With all the turmoil that has been associated with Missouri basketball the last few years, there might be nothing better for this program than a little old-fashioned team bonding. That retreat, of sorts, will begin this summer with a Labor Day tour which will pit the Tigers against three Canadian teams in Ontario, Canada from Aug. 30 - Sept. 1.

Per NCAA rules, teams are allowed to make a trip away from the United States every four years. According to Missouri media relations, the Tigers haven’t made a trip out of the country since playing in Australia in 1995.

While team bonding could be beneficial for a Missouri squad that welcomes seven newcomers to join it’s five starters, the idea of playing a tournament just a week into the school year has often come back with mixed results.

Five teams played in Canada last year – Oral Roberts, Alabama, LSU, Morehead State and Duquesne – and only one of those teams, Oral Roberts, played in a postseason tournament. Only Alabama (17-16) and Duquesne (17-13) finished with winning records and those teams finished ninth and 10th respectively in their leagues. LSU finished eighth in the SEC and Morehead State was third in the Ohio Valley.

Even the year Mizzou went to Australia, the Tigers produced an 18-15 record and finished sixth in the Big Eight.

Sixth would be an improvement for a Missouri team that has finished seventh and 10th respectively in the last two seasons.

And need I remind that the last Missouri player to go to Canada never came back…

Missouri’s returning players are allowed to practice for the Canadian tour up to a maximum of 10 days prior to the departure on Aug. 29. Per NCAA rules, newcomers are not allowed to participate in organized practices until classes begin. Missouri starts school on Aug. 25. However, they can lift weights, play open gym with their teammates and watch the organized practices from the sidelines.

When the players return from a trip that will include a visit to Niagara Falls and a Maid of the Mist tour, which will showcase Ontario, Canada, they will go back to individual workouts before starting season practices on Oct. 17.