This one ended the way most bad seasons end. Quietly, with a thud that few that weren't in the building will notice. Missouri lost to Ole Miss 73-68 on Saturday afternoon, the 13th conference loss of the year and the fifth in which they blew double-digit lead (four of them in the second half).
Cuonzo Martin talked about the breakdowns and Kevin Puryear spoke of the relationships he formed over four years and the regret of going out with a loss on Senior Day and Torrence Watson talked about the hope for the future as he and fellow freshman Xavier Pinson combined for 34 points.
But really, this was the end only on the schedule. This season hasn't been about anything meaningful since the Tigers dropped six of their first seven games. Most eyes have been on the development after this year ended for a couple of months now.
The Tigers will play at least one more game, at 6 o'clock Wednesday night in a mostly empty Bridgestone Arena against Georgia, a team they beat by 25 points just three days ago. The Tigers may win that one, but the official end will almost certainly come at some point in the next 24 to 72 hours in Nashville. And then we'll go about wondering when--or if--this program can get back to the heights it was at once upon a time.
Mizzou retired John Brown's number 50 on Saturday. At halftime, he spoke of moving from Brewer Fieldhouse to the Hearnes Center while he was a Tiger. Brown's arrival also ushered in a Golden Age of Mizzou hoops. Prior to his commitment, Missouri had gone 30-70 in four seasons spanning the end of Bob Vanatta's career and the start of Norm Stewart's. In a game of the freshmen versus the varsity, Brown scored 32 points for the first-year players (who weren't eligible to compete in games back then) and said he thought maybe he belonged at this level. The Tigers won 15 games without him that year and then reeled off a 59-21 stretch in his three years on the court.
Stewart would have just four losing seasons the rest of his career at Mizzou, spanning 26 years. The Tigers would win 20 games 14 times in that span and claim eight conference championships. The March success did not match up, but Mizzou was one of the 15 or 20 best programs in the country for nearly two decades.
Over the next decade-and-a-half, the Tigers were sometimes great, often mediocre and never consistent. A terrible regular season was followed by a miraculous March run and one of the best regular seasons in school history ended in an historic upset against Norfolk State. Mizzou won 30 games twice and made two Elite Eights, but never had what felt like a sustainable program.
Then came the death knell. Missouri tried to recapture some of that Stewart-era glory by hiring his lieutenant Kim Anderson. It didn't work. Anderson went 27-68 in three seasons and was shown the door, leaving behind a program that was in worse shape than it had been since Vanatta left and Stewart stepped in.
So the question now is, who is Cuonzo Martin's John Brown?
Martin didn't right the ship in his first season at Missouri. He just built a brand new one because the old vessel had too many holes to be useful. The all-in approach put Missouri back in the NCAA Tournament and back, at least somewhat, in the national consciousness.
Of course, the central piece to that puzzle was too damaged physically to make an impact and then went off to the NBA to do his rehab. And then the centerpiece of Martin's second team suffered a season-ending knee injury before the first game.
In many ways, the way it's all gone has made Martin's first two years at Mizzou impossible to judge. When you move into a house as ramshackle as the one Martin inherited, progress is measured in baby steps. That some has been made is irrefutable. Whether it's been enough can't yet be determined. The place is inhabitable now, but it's too soon to tell if it's actually a nice home or simply four walls with a roof that doesn't leak too much.
That determination will be made over the next couple of seasons. There are pieces that have encouraged Tiger fans. In addition to Watson and Pinson, Jeremiah Tilmon has looked at times like an all-SEC caliber big man. Mark Smith was one of the league's best shooters before he got hurt, Javon Pickett started every game until the last one and Dru Smith will finally trade in his black polo and sweatpants for a bona fide Missouri uniform next year. The coach that Martin lost to on Saturday certainly likes what he sees.
"Those three young guards, they're gonna be something in our league," Kermit Davis said, referring to Pinson, Watson and Pickett. "They're Cuonzo's type of guys. They're tough, they play downhill, you can tell they want to be coached, not afraid to be coached. I love them. I do.
"They've got a bright future here."
Missouri fans would love a bright present. Instead, they search for rays of sunshine through the darkness.
For 68 teams, Selection Sunday looms eight days away and the best event in college sports will follow. For the rest of the country, barring a miracle run this week, the focus is already on next year. It's a long time to wait for answers in Columbia.
