Dec. 16, 1999

PDF Formatted Notes

Game #9 -- Iowa (5-4) at Missouri (5-3)
Dec. 18, 1999 -- Columbia, Mo.

TIPOFF: 12:00 p.m. (central).
ARENA: Hearnes Center (13,300).
RADIO: Tiger Network (Mike Kelly, play-by-play/Gary Link, color). Carried on more than 50 stations statewide, and on the Internet at www.mutigers.com.
TV: Mizzou Sports Network (Brian Neuner, play-by-play/Jon Sundvold, color). Please see page seven of this release for a listing of statewide affiliates.
RANKINGS: Neither team is currently ranked.
SERIES: Iowa leads, 8-3, and has won two of the previous three meetings since the series resumed in 1996. MU leads, 2-1 in games played in Columbia.

COACHES:
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89), 5-3 at MU (1st season), 5-3 overall (1st season).
Iowa: Steve Alford (Indiana '87), 5-4 at Iowa (1st season), 161-81 overall (9th season). Alford is 1-0 vs. Missouri and at the Hearnes Center.

OFFICIALS: Will be announced prior to tipoff.

TIGERS LOOK TO SNAP TWO-GAME SKID AGAINST BORDER RIVAL IOWA
The Missouri Tigers (5-3) look to regain their winning ways this Saturday when they host the Iowa Hawkeyes (5-4) at the Hearnes Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 noon.

Missouri is coming off a week in which Quin Snyder's troops lost a pair of heart-breaking games, first at home to 15th-ranked Indiana (73-68) and then at Saint Louis (75-72). MU led Indiana for all but the final :43 seconds, and fell just short against Saint Louis after a late-game rally.

Iowa, coached by first-year coach Steve Alford, began the year by knocking off defending NCAA champion Connecticut in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, but then lost three of their next four. The Hawkeyes won three straight before losing last Saturday at Iowa State (79-66).

MISSOURI TIGERS (5-3)
(Probable Starting Lineup/Just an SID's best guess)

P	NO	NAME	HT	WT	YR	HOMETOWN	PPG/RPG
F	24	Jeff Hafer***	6-5	212	Sr.	Joplin, Mo.	5.0 / 2.2
C	33	Tajudeen Soyoye	6-9	236	Jr.	Lagos, Nigeria	9.9 / 7.0
G	5	Keyon Dooling*	6-3	184	So.	Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.	15.0 / 1.9
G	12	Brian Grawer**	6-0	165	Jr.	St. Louis, Mo.	5.9 / 3.4
G	4	Clarence Gilbert*	6-2	197	So.	Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.	8.8 / 3.4

IOWA HAWKEYES (5-4)
(Probable Starting Lineup/Just an SID's best guess)

P	NO	NAME	HT	WT	YR	HOMETOWN	PPG/RPG
F	1	Rob Griffin	6-6	215	Jr.	Ypsilanti, Mich.	8.2 / 2.9
F	23	Duez Henderson*	6-7	200	So.	Detroit, Mich.	5.9 / 4.8
C	14	Jacob Jaacks*	6-8	235	Sr.	Cedar Rapids, Iowa	14.7 / 7.1
G	20	Dean Oliver**	5-11	175	Jr.	Mason City, Iowa	14.9 / 2.6
G	30	Kyle Galloway*	6-6	190	So.	Sioux City, Iowa	10.7 / 2.9

KAREEM RUSH UNAVAILABLE FOR TODAY'S GAME VS. IOWA
The University of Missouri has declared freshman basketball forward Kareem Rush ineligible for competition.

In light of information received on Dec. 13th, the University began looking into a possible NCAA violation involving Rush prior to his enrollment at Mizzou. As is standard procedure, MU has suspended Rush from competition at this time. His future status will be determined when the investigation is completed.

"We're in the process of collecting information regarding Kareem's situation," said Director of Athletics Michael Alden. "We feel holding him out of games at this time is the proper course of action, and we'll determine our next step when the investigation is concluded."

Alden indicated that there is no timetable for the conclusion of the investigation.

"We continue to be in full support of Kareem through this unfortunate situation," said Head Basketball Coach Quin Snyder. "We hope that the question of his status is resolved quickly."

TIGERS ALSO MISSING PARKER
University of Missouri starting forward Johnnie Parker has been suspended indefinitely by MU Head Basketball Coach Quin Snyder for a violation of team academic policy. The suspension was announced on Dec. 14th, and is effective immediately. "This certainly comes at a tough time for both Johnnie and the team," said Snyder. "But everyone in the Missouri Basketball program is expected to adhere to a certain set of academic guidelines, and when they're not being met, it's my unfortunate responsibility to take this course of action. I hope that Johnnie will look at this setback as an opportunity to grow."

TALE OF THE TAPE

MIZZOU		IOWA
5-3	Overall Record	5-4
0-0	Big 12 Record	n/a
L 2	Current Win-Loss Streak	L 1
.415	Field Goal Percentage	.447
.452	Opponent FG Percentage	.448
.364	3-PT FG Percentage	.361
.331	Opponent 3-PT FG Percentage	.352
9.5	3-PT FGs Made Per Game	5.9
26.1	3-PT FGs Attempted Per Game	16.3
.658	Free Throw Percentage	.709
35.5	Rebound Average	34.3
-0.5	Rebound Margin	-2.5
14.3	Turnovers Per Game	14.2
17.5	Opponents Turnovers Per Game	16.6
70.0	Points Per Game	72.9
63.6	Opponents Points Per Game	71.3
+6.4	Average Margin	+1.6

MIZZOU-IOWA SERIES HISTORY
Missouri and Iowa will meet for the 12th time in series history. Saturday's meeting will mark the fourth straight season that the two border-state rivals have met, and the Hawkeyes hold a 2-1 edge in those games, with the home team winning each time thus far.

Iowa leads the series overall by an 8-3 margin, but the Tigers hold a 2-1 edge in games played in Columbia.

