Missouri Star Laurence Bowers Tears ACL

Missouri senior forward Laurence Bowers suffered a torn ACL during a pick-up game on Monday, and will reportedly miss the entire 2011-2012 season.

The loss is a huge blow to Missouri’s status as a Big 12 contender, as the 6-8 Bowers was one of the few inside presences on a team that is routinely dominated on the glass during league play. He averaged 11.6 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds last season, all while establishing himself as one of the conference’s top defensive players.

Despite an offseason that saw head coach Mike Anderson bolt for Arkansas and the subsequent controversial hire of Frank Haith, hopes were high that the Tigers were in store for a stellar year. Before Bowers went down, the entire starting five from an NCAA tournament team a year ago, including all-Big 12 guard Marcus Denmon, was back in the fold.

Now, Missouri is in trouble of falling back into the middle of the pack in a Big 12 conference that appears to be as deep as it’s ever been.