Mizzou Basketball Roster Breakdown: Interior Defense

As the college basketball season nears day by day, questions about what the strengths and weaknesses of this Missouri basketball team continue to fly around. There are a lot of unknowns and on paper, there are some areas where this squad looks like it could struggle.

One of those areas is on the defensive side of the ball around the rim. It's an area where the Tigers haven't been the best in recent years and this next one could be the case. Missouri hasn't had a true, dominant, rim-protecting center in quite some time and as of now, they don't have that.

The Tigers did add one big man and his primary responsibility, on both offense and defense, will be to stay around the rim. He will be expected to do just that. Arizona State transfer big man Shawn Phillips Jr. is one of two players above 7-feet tall on Missouri's roster, quickly defaulting that responsibility to him.

Phillips averaged 1.1 blocks per game last season and 0.9 through his three years in college. To be blatantly honest, Phillips is not an elite rim protector. He's a great rebounder, which will be expanded on later on, but he will not be a dominant shot blocker for the Tigers.

That might honestly be ok, though. There are enough high-level perimeter defenders to take some of the pressure off of Phillips and others, but there still will be an expectation for him to do so.

Phillips does have the size and strength to be a just fine backdown defender, which he's proved in his career. He's 7-foot, 245-pounds with a hefty wingspan. He's athletic enough to move in isolation situations as well.

He will be expected to be the interior anchor of this defense and it looks like he can do it. Even if he isn't an elite shot-blocker, Phillips will be serviceable. He should have some help behind him, as well.

The intriguing 7-foot-5 enigma that is Trent Burns stands behind him, but it's unclear what his role on this team will be. Burns is still a freshman and is clearly a raw player, but his height, length and skill for the center position are undeniably interesting. He hasn't played any basketball in a Missouri uniform, however, which throws a wrench in that.

Burns should be a good interior protector, simply because of his length and 7-foot-5 frame. Not much needs to be explained there. Even if he isn't ready to play significant minutes, there should be an expectation that he can contribute on that front.

There isn't another true center on this team that can be an elite rim-protector. Forward Mark Mitchell is an excellent defender and played plenty of minutes at the five last season. He won't be of anyone's concern when it comes to issues on the defensive side of the ball next year. In fact, Mitchell may be one of the most consistent defenders on the team, both on the perimeter and in the paint.

True freshman Nicholas Randall, despite only being 6-foot-7, played center for most of his career during high school. He won't be a huge shot-blocker, but he is powerful enough to hold his own down low. He's also a raw player and has a way to go before he can play consistent minutes, but that may be an area where he can contribute.

Loyola Marymount transfer Jevon Porter might need to improve on the defensive end. He will play a good chunk of minutes this season and will make his primary contribution on offense. There can't be a huge fall off when he's in the game, especially if he's taking on the big-man duties.