After a season in which the Tigers jumped onto the national scene by winning the Big XII tournament and advancing to the Elite 8 round of the NCAA tournament, this was supposed to be a down year due to the loss of DeMarre Carroll, Leo Lyons and Matt Lawrence.

The Tigers, however, have raced out to a 13-3 record and beat No. 10 Kansas State at Mizzou Arena today. This should vault the Tigers into the top 25 for the first time this season. With the victory, Mizzou ran their winning streak at Mizzou Arena to 30 games, which is the second-best home streak in the NCAA. They are a force at home, and this could propel them to another good showing in the conference and another appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Mizzou is less-than-stellar on the road, but if they can hold serve by winning their home games, look for them to sneak into the NCAA tournament as a 12 seed to make some noise. Their 40-minute press is best described as organized mayhem and it is awfully fun to watch. Mizzou doesn't have a stand-out stud, but they win with defense and distribution; they lead the nation in steals per game and are top 10 in assists per game. Mizzou plays 10 deep and get production from everyone.

On top of this, Coach Mike Anderson has secured one of the nation's top recruiting classes next year. The Tigers will welcome in one of the nation's top incoming point guards in Phil Pressey, two elite power fowards in Tony Mitchell and Kadeem Green, and a lights-out shooting guard in Ricky Kreklow. These guys, combined with the current players, are going to turn Mizzou into a potential powerhouse next season.

If you get a chance, check out a Mizzou game; they are extremely entertaining and they play with tons of passion.