Feb. 8, 2000

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MISSOURI - IOWA STATE SERIES
Missouri has won more games against Iowa State than against any other school, and leads the series, 134-73. MU had won four straight over the Cyclones, until ISU claimed an 86-81 win in Ames back on Jan. 8th.

MU holds a huge 25-4 advantage over the Cyclones in games played at the Hearnes Center. The only four years that ISU has won at Hearnes came in 1978, 1985, 1996 and 1997.

MU coach Quin Snyder is 0-1 vs. Iowa State and Larry Eustachy. Eustachy is 1-2 vs. MU and is 1-0 vs. Snyder.

Please see page four of these propagana-lined pages for a breakdown of the last 20 games of the MU-ISU series.

RUSH WINS BIG 12 ROOKIE AWARD
Missouri freshman forward Kareem Rush had two big performances last week, and on Monday was named the Big 12 Conference Rookie-of-the-Week for his efforts.

Rush won the award after averaging 18.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, in helping lead MU to key road wins at Colorado and Nebraska.

Rush scored a career-high 21 points at Nebraska, and added six rebounds. While his team was struggling offensively in the first half, the unflappable freshman took charge. He scored 10 of the team's 24 first-half points, a performance which kept the Tigers within striking distance.

Earlier in the week, Rush tallied 15 points at Colorado, helping MU gain its first win there since 1994.

Rush enters the Iowa State contest averaging 12.6 points per game, including 17.3 per game in Big 12 Conference play. His season point total would rank 2nd among Big 12 freshmen, but after missing nine games from Dec. 18 through Jan. 22 due to an NCAA ruling, Rush hasn't played in enough games to qualify for the league leaders.

LAST TIME VS. IOWA STATE

Game #13 Iowa St. 86, Missouri 81
Jan. 8, 2000 Ames, Iowa

A 17-3 Iowa State run in the first six minutes of the game proved too much to overcome for Missouri, as the Tigers dropped the Big 12 season opener, 86-81 in Ames, Iowa.

T.J. Soyoye opened the scoring with a layup to put MU on top 2-0, but Iowa State scored 17 of the next 18 points in the game for its 17-3 lead. The Cyclones led by as much as 16 points in the first half, as the Tigers hit just three of their first 14 shots on the day.

Thanks largely to the second-half shooting of long-range bomber Clarence Gilbert, Missouri scratched its way back into the ballgame, and trailed just 55-49 with 14:54 left, after the third of three straight three pointers by Gilbert, who finished with a career-high 26 points. ISU stretched the lead back to 15 with 9:16 left, but MU got as close as four points, at 83-79 with 13 seconds left on a Dooling three pointer. But the Tigers would get no closer, as ISU hit 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

GRAWER HOPES FOR REPEAT
Junior guard Brian Grawer is heating up just in time to go for a repeat performance last year that saw him notch a career-high 27 points against Iowa State in Columbia.

On Feb. 24th last year, Grawer scorched the nets on a perfect 6-of-6 three pointers vs. the Cyclones, helping lead the Tigers to a season sweep of ISU.

For his career, Grawer is averaging 9.5 points per game in 6 outings vs. ISU, and has connected on 80.0 percent of his three-point attempts (12-of-15).

SCORING EXPLOSION
Missouri began its current seven-game winning streak on Jan. 12th in Columbia against Colorado. Since then, MU has knocked off Kansas State, Baylor, Kansas, Texas A&M, Colorado again, and Nebraska in succession.

In those seven games, Missouri has really put things together on the offensive end. MU has shot 49.5 percent as a team in the seven wins, compared to just 43.3 percent by opponents.

Perhaps most impressive is the fact that the Tigers have averaged 84.4 points a game in the string just under 16 points more than the team was averaging prior to the first meeting with CU (68.5 ppg). The Tigers are outscoring foes by a 13.8 point margin per game during the current streak (84.4 to 70.6).

MORE SCORING FACTS
Missouri has scored 80 or more points in 6-of-8 conference games thus far (75.0 percent), entering the Iowa State contest.

That's a pretty heady accomplishment, given the fact that in the previous years of Big 12 Conference play, MU had scored 80 or more points in just 13 of 48 league contests (27.0 percent).

