Hero. Survivor. #MizzouMade.

February 4, 2012.

It was a night that most Mizzou fans still have on the forefront of their minds – down nine with 2:05 to play against archrival Kansas. It was a day where the hype alone seemed to outweigh the game itself. ESPN College Gameday, a primetime, 8 p.m. tip on national television, both teams ranked in the top-10 nationally, pregame fireworks, the final meeting between the two teams at Mizzou Arena in a rivalry that dated back to the Civil War. All of those things set the stage for a game of the ages in front of a capacity crowd at Mizzou Arena. That night, Marcus Denmon etched his name in Mizzou lore for decades to come, engineering one of the most improbable comebacks in school history.

“I want to be one of those guys who is remembered as a winner,” Denmon said. “One of those guys who left it on the line every night for the University.”

Denmon left it all on the line that night against Kansas. The Jayhawks seemed to have the game in control, until Denmon prominently announced his presence. The Kansas City, Mo., native scored nine of his game-high 29 points in those final 2:05, capping an individual 9-0 run that helped Mizzou secure a 74-71 win. It began with an and-one finish at the rim before he hit a pair of difficult 3-pointers to complete the comeback, the latter with 56.3 seconds remaining to give the Tigers a lead that they did not surrender.

“I was looking at the faces on my teammates and the faces in the crowd; there was a million things played through my mind,” Denmon said of the final moments of that game. “I remember seeing the fans camped out outside the night before the game and seeing my teammates – understating how much that game meant for us to win that last game at home for our team and for our fans … we understood how important that game was. I just seized the opportunities I had.”

For Denmon, that night was the culmination of years of hard work. He and his teammates had changed the culture of Mizzou Basketball over four years of blood, sweat and tears together. Mizzou finished with 30 wins and a Big 12 Tournament title right in their own back yard in Kansas City, Mo., capping one of the best seasons in Mizzou history.

“Coming in as a freshman, we kind of changed the culture of the basketball program,” Denmon said. “We did things the right way. A lot of the guys were coming in and working hard and I felt the fans appreciated that we earned all the success we had on the floor.”

While Denmon’s career on the court will be remembered for hitting three-quarter-court buzzer-beaters in the NCAA Tournament, a 9-0 run that downed rival Kansas and consensus Second Team All-America honors in 2012, he was going through more than anyone could have imagined on the court during his career at Mizzou.

During his junior season, Denmon’s cousin, Marion Denmon, was shot and killed in Kansas City. The two were more brothers than they were cousins, raised under the same roof by their grandmother, Bertha. Marion was killed shockingly and needlessly as his car was caught between two vehicles exchanging gunfire in Kansas City. At Marion’s funeral, gunshots rang out during what should have been a time of mourning. It was fair to say that Marcus’ focus should have been on anything but basketball. But Marcus found refuge in the sport he loved and he got support from a university that showed how much it loved him.

“Sometimes when you are away at school, or in a different situation where there is not home and there is not family, you don’t have anyone that you can lean on,” Denmon said. “You don’t have anyone that can help you get through those tough situations.”

But Denmon had his teammates, coaches, fans and the entire university behind him. Marion was shot on Dec. 3, 2010, and died from his injuries four days later. Mizzou played Vanderbilt and Marcus Denmon shocked everyone by suiting up and returning to Mizzou Arena for that game. Not only did Mizzou win that game, but it was Denmon who stole the show. He scored a team-high 21 points, including a the game-winning play in overtime. With the game knotted at 82-82, Denmon ripped a steal from Vandy guard Brad Tinsley and went coast-to-coast for a game-winning and-one layup with 5.8 seconds to play. A truly therapeutic moment, and a moment that endeared him to Mizzou Nation well before he was hitting game-winners vs. Kansas as a senior in 2012.

“It was something I had to learn from, move on from and become a stronger, better person,” Denmon told Ken Rodriguez of NBA.com.

And Denmon did become stronger. He found support from his university and team over the next two years, support that is not lost on him to this day. He saw his game take off to new levels, becoming one of the nation’s elite scorers during his senior season.

“From the moment I came to Mizzou, the fans, the university and my teammates, they always backed me. They made it a lot easier.”

As Denmon looks back on his career at Mizzou, the opportunity provided to him by Mizzou’s generous donors is not lost or something that he takes for granted. The experiences that he lived through off the court made Denmon tougher, but Mizzou made him forever grateful for the experiences and support group that he had then, and now.

“My college process was the best four years of my life,” Denmon said. “I love the University and it was something that helped me become the person I am today.”