COLUMBIA - When the news broke Michael Porter Jr. needed surgery on his back and might miss the entire season, there were no shortage of individuals and publications that dismissed Missouri's season as done just one game in.
To those outside the program looking at a team that went 27-68 - 8-46 in regular-season Southeastern Conference play - the three seasons and lost 18 scholarship players to transfer, that might have been a reasonable response.
It was unacceptable to the players that stuck around.
"I think that, one, I guess the outside noise really kind of (ticked) us off a little bit," Kevin Puryear said Friday. "The fact that people thought our season was over with after he got hurt, I think that really upset us. So we wanted to prove everyone wrong.
"We know what we have in our locker room, the only people that know that are the guys that are at practice every day, coaches at our practices every day. We know what we're capable of doing. So it wasn't a surprise at all for us to go out there and play like we've been playing. We've been playing this game our whole lives. We know what to do. Got the right coaches, great leadership, great players, so we pretty much knew that if we played hard and did what we were supposed to we'd be successful."
So far, it's resulted in an 18-10 overall record and an 8-7 conference record. The Tigers are tied with five other teams at 8-7 in the SEC, including tonight's opponent Kentucky. Missouri tips off against the Wildcats (19-9, 8-7) at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN.
Martin said he thought Porter Jr.'s absence helped other players on the team grow, and said it was impressive the way they handled outside noise, but he never had to deal with their reaction to it directly.
"I didn't really deal with it as a coach, just because as a competitive spirit, you've got to have that in you anyway," he said. "I remember, it was a year later, when Glenn Robinson, he left (Purdue) after his junior year, and people said we wouldn't be the team, won the (Big 10) championship the next year, we had a better record, better percentages. If you have that in you, I can show 'That's who I am any way,' but I think you play with a chip on your shoulder if people perceive that you can't get something done without a guy."
If the Tigers are to sweep the season series against Kentucky after winning the matchup for the first time in program history at the beginning of this month, they will have to win, as they have all year, without Porter Jr.
Martin confirmed Friday that Porter Jr. was cleared by his doctor to return to practice.
"He will be implemented in practice today," he said, "and then we'll just go one day at a time, and I don't really have a timetable after that. It's just one day at a time. And at the end of the day, the most important thing, I've said it before, is his well-being and his health, and making sure he's good to go. It's one thing to be OK to start a practice, and then you have to go through it, and again I couldn't tell you when he'll step on the floor, if he steps on the floor."
Martin said, after three months, Porter Jr. is "healthy enough" to be practicing, but has not seen proof he can endure the physicality of a college basketball game or take a charge, so the team will start him with non-contact drills and see how he responds.
Martin also joked he should say Porter Jr. would play today to throw Kentucky off.
The Wildcats are 2-3 since facing Missouri in Columbia, and the Tigers' win started a four-game slide for John Calipari's team that has won its last two against Alabama and Arkansas. Kentucky is still the SEC's worst 3-point shooting team at 29.5 percent, but has held on to the title of best 3-point defense in the conference, holding opponents to 26.9 percent from beyond the arc. Missouri made just 7-of-23 of its 3s against the Wildcats the last time the two teams met, but got to the free-throw line 33 times to erase the 20-7 Kentucky advantage in offensive rebounds and its 20-12 turnover advantage.
Jordan Barnett and Kassius Robertson, who combined to shoot 4-of-13 from 3 but went 14-for-15 at the foul line will need to contribute, but the barometer for Missouri's success in this game is how well Jeremiah Tilmon and Jontay Porter play.
Tilmon played 22 minutes and shot 4-for-4 from the floor, and was able to remain in the with three and four fouls, and Porter, who also finished with four fouls, scored 13 points. Porter made 2-of-4 of his 3s to stretch Kentucky's defense, and had three blocks in 26 minutes.