COLUMBIA, Mo. - In Cuonzo Martin's first season at Missouri, the Tigers won two home games, lost badly on the road and then turned around and nearly won an in-season tournament.
They're hoping for a similar result this time around.
Missouri's 77-59 loss to Utah in Salt Lake City (and a close scrape with Emporia State four days later) looked to point toward shaky footing to kick off the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando, but the team came out and smacked Long Beach State and out-shot St. Johns before failing to close the door on a ranked West Virginia team that forced the Tigers into turnovers.
Turnovers were also the team's biggest problem a week ago in a 76-59 loss at Iowa State. Missouri and the Cyclones shot an almost identical percentage from the floor in the game, but 25 turnovers for the visiting team (and just seven by Iowa State) kept the game from being contested in the second half.
"We really just shot ourselves in the foot with the turnovers," senior forward Kevin Puryear said Wednesday. "That's really what ended up hurting us, you know, 25 turnovers, that's 25 possessions we could have scored."
Now, after a week off to work and prepare, the Tigers travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands to take on Kennesaw State at 2 p.m. on Friday in the Paradise Jam. Games will be broadcast online through FloHoops via a paid streaming service available for a $20 monthly subscription.
The Owls are 1-2, beating D-III Oglethorpe but losing to Kansas State and Samford by an average of 14.5 points. Kennesaw State has struggled on offense to start the season. Its average of 56 points per game is tied for 335th nationally out of 351 D-I teams, and its flex offense has so far gotten good looks from on 3s but not much else. Against D-I competition, the Owls have shot better from 3-point range, 38.7 percent, than they have on 2-point attempts, 34 percent, but rely on 2-point shots more heavily. The Owls have averaged 10 fewer 3-pointers attempted per game than Missouri in one game more this season.
Freshman Antonio Spencer is Kennesaw State's tallest player, at 6-10, but is not a starter, averages 16 minutes per game and has attempted just three field goals. Jeremiah Tilmon and the Tigers should have a decided advantage on the interior, but failed to use that height to their advantage against Iowa State.
Puryear said after last year's start, the team came back out and should have beaten West Virginia in the championship game of the AdvoCare Invitational, and the goal this year is for Missouri to finish the job.
"In order to win the tournament, you've got to win the first game," Martin said. "It's not so much, 'If we get to the championship,' you're trying to win the first game and that is the most important game, especially with new guys, guys that haven't had a lot of experience at this level."
The Tigers will face either Oregon State or Old Dominion on Saturday if they lose and Sunday if they win. The final round of games will all be played Monday. The other half of the bracket includes No. 12 Kansas State, Eastern Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Northern Iowa.