we had one of the top recruiting classes in the country and this was the atmosphere surrounding MU basketball:
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/benjamin-hochman/hochman-porter-jr-will-make-for-must-watch-mizzou-basketball/article_ab419f02-f327-574f-9dac-1306f06772e8.html
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/mizzou/mizzou-picked-fifth-in-sec-porter-tied-for-leagues-top-player/article_d514df94-b90f-5a06-95e4-a06c8e3312ae.html
fan apathy that existed before had all but disappeared and ticket sales reached levels they hadn't seen in years. the program was viewed nationally as in the midst of an immediate resurgence and a dark horse to compete for the SEC title. that point was probably the highest the program had been since the norfolk state loss, and easily the highest it's been since.
so again, if you're looking at the period immediately before the KA era (frank haith's 2nd round NIT loss) and the point immediately(ish) after (the time period referenced in the articles above), and you draw a straight line between them, you could reasonably conclude that the Kim Anderson era was just a blip on the radar and the program actually picked right back up in a BETTER position than where it left off after Haith.