Michael Porter Jr. is a mystery for Mizzou

It was the second-ever NCAA Tournament win in five appearances for the Eagles (31-4), who don’t have any 6-footers but held their own in the post, getting outrebounded just 36-32.

Gassed though he may have been, Porter Jr. did finish with a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) Friday.

Fox 2 Sports reporter Zac Choate is with the Tigers in Nashville, Tennessee and has their story of excitement at the Big Dance. The three point shooting specialist is suspended for being arrested on a DUI charge.

Leading scorer Rose Julien – averaging 13.4 points – added 12 points for Florida Gulf Coast, which is in the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in seven years with Division I postseason eligibility and won an NCAA game for the first time since beating Oklahoma State in 2015.

Zac Choate has the story of Mizzou’s game plan of succeeding without Barnett available. On defense, the Tigers had allowed 12 fast break points and watched as the Seminoles shot 53 percent from the field and 5-for-8 from 3.

Michael Porter, Jr., a freshman small forward for Missouri, is considered one of the nation’s best at his position and a potential National Basketball Association lottery pick.

But Florida Gulf Coast was going to figure out the Tigers’ plan eventually, and with about a minute left in the first half, the Eagles stole the ball from Cunningham just as she caught it inside the paint.

By the end of the first half, the Tigers trailed 42-20 and every Tiger was hanging his head.

Kassius Robertson had 19 points for Missouri.

During the second half, Mizzou opened with a 10-1 run to cut the lead to 13 in the first two minutes and later cut the lead to six points during a five-minute scoring drought with Forrest sat on the bench with three fouls. The Seminoles can score in bunches and I expect them to put up a number that Missouri just can’t hit.

His coach said he knows Porter will be a better player a month from now.

Dow led Florida Gulf Coast with 21 points.

Sophie Cunningham of Missouri was phenomenal, pouring in a game-high 25 points. We fought a lot of adversity this season and people counted us out at times during the season. They took the Tigers from the lowest it’s been in franchise history to respectability again in one season.

“I think this team will be remembered as far as turning things around, given our past few seasons”, Kevin Puryear said. Martin has proven to be a solid recruiter and Tiger fans have shown if you give them a respectable product they will support it. The freshman and preseason All-American said he probably won’t make his decision on what’s next for a little while. The next Missouri possession, Michael Porter Jr. could be seen in the corner with his hands on his hips while his teammates executed pick and rolls, screens, and entry passes to the post.