PICK YOUR POISON
During MU's seven-game winning streak, Quin Snyder's bunch has exhibited an impressive balance offensively, making it hard for opponents to focus on one person.

A whopping six Tigers, led by Clarence Gilbert (16.3 ppg) are averaging double figures in scoring in the winning streak. Others in double figures include Kareem Rush (17.3 ppg in the last 3), Keyon Dooling (14.0), Brian Grawer (12.1), Jeff Hafer (11.4) and Tajudeen Soyoye (10.4). Additionally, Johnnie Parker, at 8.7 ppg, is just shy of giving the Tigers seven players in double figures, as well.

Here's a quick look at a few numbers which have told the story during MU's seven-game streak:

MORE POISON
To illustrate just how improved MU's offensive attack has been since conference play began, here's a quick look at how several Tiger individuals have done scoring-wise in league play, compared to non-league play:

BREAK OUT THE CALCULATORS
Missouri earned its 84-78 comeback win at Nebraska on Saturday thanks in large part to a monster 2nd-half offensive performance that saw MU score a whopping 60 points.

The Tigers shot 53.1 percent from the floor in the second half, after making just 9-of-30 shots in the opening 20 minutes (30.0%), and hit 9-of-19 three pointers (47.4%) after making just 2-of-10 in the first half (20.0%).

MU also got it done at the foul line, as they hit 17-of-22 freebies in the second half (77.3%), including 12-of-16 in the final two minutes to seal the win.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING
While an MU win Wednesday against Iowa State might not be as historically significant as man landing on the moon, or the invention of Cheez-Whiz, it would still mark a pretty large accomplishment for the Tigers.

A win would give the current MU squad eight straight conference wins. Since the 1922-23 Tigers went 14-2 in Missouri Valley Conference play, only two other MU teams have won as many as eight consecutive regular-season conference games. Both of those teams went on to claim conference championships.

Here's a look at the longest conference winning streaks by MU since 1922-23:

MU VS. RANKED TEAMS
Missouri will be playing its fifth game this year against a ranked opponent, and the Tigers stand 2-2 in the previous four outings.

In its last time out vs. a ranked foe, MU demolished then-#7 Kansas, 81-59 in Columbia on Jan. 22nd. MU had #15-ranked Indiana on the ropes in Columbia (Dec. 7), leading by as much as 16 points in the first half, but the Hoosiers clawed back for a 73-68 win. Two weeks later, MU defeated #15 Illinois at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, by a similar 78-72 score. Later, MU was beaten by #25 Kentucky, 70-53 in New Orleans, La., on Dec. 30th.

Individually, Keyon Dooling is averaging 19.3 points per game against ranked teams, with efforts of 25 vs. Illinois, 21 vs. Indiana, 19 vs. Kentucky and 12 vs. Kansas. His running-mate Clarence Gilbert is averaging 18.5 points in those same games, and had a career-high 27 points in a lights-out performance against Kansas.

START ME UP
With a 7-1 record through eight games, Missouri is already off to its best start since the formation of the Big 12 Conference.

A win Wednesday would give the Tigers an 8-1 league record, which would be one game better than they've ever stood through nine games in Big 12 play. If they follow the progression pattern below, look for the Tigers to make some noise this season.

Here's a look at how the Tigers have started the league season in the past three years:

THE QUIN-TISENNTIALS
The 15th head coach in Missouri basketball history, Quin Snyder is 14-6 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. His first win in the Big 12 Conference came on Jan. 12th, as the Tigers jumped Colorado, 100-86. His first-ever road win will go down in the books as a 74-72 win at Baylor on Jan. 18th.

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.

WELCOME BACK, KAREEM!
After missing nine games due to an NCAA-mandated suspension, one had to wonder how long it would take freshman Kareem Rush to get back into the flow, when he returned to game action Jan. 29th vs. Texas A&M.

Well, it took the unflappable rookie from Kansas City, Mo. about as long as it takes Al Gore to flip-flop a position not too long.

Rush entered the game with 14:30 left in the first half, and MU trailing the Aggies 13-5. Over the next three minutes, the Tigers went on a 14-0 run to regain the lead for good. On the day, Rush scored a team-high 16 points, on 6-of-10 shooting. He followed up with 15 more points last Wednesday at Colorado, and added a career-high 21 at Nebraska. He was named Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week on Monday for his efforts.