The last time the two teams met in Columbia, Missouri produced an exciting 80-79 overtime win over the 10th-ranked Hawkeyes. Kelly Thames provided the winning points in the extra period with a pair of free throws, and MU survived a last-second game-winning shot by Dean Oliver which rimmed in and out.

While Saturday's tilt will mark the first time that MU Head Coach Quin Snyder and Iowa mentor Steve Alford have met as head coaches, they have gone against eachother previously.

Snyder and Alford met as players in 1987, when Duke and Indiana squared off in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. Alford and the Hoosiers claimed an 88-82 win on March 20, 1987.

But Snyder and Duke returned the favor just last year, when Duke defeated Alford's Southwest Missouri State squad, 78-61 in the Sweet 16 round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament.

LAST YEAR: #25 IOWA 82, MU 68

A scoreless stretch of more than six minutes in the second half proved to be the difference in the game, as Missouri saw its six-game winning streak snapped at #25 Iowa, 82-68. Jeff Hafer's free throw capped a 12-4 run by Missouri to open the second half and turn a 41-37 halftime deficit into a 49-45 lead with 14:31 to play. Iowa responded with a 15-0 run to give the Hawkeyes a 60-49 lead with 8:29 to play. Consecutive jumpers by John Woods brought the Tigers back to 60-53, but Iowa's Jess Settles nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing to extend the lead to 63-53 with 5:43 remaining and the Tigers could get no closer.

MU (68)	FG	3PT	FT	RB	A	PF	TP
Parker - f	2-3	1-2	2-2	3	0	3	7
White - f	5-16	1-3	2-2	6	2	3	13
Schumacher - c	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	4	0
Grawer - g	2-5	2-3	4-4	1	3	1	10
Woods - g	8-16	3-10	0-0	0	3	1	19
Gilbert	2-5	2-5	0-0	3	1	2	6
Dooling	0-2	0-1	0-0	0	0	1	0
Hafer	3-4	0-0	1-2	4	1	5	7
Hardge	3-4	0-0	0-2	10	0	2	6
Totals	25-55	9-24	9-12	29	10	22	68

Iowa (82)	FG	3PT	FT	RB	A	PF	TP
Koch - f	3-7	2-3	3-4	3	0	2	11
Rucker - c	6-10	0-0	0-0	5	0	1	12
Oliver - g	4-11	1-1	5-6	6	8	0	14
Luehrsmann - g	1-6	0-1	5-6	7	3	2	7
McCausland - g	1-2	0-1	2-2	1	2	1	4
Bauer	0-0	0-0	3-4	2	1	1	3
Settles	6-11	2-3	2-5	4	3	2	16
Price	0-0	0-0	2-2	1	1	1	2
Jaacks	3-9	1-2	0-0	6	0	4	7
Henderson	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0
Thompson	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0
Range	2-5	0-1	2-2	2	0	0	6
Totals	26-62	6-12	24-31	41	18	14	82

Officials: Hightower, Welmer, Bair

Missouri			37	31	-- 68
Iowa			41	41	-- 82

Attendance: 15,391

MIZZOU SETS ATTENDANCE RECORD
At Missouri's last home game, Dec. 7th vs. Indiana, the Tigers played in an electric atmosphere that included 13,782 fans.

That was a single-game attendance record for the Hearnes Center -- breaking the previous mark of 13,706 set in 1989 vs. Kansas. It is only the second entry in the top ten that involves a non-conference team.

Here's a listing of the top ten single-game attendance records at Hearnes.

1.	13,782, 12-7-99 vs. Indiana
2.	13,706, 2-11-89 vs. Kansas
3.	13,645, 1-14-89 vs. Iowa State
4.	13,610, 2-27-88 vs. Kansas
5.	13,558, 2-21-88 vs. Oklahoma State
6.	13,544, 1-23-88 vs. Iowa State
7.	13,471, 3-3-88 vs. Oklahoma
8.	13,470, 2-4-89 vs. Kansas State
9.	13,454, 12-28-88 vs. Arkansas
10.	13,360, 1-21-89 vs. Oklahoma State

TIGER FACT-OF-THE-GAME
When Missouri beat 10th-ranked Iowa, 80-79 in overtime on Jan. 24, 1998 in Columbia, two current Tigers -- senior Jeff Hafer and junior Brian Grawer -- each scored 16 points to help lead MU to the upset win.

SERIES HISTORY

IOWA
(Hawkeyes lead, 8-3)

1-30-08	L, 15-46	at Iowa City
2-16-10	L, 6-20	at Iowa City
1-11-30	W, 25-24	at Iowa City
2- 2-51	L, 53-63	at Iowa City
12-15-51	L, 43-48	at Columbia
2- 6-54	L, 53-73	at Iowa City
12-11-54	W, 97-94	at Columbia
3-20-83	L, *63-77	at Louisville
12-21-96	L, 77-88	at Iowa City
1-24-98	W, 80-79 OT	at Columbia
12-19-98	L, 68-82	at Iowa City

* NCAA Midwest Region

at Columbia: MU leads, 2-1
at Iowa City: UI leads, 6-1
at Neutral Sites: UI leads, 1-0

TIGER COMEBACKS
Missouri has rallied from deficits three times this season to register wins under Quin Snyder. Here's a look at those games:

Date	Opp.	Deficit (Time)	Final Score
11-13	Princeton	9 pts. (13:06, 1st)	51-48
11-21	UNCA	10 pts. (1:26, 1st)	75-69
12-1	SMU	6 pts. (5:58, 2nd)	63-60

THE QUIN-TISENNTIALS
The 15th head coach in Missouri basketball history, Quin Snyder is 5-3 in his first season as a head coach. He notched his first career win Nov. 13th vs. Princeton, when the Tigers grabbed a 51-48 victory in the NABC Classic in Syracuse, N.Y.

An exciting new era began at Missouri this past April, when Snyder was introduced as men's head basketball coach by Director of Athletics Michael Alden.

Snyder, an assistant coach at Duke University the past four years, is just the fifth different head coach at Missouri since 1926.

