This was supposed to be the year for Mizzou basketball

Mizzou basketball’s season came to end in a disappointing fashion. Everything this program was building led up to this season’s tournament and it was over after just one game. 

Well, after an up and down season for the Missouri Tigers basketball team, it was only fitting that their final game of the 2020-2021 season was also very up and down.

After finishing the season with a 16-9 record, the Tigers landed a No. 9 seed in the tournament. That alone could have been something that Mizzou fans could have gotten over, but they were placed in the same region as the No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga Bulldogs. Had Missouri won their first-round match-up, they’d have had a date with those Zags, so there wouldn’t have been much of a reward for winning.

Being one and done in the NCAA Tournament once again is an even bigger shame for Missouri because who knows when this team will get to this point again? They have five seniors who will likely not take the extra year of eligibility, meaning next season’s team will be quite young.

This tweet from Brandon Kiley really sums up how disappointing this loss really is for the Tigers. As he mentioned, they really started the season off with a bang, winning against several top teams and getting into the top 10 of the national rankings.

Unfortunately, they fizzled out pretty hard down the stretch, losing seven of their final 10 games and really looking lackluster. While the seeding was a bit surprising due to some of the big wins they had, their poor performance in the final month of the season justified it.

This season was Mizzou basketball’s chance to make a deep run in the tournament.

There was hope that Missouri could at least knock off the Sooners and give it what they could against Gonzaga, but unfortunately, they won’t get the chance, as their season comes to an end. The Tigers led by one point at halftime, but the game went back and forth in the second half. MU led 55-54, but that was the last time the Tigers would hold the lead.

With the loss, Missouri hasn’t won a game in the NCAA Tournament since 2010. With so much talent likely not returning next season, it’s hard to see this team making much of a splash not only next season but anytime soon.

Cuonzo Martin did a good job getting the team in a good place for the 2020-2021 season but to see it end without a single tournament win means this season was a massive failure for MU. They had the potential to make a deep run in March Madness, but this team fell apart in the second half of the regular season and that cost them when it was all said and done.

Maybe the Tigers will luck out and a few of their key seniors will return, but that doesn’t seem all that likely. It could be a rough few years for the Mizzou basketball program.