'Braggin Rights' Battle Set For Tuesday Night At Kiel Center

Sophomore Keyon Dooling is leading the Tigers with 15.4 points per game.

Men's BasketballDecember 19, 1999

'Braggin Rights' Battle Set For Tuesday Night At Kiel Center

Dec. 20, 1999

Game #10
#20 Illinois (6-2) vs. Missouri (6-3)
Dec. 21, 1999 -- St. Louis, Mo.

TIPOFF: 8:00 p.m. (central).
ARENA: Kiel Center (20,378). Missouri leads Illinois, 3-2 in meetings at Kiel.
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 (Rich Gould, play-by-play/Jon Sundvold, color). Please see page seven of this release for a listing of statewide affiliates.
RANKINGS: Illinois is #17 (ESPN/USA Today) & #20 (AP)/MU is not ranked.

SERIES: Illinois leads, 18-11 overall, and 11-7 since the series moved to St. Louis in 1980. MU has won two straight, however, and six of the series' last eight matchups.

COACHES:
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89), 6-3 at MU (1st season), 6-3 overall (1st season).
Illinois: Lon Kruger (Kansas St., '75), 65-40 at UI (4th season), 302-225 overall (18th season). Kruger is 4-10 vs. Missouri, including 1-2 in Braggin' Rights games.
OFFICIALS: Will be announced prior to tipoff.

WITH BRAGGIN' RIGHTS ON LINE, TIGERS LOOK TO KNOCK OFF ILLINI
Fresh off a solid win over Iowa, the Missouri Tigers (6-3 overall) head to the Gateway City, where they'll take on the #17-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini (6-2) in the 19th annual Busch Braggin' Rights Game, to be held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Mo. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening. Quin Snyder's Tigers snapped a two-game skid on Saturday with a gutsy 72-61 win against Iowa. Tuesday's game will be MU's second in the city of St. Louis in nine days -- the Tigers lost a 75-72 decision to Saint Louis University on Dec. 12 in the TWA Dome.

Illinois is coming off an 84-70 win over the 6th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks, and enter Tuesday's game having won four straight contests.

MISSOURI TIGERS (6-3)
(Probable Starting Lineup)

P NO NAME HT WT YR HOMETOWN PPG/RPG
F 24 Jeff Hafer*** 6-5 212 Sr. Joplin, Mo. 5.3 / 2.7
C 33 Tajudeen Soyoye 6-9 236 Jr. Lagos, Nigeria 11.3 / 7.2
G 5 Keyon Dooling* 6-3 184 So. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 15.4 / 2.0
G 12 Brian Grawer** 6-0 165 Jr. St. Louis, Mo. 5.8 / 3.2
G 4 Clarence Gilbert* 6-2 197 So. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 9.2 / 3.1

#17 ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI (6-2)
(Probable Starting Lineup)

P NO NAME HT WT YR HOMETOWN PPG/RPG
F 32 Cleotis Brown 6-5 220 Sr. Pittsview, Ala. 8.8 / 3.8
F 21 Robert Archibald 6-11 228 So. Ballwin, Mo. 4.0 / 4.0
C 52 Marcus Griffin 6-9 235 Jr. Peoria, Ill. 12.3 / 6.4
G 13 Cory Bradford 6-3 200 So. Memphis, Tenn. 15.8 / 2.0
G 30 Frank Williams 6-3 197 Fr. Peoria, Ill. 13.6 / 2.6

BUSCH BRAGGIN' RIGHTS HISTORY
Illinois leads the overall series between the two schools, 18-11, including an 11-7 margin since the series moved to St. Louis and became what is today known as the Busch Braggin' Rights game. Missouri, however, has won two straight in the series, and has claimed six of the last eight matchups dating back to a 61-44 MU win in 1991. Included in that string was the legendary 108-107 triple-overtime Tiger win in 1993. The Tigers lead 3-2 in games played at the Kiel Center.

Missouri entered last year's contest with a 7-2 record, and was a nine-point underdog last year against Illinois. But the Tigers were able to claw their way to a 67-62 win.

