Columbia, Mo. ? Stung by a lopsided loss to Baylor in the first-round of the Big 12 Conference tournament three days earlier, the Missouri Tigers opted not to gather as a team Sunday night to await a possible NIT bid.

Turns out they didn’t miss much.

The 32-team tournament for squads that failed to earn NCAA bids excluded Missouri (18-12), which had hoped to continue its season in the first year of a rebuilding effort under coach Mike Anderson.

Wins over three NCAA Tournament teams – Davidson, Arkansas and Texas Tech – and a better conference mark than NIT choice Oklahoma State apparently weren’t enough to earn Missouri a postseason bid. The Tigers also beat NIT participant Mississippi State in a home contest this season.

Anderson said that while he’s disappointed the season is over, he is looking forward to building a winning program in Columbia.

“The biggest key to me was the improvement that our team showed throughout the year,” he said.