Snyder's mission is to take the Tiger program to the next level. And if that next level represents the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, Snyder will be a repeat visitor. In 10 years at Duke, he took part in five Final Fours -- three as a player (1986, 88, 89) and two more as a coach (1994, 99). For those of you keeping score at home, that's exactly five more Final Fours than Mizzou has qualified for in its previous 93 years.

Snyder had served as Duke's associate head coach the past two seasons, and was entrusted with numerous on-court coaching responsibilities, as well as recruiting duties for the Blue Devils by Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. He was widely credited with recruiting the group of student-athletes (including 1999 national player-of-the-year Elton Brand) at Duke who compiled a 37-2 record last year and finished as NCAA runners-up.

Snyder and his wife, Helen, were married on Sept. 24th of this year. Snyder celebrated his 33rd birthday on Oct. 30th.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Tigers enter Saturday's game vs. Iowa with a 4-1 record in the Hearnes Center thus far. MU's only home loss came on Dec. 7 to #15 Indiana, 73-68.

Here's a look at the Tigers' numbers this season at home compared to the three games they've played thus far outside the friendly confines of Hearnes:

Category	Home	Away
Record	4-1	1-2
Points	76.4	59.3
Opp. Points	64.0	63.0
FG %	43.9	36.8
Opp. FG %	42.1	51.4
Rebounds	38.0	31.3

Individually, numbers which stand out include the following: Kareem Rush leads MU in scoring at home, with a 12.8 ppg average...T.J. Soyoye is shooting an outstanding 70.3% from the floor at Hearnes (26-of-37 FGs), and just 35.7% away from home (5-of-14)...Leading scorer Keyon Dooling is averaging 11.2 ppg at home, compared to 21.3 away from Hearnes, and is shooting just 29.8% from the floor at home (17-of-57) compared to 48.8% away from home (21-of-43).

LOOKING FOR CONSISTENCY
In the first three games of the year, Missouri experienced some serious shooting woes, as the Tigers connected on just 34.4 percent of its shots from the floor.

Missouri is coming off a shooting performance of 44.4% on Sunday against Saint Louis, which is the third-highest mark for the Tigers this season.

It was an up-and-down game Sunday for the MU offense, as they struggled to a 10-of-30 shooting effort (33.3%) in the first half, but rebounded to shoot 54.5% (18-of-33) in the second as they posted a late-game rally.

It was the second straight game that has seen the Tigers post an up-and-down shooting performance.

Against Indiana on Dec. 7, MU got out of the gates quickly, and shot an even 50.0% in the first half, on the way to leading the Hoosiers by nine points at halftime. But the second half was another story, as the Tigers managed to connect on only 31.4% in the second half, helping pave the way for an Indiana comeback win.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Missouri enters Saturday's game with Iowa looking for a spark on the defensive end. MU's last two opponents -- Indiana and Saint Louis -- have shot a combined 55.2% from the floor, compared to just 42.2% for the Tigers.

On Sunday, Saint Louis shot an opponent season-high 58.3%, and scored a season-most 75 points against Mizzou, despite the fact that the Tigers forced 25 Billiken turnovers. SLU's ability to get points down low were the deciding factor, as SLU outscored MU 46-24 in the paint.

Through eight games, the Tigers are last in the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense, as foes are shooting 46.7% on the season. Oklahoma State currently leads the league, as opponents are managing just 36.5% thus far.

MU defeated SMU on Dec. 1st, 63-60, in a game in which they held the Mustangs to just 34.9% shooting. SMU guard Stephen Woods scored 24 points on the night, but the Tiger defense did a great job against Mustangs' top two scorers -- Willie Davis and Jeryl Sasser -- holding them to a combined 8-of-29 (27.6%) from the floor.

The Tigers have twice held opponents to under 35% -- including an opponent season-low mark of 34.5% percent vs. Morgan State.

GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES
Missouri has used the three-point shot to its advantage this year. The Tigers enter the Iowa game Saturday as the 2nd-best three-point outfit in the Big 12 Conference. Through eight games, Missouri has hit 76-of-209 three pointers, both totals which are 2nd in the Big 12 Conference thus far.

MU has made at least 10 three pointers in in three of its last five games, but was held to eight treys made Sunday vs. SLU. MU tied a single game school record back on Nov. 27th when it made 15 threes in a rout of Morgan State. The 15 threes made tied an MU single-game record, previously accomplished in 1997 vs. Wake Forest and in 1998 vs. Kansas State.

Seven different Tigers dialed long distance vs. Morgan State, including freshman Josh Kroenke, who came off the bench to nail five treys for the second straight game.

Conversely, Tiger opponents have yet to reach double digits in threes made for a game. Princeton had an opponent high when they hit eight treys on Nov. 13 against the Tigers.

Season records to keep an eye on include 214 three-pointers made and 580 treys attempted, both by the 1997-98 squad. Through eight games, the Tigers are on pace to make 276 three pointers in 758 attempts.

GETTING TO THE LINE
Much like Missouri's up-and-down efforts shooting the ball, the Tigers are looking for more consistency from the foul line.

The Tigers are coming off a 75-72 loss to Saint Louis in which the Billikens made more free throws (18) than the Tigers attempted (17). When the Tigers did get to the foul line, MU made just 8-of-17 free throws, compared to 18-of-29 freebies by SLU.

Opponents have had enjoyed a large advantage from the free throw line in each of the last three games, as they've attempted 74 free throws to just 40 for the Tigers.

Missouri opened the season by hitting 24-of-29 free throws (82.8%) in its first two games, offsetting the Tigers' shooting troubles from the floor.

But in games number 3-4-5, while the Tigers found the range from the floor, Missouri struggled from the foul line, as they connected on just 45-of-77 freebies in wins over UNCA, Western Carolina and Morgan State (58.4%).

Missouri regained the touch from the foul line, hitting 19-of-23 against SMU and Indiana (82.6%).

MU had trouble getting to the line its last time out, however. Against Indiana, MU earned only eight free throw attempts, making six, while the Hoosiers connected on 18-of-27 on the night -- clearly a deciding factor in IU's five-point win.