LAST YEAR: MU 67, ILLINOIS 62
Dec. 22, 1998 -- St. Louis, Mo.
Johnnie Parker had a key steal and a 3-point play in the final 6 seconds as Missouri held off a late charge and defeated Illinois 67-62. With Missouri clinging to a 64-62 advantage, Parker stole the ball from Illinois guard Nate Mast with 5.9 seconds left and called a time out. Missouri got the ball to Albert White off the inbound, who found Parker alone under the basket. Parker hit the shot and was fouled by Mast. His free throw provided the final margin. After falling behind by four points in the second half, Missouri went on a 12-0 run to take a 49-38 advantage. Missouri held a 57-47 advantage with 3:17 left, but Illinois got back to within one point at 63-62 on a long 3-pointer with 17.3 seconds left. But Hafer hit one free throw to make it 64-62 and set up Parker's heroics.

MU (67) FG 3PT FT RB A PF TP Parker - f 3-7 1-3 3-6 5 1 2 10 White - f 4-11 0-1 3-4 7 3 3 11 Schumacher - c 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 2 Grawer - g 2-5 2-4 2-2 0 4 1 8 Woods - g 5-11 2-5 3-4 1 2 1 15 Gilbert 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 0 Dooling 1-3 0-0 1-1 2 2 2 3 Hafer 3-4 0-0 1-2 10 0 1 7 Hardge 3-5 0-0 5-8 3 0 4 11 Totals 22-47 5-13 18-28 35 12 15 67

ILLINOIS (62) FG 3PT FT RB A PF TP Archibald - f 0-3 0-0 0-0 2 0 4 0 Brown - f 4-12 2-4 1-1 5 5 2 11 Hawkins - c 4-9 0-0 2-2 7 2 1 10 Bradford - g 7-16 3-7 0-0 2 3 1 17 McClain - g 4-10 4-5 2-2 5 3 3 14 Chukwudebe 1-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 3 2 Mast 0-1 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 0 Johnson 0-1 0-1 2-2 1 1 5 2 Krupalija 1-2 0-1 4-6 6 0 2 6 Beyers 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 Totals 21-58 9-19 11-13 34 14 22 62 Officials: Bair, Rucker, O'Neill Missouri 25 42 -- 67 Illinois 25 37 -- 62 Attendance: 22,471

TALE OF THE TAPE MIZZOU ILLINOIS 6-3 Overall Record 6-2 0-0 Big 12 Record n/a W 1 Current Win-Loss Streak W 4 .419 Field Goal Percentage .432 .443 Opponent FG Percentage .375 .359 3-PT FG Percentage .373 .331 Opponent 3-PT FG Percentage .316 9.2 3-PT FGs Made Per Game 7.8 25.7 3-PT FGs Attempted Per Game 20.8 .673 Free Throw Percentage .665 34.8 Rebound Average 39.1 -1.5 Rebound Margin -0.3 13.7 Turnovers Per Game 15.9 17.3 Opponents Turnovers Per Game 21.5 70.2 Points Per Game 77.4 63.3 Opponents Points Per Game 62.0 +6.9 Average Margin +15.4

RUSH STATUS UNKNOWN FOR TUESDAY
As of Sunday evening, the availability of MU freshman standout Kareem Rush was unknown for Tuesday's game with Illinois. Last Tuesday, the University of Missouri declared Rush ineligible for competition. He sat out Missouri's game Saturday vs. Iowa, but continues to practice with the squad, hoping he'll be able to play in the Braggin' Rights game. 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 suspended Rush from competition at that time. The MU athletic department completed its findings and forwarded a report to the NCAA last Friday, and awaits word from the organization.

PARKER RETURNS TO SQUAD
Additionally last week, starting forward Johnnie Parker was suspended by MU Head Basketball Coach Quin Snyder for a violation of team academic policy. The suspension was announced on Dec. 15th, and Parker missed practices on the 15th and 16th before returning to the squad on the 17th. He sat out Saturday's game vs. Iowa but will be available for Tuesday's contest in his home town versus Illinois.

