COLUMBIA, Mo. — Just like that, the offseason.
Its arrival feels a bit sudden for a Missouri basketball team that expected to still be playing at this point in the postseason, but its loss to Drake on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament plopped a package full of the offseason’s contents — expired eligibility, decisions to return, the transfer portal — right onto the Tigers’ doorstep.
Does it feel real?
“No,” forward Jacob Crews said after the defeat. “I feel like I’m about to go to practice tomorrow.”
Instead, he’ll watch as MU coach Dennis Gates begins work on his fourth season at Missouri — an effort that will require him to replace some key pieces from the Mizzou team that just concluded play.