MU CLASS LINES
Here's a quick look at how MU's production breaks down among the player's experience:

Category	FR	SO	JR	SR
Points	22.7%	36.4%	33.8%	7.1%
Rebounds	18.3%	19.0%	45.1%	7.0%
Assists	11.2%	41.4%	34.5%	12.1%
Turnovers	14.9%	36.8%	38.6%	7.9%

OPPONENT INDIVIDUAL SEASON HIGHS

Pts:	24, Stephen Woods, SMU, 12-1-99
FG:	9, Stephen Woods, SMU, 12-1-99
FGA:	18, Two tied with
3FG:	6, Stephen Woods, SMU, 12-1-99
3FGA:	12, Stephen Woods, SMU, 12-1-99
FT:	8, Justin Love, Saint Louis, 12-12-99
FTA:	9, Kirk Haston, Indiana, 12-7-99
Reb.:	12, Jeryl Sasser, SMU, 12-1-99
Asst:	7, Mark Vershaw, Wisconsin, 11-12-99
Blocks:	3, Two tied with
Steals:	3, Two tied with

NEW FACES LEADING THE CHARGE
In four of Missouri's last six games, Tiger newcomers Kareem Rush, Tajudeen Soyoye and Josh Kroenke have led the team in scoring.

Rush has led Missouri twice in scoring already in just eight games. He turned in an outstanding performance against #15 Indiana, in which he scored 16 points (second to Keyon Dooling's 21), added six rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes off the bench. The point total tied his career high, which he tallied against UNC-Asheville on Nov. 19th. In that game, he led the Tigers to a come-from-behind win, erasing a 10-point deficit. The freshman fromKansas City also led the Tigers in scoring on Dec. 1 vs. SMU, when he chipped in with 13 points.

Previously vs. Morgan State, MU's top three scorers were freshman Josh Kroenke (18 points), Rush (14) and Soyoye (13).

Kroenke nailed 5-of-7 three pointers against the Bears, marking the second straight game in which he connected on five long-range bombs.

Against Western Carolina, it was junior college transfer Tajudeen Soyoye who led the Tigers with 19 points and 11 rebounds. It marked the first career double-double for the Lagos, Nigeria native. He hit 8-of-11 field goals on the day, and grabbed seven offensive rebounds.

Also in that same game, freshman Josh Kroenke was a key, as he scored 15 points off the bench, on 5-of-8 three-point field goals. The points were his first as a Tiger.

REBOUND THAT BASKETBALL
Missouri is not exactly what you'd consider a huge team, as only two players on the roster stand 6-foot-9 or taller.

Earlier in the year, the Tigers were holding their own on the boards, using quickness, leaping ability and rebounding from guards to grab the ball.

But the last three games have seen the outsized Tigers get outrebounded by a marging of 116-to-96, including a defecit of 41-27 last time out vs. Saint Louis.

Missouri is averaging 35.5 rebounds a game entering the Iowa contest, which despite the recent deficiencies is just 0.5 fewer per game than opponents at this point. The Tigers are 3-0 when outrebounding their opponent, and just 2-3 when losing the battle of the boards.

Despite the smallness of the Tiger lineup, they do hold a solid 92-74 edge on the offensive glass.

As expected, center T.J. Soyoye leads the way individually, with a team-best 7.0 rebounding average. The Tigers will be forced to play Iowa without their next two top rebounders, however, in Johnnie Parker, who grabs an average of 5.6 caroms per game. Freshman Kareem Rush is next with a 5.1 per game average.

DOOLING GETS UNTRACKED
Electrifying guard Keyon Dooling has busted out of a recent three-game shooting slump, as he's averaged 22.0 points per game in MU's last two outings.

He's coming off a 23-point game vs. Saint Louis, including eight points in the game's final :35 seconds that kept Mizzou in the game. He hit 8-of-16 shots on the day, including 3-of-7 from three-point land. Prior to that, he nearly led the Tigers to an upset win over #15 Indiana.

Dooling, who had made just 5-of-32 field goals (15.6%) in the three games prior to the IU game, hit 7-of-14 shots vs. the Hoosiers, on his way to a game-high 21 points. Included in that total was a 4-of-8 performance from three-point range. He also led the Tigers with four assists, and added two steals to boot.

Entering the Iowa game, Dooling leads the Tigers in scoring (15.0 ppg), assists (26), three-point field goals (17-of-45) and free throws (27-of-45).

Previously, he was held to eight points vs. SMU, on just 1-of-10 shooting. But the one field goal made every highlight reel, as he beat the Mustangs' Jeryl Sasser to the basket for a thunderous jam. He contributed to the Tigers' comeback win in other ways, however, as Dooling had four assists, five rebounds, three steals and hit 6-of-8 free throws, including a pair of game clinchers with under 20 seconds left in the game.

Dooling helped fuel a Tiger comeback vs. UNC-Asheville, as he scored all 15 of his points in the second half, erasing a 10-point Bulldog lead. Dooling was held scoreless in the first half, as he could play only 9 minutes due to foul trouble.

Dooling led Missouri to victory against Princeton on Nov. 13th, as he scored 25 of MU's 51 points on the night (that's 49.0 percent of the team's scoring). The 25 points was a career high for the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native. He hit a personal-best 5-of-6 three pointers on the night.

In the offseason, Dooling vowed he would become more of a scoring threat from the outside, and it's shown in the early going. Through eight games, Dooling, who was the runner-up last year in Big 12 Freshman-of-the-Year voting, has made 17 three pointers. In 28 games last year, he made all of eight treys.

HAFER COMES UP BIG
Senior forward Jeff Hafer is coming off his best performance of the season, in which he scored a season-best 15 points off the bench against Saint Louis.

Twelve of his points came in the second half as he helped lead a Tiger comeback that almost got MU a win. He hit 5-of-7 shots in the second half and grabbed four rebounds, as well. He hit 2-of-3 three pointers on the day, and played 27 minutes against the Billikens.

