Cuonzo Martin went into opponent’s locker room after Mizzou’s win. Watch what he said

After Missouri beat Stephen F. Austin 82-81 at Mizzou Arena on Tuesday night, MU coach Cuonzo Martin called the game “a great win” against “a team that you don’t want to play.”

Martin said the Lumberjacks, whose pressure defense forced the Tigers to turn the ball over 21 times, are “one of the better teams in the country.”

And yet Martin might have been understating how much he liked the Stephen F. Austin squad that his team barely beat. After the game, Martin went into the Lumberjacks’ locker room to tell them how much they impressed him.

“I know you’re mad and upset guys, but you shouldn’t be mad because you’re a talented team,” Martin said. “One thing I always tell our players, guys, is it doesn’t matter (what’s on) the front of the jersey. Y’all got just as much talent as we’ve got man. I don’t tell you that to make you feel good. … I tell you real talk, man. I’ve never done this in my career. Y’all are a hell of a team, hell of a coach.”

Stephen F. Austin (10-2) won at LSU in its most recent game prior to this one in Columbia.

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 12:03 AM with the headline "Cuonzo Martin went into opponent’s locker room after Mizzou’s win. Watch what he said."