51黑料

COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥� Cold and dreary is mixed up with moments warm and fuzzy. Big-picture progress has been spoiled by the pressing concerns of the present.

Welcome to the postseason, Missouri men鈥檚 basketball.

If March feels messy for the No. 15 Tigers, it鈥檚 because it is. Mizzou, which wrapped up the regular season Saturday 21-10 overall and 10-8 in Southeastern Conference play, has floated listlessly and lifelessly to the finish line.

For the first time this season, MU has lost three consecutive games. They happened to be the last three, part of a six-game stretch in which the Tigers have given up 90-plus opponents five times and won just twice.

Even though defense seemed to be improved at times during Saturday鈥檚 91-83 home loss to No. 19 Kentucky, it wasn鈥檛 enough to mask an offense that shot 35.5% from the field in the first half.

Stack that on top of recent paint-point meltdowns at Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, and the worries about Missouri as it enters lose-and-you鈥檙e-done territory are only mounting.

鈥淭he outcome of this game adds to the two (losses),鈥� MU coach Dennis Gates said. 鈥淥bviously, we wanted to do better. We didn鈥檛. I thought we had great opportunities.鈥�

Those opportunities saw forward Mark Mitchell keep Mizzou technically in the game with 22 points and guard Marques Warrick score 17 points in a fruitless comeback bid. They鈥檙e aware of what鈥檚 at risk of slipping away.

鈥淭his is probably one of our lower moments, but we know who we are,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淲e know the culture that we鈥檝e built, the system.鈥�

鈥淲e know what to do,鈥� Warrick said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e gonna get back to that.鈥�

And that鈥檚 what can be flummoxing about the present state of Missouri men鈥檚 hoops. Success in the postseason won鈥檛 be about any real progression 鈥� it鈥檒l be about regressing, if that word can fit here, into a past, more dangerous version of the team.

This is the team that, just a couple of weeks ago, had picked up its 20th win of the season in flashy fashion against then-No. 4 Alabama and had clinched its spot in the NCAA Tournament with a third of conference play still to come.

It鈥檚 a far cry, in fairness, from where MU was a year ago, slumping to defeat 18 out of 18 times in league play. There has been a turnaround, one that did bring about some warmer and softer moments after the game.

Addressing his players over the public address system after the postgame senior day ceremony, Gates broke down in tears while thanking them for their trust and effort. Among the players at the forefront are Caleb Grill and Tamar Bates, two veteran guards who returned from that 0-18 team to secure 10 league victories this time around.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to belittle that,鈥� Gates said, 鈥渂ut we still left a lot on the table, where I thought we could have turned the corner and finished in a double bye, even competed for a (conference) championship. Things needed to happen that didn鈥檛.鈥�

At a basic level, the one thing that needed to happen for Mizzou to finish in the SEC鈥檚 top four and enter next week鈥檚 conference tournament straight in the quarterfinals but didn鈥檛 is winning. MU was positioned to secure a double bye by winning out just a week ago and instead lost out.

This late-season lag is proving costly in the seeding market. Missouri will be either the No. 7 seed in the SEC Tournament next week.

The Tigers鈥� NCAA Tournament stock has slumped into No. 6 seed territory, though that could perhaps see some adjustment during conference tournaments next week.

Whether there will be more than one game apiece in each of those tournaments is a question that seems increasingly valid and open. Without a turnaround, a one-and-done showing in each could be possible.

It鈥檇 be unfair and ignorant of what has happened around the rest of the SEC to say that one three-game losing streak 鈥� even a terribly timed one like this 鈥� has completely drawn the curtains on this season. Texas A&M lost four straight, then sprang an upset of No. 1 Auburn last week. Mississippi suffered two separate three-game losing streaks but finished with the same conference record as Missouri. Kentucky never won more than two games in a row during league play.

鈥淭his is more difficult than anybody thinks,鈥� Gates said of emerging intact from the SEC gauntlet. Maybe Mizzou just took its punches right before the bell and will step out of its corner for the final round with the requisite energy.

A couple of extra days鈥� rest could help. But Gates turned down a chance to attribute recent struggles to fatigue 鈥� physical or mental 鈥� and instead outlined the shift he鈥檚 noticed during the home stretch of the regular season.

鈥�(Fatigue) has not creeped into our program,鈥� Gates said. 鈥淲hat I do see is that our guys ... instead of targeting guys, we鈥檝e been the target.鈥