Not many people other than a senior could enter the final five minutes of a tight game in which he had zero points and four fouls and take control. But that's exactly what Hafer accomplished on Dec. 1 vs. SMU, when he almost single-handedly willed Missouri to a come-from-behind win.

Missouri trailed by six with five minutes left, and Hafer came in, despite being held scoreless and shackled with four fouls.

But he responded like the senior leader his teammates look to him for, as he had a hand in seven of MU's final nine points, as they came back for a 63-60 win.

Hafer began by knocking down a three-pointer with 3:10 left that tied the game at 57-57. Then, with 1:40 left, he stole the ball and fed T.J. Soyoye for a dunk that gave MU the lead for good, at 59-57. Finally, on MU's next possession, he got free on a drive to the basket for a layup which provided the eventual winning points.

Hafer has come off the bench in all of MU's eight games thus far. He's shown that he's accepted his role as a key reserve, and has given the Tigers a much-needed spark coming off the bench.

On the defensive end, he's endeared himself to Coach Quin Snyder, as he's taken several charges of late -- a play which Snyder has declared as his favorite act of teammwork.

Hafer came off the bench and helped guide MU to its comeback win vs. UNCA. He scored 10 points (the first of his senior season), and added 4 steals, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 21 minutes of play.

He made a key play late in the game vs. UNCA that helped seal MU's win. With 3:09 left in the game, and MU clinging to a 67-62 lead, Hafer made a steal, and raced down the court for a crowd-pleasing slam while getting fouled. His free throw capped a three-point play which gave MU 70-62 lead, the Tigers' biggest of the night.

RUSH MAKING AN EARLY IMPRESSION
Before the recent developments regarding his eligibility, Tiger rookie Kareem Rush has shown that he's one of the Big 12's top freshmen.

There's no question that Rush has made a big impact early on in his Tiger career. He's led Missouri in scoring two times already, and has done the same trick three times in rebounding, as well.

In MU's eight games, Rush is averaging 10.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. His scoring output is second best on the team, and he's third on the squad in rebounding -- not bad considering he's coming off the bench.

Rush is averaging 13.3 points in his last three games, and has scored in double figures in five of his last six. He's coming off a 10-point, 9-rebound outing vs. Saint Louis, and prior to that, had a scintillating performance against Indiana, where he tied a personal best with 16 points.

He had a career-high 16 point game vs. UNCA. He hit 3 three-pointers on the night, and helped keep the Tigers in a game in which they trailed by 10 points at one point.

In MU's win against Princeton, Rush gave Quin Snyder 31 key minutes. He managed just five points (on 1-of-8 shooting), but came up huge on the boards, as he grabbed a game-high 10 caroms, including the game-saving rebound after Princeton's last-second attempt was no good. He also added two assists and a blocked shot on the night.

Because he's a smooth lefty who hails from Kansas City, Rush draws natural comparisons to former Tiger all-American Anthony Peeler. Though it's early, Rush's numbers compare favorably to Peeler in his freshman year. Here's a quick look at how other prominent Tigers fared as freshmen:

Tiger	Fresh. Year	Pts.	Rebs.
Steve Stipanovich	1979-80	14.4	6.4
Derrick Chievous	1984-85	13.1	5.3
Kelly Thames	1993-94	12.2	7.1
Jevon Crudup	1990-91	12.0	7.1
Nathan Buntin	1986-87	11.8	4.9
Doug Smith	1987-88	11.3	6.6
Kareem Rush	1999-00	10.9	5.1
Anthony Peeler	1988-89	10.1	3.7
Melvin Booker	1990-91	8.3	2.2
Curtis Berry	1977-78	6.8	4.7
Larry Drew	1976-77	6.9	2.8
Jon Sundvold	1979-80	6.3	1.7

DOUBLE TROUBLE
While his name gives broadcasters and public address announcers the heeby-jeebys, junior center Tajudeen Soyoye has been creating even more distress for Tiger opponents on the court of late.

After a slow start offensively, MU's "Nigerian Nightmare" is catching fire. He's scored in double figures in four of his last six games. He's been sadled with foul trouble in each of MU's last two games, as he's been able to average just 21.5 minutes played vs. Indiana and Saint Louis. He averaged 8.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in those games, both Tiger losses.

Despite going up against taller opponents, he's hit a solid 65.9% of his field goals in the last six games (29-of-44).

Soyoye tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds in MU's 85-68 win over Western Carolina. It marked the Lagos, Nigeria native's first career double-double at MU.

Soyoye hit 8-of-11 field goals on the day, and snagged seven offensive rebounds in 29 minutes of action.

Soyoye enters the Iowa game as MU's third-leading scorer (9.9 ppg) and is the team's top rebounder (7.0 rpg). He's also shooting a team-best 60.8% from the floor through eight contests.

Gilbert taking charge
One of Missouri's most valuable players continues to be sophomore guard Clarence Gilbert, who can give the Tigers a lift by scoring, rebounding and playing defense.

Gilbert is the team's fourth-leading scorer (8.8 ppg) and rebounder (3.4 rpg), at just 6-foot-2 inches tall.

He's coming off a game in which he had just six points vs. Saint Louis, but he did add a game-high 5 assists on the day, compared to just 1 turnover. Prior to that, he had 12 points and added five rebounds vs. Indiana, but perhaps his defense was the most impressive. He grabbed three steals on the night, and helped hold IU all-American candidate A.J. Guyton to just 4-of-11 shooting. Gilbert guarded Guyton for most of the first half, in which Guyton scored just three points, and had four turnovers.

On Nov. 21st vs. Western Carolina, Gilbert grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, in addition to tying a career-high with 13 points. That marked the sparkplug's first career double-double.

Previously, he was held to a season-low four points vs. SMU, and went without a made three-point field goal for the first time this season. Despite his lack of offense, Gilbert proved quite valuable as he held SMU's star guard Jeryl Sasser scoreless until 15 minutes were left in the game. Sasser, who entered the game averaging 19 points a game, was held to 10 on the night, on just 4-of-18 field goals.

Gilbert has scored in double figures three times on the year, and is currently third on the squad with 22 assists.

