The Missouri basketball program will have to work its way back to national relevance. These day there’s no shortcut available to the Tigers.
The program posted a losing record in five of its last six seasons. Recruits see a half-empty arena (or worse) when they attend games or watch on TV.
Coach Cuonzo Martin and his staff must get in early on guys and/or draw on relationships. They found two complementary transfer pieces and a backup center for this season’s team, then attracted some promising late-bloomers for future squads.
There is hope for this season, since the Tigers will bring one of college basketball’s most seasoned teams into an unconventional campaign.