THE QUIN-TISENNTIALS
The 15th head coach in Missouri basketball history, Quin Snyder is 6-3 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.

TIGER FACT-OF-THE-GAME
MU's offense is coming around of late. That statement is bolstered by this fact: The Tigers have shot 50.0% or better in a half four times this season, and three of those have come in the last three games (1st half vs. Indiana, 2nd half vs. Saint Louis and 2nd half vs. Iowa).

SERIES HISTORY

ILLINOIS
(Fighting Illini lead, 18-11) 
12-20-32 L, 24-36 at Columbia
1- 3-34 L, 27-31 at Champaign
12-14-42 L, 30-51 at Champaign
12-18-43 L, 29-39 at Columbia
12-16-46 W, *55-50 Kansas City
12- 4-54 L, 49-77 at Champaign
12-10-55 W, 74-73 at Columbia
12- 3-76 W, #76-75 at Columbia
12- 6-77 L, 85-96 at Champaign
12- 5-78 L, 57-69 at Columbia
12- 4-79 W, 67-66 OT at Champaign
12-10-80 L, 62-84 at St. Louis
12- 8-81 W, 78-68 OT at St. Louis
12-28-83 L, 60-66 at St. Louis
12- 6-84 L, 50-65 at St. Louis
12-21-85 L, 55-67 at St. Louis
12-23-86 L, 74-92 at St. Louis
12-22-87 L, 63-75 at St. Louis
12-19-88 L, 84-87 at St. Louis
12-20-89 L, 93-101 at St. Louis
12-19-90 L, 81-84 at St. Louis
12-23-91 W, 61-44 at St. Louis
12-23-92 W, 66-65 at St. Louis
12-22-93 W, 108-107 3OT at St. Louis
12-22-94 W, 76-58 at St. Louis
12-20-95 L, 85-96 OT at St. Louis
12-28-96 L, 69-85 at St. Louis
12-23-97 W, 75-69 at St. Louis
12-22-98 W, 67-62 at St. Louis
* Big Six Tournament # Show-Me Classic
at Columbia: UI leads, 3-2
at Champaign: UI leads, 4-1
at Neutral Sites: UI leads, 11-8

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

THAT'S THE WAY (UH HUH, uh huh)
K.C. and the Sunshine Band, beware! The Tigers put on a defensive performance Saturday vs. Iowa that had Quin Snyder singing their praises afterwards.

The Tigers entered Saturday's game with Iowa looking for a spark on the defensive end. MU's previous two opponents -- Indiana and Saint Louis -- had shot a combined 55.2% from the floor, compared to just 42.2% for the Tigers. But on Saturday, MU turned up the heat defensively, and held the Hawkeyes, who opened the season with a win over defending national champion UConn, to just 37.3 percent from the floor. Mizzou also harassed Iowa into 16 turnovers on the day, paving the way to MU's 72-61 win.

On Dec. 12th, 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.

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.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
Missouri is coming off a crisp offensive performance against Iowa, in which the Tigers committed a season-low nine turnovers, while forcing 16 Hawkeye miscues. Prior to that, Missouri forced Saint Louis into an opponent season-high 25 turnovers.

The Tigers enter the Illinois game having forced an average of 19.7 turnovers a game in the last three games. That compares to just 12.3 turnovers by the Tiger in that same stretch.

WELL, NO DUH!
Okay, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you tend to do fairly well in the game of basketball if you: shoot the ball better, rebound the ball better, defend better and take care of the ball better than your opponent. That being said, here are some keys for the Tigers early in the season:

Missouri is 4-0 on the year thus far when they've shot a higher field goal percentage than an opponent.

MU is also 4-0 when holding foes to less than 45.0% from the floor, and the Tigers are also 4-0 when attempting more free throws than opponents.

Additionally, Missouri is 3-0 when shooting 45.0% or better in a game, and is 3-0 when outrebounding an opponent.