Rush missed games from Dec. 18 through Jan. 22, due to impermissible benefits he received from an AAU coach prior to his enrollment at Missouri.

The University first declared him ineligible on Dec. 14th, and turned in its findings to the NCAA. The NCAA then ruled he must sit out 50 percent of MU's games originally, but reduced the sentence to 33 percent, or nine games. Additionally, Rush will have four years to donate to charity the monetary value of gifts he received from his former coach.

Missouri managed to go 6-3 during Rush's absence, with big wins over #7 Kansas, #15 Illinois and Iowa, but was certainly welcomed back with open arms.

Rush is now averaging 12.6 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, numbers which rank 3rd on the team. His scoring average would rank him 2nd among Big 12 freshmen, but he has played in enough games to qualify for the statistics leader board.

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:

THE RETURN OF GRAWER POWER
As certain as death and taxes, you just knew that junior guard Brian Grawer would regain his shooting touch sometime during the year.

Grawer exploded for a season-high 23 points last Wednesday at Colorado, leading the Tigers to a key road win. He hit 6-of-9 shots on the night, including 4-of-7 from beyond three-point range. He also hit 7-of-8 free throws, including 4-of-4 in the game's final 30 seconds, to seal the win.

He entered last Wednesday's game shooting just 32.0 percent from the floor, a stat which has been hard to understand, given the fact that he was a career 48.0 percent shooter entering the year. He also ranked third in the NCAA last year in three-point shooting (48.0%).

But Grawer quickly served notice that he's feeling good about his shot on Wednesday, as he scored 16 points in the first half. Included in that were key back-to-back three pointers in the final minute of the first half that gave MU a 12-point halftime lead. His last was a 23-foot bomb from the left side with just :02 seconds left.

He followed with another solid performance Saturday at Nebraska, as he scored 16 points. He hit three more 3-pt. FGs, giving him 10 in the last three games, after making only 19 threes in his previous 17 games. He again proved to be deadly at crunch time from the foul line, as he hit 5-of-6 free throws in the game's final minute to salt away the victory.

In MU's current seven-game winning streak, Grawer is shooting 47.9 percent from the floor.

COMEBACK KIDS
Mizzou won for the first time in five years at Lincoln on Saturday, despite trailing by 14 points with just over 17 minutes remaining in the game.

How did the Tigers come out on top? Here's a few reasons:

Freshman Kareem Rush scored a career-high 21 points, including 10 points in a first half in which MU managed only 24 points as a team. His efforts kept the Tigers in the game, until the rest of his teammates got untracked offensively. That marked his third straight game in double figures since returning from an NCAA suspension.

MU's starting trio of guards Keyon Dooling, Brian Grawer and Clarence Gilbert exploded to combine for 44 points in the second half, after scoring a combined 4 points in the first 20 minutes. The trio hit 7-of-15 3-pt. FGs in the second half, after going a combined 0-of-6 in the first half from beyond the arch.

MU continued its stellar foul shooting down the stretch, as the Tigers hit 12-of-16 free throws in the game's final two minutes to seal the comeback win.

A VALUABLE RESOURCE
The return of Kareem Rush to the Tiger lineup gives Quin Snyder not only another explosive offensive weapon, but it helps give MU a much deeper bench.

To illustrate the point, consider the following fact: in the nine games that Rush had to sit out, the Tiger bench averaged just 9.8 points per game. In the 11 games that Rush has played, the Tiger bench has contributed an average of 25.4 points a contest.

The Jan. 29th game vs. Texas A&M was a perfect example of what depth can do for a team. In the Tigers' dismantling of the Aggies, MU reserves contributed 43 points off the bench, compared to just nine points off the bench for A&M.

MU's season high for reserves in a game came vs. Morgan State, when the Tiger bench outscored MSU by a 46-9 margin.

OFFENSE GETTING UNTRACKED
Since conference season rolled around, the Missouri has turned itself into one of the league's top offensive units, as the Tigers rank as the Big 12's highest scoring team in league games, with an 84.0 per-game average entering Wednesday's game vs. Iowa State.

In conference play, MU also leads the league in field goal percentage (48.9%) and is 2nd in three-point shooting (42.6%).

The turnaround in offensive performance has been dramatic for the Tigers. Entering the league season, MU ranked 12th in the league in field goal percentage.

