R.I.P. Mizzou Basketball 2014-15: It's Over

Regardless of your point of view on the current state of MIzzou Hoops, the season coming to an end is a good thing. We all reached a point where we knew how this was going to end it was just a matter of time. I'm thankful it's over, so I know you all are too. It's been hard to cover, it's often been hard to watch, and it's been the most difficult season in a long time for just about everyone involved.

For the EVERYTHING IS ALL AWFUL crowd:

The team cannot score, they give up far too many open shots, they get pushed off their positions on offense and can't hold their positions on defense. There isn't a guy you look to going into next year as being the guy that's going to be a difference maker because EVERYONE was inconsistent. If just one or two of our most talented players decide that they've had enough everything will reset for next year and Mizzou basketball will be at the beginning of a long dark era.

For the LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL crowd:

So many young guys who kept fighting until the end, if they just work in the offseason to get stronger there is a lot of reason to think that this team can be just step on in a 3 step process to being a contender in conference and a future of NCAA appearances to reestablish Missouri basketball back where it belongs. When they played well, they were able to show flashes of the talent that we think they have.

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There are reasons to be optimistic and pessimistic. Honestly, as a former basketball coach I'm always going to look at things on the floor in a brighter sense because thats our nature. You believe that you can improve things, and I know that's how this staff feels right now. I see the talent in these young players and think that they need work, but they can be great. They need work though. Johnathan Williams III faded hard after teams started to game plan him and double him down low. Namon Wright and Montaque Gill-Caesar had trouble finishing drives around the basket and far too often failed to draw contact and get to the free throw line. Jakeenan Gant struggled to defend the post and had a hard time rebounding against more physical foes.

There are problems. A team doesn't go 9 - 23 and not have problems. There is a big question remaining on what is going to happen with the roster?

Should be interesting to watch the roster change from this season to next. Who stays, who goes, who comes in? There is promise there.

— Sam Snelling (@SamSnellingRMN) March 12, 2015

Nobody knows who is all going to be coming back, but you hope for some level of continuity because that is going to help the coaching staff develop what they've worked with now for 9-10 months. There's a base that has been established, and now they need to follow through. Still, a lot is going to happen this offseason. For better or for worse.

In the coming weeks and months we will continue to cover the additions, subtractions and overall changes that are likely to happen to this team. It's going to be an exciting offseason even if you are a pessimist, because even turmoil can be exciting. We'll just hope that it's the good fun kind of exciting and not the sad kind.