COLUMBIA, Mo. - With the luxury of a large lead, Cuonzo Martin was able to give his lone senior a proper sendoff late in Missouri’s win over Alabama. With 1:07 left in the 69-50 victory, Martin put Reed Nikko back on the floor for one last series to get another ovation from the Mizzou Arena crowd. Then with 14 seconds left, he took him out to get a final farewell from the home fans, who stood and cheered the 6-10 center.
Martin was waiting for Nikko on the sideline and gave him the first of a series of hugs as he made his way down the bench.
“He earned it,†Martin said.
Nikko was a bench player in Martin’s first two years at Mizzou but developed into a reliable starter midway through conference play this season while Jeremiah Tilmon recovered from a foot injury. Along the way the Minnesota native became a fan favorite. He set his career scoring marks in multiple wins over the last two months and made crucial plays on both ends of the floor.
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Nikko had more than 30 friends and family members from Minnesota at the game and was joined on the court by his mom Kris and brother Parker for his pregame senior day ceremony.
After the game, Nikko said he wasn’t expecting such an ovation from the crowd.
“I just tired to soak it all in,†he said. “I know that’s the last time I play on that court.â€
For the last few years Martin has always described Nikko as “a company man†and praised him for his effort and character. He took the praise up a notch Saturday.
“He will be very successful. He'll be a CEO of a company when it's all said and done,†Martin said. “And the beauty about him being the CEO of that company is he'll bring people with him. He’s the guy that shares the wealth and everybody will be successful. Because he has a humble soul and has a huge heart. He just wants to live a peaceful life. He's one of those guys that you migrate to because you know he’s genuine. He’s a sincere man. He gives sound counsel. Your young guys look up to him. All those things you would want in a son and if you have a daughter he’s a guy you’d like your daughter to marry. … I enjoy being around him.â€
Nikko scored three points in 16 minutes, but as a statement to his selflessness was every bit as pleased to see his fellow center have another strong game in his comeback. Tilmon played 24 minutes — his most since Nov. 26 — and was again active on the boards with nine rebounds, five on the offensive glass. He added eight points and a block and was especially effective on the defensive end. Alabama scored just 18 points in the paint. The Tigers were plus-20 with Tilmon on the floor, the game’s best plus-minus behind forward Mitchell Smith.
“Jeremiah, when he’s at his best, most people in this room would agree he’s an All-SEC player,†Nikko said. “To get that from him is huge. Me and him going against each other in practice has been awesome. He’s one of my best friends on this team and I’m just so happy to see him back out there.â€
After the game Martin was delighted to hear Tilmon admit that he’s making extra efforts to impact the game beyond just scoring.
“If he's defending, he’s rebounding, playing hard to keep balls alive, his presence on offensive glass, even though you might not get the point … that puts so much pressure on the team's defense. He is physical. If he embraces the fact that I'm a diver, I'm a cutter, I’m (going to) set a screen in the screen and roll, offensive rebound guy … of course you need him to score the ball in the post … but that’s result of his production, because he physical, he's strong. And it’s just him consistently recognizing how he's successful.â€
PICKETT RECOVERS
After two scoreless games, sophomore guard Javon Pickett bounced back with an active game, scoring seven points, along with three boards, two assists and two steals.
“He's a guy that needs to feed off energy, create energy, wreak havoc, so to speak,†Martin said. “ That's what he brings to the table. And then he'll see point production or rebound production or defensive production (increase).â€
SEC SEEDS ALL SET
Mizzou will be the No. 10 seed in next week’s SEC tournament in Nashville and open against No. 7 seed Texas A&M in Thursday’s 6 p.m. second-round game. The Aggies (16-14, 10-8) swept the Tigers this season, winning 66-64 in Columbia and 68-51 in College Station, Texas.
For just the second time in the last six years, the Tigers get a first-round bye and avoid the opening night of the tournament in Bridgestone Arena. Thanks to A&M’s win over Arkansas, Mississippi State’s win over Ole Miss and Auburn’s win over Tennessee, the Tigers edged the Razorbacks for the tiebreaker for the No. 10 seed. The two teams finished with the same league record and split their season series, but MU had the better record against the highest finishing team in the standings — that would be second-place Auburn — to land a spot ahead of Arkansas in the seed lines. The Hogs will play No. 14 seed Vanderbilt on Wednesday, while No. 12 Ole Miss plays No. 13 Georgia.
Kentucky is the No. 1 overall seed and gets a two-round bye, along with No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 LSU and No. 4 Mississippi State.
Also on Thursday, the Georgia-Ole Miss winner plays No. 5 Florida; while the Vandy-Arkansas winner plays No. 6 South Carolina.
Should Mizzou beat the Aggies on Thursday, the Tigers would advance to Friday’s quarterfinals against Auburn.