2026-27 Mizzou Men’s Basketball Preview: Posts

Previous position previews: Point guards, Combo guards, Wings, Combo forwardsThe post position has been a bit of a revolving door for Mizzou during Dennis Gates’ tenure in Columbia. Noah Carter had a solid first season in Columbia before seriously regressing in year two, then his graduation gave way to a pair of one year transfers in Josh Gray and Shawn Phillips Jr. MU’s lack of an elite big man or the depth required to solve for that issue has been a sticking point for the Tigers the last few seasons, holding them back in a conference that has seen plenty of elite bigs recently.Gates responded this offseason with his strongest effort yet to find a more permanent solution at post, bringing in a pair of talented transfers with proven high major experience to bolster a room that also features an inexperienced but promising returner. Here is Mizzou’s group of posts for the 2026-2027 season:Trent Burns: 7-foot-5, 260 lbs., junior, Cypress, Tex.Jaylen Carey: 6-foot-8, 255 lbs., senior, Miami, Fla.Bryson Tiller: 6-foot-11, 245 lbs., sophomore, Atlanta, Ga.The ReturnerTrent Burns – The former four-star recruit’s first two years of his collegiate career featured plenty of twists and turns. Burns missed his freshman season with a foot injury and was not able to appear until Nov. 25 last year, when he made his Tigers debut against South Carolina State. He played sparingly for most of the season, averaging less than five minutes per game until a Feb. 18 matchup with Vanderbilt when he saw the floor for 17 minutes. Burns’ playing time, and production, took a major leap forward from that point on. He played nearly 15 minutes a game from that contest until the end of the season, averaging 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds during that eight-game stretch. The Cypress, Texas, native’s impact dipped during the back half of those eight games, but he showed why he was a sought-after recruit in and also displayed the potential to play a more consistent role in the future. The NewcomersJaylen Carey – The veteran journeyman might be the most underrated addition of Mizzou’s offseason. Carey was the sixth man for a Tennessee team that went to the Elite Eight last season, averaging 7.4 points and six rebounds a game. He also collected eight points and 5.7 rebounds per game the year prior at Vanderbilt, given him two proven seasons of production in the SEC — rare among transfers.Carey has also established a reputation as one of the game’s elite rebounders, ranking 10th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (17.1%) last season and leading all SEC players in total rebounds during conference play during his year with the Commodores. That skill is especially valuable for a Tigers squad that has struggled heavily at times under Dennis Gates to hold its own on the boards. Bryson Tiller – The former Jayhawk was arguably the prize of MU’s portal class after an impact freshman season in Lawrence where he started 31 games. Tiller averaged 7.9 points and 6.1 rebounds in just under 26 minutes per game, also reaching double figures in scoring 13 times over the course of the season. That included a 13 point, five rebound performance against the Tigers in the Border War.The Atlanta native had no shortage of options when he opted to transfer but chose his former rivals over Arizona, Miami and Michigan. Tiller was not used as a traditional five last year, playing alongside Flory Bidunga for Bill Self’s squad, but has plenty of height and length at 6-foot-11 and ranked among the top 160 players nationally last season with a 5.4% block rate.Summing up the room in 2026-27There’s no doubt about it: this is the deepest, most talented and most experienced group of posts during Gates’ tenure with the Tigers. Tiller provides a strong floor that, at a bare minimum, matches up favorably with what other recent starters at the five have done in Columbia and also brings considerably more upside than any of his predecessors. Carey played the fifth-most minutes on a fantastic Volunteers squad last season and provides MU with the rebounding and physicality it has sorely needed. Burns is a promising third option at the position, giving this group depth that is unmatched by recent squads (remember when the Tigers gave serious minutes to Mo Diarra and then Connor Vanover the next season?).But it’s not a group without questions. Tiller and Carey are both being asked to play more of a traditional big man role this season after not seeing much time at the five in prior years, and Tiller’s struggles when he was asked to play at the post last season were part of why the Jayhawks didn’t put up more of a battle to retain him. Those questions could eventually limit the ceiling of what this group is able to accomplish. Even so, the talented trio gives Mizzou an incredibly strong baseline that will allow it to match up down low with the rest of the SEC in a way it’s failed to over the past few seasons. And their potential to produce well above that baseline is a big reason why some believe this year’s team is capable of being the best Tigers squad in a long time.Projected Depth ChartStarter: Bryson TillerBackups: Jaylen Carey, Trent Burns