On the 4th day of December, the Mizzou Tigers gave to me— confusion, despair, disappointment...

And made me say a whole lotta things that are not suitable for publishing.

This, my friends, was not how I intended to start out my first December post. I decided a few weeks ago that I would make my December links into a play on the 12 Days of Christmas. I thought it would be fun and at least I would have some joyful feelings resulting from the inevitable beatdown of Charleston Southern, but yeah.... about that.

What on Earth is going on with this basketball team that I love so dearly?!? They can’t shoot. They can’t seem to play defense anymore. They turn the ball over at alarming rates. They looked lethargic and slow — I’m feeling the same way these days so I’m well aware of what this looks like — holiday season in retail is exhausting, y’all. And why can seemingly everyone BUT us make threes?

I’m reminded of MIZ_DBH’s gif choice from last week, and as I sat in an nearly empty Mizzou Arena stunned into silence by what I was witnessing, I wondered— is this really the Bad Place? Like, can we really be sure it’s not? Watching this game tonight damn near broke my spirit.

Enough wallowing. It’ll get better. It has to. Onto the links!

Yesterday at Rock M

• Special Rock M Podcast time! Sam, Nate, and the GODFATHER of ROCK M, Bill Connelly, got together for a coaching search pod. Highly recommend. You can read the teaser recap here.
• Sam posted a new FanPulse, and guess what? Turns out firing your coach makes people more confident in the direction of the program.
• Josh asked if Mizzou would get their mojo back in his preview about the Charleston Southern game. (turns out... nope).
• Josh also wrote about how Missouri needs to regain its edge in the final non-con games. (SIGH)
• Nate profiled another potential Mizzou Football coaching candidate, Bryan Harsin. Can we pry him from the place he’s seemingly spent most of his life?
• Coach Tim was back with a new Film Room edition, this time looking at Tyler Badie’s runs.

More Links:

Football

• KC Star: Blair Kerkhoff examined the Battle Line Rivalry in regards to which is the better job— Arkansas or Missouri?
• Columbia Missourian: Eli Lederman wrote a great piece about how ‘Make It Right’ has turned into a larger, more important conversation. Read it.
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch: BenFred noted that Jim Sterk’s search will only get harder as more competitors join the circus. Gordo said that the next Missouri football coach must build a culture of success. Matter wrote a coaching profile on the young, energetic, and sometimes topless Will Healy.
• PowerMizzou (free): Mitchell posted a quick write-up about Trystan Colon-Castillo’s decision to declare for the draft, the third in recent days. He also profiled potential coach, current Charlotte 49ers coach, Will Healy. He’s a popular choice these days!
• PowerMizzou (mostly subscribers): PowerMizzou Coaching Search landing page
• CBS Sports: Dennis Dodd said Willie Fritz is a candidate for both Arkansas and Mizzou jobs, and has called Mizzou his “dream job.”
• Kelly Bryant accepted an invitation to the January 18 Shrine Bowl. He will join other seniors: WR Johnathon Johnson, OG Tre’Vour Wallace Simms, OT Yasir Durant, and CB DeMarkus Acy. Great to hear!

Hoops

• PowerMizzou ($$): AJ Blankenship reported that Mizzou is interested in a former Florida State commit, Zimife Nwokeji.
• PowerMizzou (free): Mitchell posted Cuonzo’s press conference after the shocking loss. As someone who was at the wretched UMKC loss back in the KA days, this was worse.
• Choose your own Charleston Southern Gamer. Be warned... these are not for the faint of heart: Mitchell Forde (PowerMizzou). Souichi Terada (KC Star). Dave Matter (St Louis Post-Dispatch).
• Look at you, Hayley Frank! The women’s team as a whole may not be tearing it up, but the freshman has been quite an addition.

Other Mizzou Sports/News

• Missouri volleyball setter Andrea Fuentes was recognized as the Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I National Player of the Week on Tuesday, according to the Columbia Missourian. Congrats, Andrea!
• Chancellor Cartwright put out a new episode of this Inside Mizzou podcast, this one on the MSA, the path to student legislation. The transcript and podcast are both available.
• A powerful statement on Twitter from softball assistant coach Sara Michalowski-Marino on the sanctions

Former Mizzou Player News

• Kendall Blanton has been promoted from the Rams practice squad to the active roster, according to NBC’s ProFootball Talk. Yay!
• Courtland Sutton told Denver CBS 4 that Drew Lock “has the potential to be THAT guy.”
• Congrats to former Mizzou hoops star, RiCardo Ratliffe!

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