A Winless SEC Season of Mizzou Basketball is the Most Likely Outcome
COLUMBIA, Mo. — It's hard to describe the 2023-24 men's season for Missouri basketball with any other word than humiliating.
With so much excitement added back to a struggling program during head coach Dennis Gates' first year at the helm, everything looked towards a positive direction for its future. People were interested, recruits were coming in heaps and the talent seemed to be there for at least a respectable season.
That hasn't been the case.
Although non-conference play didn't exactly treat the Tigers well, things quickly turned sour once Southeastern Conference play began. They've lost all 14 games in conference play up to this point, with no signs of change occurring.
One of the best chances Missouri had at breaking the winless streak was Saturday at Arkansas, as the Razorbacks came into the contest with a 13-13 record. While they certainly have played a better season than the Tigers, it hasn't been up to that program's standards from the last few years either.
Everything was going well for Missouri in the first half. Behind an exceptional half of play from Sean East II — who scored an efficient 33 points on the night — it found itself only down by two points entering the final 20 minutes.
For the first 10, much was the same. The Tigers kept the game in reach, but even took the slight lead at some points in a very back and forth start to the half. That lead was very short lived though, as the Razorbacks began to score in a flurry of offense.
Most of that offense ran through Khalif Battle, who had an unbelievable 42-point performance that left Missouri speechless by the end of the game. Even with one of East's best games of his collegiate career the Tigers were still outmatched.
In a matter of 10 minutes a three-point deficit turned into 15, resulting in an 88-73 loss. It's a part of the larger picture as to why the season has been so underwhelming, as Mizzou has continuously found itself in winnable situations but failing to close out in the final stretch.
Arkansas was nearly the last reasonable chance at getting a conference win. Beating a rival team with only a .500 record on the road behind a 33-point night from East had all of the makings of the game to beat the streak. Yet as it has for the past couple months, it crashed and burned when it mattered most.
With just four games left on the schedule, the wins aren't going to get any easier. The Tigers' next three games consist of teams with at least 19 wins — No. 24 Florida, Ole Miss and No. 11 Auburn — and their final opponent is LSU (14-13).
LSU hasn't exactly endured a great 2023-24 season either, but with Missouri not being able to get past the likes of Vanderbilt and Arkansas, there's little confidence in getting a win there, either. Especially in its final game of the year, where some of its talent may not even suit up.
An 0-18 conference record would be nothing short of embarrassing. No matter the injuries, no matter the lack of scoring talent, no matter the schedule. There's little excuse to have a winless season at this point in time, regardless of how tough the conference has become, and would put a tough damper on the program to remove.
It's hard to create a scenario where Missouri gets a win before the season ends. Crazier things have happened in the college basketball world and the Tigers have put forth effort in every contest throughout the season. However, the issues that have plagued it throughout the year are simply unfixable with so little time left.
A winless SEC record may be the only thing that makes this season remembered down the road. Nobody will want to remember it, but maybe it'll be the one weird season in-between some great seasons of Tiger basketball.
At least that's the hope.
