By any measure, this has been an exhilarating turnabout season for Missouri men’s basketball, a pivot to renewed hope after bleak years of chaos descended into futility.
One gauge says it all: A program that mustered a total of eight Southeastern Conference wins (against 46 losses) in three seasons had as many SEC victories (against six losses) going into its game on Tuesday against Mississippi.
That in itself makes first-year coach Cuonzo Martin an intriguing frontrunner for SEC coach of the year — especially considering how he’s cajoled five holdovers and three newcomers to become better than the sum of their parts.