COLUMBIA, MO. • Missouri basketball fans will want to keep a program handy for Tuesday’s season opener when Cuonzo Martin unveils his second Tigers team, a group that includes just four returning scholarship players and a wave of newcomers expected to play major minutes.
Senior forward Kevin Puryear, senior guard Jordan Geist and sophomore center Jeremiah Tilmon are back from last year’s core, along with junior reserve center Reed Nikko, but Martin will have to rely on several new faces in critical roles as the Tigers try to build on last year’s 20-win season, which ended in the NCAA Tournament.