MU RECORD WHEN 1999-2000

Ahead at half	3-1
Behind at half	2-2
FG% of .450 or more	2-0
FG% less than .450	3-3
Better FG% than opp.	3-0
Worse FG% than opp.	2-3
Opp. shoots less than .450	3-0
3FG% of .400 or more	2-0
3FG% less than .400	3-3
Try more than 20 3FGs	4-3
Try 20 or less 3FGs	1-0
Try more FTs than opp.	4-0
Try less FTs than opp.	1-3
Bench outscores opp. bench	3-1
Opp. bench outscores MU bench	2-2
Outrebound opp.	3-0
Tied or outrebounded	2-3
More TOs than opp.	2-1
Same or fewer TOs	3-2
Make 10 or more TOs	4-3
Make less than 10 TOs	1-0
Score less than 50 pts.	0-0
Score 50-59 pts.	1-1
Score 60-69 pts.	1-1
Score 70-79 pts.	1-1
Score 80 or more pts.	2-0
Allow less than 50 pts.	1-0
Allow 50-59 pts.	1-0
Allow 60-69 pts.	3-1
Allow 70-79 pts.	0-2
Allow 80 or more pts.	0-0
Overtime	0-0
Vs. AP Top 25	0-1
Home Games	4-1
Road Games	0-0
Neutral Site Games	1-2
Day Games	2-1
Night Games	3-2
On Monday	0-0
On Tuesday	0-1
On Wednesday	1-0
On Thursday	0-0
On Friday	1-1
On Saturday	2-0
On Sunday	1-1
On Mizzou Sports Network	1-3
On CBS	0-0
On ESPN	0-0
On ESPN-Plus	0-0
On ABC	0-0

GAMES DECIDED BY...

5 pts. or less	2-2
6-10 pts.	1-0
11-19 pts.	1-1
20 or more pts.	1-0

GRAWER FINDING THE RANGE
Junior guard Brian Grawer says he's never experienced the kind of shooting slump such as the one that saw him shoot just 20.7% (6-of-29) in MU's first four games of the year.

He's looking to rebound from Sunday's game against Saint Louis, in which he was held scoreless for the first time this year. He got off only three shots versus the Bills, missing them all, but he still contributed 4 assists (with no turnovers) and 2 steals in 24 minutes for the Tiger cause.

In his previous three outings, the St. Louis native appeared to be regaining the form that saw him rank third in the nation last year in three-point field goal percentage (49.6%).

Grawer was held to six points against a stifling Indiana defense, but he did manage to knock down 2-of-4 three pointers. In his last three games, he's hit 6-of-11 treys, and has now hit two threes in four of the last five contests.

The St. Louis native had an eight-point, six-rebound effort vs. SMU Dec. 1st. He hit 3-of-4 field goals on the night, including a perfect 2-of-2 from three-point land. Prior to that, Grawer went for a season-best 10-point game vs. Morgan State. He hit 4-of-5 field goals on the day, including both of his three-point attempts. That gives him 7-of-9 field goals, including 4-of-4 from three-point range, in his last two games.

For the season, Grawer is now shooting 31.9 percent from the floor (33.3 percent from three-point range), and is averaging 5.9 points a game. He averaged 9.6 points a game last season as a sophomore, and shot 48.1 percent for the year.

kroenke DIALS LONG DISTANCE
Freshman guard Josh Kroenke came of age in a two-game stretch recently, as the Columbia, Mo. native averaged 16.5 points in wins over Western Carolina and Morgan State.

Kroenke, who was held scoreless in MU's first three games of the year, exploded for 33 points in those two games. He led Missouri with a career-high 18 point outing vs. Morgan State, in which he nailed 5-of-7 three pointers.

Previously vs. Western Carolina, he came out gunning, and lit up the Catamounts for 15 points in just 13 minutes of play, on 5-of-8 three pointers. He came off the bench and gave MU a spark when they were struggling offensively.

All told, Kroenke hit 11-of-17 shots in the two-game stretch (64.7%) including 10-of-15 three-point field goals (66.7%).

Kroenke had a solid outing versus Saint Louis on Sunday, as he scored five points in just 12 minutes of action. He hit a driving layup and nailed a three-pointer in the game's final minutes to help the Tigers claw their way back into the contest.

Kroenke enters the Iowa game ranking second on the squad in field goal percentage (50.0%) and three-point shooting (45.8%).

.12-GAGE JOINS THE SQUAD
The Missouri roster grew by one recently, when freshman guard Justin Gage joined the team.

Gage is a quarterback for the Mizzou football team, and played in three games this season for coach Larry Smith's Tigers as a true freshman. He threw for 138 yards in those three games, and tossed two touchdowns against Texas A&M on Nov. 13th in Columbia.

Gage was a standout player in basketball for Jefferson City High School, as well as being an all-state quarterback for the Jays.

He sat in street clothes on MU's bench for the first time vs. Morgan State, and began practicing with the squad the next day. He did not play vs. SMU on Dec. 1st, but saw his first action of the year Tuesday against Indiana.

Gage played four minutes vs. the Hoosiers, and made the most of his time on the floor. In the first half, he grabbed an offensive rebound and swung the ball over to teammate Brian Grawer (who wears Gage's football number 12) for a three pointer, giving Gage a rebound and an assist on the same sequence.

He also saw the court for five minutes last Sunday versus Saint Louis, and went 0-1 from the floor.

TIGERS SIGN THREE PREP BLUE- CHIPPERS DURING EARLY PERIOD
MU Head Coach Quin Snyder has signed three high school standouts in what looks to become one of the nation's top recruiting classes.

During the early signing period, which ran from Nov. 10-17, Snyder inked prep stars Rickey Paulding, Arthur Johnson and Wesley Stokes to national letters of intent.

Here's a look at each of them:

RICKEY PAULDING
Paulding, a 6-foot-5 guard from Detroit Renaissance High School, is considered one of the nation's top 30 prep prospects, and has been selected to the pre-season all-American team by Street & Smith Magazine . He averaged 25.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots per game last season at Renaissance High, and was selected to Michigan's all-state team in 1999. His point total led the extremely competitive Detroit Public School League last year.

