As fans of arch-rival Kansas will quickly note, Missouri has never made it to a Final Four. But that isn't keeping two of the newest Tigers -- junior college transfer point guard Randy Pulleyand freshman power forward Linas Kleiza -- from proclaiming that this could be the year.

Why did Pulley pick the Tigers? "To try to win a national championship," he says.

What about Kleiza? "I think we can compete for the national championship (this) year," Kleiza says.

Talk about putting the pressure on. Missouri, after all, has finished sixth, sixth, sixth and fifth in the Big 12 Conference during the first four seasons of the Quin Snyder era.

"So you think I'm getting set up?" quips Snyder. Well, possibly.

But there is no getting around the fact that this should be Snyder's best Tiger team yet.

Mizzou has two probable first-team All-Big 12 players in Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding. Throw in starting forward Travon Bryant and reserve guard Josh Kroenke and the Tigers will trot out four seniors who have been to three NCAA Tournaments, including a run to the Elite Eight in 2002.

FRONTCOURT:

Here's a bruising thought. At some point in a Big 12 game -- perhaps against rough and tumble Oklahoma or Texas -- Missouri will line up the 277-pound Johnson, 245-pound Kleiza and 270-pound Kevin Young along the baseline.

Young is still a work in progress who must develop on the offensive end. Kleiza will push the inconsistent Bryant from the first day of practice in October. But the clear man in the middle will be Johnson, who should be one of the top inside players in the nation this season. Johnson dominated the early Pan American Games tryouts in Colorado Springs over the summer.

"I think he's the best player here," said Michigan State's Tom Izzo, the head coach of the U.S. team.

Johnson considered jumping to the NBA after his junior season but opted to return for a shot at a national title. "We've got a lot of guys back and some good new players," he says. "I feel there is a lot more to get done in Columbia. I'm not in a rush to give that up."

BACKCOURT:

The nation saw Paulding at his best in the Tigers' final game of the 2002-03 season. He hit 9-of-15 from 3-point range and scored 36 points in a 101-92 overtime loss to Marquette in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Paulding, like Johnson, decided to return to Missouri for his final season of eligibility.

"We've got a chance to do some pretty special things as a team," Paulding says. "Winning a Big 12 championship, which is something I've never done. And possibly taking my team to a Final Four."

Snyder would love to see Paulding play with the high-intensity, almost selfish manner he displayed against Marquette. Too often last season Paulding seemed content to blend in.

The subtraction of Ricky Clemons, who almost single-handedly shot Missouri out of its game with Marquette, could be a huge addition for the Tigers. The point guard was originally suspended just for one season, but he was permanently kicked him off the team in late July.

Much, however, depends on whether Pulley or freshman Spencer Laurie can handle the point and let Jimmy McKinney slide over to the 2-guard.

Unlike Clemons, Pulley is a pass-first point guard. In fact, according to Ryan Wolf, his coach at Barton County (Kan.) Community College, "He's a pass-first, pass-second type of point."

If Pulley can simply distribute the basketball efficiently, it might allow MU to redshirt Laurie, who was named Missouri's Mr. Basketball as a senior at Kickapoo High School in Springfield.

The Tiger attack will get a boost in late December when transfer Jason Conley becomes eligible. Conley, who led the nation in scoring as a true freshman at VMI two years ago with a 29.9-point average, is expected to make an immediate contribution.

FINAL ANALYSIS:

Missouri has the necessary ingredients to contend for a national championship. There's experience. There's size. There's depth. And there is plenty of star power.

"We just beat a team that's going to be one of the two or three best teams in the country next year," Marquette coach Tom Crean said moments after his team knocked Mizzou out of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

Well, next year has arrived. And the Tigers are poised to make a run at playing on the college season's final weekend.

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