My freshman year of college (2022-23) was made a little better by Mizzou basketball.
For the first time in several seasons, Mizzou Arena was consistently shaking with positive energy. The Tigers gave those in Columbia, from MU students to alumni, many reasons to venture down Mick Deaver Memorial Drive. Most of the time, watching them was like watching 15 guys constantly running through mushrooms on MarioKart. They played fast, drowned opponents from beyond the arc and, most importantly, won plenty of games.
And then, Mizzou basketball died. All of the goodness from the previous season evaporated, as a litany of issues — injuries, poor three-point shooting, an inability to get rebounds, etc.