On Feb. 6, 2021, Cuonzo Martin’s Missouri Tiger squad got a marquee win over the 10th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide at home to move to 13-3 on the season. The win seemed to be a statement that put the NCAA basketball world on notice. Mizzou would rise up the ranks to No. 10 in the country, with the NCAA tournament on the horizon, and it seemed like the beginning of an era of good feelings for Mizzou hoops.
Fast forward a little more than ten months later, and any goodwill that Coach Martin had built up with the fanbase has long evaporated. That same Mizzou team went just 3-7 down the stretch of the season, drew only a 9-seed in the tournament, and fell in heartbreaking fashion to Oklahoma without even winning a game in Indianapolis. That game is most remembered for Coach Martin controversially benching Xavier Pinson down the stretch. Pinson, along with all but three players would depart the team that offseason, leaving almost a blank slate to start over with.
The results for Mizzou in their 5th season under Martin have been nothing short of dreadful. Mizzou is off to a 6-5 start, but it’s a very weak 6-5. The losses have included an embarrassing blowout on home court against lowly UMKC, embarrassing blowouts against Liberty and Florida State, and an absolutely non-competitive 37 point loss to Kansas in the return of the border war series.
It’s year five, and Mizzou still is struggling with the same problems it has in years past under Coach Martin: an offense that constantly seems stuck in the mud, horrific three-point shooting, and a defense that is marred by inconsistency. None of these flaws can be covered up because of a lack of talent, as well.
Coach Martin grabbed several transfers this season to try and mix with several incoming freshmen, and it hasn’t paid dividends. Mizzou always appears out of sync, with no apparent chemistry. There’s constant calls for screens that go unanswered, defensive lapses, and just empty passes that don’t create any real shots. Lots of this can be attributed to lack of chemistry, but the lack of talent doesn’t help.
In Coach Martin’s first recruiting class at Mizzou, he landed the Porter brothers, Javon Pickett, and Jeremiah Tilmon, which rocketed Mizzou up to the 4th best class in the nation according to 247 Sports. Since then, Mizzou’s national classes have ranked 59th, 40th, 166th, 50th, and the upcoming 2022 class is currently ranked 51st. This is simply not good enough to compete even in the SEC, let alone a national title.
Attendance for Mizzou home games has steadily declined over the years along with the trajectory of the program, and Coach Martin needs to find a fix fast for the team as it enters SEC play. If things don’t begin to turn around, the future of Coach Martin could be the first major decision for new athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois. Perhaps the team can turn the season around after an exciting win over a solid Utah team. We’ve seen flashes of brilliance in the program under Coach Martin’s watch before, and he still has plenty of time to turn the season around.