Paulding selected Missouri over Michigan State, Ohio State and Miami, Fla.

ARTHUR JOHNSON
Johnson, a 6-foot-9 power forward from Detroit Pershing High School, is considered a top 30 national prospect by many recruiting services. He's one of the top big men in the country, and is coming off a season in which he averaged 16 points and 13 rebounds per game as a junior. He led his Pershing team to a top-five ranking in the state last year, and earned all-state honors for his efforts.

Johnson selected Missouri over Miami, Fla., Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State. His high school coach is Arnold Neville.

WESLEY STOKES
Stokes, a 5-foot-10 point guard out of Long Beach Poly, is considered the top-rated point guard prospect in the West, and is a top-50 national recruit. Stokes averaged 16 points, eight assists and four steals per game last year as a junior, and garnered much attention after some superb play in various summer all-star camps.

Stokes selected Missouri over Southern California, San Diego State, Texas and Massachusetts. His high school coach is Ron Palmer, who directed Long Beach Poly to a 24-7 record last season, and the quarterfinals of the Southern California Regionals. They are a pre-season favorite to win the Southern Section Division I-AA championship, which would be their second in the past four years.

"We're obviously very excited to have such good kids want to join our program," said Quin Snyder. "We get better with all three of them, in different ways."

TIGER QUICK NOTES

Sophomore forward Matt Rowan left the University of Missouri men's basketball team, and will transfer from MU at the following of the fall semester, as announced Nov. 16th by Head Coach Quin Snyder.

Rowan, a Liberty, Mo. native, did not play in either of Missouri's games at the NABC Classic in Syracuse, N.Y. The 6-foot-7 forward saw limited action last season as a freshman, averaging 0.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 17 games. He averaged 4.9 minutes played in those contests.

Rowan will remain on scholarship through the end of the fall semester, after which time he will be released from his commitment. By releasing him at the end of the semester, Rowan will be allowed to pursue a number of options. He will be eligible to play immediately at any Division II school, and would have to sit out until the end of the first semester of the 2000-2001 season if he was to choose another Division I program.

"We wish Matt the very best, and we'll do whatever we can to help him with his future plans," said Coach Snyder. "He's made a personal decision that he wants to be in a program where he'll be able to make more of a contribution, and we certainly understand and respect his decision."

A quick check of the MU record book shows that Missouri had never before won a game when shooting worse than 30.0%. The Tigers managed a 51-48 win over Princeton on Nov. 13th despite shooting just 29.4%. The previous low shooting night during a Tiger win was back on Feb. 8, 1995, when MU shot just 30.0%, but beat Iowa State, 59-56 in Columbia.

The first point scored in the Quin Snyder era came on a free throw from T.J. Soyoye. Johnnie Parker hit the first field goal (a three-pointer), got the first steal and blocked shot. Soyoye grabbed the first rebound, and Jeff Hafer was the first sub. Keyon Dooling clinched the first win for Snyder with a pair of free throws late in the game vs. Princeton.

An impressive handful of visitors have come calling in the early season to check out Quin Snyder and his Tigers. Early in the year, Doug Collins, current NBA analyst for NBC Sports, and a former NBA head coach and all-star player, visited Tiger camp. He saw the Tigers three days during his visit, and addressed the Tiger team following one practice.

Also paying a visit to Columbia a few weeks ago was former Duke and Vanderbilt standout Billy McCaffrey. He saw practices on Monday and Tuesday before heading out of town.

Earlier this summer, current Detroit Pistons Head Coach Alvin Gentry paid a visit to Columbia. Gentry coached with MU associate head coach John Hammond at Detroit

MSN TELEVISION AFFILIATES
Following are the statewide television affiliates for the Mizzou Sports Network's broadcast of the Missouri-Iowa game on Dec. 18:

Cape Girardeau	WDKA-TV
Columbia	KOMU-TV
Joplin	KGCS-TV
Kansas City	Metro Sports
Kansas City	KMCI-TV
Kirksville	Cable One
St. Joseph	St. Joseph Cablevision
St. Louis	KPLR-TV
Springfield	KYTV

MU MILESTONES

• Brian Grawer needs 6 three-point field goals to move into 8th place on the MU career three-point field goal chart.

• Jeff Hafer needs 10 steals to move into 7th place on the MU career steals chart.

TIGER SIDEBARS

• Four Tigers -- seniors Jeff Hafer, Mark Wampler and juniors Brian Grawer and Tajudeen Soyoye -- visited a Columbia restaurant on Thanksgiving Day and helped distribute food to the needy and homeless.

• Junior guard Brian Grawer helps coach the boys fifth-grade basketball team at Columbia's Mill Creek Elementary School on Thursday nights.

• Freshman guard Josh Kroenke was a ballboy for the Missouri basketball team as a grade-schooler in Columbia.

• Missouri held a canned food drive earlier in the season in conjunction with the Thanksgiving holiday, and fans donated over 1,000 cans of food for the area homeless.

THE QUIN SNYDER SHOW
Starting the weekend of January 8, Tiger fans can join Quin Snyder for 13 weekends of exciting Tiger basketball. Beginning with rugged Big 12 Conference play right through the excitement of the NCAA Tournament, viewers will be able to meet Tiger players, review action-packed highlights and receive Coach Snyder's analysis of each week's games.

Watch the Quin Snyder Show on the following network affiliates across the state of Missouri:

City	Station	DAY/TIME
C. Girardeau	KBSI-TV	Sun.@10 p.m.
Columbia	KOMU-TV	Sat.@12:30 p.m.
Joplin	KGCS-TV	Mon.@5:30 p.m.
Kansas City	KMCI-TV	Sat.@12 p.m.
Kansas City	Metro Sports	Mon. @ 7 p.m.
Kirksville	KYOU-TV	Sun.@11:30 p.m.
St. Louis	KPLR-TV	Sun.@9:30 a.m.
St. Joseph	KQTV	Sat.@TBA
Springfield	KYTV	Sat.@12 p.m.

