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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Just like that, the offseason.

Its arrival feels a bit sudden for a Missouri basketball team that expected to still be playing at this point in the postseason, but its loss to Drake on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament plopped a package full of the offseason’s contents — expired eligibility, decisions to return, the transfer portal — right onto the Tigers’ doorstep.

Does it feel real?

“No,� forward Jacob Crews said after the defeat. “I feel like I’m about to go to practice tomorrow.�

Instead, he’ll watch as MU coach Dennis Gates begins work on his fourth season at Missouri — an effort that will require him to replace some key pieces from the Mizzou team that just concluded play.

The transfer portal opens Monday and will close for entries on April 22. Players do not need to have completed transfers by then — only to have entered the portal. This year’s 30-day window starts one week later than last year’s so that fewer teams are having to play postseason games and navigate the portal. The window is also 15 days shorter.

The Tigers will need several portal pieces for next season’s roster. Here’s a breakdown of who’s departing the program, who’s able to come back and what MU will be looking for in the transfer portal.

Who will depart?

Five MU players played their final collegiate game in the NCAA Tournament:

• Guard Caleb Grill (26.2 minutes per game, 13.7 points per game)
• Guard Tamar Bates (26.0 min, 13.3 ppg)
• Point guard Tony Perkins (23.2 min, 8.7 ppg)
• Center Josh Gray (15.5 min, 3.2 ppg)
• Guard Marques Warrick (13.5 min, 6.6 ppg)

Grill and Bates will be the tallest tasks for Mizzou to replace. While Grill’s 3-point shooting cooled late in the season, he finished the year shooting 39.6% from deep and won the Southeastern Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year award. Bates was one of the most efficient players in college basketball, shooting 50.8% from the field, 39.7% from 3 and 94.6% at the free throw line — the latter finishing as the best in the nation.

Who can return?

Ten Missouri players have eligibility remaining and can return next season:

• Forward Mark Mitchell (27.8 minutes per game, 13.9 points per game)
• Point guard Anthony Robinson II (23 mins, 9 ppg)
• Forward Trent Pierce (17.1 mins, 6.7 ppg)
• Forward Jacob Crews (12.9 mins, 5.6 ppg)
• Forward Aidan Shaw (9.2 mins, 2.6 ppg)
• Forward Marcus Allen (9.2 mins, 2.6 ppg)
• Guard Annor Boateng (6.4 mins, 1.9 ppg)
• Point guard T.O. Barrett (5.4 mins, 1.9 ppg)
• Center Peyton Marshall (4.4 mins, 1 ppg)
• Center Trent Burns (did not play)

Mitchell, this season’s leading scorer, will be the centerpiece of the roster buildup for next year. Robinson and Pierce will be entering their third seasons and hoping to retain starting roles. Crews told the Post-Dispatch last week that he plans to use bonus eligibility granted to him by an NCAA waiver for former junior college players. Shaw has one year of eligibility remaining.

The other five players completed their freshman seasons after finding varying roles and showing different degrees of potential. Allen and Barrett, in particular, were key contributors in some games and seemingly would be on track to enter the rotation next season.

The question here: How many of the 10 come back? The probability/reality of the transfer portal and present moment in college sports makes it unlikely that all 10 do. Maybe Shaw wants to spend his final collegiate season playing more. Maybe one of the freshmen lost faith in the developmental vision — MU’s football team saw some of its most promising freshmen walk out the portal-shaped door this offseason.

Some portal losses are natural, but more than three departures would be surprising for Mizzou.

How many freshmen are coming in?

Two freshmen are part of the Tigers’ 2025 signing class: Columbia-area point guard Aaron Rowe and ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½-area power forward Nicholas Randall.

Neither is expected to be immediate contributors, barring a summer leap once they begin practicing with the team.

What does Mizzou need in the transfer portal?

With 10 returners and two incoming freshmen, Gates has three roster spots to fill in the transfer portal — plus any spots opened up by outgoing transfers. That probably means he winds up bringing in four to six players from the portal.

What should MU look for?

Most glaringly, a shooter — and probably shooters, plural. Bates and Grill were the most consistent perimeter presences, and the Tigers need 3-point shooting for Gates’ system to work. Those guards, who transferred in ahead of the 2023-24 season, had high-major experience at Indiana and Iowa State respectively. Perhaps Gates will target some guards who are known quantities from beyond the arc.

Last offseason, getting a traditional center was a priority, and Missouri wound up with Gray, a veteran SEC big man. He proved helpful as a role player in giving more of a post presence and improving rebounding. Star-level bigs come at a premium in the transfer portal. But unless Mizzou is willing to lean into small-ball by making Mitchell the permanent center, getting another big body to fill the low block would make sense.

Robinson’s development has been a key success of the Gates era, and Barrett showed promise and composure this season. But are the Tigers comfortable with using just those two as point guards? Gates has demonstrated a tendency to play two point guards on the floor together often, and experience is valuable in primary ball-handlers. MU could target another point guard to pair with Robinson and allow Barrett to come off the bench.