One stayed home, the other came home.
Jeremiah Tilmon and Cuonzo Martin united in 2017 at Mizzou, the closest big-conference school to their hometown of East St. Louis.
They helped lift each other. They both ascended. Martin now has coached his team to two NCAA Tournaments in four years, while Tilmon earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors this season.
But for all the excitement about Mizzou’s March, the reality is this — Martin’s team got a bad seeding and Tilmon has been playing some bad basketball.
For Mizzou to have any shot at reaching the second round of the NCAA tourney, the center must ascend again, one last time.