COLUMBIA, Mo. — It was March 19, 2010, and the Missouri Tigers had just pulled off an upset in the NCAA Tournament, toppling No. 7 seed Clemson 86-78 in Buffalo, New York, an unexpected crescendo in an otherwise disappointing season. A year earlier, the Tigers had won 31 games, marched all the way to the NCAA’s Elite Eight to match the deepest run in the program’s mostly star-crossed history on the bracket.
The Clemson victory provided relief.
“You’ve got to play every game like it’s your last,” senior guard J.T. Tiller said after the win. “Because it’s definitely survive and advance or don’t survive and … school.