October 2019 was a more hopeful time for Missouri Basketball.
The Tigers were entering year three of Cuonzo Martin’s tenure having come off an expected rebuilding year in 2018. A strong recruiting class of Tray Jackson, Mario McKinney and Kobe Brown signaled that things were headed in the right direction. The addition of mid-major star Dru Smith was going to stabilize a young roster. Why not use all of that positive energy to do what so many had been clamoring for and resume the Border War?
When Cuonzo Martin announced, “It’s back,” the reaction amongst Tiger fans was met with general enthusiasm.