Over the course of the next few weeks, Missouri basketball’s 2026–27 roster will be assembled.
As of Saturday, April 4, it is anticipated that the Tigers would be able to sign five players through the transfer system, which will open for business on Tuesday, April 7. Under the new 15-player roster cap, five new players make up one-third of a roster.
Mizzou must do well this offseason because the stakes are enormous.
Every player Missouri acquires in the next weeks may need to have a big influence on the team’s starting lineup for the upcoming season.
With the graduation of Mark Mitchell, Shawn Phillips Jr., Jayden Stone, and Jacob Crews, the Tigers will lose both starting and important bench time. The only Missouri players who have declared they will use the portal thus far are guards Anthony Robinson II and Sebastian Mack.
In the transfer portal, which is accepting entries from April 7–22, we would rank Missouri’s needs as follows:
No. 1: Finding a physical starting center is Mizzou’s top portal need
Mizzou’s eligible returners/freshmen: Trent Burns (r-so.); Luke Northweather (sr.)
We anticipate that Mizzou will invest heavily on a big man for any position in the portal.
And we really do mean it when we say “spend big.” The cost of a top-tier center is very high. The kind of pricey that costs millions of dollars. However, the Tigers need to find a player who can play the five and do the grunt work.
Last season, Burns made encouraging but fleeting development. At 7-foot-5 and 260 pounds, he can be a useful player for Missouri, but he hasn’t yet used his height as a rebounding advantage against stronger, more physically fit centers. He cannot be the Tigers’ first choice at the five going into the upcoming campaign.
Mizzou needs a player who resembles Josh Gray or Shawn Phillips Jr. in terms of size, particularly width. Someone who can intimidate on the boards is what the Tigers need.
Although it won’t be inexpensive, in our opinion, it is the most important addition to the 2026–2027 lineup.
No. 2: A wing who can shoot, disrupt
Mizzou’s eligible returners/freshmen: Trent Pierce (sr.); Annor Boateng (jr.); Aidan Chronister (fr.)
It’s still uncertain how injured Boateng will be at the start of the upcoming season. It’s unclear, but Chronister appeared in the Norm Stewart Classic at Mizzou Arena in December.
There isn’t currently a player on the team quite like Pierce, but he will start.
The team will significantly improve if Missouri can acquire a sixth player who can make a big difference. We are considering players who have performed so well under Gates, such as Caleb Grill or D’Moi Hodge. disruptive, rangy defenders. risky as catch-and-shoot 3-point threats as well as in the fastbreak.
In retrospect, Mizzou missed having someone like this off the bench during the previous campaign. On the sidelines, the Tigers lacked that instant-spark option as a danger.
Although finding a player like Grill is difficult, these guys are available at all levels of the sport and ought to be toward the top of MU’s priority list.
No. 3: Pile-driving power forward
Mizzou’s eligible returners/freshmen: Nicholas Randall (so.); Toni Bryant (fr.); *Jevon Porter (r-sr.)
If we had put this together before to the McDonald’s All-American game, forward might have been at the top of the priority list.
Then we saw Bryant flourish among the top incoming freshmen in the country, and perhaps—just possibly—the five-star will be prepared to play as a true freshman right away. He appeared to need to gain some weight in December in order to be physically prepared for the SEC. Now, we’re a little less worried about that.
It is anticipated that the Tigers will have Jevon Porter back if Missouri pursues a medical redshirt and the NCAA grants it. Since Porter participated in more than 30% of MU’s games last season, we are assuming that he won’t return. However, Porter would require a positive decision from the NCAA. This could change.
Porter’s return might alter MU’s portal approach, but we believe the Tigers would still gain from having another player here.
Mark Mitchell, who is practically irreplaceable, is leaving the Tigers. Although it is unrealistic to expect Missouri to instantly restore everything Mitchell offered them, another strong addition could, to use a line from the film “Moneyball,” help replace him overall.
Although Randall didn’t exactly pose an offensive danger during his rookie campaign, he appeared to be a formidable defender. Bryant’s readiness for this level will soon become clear.
Particularly on offense, the Tigers ought to get a more secure option.
No. 4/5: Guard depth
Mizzou’s eligible returners/freshmen: Jason Crowe Jr. (fr.); T.O. Barrett (jr.); Aaron Rowe (r-fr.)
This is not necessarily a low priority just because it is at the bottom of the list. There is no doubt that Mizzou needs at least one guard who can contribute significantly to the rotation.
The Tigers must decide how they want to employ Crowe most of all. Will he play more of an off-ball role or point guard?
Regardless of the decision, the Tigers need another man to either contend for a starting position or contribute off the bench. Rowe, who didn’t play in the previous season, needs to gain weight before he can make an impact on the rotation at 155 pounds.
There is a claim that Mizzou should add two guards—one point guard and one off-ball player—if Porter is unable to return. One can probably be more of a depth choice, while the other should be of beginning quality.