Other numbers to consider include the fact that MU is 4-1 when leading at the half, and is 5-1 when allowing 69 points or fewer.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Tigers enter Tuesday's game vs. Illinois with a 1-2 record in games away from the Hearnes Center thus far. Each of MU's three games outside of Columbia have all come at neutral site courts, and the Tigers won't play a true road game until Jan. 8, when they travel to Iowa State.

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 5-1 1-2
Points 75.7 59.3
Opp. Points 63.5 63.0
FG % 44.2 36.8
Opp. FG % 41.4 51.4
Rebounds 36.5 31.3

Individually, numbers which stand out include the following: T.J. Soyoye is averaging 15.4 ppg at Hearnes, and just 5.3 away from home ... Soyoye is shooting an outstanding 69.4% from the floor at Hearnes (34-of-49 FGs), and just 35.7% away from home (5-of-14)...Conversely, leading scorer Keyon Dooling is averaging 21.3 ppg away from Hearnes, compared to 12.5 ppg at home, and is shooting just 34.3% from the floor at home (24-of-70) compared to 48.8% away from home (21-of-43).

OFFENSE GETTING THE FEEL
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 45.5% on Saturday against Iowa, which is the third-highest mark for the Tigers this season. MU connected on an even 50.0% of its shots in the second half (11-of-22), as they held off a Hawkeye rally late in the game The second half shooting performance was a good sign for the young Tiger squad, which is still learning the new offensive system installed under first-year coach Quin Snyder.

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 16 points in the first half. But the second half was another story, as the Tigers offensive fluidity went South. MU managed to connect on only 31.4% of its attempts in the second half, helping pave the way for an Indiana comeback win.

On the year, Missouri is shooting just 41.9% from the floor. But the Tigers have shown signs of jelling offensively of late, as they're an improved 44.9% in the last two outings. Additionally, MU has shot 50.0% or better in a half four times this season, and three of those instances have come in the last three games (one each against Indiana, Saint Louis and Iowa).

GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES
Missouri has used the three-point shot to its advantage this year. The Tigers enter the Illinois game Tuesday as the 2nd-best three-point outfit in the Big 12 Conference. Through nine games, Missouri has hit 83-of-231 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 six games, but was held to seven treys made Saturday vs. Iowa. 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 nine games, the Tigers are on pace to make 267 three pointers in 744 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. Missouri is coming off an outstanding performance on the charity stripe, as MU connected on 15-of-19 freebies (78.9%) against Iowa Saturday, including 6-of-8 in the game's final minute. Iowa did hold a slight edge from the line, as they made 18-of-23 attempts.

The disparity in free throw opportunities wasn't as much as recent games, however. In the three games prior to Iowa, Tiger opponents attempted 74 free throws, to just 40 for MU. Previously, the Tigers suffered 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.

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 against Indiana. In that game, 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 20.7% 37.3% 34.3% 7.6%
Rebounds 17.3% 19.5% 44.4% 8.3%
Assists 11.6% 39.5% 35.7% 13.2%
Turnovers 13.8% 37.4% 38.2% 8.9%

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 five of Missouri's last seven games, Tiger newcomers Kareem Rush, Tajudeen Soyoye and Josh Kroenke have led the team in scoring.

Soyoye, MU's junior college transfer, is coming off a superb performance, in which he scored a career-high 23 points in leading the way to a win vs. Iowa. He hit 8-of-12 shots on the day, and also just missed his second career double-double, as he grabbed a game-best nine rebounds.

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.

On Nov. 27th vs. Morgan State, MU's top three scorers were all newcomers -- freshman Kroenke (18 points) and Rush (14) and junior college transfer 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 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.

MIZZOU SETS ATTENDANCE RECORD
At Missouri's home game on 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

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 four games have seen the outsized Tigers get outrebounded by a marging of 155-to-125, including a defecit of 39-29 last time out vs. Iowa.

Missouri is averaging 34.8 rebounds a game entering the Illinois contest, which despite the recent deficiencies is just 1.5 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 100-88 edge on the offensive glass.

