Kansas blows away Mizzou in WNIT as Pingeton alludes to offseason changes

A second-straight Missouri women's basketball season that fell short of the program's goals ended Monday evening.

Kansas, of all programs, did MU in 75-47. It ends the Tigers' season at 18-14, which was a winning record that came two or three wins away from reaching the NCAA Tournament.

Pingeton took on the responsibility after the game. She alluded to the new blood coming in next season while also alluding to how those familiar with the program need to make it work.

"It's on all of us," Pingeton said. "It's on our returning players. It's on us coaches. So we've got to continue to put in the time and put in the work."

That work continues for Pingeton as she enters another offseason looking for a way to lift Missouri into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2019 tournament.

To get there, she bluntly noted how the program needs changes. Not only does MU need to identify these changes, but it also needs to follow through and make them correctly.

"Honestly, as a staff, we're going to have to flip everything upside down," Pingeton said. "Evaluate everything we've done on the court, off the court and be willing to make some changes."

That was never more evident than Monday. Missouri had no answer for Kansas' Zakiyah Franklin and Taiyanna Jackson, two players that outmatched the Tigers.

That duo led Kansas in building a big lead with a 24-point second quarter and stifling the Tigers into scoring just six points in the third quarter. That sank Missouri into an offseason that promises some sort of change.

What those changes look like will come to light soon. However, that looms as the loss to KU sends MU into a pivotal offseason that will come down to a decision from Desiree Reed-Francois.

Will she entrust Pingeton with one more season, or will she prefer to move the women's basketball program in her own direction?

Reed-Francois has shown the fortitude to make those decisions, but also quickly. She fired former men's basketball coach Cuozno Martin one day after the 2021-2022 season ended, and has also overhauled several Olympic sports.

The first step to that situation begins with Reed-Francois' first decision: will she decide to overhaul women's basketball? If that's a yes, then she must also decide if she'll pay Pingeton's contract buyout. That number sits at $1.2 million: $400,000 for each of the two remaining seasons on her contract and $400,000 to buy out her contract outright.

A source indicated to the Tribune Reed-Francois was frustrated with MU's play in February, which was when the Tigers were mired in the middle of a six-game losing streak.

That decision will come, which is still a difficult question to answer. It's not as cut and dry as firing a coach that's struggling. Pingeton has had two winning seasons with a core of experienced players that will remain for one more season.

She'll have the chance to recruit around that core. Pingeton, for the first time all season, talked about working the NCAA transfer portal as well as the junior college ranks.

"We'll hit that portal pretty hard," Pingeton said. "I think it's going to be really important that we grab a couple out of the portal and you want to be careful, you know. You want to make sure they fit your needs. But I think the last time I looked there was, I think, over 400 names already in the portal. So we'll have end-of-the-season meetings, evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and make sure we're recruiting."

It won't be simple, but it will be a test of Pingeton's understanding of the modern versions of college basketball.

Recruiting the transfer portal and turning that into a successful team is becoming more of the norm. MU men's basketball did it this season, and Oklahoma women's basketball's Jennie Baranczyk has taken the Sooners to the NCAA Tournament in her first two years in Norman.

Sam Purcell and Katie Abrahamson-Henderson took Mississippi State and Georgia, respectively, to the NCAA Tournament this season, which was their first year coaching in the SEC.

That puts pressure on the coaching staff to get back to the big dance in 2023-2024. The coming days will tell if Pingeton will be given that opportunity. There's no indication either way where her job status is as of Monday evening aside from past frustration.

Pingeton will navigate the offseason, which will include exit interviews and team meetings, but first comes brushing off the sting of losing to a Kansas team that's plain better than MU.

That sting sets the tone for how important of an offseason it will be.

"It's going to be a big one for us," Pingeton said. "We all know the expectations and I'm committed to making sure that happens."

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Kansas blows out Mizzou in WNIT, sending MU into a pivotal offseason