barrett and Sebastian Mack each possess either the athleticism, wingspan or savviness to scale up and guard bigger wings and forwards.
Robinson, Barrett and Mack are pesky enough to snatch the rock away from bigger ball-handlers, and won't be easy targets on defense no matter the matchup.
Bigs can't patiently scan the court and wait for plays to develop when guarded by players like this trio, as they'll be hounded by the Tigers.
A wildcard to throw into the defensive mix is Annor Boateng, who stands at 6-foot-6, 215 pounds and can athletically hang with anybody.
He's still raw, but could be a real tool on the defensive side of the ball if he puts it all together.
Forwards Forwards have always been switchable defenders, even before the modern shift in gameplans.
For Mizzou, the two primary forwards are junior Trent Pierce, and senior transfer Jevon Porter.
Porter stands at 6-foot-11, 235 pounds and Pierce at 6-foot-10, 220 pounds.
Porter's an athletic, physical defender who can fit in with the SEC's toughness.
He's a good defensive playmaker as well, as he's averaged 1.8 stocks per game over his three collegiate seasons.
It's easy to see his path to playing time with the team, as he's one of the better options when it comes to containing stronger forwards.
As for Pierce, he's more on the lankier side, and has the tools to be a plus defender, but isn't there yet.
Pierce often had defensive lapses in zone schemes, leaving his man open or allowing backdoor cuts for easy buckets.
Despite this, the Tigers should hold out hope for Pierce to become a twitchy defender, capable of using his foot-speed and length to overwhelm guards while still maintaining the size to matchup with forwards.
He may not be a primary matchup, but placing him in traps and to play the passing lanes could be a useful role for the raw forward.
The rest Jacob Crews Jayden Stone Luke Northweather Aaron Rowe As for the names above, they're a bit weaker on the defensive side of the ball but provide important value on the offensive end.
These players will often be hidden or supported by the rest of the defenders mentioned, and but will be asked to contribute effort and intensity all the same, just in a lesser capacity.
The Tigers have an extremely versatile defensive unit for the upcoming season, and it's easy to get excited about.
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