SOYOYE IS 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 five of his last seven games. He's coming off an outstanding performance against Iowa, in which he led MU with a career-high 23 points. He hit 8-of-12 shots on the day vs. the Hawkeyes, and sank 7-of-8 free throws to help seal the win in the game's final minutes.

His contributions vs. Iowa were even more valuable to the team given the fact that the Tigers had to play without 2nd-leading scorer Kareem Rush and 2nd-leading rebounder Johnnie Parker. Soyoye picked up the slack for the missing Tigers inside, and even did so despite the fact that he got to the arena barely 40 minutes prior to the noon tipoff. He had a political science final exam that morning, which lasted until 11:00 a.m.

Soyoye had been sadled with foul trouble in each of MU's previous two games, as he averaged 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. Conversely, he played with just two fouls up until the final minute of the game, and saw the court for 37 minutes vs. Iowa.

Despite going up against taller opponents, he's hit a solid 70.2% of his field goals in the last six games (33-of-47). 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 enters the Illinois game as MU's 2nd-leading scorer (11.3 ppg) and is the team's top rebounder (7.2 rpg). He's also shooting a team-best 61.9% from the floor through nine contests.

DOOLING GETS UNTRACKED
Electrifying guard Keyon Dooling has busted out of a recent three-game shooting slump, as he's averaged 21.0 points per game in MU's last three outings.

He's coming off a 19-point game vs. Iowa that was arguably one of his best of the year. He's had bigger numbers thus far, but his leadership in the game's final minutes when the game was still undecided was crucial. Dooling scored six of the Tigers' final 13 points in the game, including a huge three pointer that extended MU's lead from six to nine, at 62-53, with 3:53 left in the game. He later nailed a 15-foot jumper that put MU up 64-55 with 2:12 left, and had an assist on a Clarence Gilbert basket just 40 seconds later.

Prior to that, Dooling turned in 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 Illinois game, Dooling leads the Tigers in scoring (15.4 ppg), assists (28), three-point field goals (19-of-50) and free throws (30-of-50). When he's not on his game offensively, the sophomore has shown he can still lead the team. On Dec. 1st vs. SMU, he was held to eight points, on just 1-of-10 shooting. 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 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 nine games, Dooling, who was the runner-up last year in Big 12 Freshman-of-the-Year voting, has made 19 three pointers. In 28 games last year, he made all of eight treys.

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 defense.

Gilbert is the team's fourth-leading scorer (9.2 ppg) and rebounder (3.1 rpg), at just 6-foot-2 inches tall. He's coming off a game in which he tied a career-high by scoring 13 points against Iowa. He helped guide the Tigers to a good start on the day, as he scored eight of MU's first 10 points, including two long three pointers that helped stake the Tigers out to an early 10-5 lead. He also got free under the basket for a big layin with just 1:30 left in the game that gave MU a 66-57 lead. 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 four times on the year, and is currently third on the squad with 23 assists. He owns a team-best 1.92 assist-to-turnover ratio among Tiger regulars, as well.

HAFER LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Senior forward Jeff Hafer is playing some of the best basketball of his Tiger career, of late. As the senior member of the squad, he's been an invaluable leader for a young and inexperienced Tiger team. Saturday vs. Iowa, Hafer played 31 minutes off the bench for Quin Snyder's depleted squad. He had a solid all-around game, turning in eight points, grabbing six rebounds and adding three steals and two assists.

Previously, against Saint Louis, he scored a season-best 15 points. 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 nine 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. He leads the team with five charges taken through nine games.

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 eight games, Rush is averaging 10.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. His scoring output is third 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 had 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 Coach 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

GRAWER SEARCHING FOR THE RANGE
Junior guard Brian Grawer is going through a rough shooting stretch that has seen the 48 percent career shooter (entering the season) connect on just 29.6% of his shots thus far in 1999-2000. He scored five points Saturday vs. Iowa, and went just 1-of-7 from the floor (all three point attempts). But he proved his value to the team by playing 34 minutes on the day, and adding four assists (with no turnovers) and a steal.

