Hey, Drake.

One year after a winless conference season, Missouri basketball is back in the Big Dance.

The Tigers’ turnaround became official Sunday when Mizzou learned it will be a 6-seed and face Drake in the Round of 64 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The game will take place Thursday, March 20, in Wichita.

On the other side of the pod, 3-seed Texas Tech and UNCW will face off for a spot in the second round. The announcement was made during the Selection Sunday show on CBS. Missouri held a live watch party at Mizzou Arena during the show.

Whoever wins two games in Wichita will travel to San Francisco for the Sweet 16 as part of the West Regional.

The tipoff time for Mizzou’s first-round game will be announced later Sunday by the NCAA.

More: Can your picks survive March Madness? Join our Survivor Pool to find out

The Tigers are only the third high-major team ever to rebound from a winless conference season and make the NCAA Tournament field the next year. Iowa State managed the feat in 2020-21. Maryland did it in 1987-88.

And after a 0-19 SEC season in 2023-24, Mizzou has done it in 2024-25.

Mizzou (22-11) had several signature wins on its résumé in the 2024-25 season. The Tigers beat then-No. 1 Kansas in the Border War in December, a top-five Florida team on the road in January, and secured a third top-five win of the season over Alabama in mid-February at Mizzou Arena.

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But after building a résumé that was competing for a top-four seed in the tournament, Missouri’s season entered somewhat of a lull.

The Tigers lost three straight games to close the regular season before beating Mississippi State on Thursday and falling against Florida on Friday in the SEC Tournament. Mizzou has now lost five of its past seven games entering March Madness.

Mizzou played without All-SEC forward Mark Mitchell against the Gators, as the forward sat out with a right knee injury. After the game, Mizzou coach Dennis Gates said it was his choice to sit Mitchell, who wanted to play. 

It seems likely that the Tigers’ leading scorer will return to play in the Big Dance, meaning MU should enter the tournament at full strength.

More: Can Missouri basketball still hang with the best? Tigers gear up for NCAA Tournament

More: Can Florida loss be Missouri basketball’s last lesson? Where MU stands after SEC Tournament

Gates has often mentioned that this team has Final Four ambitions this season.

Now, the Tigers are officially getting their shot to prove that’s not just talk.

The road starts with Drake.

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Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma are some of the worst hit states. Missouri recorded the highest number of deaths out of all the states, with at least 12 people dead.

Also Read: Rolla, Missouri tornado: Photos of storm damage surface – Track twister’s path

The death toll rose after eight people died on Friday, in Kansas, after more than 50 vehicles were involved in a collision on a highway.

“It was unrecognizable as a home. Just a debris field. The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls,” said coroner Jim Akers of Butler County, as quoted by AP, describing the experience of authorities attempting to rescue people amid the severe storm.

Also Read: Missouri: Tornado rips through Villa Ridge, Gray Summit, Wildwood near St Louis | Videos

The governors of Arkansas and Georgia have both declared a state of emergency as weather is expected to grow more extreme from late Saturday onward. Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee has also released $2,50,000 as a disaster recovery fund to help injured people.

Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt stated that 689 square kilometres of land had been burned in his state, along with 300 homes that were damaged or destroyed due to fires increasing due to the winds. Several communities have been ordered to evacuate.

Extreme weather conditions to continue

The extreme weather conditions caused by the storm system moving across the country, are set to affect more than 100 million people, across the US. The deadly winds have caused tornadoes and dust storms and even fanned the flames of several wildfires.

Also Read: St. Louis, Missouri: Tornado sirens sound as twister moves towards Union

The American Storm Prediction Centre claimed that the fast-moving storms posed a threat, especially if they exceeded hurricane force with a speed of 100 mph. They also said that tornadoes and hail “as large as baseballs” were expected on Saturday.

Eastern Louisiana, Mississippi through Alabama, western Georgia, and the Florida panhandle, are at a high risk for tornadoes. Meanwhile, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and New Mexico are likely to face wildfires.

Strong winds have also caused power outages for more than 2,00,000 homes and businesses in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan, as per the site poweroutage.us.

The National Weather Service has issued blizzard warnings for parts of far western Minnesota and far eastern South Dakota. Snow is expected to accumulate up to 6 inches in these regions, with gusty winds of up to 60 mph speed.

While such storms are not unusual in the country during this time of the year, an official from the Storm Prediction Centre in Oklahoma said that these storms were unique due to their large size and intensity, which created a substantial impact on large areas.

Devastating tornadoes tore through parts of the US, destroying schools and toppling semitrailers. The storm has killed at least 26 people, with more severe weather expected on late Saturday.

The death toll rose after a Kansas Highway Patrol report confirmed eight fatalities in a highway pileup caused by a dust storm in Sherman County on Friday. At least 50 vehicles were involved. Missouri suffered the highest casualties, with at least 12 deaths from scattered twisters overnight. Among the victims was a man killed when a tornado demolished his home.

“We have teams out surveying the damage from last night’s tornadoes and have first responders on the ground to assist,” Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on X.

She and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared states of emergency. Kemp said he was making the declaration in anticipation of severe weather moving in later on Saturday. Here’s a look at a few key updates