TWA DOME RECORDS

INDIVIDUAL GAME RECORDS

Points
23 Wally Szczerbiak, Miami vs. Kentucky, 3-19-99

Three-Point Field Goals
4 Wally Szczerbiak, Miami vs. Kentucky, 3-19-99

Three-Point Field Goals Attempted
10 Wally Szczerbiak, Miami vs. Kentucky, 3-19-99

Free Throws
7 Morris Peterson, Michigan St. vs. Kentucky, 3-21-99

Free Throws Attempted
10 Andre Hutson, Michigan St. vs. Oklahoma, 3-19-99

Free Throw Percentage (Min. 5 made)
.875 Morris Peterson (7-8), Michigan St. vs. Kentucky, 3-21-99

Rebounds
16 Tony Kitt, Kansas St. vs. Saint Louis, 12-28-98

Assists
11 Mateen Cleaves, Michigan St. vs. Kentucky, 3-21-99

Blocked Shots
3 William Eley, SEMO vs. SIU, 12-28-98

Steals
4 Matt Heldman, Illinois vs. Saint Louis, 12-6-97 Sergio McClain, Illinois vs. Saint Louis, 12-6-97

TEAM RECORDS

Points
73 Michigan St. vs. Kentucky, 3-21-99

Fewest Points
43 Miami vs. Kentucky, 3-19-99

Winning Margin
21 So. Illinois (70) vs. SE Missouri (49), 12-28-98

Field Goal Percentage
.491 Michigan St. (26-53) vs. Kentucky, 3-21-99

Lowest Field Goal Percentage
.318 Miami (14-44) vs. Kentucky, 3-19-99

Three-Point Field Goals
8 Kansas St. vs. Saint Louis, 12-28-98 Saint Louis vs. Kansas St., 12-28-98

Three-Point Field Goals Attempted
26 Saint Louis vs. Kansas St., 12-28-98

Three-Point Field Goal Percentage
.533 Kansas St. (8-15) vs. Saint Louis, 12-28-98

Free Throws
20 Saint Louis vs. Illinois, 12-6-97

Free Throws Attempted
26 Saint Louis vs. Illinois, 12-6-97

Free Throw Percentage
.824 Michigan St. (14-17) vs. Kentucky, 3-21-99

Rebounds
46 Kansas St. vs. Saint Louis, 12-28-98

Rebound Margin
19 Kentucky (37) vs. Miami (18), 3-19-99

Assists
17 Saint Louis vs. Kansas St., 12-28-98

Blocked Shots
7 Kentucky vs. Michigan St., 3-21-99

Steals
10 Illinois vs. Saint Louis, 12-6-97 Saint Louis vs. Illinois, 12-6-97 Saint Louis vs. Kansas St., 12-28-98

MISC. STATS

Starting Lineups (Record)

1.Parker/Soyoye/Dooling/Grawer/Gilbert

5-3

Jerseys Worn (Record)

White Jerseys	4-1
Black Jerseys	1-2

Games Led MU In Scoring*

Keyon Dooling	4
Kareem Rush	2
Josh Kroenke	1
Tajudeen Soyoye	1

Games Led MU in Rebounds*

Tajudeen Soyoye	4
Kareem Rush	3
Johnnie Parker	1

Games Led MU in Assists*

Keyon Dooling	4
Clarence Gilbert	3
Brian Grawer	2
Jeff Hafer	1
Johnnie Parker	1

(*-Includes games when two or more tied for team lead)

Double-Figure Scoring Games

Keyon Dooling	5
Kareem Rush	5
Tajudeen Soyoye	4
Clarence Gilbert	3
Johnnie Parker	3
Jeff Hafer	2
Josh Kroenke	2
Brian Grawer	1

20-Point Games

Keyon Dooling

3

Double-Figure Rebound Games

Tajudeen Soyoye	2
Clarence Gilbert	1
Kareem Rush	1
Double-Double Games
Clarence Gilbert	1
Tajudeen Soyoye	1

Dunks

Keyon Dooling	3
Tajudeen Soyoye	2
Jeff Hafer	2
Johnnie Parker	1
Kareem Rush	1

Charges Taken

Jeff Hafer	4
Pat Schumacher	2
Keyon Dooling	1
Kareem Rush	1
Tajudeen Soyoye	1

Conventional 3-PT Plays

Tajudeen Soyoye	2
Clarence Gilbert	1
Josh Kroenke	1
Johnnie Parker	1
Kareem Rush	1
Pat Schumacher	1

(Un)Conventional 4-PT Plays

Keyon Dooling

2

Jump Balls Controlled/Lost*

Tajudeen Soyoye

4 / 4

Bench Scoring

Missouri	181-of-560
(22.6 points per game)
Opponents	134-of-509
(16.8 points per game)

MU's First Substitution

Jeff Hafer	7
Kareem Rush	5
Josh Kroenke	3

Scored MU's First Points

Johnnie Parker	3
Tajudeen Soyoye	3
Keyon Dooling	1
Brian Grawer	1

How MU Scored First Points

Three-Pointer	4
Layin	3
Free Throw	1

How Opp. Scored First Points

Jumper	4
Dunk	1
Layin	1
Three-Pointer	1
Tip-In	1

MU's Biggest Scoring Run
13-0, vs. Morgan St., 11-27-99

Opp.'s Biggest Scoring Run
12-0, vs. Princeton & W. Carolina

MU's Biggest Lead
41 (91-50) vs. Morgan St., 11-27-99

MU's Biggest Halftime Lead
14 (40-26) vs. Morgan St., 11-27-99

MU's Biggest Deficit
14 (66-52), vs. Wisconsin, 11-12-99

MU's Biggest Deficit Overcome to Win
10 (39-29), vs. UNC-Asheville, 11-19-99

MU's Biggest Lead Surrendered in Loss
16 (34-18), vs. Indiana, 12-7-99

MU's Biggest Halftime Deficit
9 (42-33), vs. UNC-Asheville, 11-19-99