His last trip to St. Louis saw him get shut out for the only time this year, as he went scoreless against Saint Louis on Dec. 12. 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.

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.

For the season, Grawer is now shooting 29.6 percent from the floor (29.7 percent from three-point range), and is averaging 5.8 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.

Prior to that, 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%).

His last time out, Kroenke had two points vs. Iowa, but they were big points for the Tigers. With MU clinging to a 53-49 lead with 8:30 left, Kroenke drove the lane and drew a foul. His two free throws gave MU its first points in nearly three minutes. Kroenke had a solid outing versus Saint Louis on Dec. 12th, 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 Illinois game ranking second on the squad in field goal percentage (46.7%) and three-point shooting (44.0%).

PARKER RETURNS TO HOMETOWN
Junior forward Johnnie Parker might not have the flashiest numbers around, but the job he has done thus far for the Tigers has been solid. And perhaps no other Tiger is looking more forward to playing in the Kiel Center on Tuesday. In each of the past two years, Parker has scored 10 points against the Illini in the Busch Braggin' Rights Game. Through eight games, the St. Louis native is averaging a career-high 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds, the latter of which is the 2nd-best total on the team. He currently leads the team with a stellar three-point shooting percentage of 47.4% (9-of-19). He comes to his hometown of St. Louis looking to bounce back after missing Saturday's game vs. Iowa after being suspended briefly for a violation of team academic policies.

Prior to that, Parker had six points and three rebounds on Dec. 12th vs. Saint Louis. Before that, he was held to a season-low two points against Indiana on Dec. 7th. That marked the first game this year in which he didn't connect on a three-point field goal.

Prior to the Indiana game, Parker turned in a 10-point, six-rebound, game vs. SMU on Dec. 1st. That marked the third game in which he's tallied double figures in scoring. He had a career-high 13 points in MU's win over Western Carolina on Nov. 21st, and began the year with 11 points against Wisconsin, including a career-best 3-of-6 three pointers.

.12-GAGE GIVES MU A SHOT
The Missouri roster grew by one last month, 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 on Dec. 7th 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. On Saturday vs. Iowa, Gage scored the first points of his young Tiger career, when he drove the baseline and went in for a two-handed jam that gave the Tigers a 39-30 lead less than a minute into the second half. Gage played a career-high 15 minutes off the bench vs. Iowa, and gave the team a big lift, as he nabbed two steals, blocked a shot and grabbed one rebound, in addition to his dunk.

THE MAYOR GETS ELECTED
When Missouri was short-handed for the Iowa game last Saturday, all the so-called ?experts? hand-picked senior Jeff Hafer to step into the starting lineup for the absent Johnnie Parker. But when the Tigers took the court, it was former walk-on Mark Wampler who gained the starting nod from Quin Snyder. Wampler, who's nicknamed the Mayor of Savannah (his hometown is Savannah, Mo.), got the Tigers off to a good start, as he assisted on a Clarence Gilbert jumper in the game's opening minutes. Wampler went on to play seven quality minutes for the Tigers.

Missouri is now 2-0 when Wampler is in the starting lineup. You have to go back two seasons, to 1997-98, when he got his previous start. On Jan. 5, 1998, he got the start against Texas on an ESPN Big Monday game. He played the game's first four minutes that night, and helped spark the Tigers to a 91-69 win, just two days after suffering a 55-point loss (the worst in MU history) at Kansas State. Wampler is a graduate student who received his undergraduate degree in communications this May. He is a former walk-on who was awarded a scholarship by Head Coach Quin Snyder this fall.

STEVENSON GRABS SOME TIME
When MU faced Iowa on Saturday, Head Coach Quin Snyder knew he'd have to count on each and every available Tiger to get the job done. And sophomore walk-on Kenge Stevenson made the most of his opportunity vs. the Hawkeyes, as he gave the Tigers a quality three minutes on the day. He grabbed two rebounds in his time on the court. Stevenson had now played in three games on the year, and logged a season-high five minutes in MU's opener vs. Wisconsin in the NABC Classic back in November. He played in nine games last year in his first year with the squad.

