Prior to Monday’s season opener, it was known that Mizzou wasn’t the same team as last season. Only five non-walk-ons were back from the 2023-24 squad.
But when the new Mizzou actually took the court at FedEx Forum, the Black & Gold proved that they had new stripes — stripes that were a combination of the previous two years under Dennis Gates.
One of the stripes from last season’s rough campaign was an inability to perform in the second half. After a first half that saw Mizzou look like an NCAA Tournament team — MU led 42-32 after the first 20 minutes — the road Tigers wilted when the script flipped on them, and it ultimately led to a 83-75 defeat.