Where Mizzou Stands in AP Top 25, Coaches Poll Ahead of NCAA Tournament

Everyone's favorite time of the year is here, with the beginning of March Madness just days away. The Missouri Tigers will enter the tournament still a ranked team, despite a 1-1 showing at the SEC tournament last week.

The Tigers picked up a round two victory in the conference clash against Mississippi State, but fell pretty easily the day after to the soon-to-be champion of the conference, the Florida Gators. Missouri showed signs of improvement in both games and snapped a three-game losing skid after the win over the Bulldogs.

Against Mississippi State, Tamar Bates and Tony Perkins combined for 45 points to spark the Tiger offense. At moments, it looked like a return to mid-conference play form. At others, the defensive side of the ball crumbled, allowing Mississippi State to stay within reach.

The win should build some confidence heading into March Madness and the loss to the Gators shouldn't do much harm, given their outcome.

However, Missouri does not have an easy matchup in round one ahead of them. They take on the 11-seed Drake Bulldogs, who finished the season with a 30-3 record and a conference title.

The two squads face off in the NCAA tournament at 6:35 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 20 in Wichita, Kansas.

Here's where the Tigers stand in the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll prior to round one of the tournament.

AP Top 25

Coaches Poll

(Rank, Team, Record, Points)

1. Duke, 31-3, 764
2. Houston, 30-4, 731
3. Florida, 30-4, 715
4. Auburn, 28-5, 672
5. St. John's, 30-4, 643
6. Tennessee, 27-7, 634
7. Michigan State, 27-6, 568
8. Alabama, 25-8, 556
9. Texas Tech, 25-8, 498
10. Wisconsin, 26-9, 445
11. Louisville, 27-7, 426
12. Maryland, 25-8, 401
13. Clemson, 27-6, 378
14. Iowa State, 24-9, 361
15. Michigan, 25-9, 329
16. Memphis, 29-5, 272
17. BYU, 24-9, 235
18. Texas A&M, 22-10, 233
19. Saint Mary's, 28-5, 209
20. Arizona, 22-12, 177
21. Kentucky, 22-11, 164
22. Purdue, 22-11, 154
23. Gonzaga, 25-8, 93
24. Missouri, 22-11, 90
25. Marquette, 23-10, 68

Schools Dropped Out
No. 25 Illinois

Others Receiving Votes
Drake 46, UC San Diego 37, Oregon 35, VCU 33, Creighton 33, Illinois 27, Kansas 16, UConn 12, Baylor 7, Colorado State 6, UCLA 3, Ole Miss 2, Vanderbilt 1, North Carolina 1.