Even after doing the unimaginable, Missouri finished this season with a sour taste in its mouth.
The Tigers went from a winless conference campaign in Dennis Gates' second year as head coach to winning a conference tournament game and receiving the sixth seed in the NCAA Tournament a season later.
But losing three out of their final four regular-season games, the Tigers stumbled into postseason play before being handled by Drake on Thursday. Missouri will now turn fully to the NCAA transfer portal, which opens Monday and runs through April 22.
With the coming implementation of revenue sharing and NIL changes, basketball will receive a cutdown to a 15-player roster limit, with all 15 eligible to receive scholarships. The Tigers had 18 players on roster this season with three walk-ons. So essentially, the walk-on spots are being removed.
Remaining eligibility
Missouri has 10 scholarship players retaining eligibility from this past season. After missing most of the year with a lower-leg injury and not playing in a single game, freshman center Trent Burns became eligible for a redshirt.
In accordance with a new NCAA ruling, Tennessee-Martin transfer guard Jacob Crews received a waiver for an extra year of eligibility after spending a season at junior college Daytona State. Crews said Wednesday he will return to Missouri for his final year of eligibility.