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.

MU RECORD WHEN

1999-2000 Ahead at half 4-1 Behind at half 2-2 FG% of .450 or more 3-0 FG% less than .450 3-3 Better FG% than opp. 4-0 Worse FG% than opp. 2-3 Opp. shoots less than .450 4-0 3FG% of .400 or more 2-0 3FG% less than .400 4-3 Try more than 20 3FGs 5-3 Try 20 or less 3FGs 1-0 Try more FTs than opp. 4-0 Try less FTs than opp. 2-3 Bench outscores opp. bench 3-1 Opp. bench outscores MU bench 3-2 Outrebound opp. 3-0 Tied or outrebounded 3-3 More TOs than opp. 2-1 Same or fewer TOs 4-2 Make 10 or more TOs 4-3 Make less than 10 TOs 2-0 Score less than 50 pts. 0-0 Score 50-59 pts. 1-1 Score 60-69 pts. 1-1 Score 70-79 pts. 2-1 Score 80 or more pts. 2-0 Allow less than 50 pts. 1-0 Allow 50-59 pts. 1-0 Allow 60-69 pts. 4-1 Allow 70-79 pts. 0-2 Allow 80 or more pts. 0-0 Overtime 0-0 Vs. AP Top 25 0-1 Home Games 5-1 Road Games 0-0 Neutral Site Games 1-2 Day Games 3-1 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 3-0 On Sunday 1-1 On Mizzou Sports Network 2-3 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. 2-1 20 or more pts. 1-0

MSN TELEVISION AFFILIATES
Following are the statewide television affiliates for the Mizzou Sports Network's broadcast of the Missouri-Illinois game on Dec. 21:

Cape Girardeau WDKA-TV
Columbia KOMU-TV
Joplin KGCS-TV
Kansas City Metro Sports
Kirksville Cable One
St. Joseph St. Joseph Cablevision
St. Louis KPLR-TV
Springfield KBLE-36

MU MILESTONES

Brian Grawer needs 5 three-point field goals to move into 8th place on the MU career three-point field goal chart.
Jeff Hafer needs 7 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
CAPE 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.

MU DOUBLE-DOUBLES Tiger '99-00 Career Gilbert 1 1 Soyoye 1 1

MU DOUBLE FIGURES IN POINTS Tiger '99-00 Career Dooling 6 17 Gilbert 4 7 Grawer 1 18 Hafer 2 24 Kroenke 2 2 Parker 3 8 Rush 5 5 Schumacher 0 1 Soyoye 5 5

TIGER TALK
Missouri Tigers fans who wish to speak with MU Head Basketball Coach Quin Snyder can do so each Monday night through the radio facilities of the Tiger Network. "Tiger Talk" airs each Monday evening from 7-8 p.m., on radio stations across the state. Persons in central Missouri may also attend the show, which is broadcast live each week from Harpo's in downtown Columbia, located at the intersection of 10th and Cherry streets.

Snyder spends most of the hour fielding telephone calls from interested fans across the state, and even the nation. Tiger players often appear as guests, as do coaches of MU opponents, college basketball media experts from across the country, broadcasters, and others on the inside of college athletics. "Tiger Talk" is hosted by Mike Kelly, the Tiger Network voice of the Tigers, as well as director of broadcast operations for the University of Missouri athletic department.

