Jordan Barnett Set to Make Mizzou Debut This Afternoon

Is Jordan Barnett the real deal? Is he the dominant force that everybody believes he is, or the one that everybody at least believes he can be? Considering all of the struggles that this Mizzou team has had in the scoring department so far in the early-going this season, these questions will start to be answered coming up very soon.

When the Tigers hit the court at 2:30 pm Central Time this afternoon to host Eastern Illinois, they'll get what most believe is the big boost that they need to potentially make some noise the rest of this season -- especially come SEC play -- and at 5-4 thus far, with many big games remaining, plenty of opportunity remains for one of the youngest teams in the entire country.

Barnett, the 6'7 stretch forward, is a former top-100 recruit (86th on ESPN's 100 list) from inside the state of Missouri -- St. Louis to be exact. He started his college career with the Texas Longhorns before deciding to come back home and transfer to his home-state program. He only saw 24 minutes of floor-time over four games at Texas, although his last time at Mizzou Arena, as a senior in high school, he scored 43 points, grabbed 20 boards and helped lead his team to a state championship.

The St. Louis native gives the team, coaching staff and fan base some very welcomed excitement, and while it may take some time to get his acclimated to real game action, he has all of the tools to be a big-time weapon from here on out. Many of his teammates have talked about how he has been dominant in practice and are excited to have him out there with them when it really counts. Besides being a big body that can grab rebounds and do a lot of the dirty work, Barnett is also known for his shooting ability and as a scorer from almost anywhere on the court. He has the ability to be a match-up nightmare for opponents and can also knock down the long range shot.

With already having the likes of Terrance Phillips, Frankie Hughes and Kevin Puryear as guys who know how to score, having another player like JB will only help to open up the spacing for everybody else. As mentioned already, while it may or may not give results on the box score instantly, it's certainly a big time boost for a team that needs some scoring help. Once these kids gel together and get their chemistry down, this will be one exciting group to watch. Every player that is on this team now has fully bought in to Kim Anderson and his system and is here for the long-haul -- which also means, stability is here to stay. The day is here folks, let's all enjoy! MIZ!