So far, so good for the Missouri Tigers men's basketball squad. Of course, it's this first half of the season where the No. 13 team in the country expected the results to fall this way.
Last night's 81-62 victory over Oral Roberts wiped away some of the memories lingering from last year's upset on the road, 60-59, where a literal last second shot provided an upset and an embarrassing mark on Missouri's calendar. With the win, Mike Anderson's team moves to 9-1 on the season and should catapult into the top 10 possibly as they already sit on the fringes. The results are obviously positive and have Mizzou fans projecting about post-season hopes.
However, it's important to keep perspective. After all, their one loss comes against the only ranked opponent they've played so far: the Georgetown Hoyas. Also, the only true road contest is an 83-80 win at Oregon and their next doesn't come until they play at Colorado on January 8. While four games were played on neutral sites, the majority have been overmatched teams at home. The next real challenge comes against No. 14 Illinois next week, again on a neutral site.
That's not to take the glory out of Missouri's season so far. After all, a 9-1 team is a 9-1 team and it's hard to argue with the results. However, a proper perspective must be kept in place and the upcoming Illinois contest will reveal a bit more about Missouri's post-season chances. Until then, steamrolling the likes of Presbyterian and Oral Roberts at home will have to do.
[Editor's Note: A previous version of this article stated Missouri had 13 of their first 15 games at home. It has been corrected. We apologize for the error.]