MU IN THE BIG 12 STATISTICS
(Thru Games of Dec. 16)

TEAM STATISTICS Scoring Offense 10th 70.0 Scoring Defense 4th 63.6 Scoring Margin 9th +6.4 Free Throw Percentage 6th .658 Field Goal Percentage 10th .415 Field Goal Percentage Defense 12th .457 3-Pt. FG Percentage 6th .364 3-Pt. FG Percentage Defense 8th .338 Rebounding 11th 35.5 Rebounding Margin 11th -0.5 Blocked Shots 12th 1.62 Assists 6th 14.5 Steals 4th 9.5

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Scoring Keyon Dooling 11th 15.0 Rebounding T.J. Soyoye 15th 7.0 Field Goal Percentage T.J. Soyoye 8th .608 Free Throw Percentage Kareem Rush 15th .769 3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage Johnnie Parker 8th .474 Josh Kroenke 11th .458 3-Pt. Field Goals Made Keyon Dooling 8th 2.12 Assists Keyon Dooling 15th 3.25 Steals Jeff Hafer 7th 2.0 Assist/Turnover Ratio Brian Grawer 7th 1.71 Keyon Dooling 11th 1.18

BEST OF THE SNYDER ERA FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED (GAME) 48 Princeton 11-13-99 50 Morgan State 11-27-99 60 SMU 12-1-99

LOWEST FG PERCENTAGE ALLOWED (GAME) .345 Morgan State (20-58) 11-27-99 .349 SMU (22-63) 12-1-99 .373 Iowa (19-51) 12-18-99

FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED (HALF) 23 Princeton (2nd) 11-13-99 23 SMU (1st) 12-1-99 24 Morgan State (2nd) 11-27-99

LOWEST FG PERCENTAGE ALLOWED (HALF) .276 Morgan State (8-29) 11-27-99 .276 SMU (8-29) 12-1-99 .324 W. Carolina (11-34) 11-21-99

MOST POINTS SCORED (GAME) 91 vs. Morgan State 11-27-99 85 vs. Western Carolina 11-21-99 75 vs. UNC-Asheville 11-19-99

HIGHEST FG PERCENTAGE (GAME) .492 vs. W. Carolina (31-63) 11-21-99 .472 vs. Morgan St. (34-72) 11-27-99 .455 vs. Iowa (25-55) 12-18-99

MOST POINTS SCORED (HALF) 51 vs. Morgan St. (2nd) 11-27-99 48 vs. Saint Louis (2nd) 12-12-99 47 vs. W. Carolina (1st) 11-21-99

HIGHEST FG PERCENTAGE (HALF) .588 vs. W. Carolina (20-34) 11-21-99 .545 vs. Saint Louis (18-33) 12-12-99 .500 vs. Indiana (15-30) 12-7-99 .500 vs. Iowa (11-22) 12-18-99

MISC. STATS Starting Lineups (Record) 1.Parker/Soyoye/Dooling/Grawer/Gilbert 5-3 2.Wampler/Soyoye/Dooling/Grawer/Gilbert 1-0

Jerseys Worn (Record) White Jerseys 5-1 Black Jerseys 1-2

Games Led MU In Scoring* Keyon Dooling 4 Kareem Rush 2 Tajudeen Soyoye 2 Josh Kroenke 1

Games Led MU in Rebounds* Tajudeen Soyoye 5 Kareem Rush 3 Johnnie Parker 1

Games Led MU in Assists* Keyon Dooling 4 Clarence Gilbert 3 Brian Grawer 3 Jeff Hafer 1 Johnnie Parker 1 (*-Includes games when two or more tied for team lead)

Double-Figure Scoring Games Keyon Dooling 6 Kareem Rush 5 Tajudeen Soyoye 5 Clarence Gilbert 4 Johnnie Parker 3 Jeff Hafer 2 Josh Kroenke 2 Brian Grawer 1

20-Point Games Keyon Dooling 3 Tajudeen Soyoye 1

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 3 Justin Gage 1 Johnnie Parker 1 Kareem Rush 1

Charges Taken Jeff Hafer 5 Pat Schumacher 2 Keyon Dooling 1 Brian Grawer 1 Kareem Rush 1 Tajudeen Soyoye 1

Conventional 3-PT Plays Tajudeen Soyoye 3 Clarence Gilbert 1 Josh Kroenke 1 Johnnie Parker 1 Kareem Rush 1 Pat Schumacher 1

(Un)Conventional 4-PT Plays Keyon Dooling 2