Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Missouri’s fortunes trend up
FAYETTEVILLE — The two hottest teams in the SEC are the league’s newest teams — Missouri and Texas A&M — and they clash tonight at Mizzou Arena in a battle for postseason positioning.
The Tigers (17-8, 7-5 SEC) have won four SEC games in a row for the first time since joining the league and have surged into a tie for fourth place with Alabama.
There could be good news looming for firstyear Coach Cuonzo Martin and the Tigers, as freshman Michael Porter
Jr. — who played all of 127 seconds in the season opener before needing back surgery — plans to be back before the end of the season.
Porter, the nation’s top recruit last year, told reporters last week that he plans to see his surgeon in Dallas in the next week or two for a six-week followup to his Jan. 4 visit.
“My rehab therapist thinks I’m good to go with practice except for the contact part,” Porter told reporters. “I’m hoping the doctor clears me to do everything, contact included. That’s what I’d love to hear.
“I feel better right now than I’ve ever felt. Like, I feel great. I’m just a kid who wants to play basketball.”
Porter, who had surgery Nov. 21 to repair his L3-L4 spinal discs, said he has no concerns about reinjuring his back if he returns.
“I’m not thinking about the risks,” he said. “If I could play today, I would play today. I’m not worried about reinjury. What I’m worried about is, is it good for our team if I come back? Because if it was tournament time and they said I’m ready to go, is that the best thing for our team? We’re doing really well right now, and I think people are losing sight of that.”
Missouri has its longest conference winning streak since the 2011-2012 team won five Big 12 games in a row late in the season. Missouri had lost five of seven games before its current streak.