Missouri basketball coach Cuonzo Martin confirmed Wednesday star freshman forward Michael Porter Jr. will play Thursday in the first round of the SEC Tournament.Porter – a five-star recruit and the highest-ranked prospect to ever sign with Mizzou – has played a grand total of two minutes this season and has been recovering from back surgery. Martin said Porter will not start, but he’s ready to play and give the Tigers “100 percent."“He’s prepared,” Martin said. “The great thing about him was he said, 'Coach, I want to help the team.'" If Porter returns to form, it gives the Tigers even more ammunition heading into their first-round SEC Tournament matchup against either Georgia or Vanderbilt on Thursday. Mizzou enters as the fifth-seed in the SEC Tournament, and the latest Bracketology from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Tigers No. 8 in the South bracket playing against Butler. The return of Porter, if he's healthy, could make Missouri a dangerous squad that's far better than its seed.