Mizzou Basketball is Broken

Since the departure of Frank Haith in 2014, the Mizzou basketball program has been marred by two things. One low attendance and general fan apathy, and two poor recruiting and play on the court. This can be chalked up to the fact that over the past ten seasons, Mizzou has mustered three winning seasons, 3 NCAA tournament appearances, 1 NCAA tournament win, and a lack of fan interest. However, few seasons in the history of Mizzou basketball can compare to the sheer fall from grace and disastrous nature of the current 2023-2024 basketball season. And so, just as I did for the record-breaking Mizzou team last year and the Royals this year, I will once again go by the numbers and dive into what could possibly be the worst season of the modern era for Missouri Tigers Basketball. 

First, some of you may wonder why I say the worst of the modern era. That is because of how modern college basketball scheduling is made up. There is no possible way for anyone to be worse than the teams fielded by Bob Vanatta from 1965-1967, who went a combined 6-43 in two years. Nor the teams pre-Big 12 who played 25 or fewer games each year. No, instead, there is one Mizzou team and one alone standing in the way of the crown for the worst Mizzou basketball team of the modern era, the 2016-2017 Mizzou team. A team that went 8-24 with losses to NC Central, Eastern Illinois, and Lipscomb. However, the thing that the 2016-2017 team has that the 2023-2024 team doesn’t have is conference wins. The 2016-17 team had two regular-season conference wins and a third in the SEC tournament. The 2023-24 Tigers haven’t won since December 2023. To date, it has been an incredible 13-game losing streak. Since December, Mizzou is 2 and 16. The only wins came against Central Arkansas and Wichita State. During this stretch of time, I had the pleasure or displeasure, depending on how one may look at it, of watching the 2023-24 team live and in person when they “hosted” Seton Hall for a non-conference clash in Kansas City. One thing became obvious watching this team in person. This may be the most depressed I have ever been at a basketball game. Now, to be fair, the last basketball I watched was in high school nearly six years ago, so to say I do not watch or go to many basketball games, so it would be a fair thing to point out that the bar for such a thing is very low. Even with that, I watched a team almost complete a near 20-point comeback in the final five minutes of the game to just fall short by six points at the end. To see so much potential in a team and for them to fail is disheartening to no end. More so when said team is coming off winning a game in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010. 

This marks the first time a Mizzou team has had a losing record the following season after winning a game in the NCAA tournament since 1944 when the 1944-45 Tigers went 8 and 10. Yes, you read that right. This hasn’t happened to the Tigers SINCE THE END OF WORLD WAR II! Now, some of you may be saying, "Well, Brock, what about the teams under Cuonzo? Again, after winning in the NCAA Tournament. Fun fact: the 1977-78 Tigers made the NCAA tournament with a record of 14-16 after winning the Big Eight tournament and earning an automatic bid. They would lose in the first round to Utah. The following season, they would go 13-15 and just miss out on dancing in March after losing in the second round of the Big Eight tournament.

The 2023-2024 team not only has the honor of being the first since WWII not to have a winning season after a tournament win, but they still have the chance to do what has only been done one other time. Not winning a single conference game. This has not been done since the 1907-1908 Tigers, who went 0 and 5 in the MVC. That’s right Mizzou can do something that has not been done since THE INVENTION OF PLASTIC! Mizzou also has the chance to set the record for most conference losses, so they can’t win another game for the rest of the season. Honestly, in my opinion, I hope they don’t win another game for the rest of the year. So, they can set the record for most losses in a season with 25. Yes, I am indeed a sick man and do need help, I know. I’m Mizzou, so this is par for the course.