MU has shot better than 50.0 percent in 3-of-8 league games, including a 52.3 percent shooting day vs. Texas A&M. Previously, the Tigers had an outstanding performance against #7 Kansas, in which MU shot 54.7% from the floor, including 50.0% from three-point land (11-of-22).

In a 100-86 win over Colorado on Jan. 12th, the Tigers had a brilliant offensive performance. Missouri shot a scintillating 64.6% from the floor against the ?Buffs, which is the best shooting day for an MU team since the Tigers hit for 64.7% against Chicago State on Dec. 2, 1995. It's also the best mark put forth by a Tiger team since the inception of the Big 12 Conference. The previous Big 12 best by MU was a 56.7% shooting day at Texas A&M in 1999.

In scoring 100 points for the first time since beating Southern, 111-69 on Dec. 30, 1996, the Tigers' offensive prowess was impressive, considering the fact that just eight days earlier, MU suffered through its worst shooting performance in over 22 years. On Jan. 8th, MU fell to Winthrop, 51-46, in a game in which the Tigers made just 25.0% of their shots. That was MU's lowest output since shooting 23.9% in a 96-49 loss to Kansas on Dec. 28, 1977.

GILBERT 5th IN BIG 12 IN SCORING
Sophomore guard Clarence Gilbert enters Wednesday's game as the 5th-leading scorer in Big 12 Conference games, as he's scoring at a 17.5 points per game clip. He had been leading the league in scoring through five games, but has been held to an average of 9.3 points a game since spraining his left ankle at the end of the Kansas game on Jan. 22nd.

Gilbert recently turned in a performance against Kansas that will have Tiger fans talking for a long time. Against the Jayhawks, Gilbert scored a career-high 27 points, and didn't even play the last 6:09 because of the ankle sprain.

Gilbert hit 7-of-10 three pointers against KU, including a torrid stretch where he hit five straight treys to push MU out to a 56-39 lead with 12:41 left in the game. He also led the team with six rebounds, and added four assists.

Gilbert celebrated his 20th birthday on Jan. 15th vs. Kansas State by scoring 25 points and grabbing six rebounds. He's now scored 25 or more points in three league games already 26 points (at Iowa State), 25 points (vs. KSU), and 27 points (vs. Kansas).

Gilbert's feats in conference play thus far are pretty impressive, given the fact that he averaged just 4.8 points a game in Big 12 play last year as a freshman.

He also ranks 1st in league games with an average of 3.88 three-pointers made per game, and is 4th in three-point shooting percentage (45.6%). His season scoring average of 13.2 currently ranks 14th in the league.

TIGER QUICK FACTS
Sophomore guard Keyon Dooling has been MU's leading scorer all season, but he's really excelled in running the team of late, as he's averaging 5.6 assists per game in MU's last seven games. He currently ranks 11th in the Big 12, with a scoring average of 15.4 points a game. He's coming off a stellar performance at Nebraska, where he scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, leading MU to a come-from-behind win. He also added seven assists and six rebounds on the day to complete an excellent line. On Jan. 12th vs. Colorado, he was near-perfect when he scored 25 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point land. He also was good on 7-of-8 free throws on the night, and added five assists. His 25 points tied a career high, and he's accomplished that three times this season against Princeton, #15 Illinois and Colorado.

Johnnie Parker has been one of the key components in MU's seven-game winning streak, as the junior from St. Louis, Mo. has been playing the best ball of his Tiger career. He had 14 points (on 6-of-6 FGs) in 15 minutes vs. Texas A&M, and followed that with a 10-point outing last Wednesday at Colorado. He was a key performer in MU's win over Kansas on Jan. 22nd. He scored nine points off the bench (on 4-of-5 FGs), and gave the Tigers a spark when he scored a bucket on MU's last possession of the first half for the third straight game. He currently ranks 4th in conference play with a field goal percentage of 62.0 percent. Earlier, Parker had a career-high 16 points in 20 minutes off the bench vs. Colorado.

Senior forward Jeff Hafer continued his outstanding all-around play last Wednesday, as he scored 16 points, and added 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists at Colorad. He scored eight points and added a team-best six rebounds vs. Kansas, in just 19 minutes of play. Previously, he had a solid effort vs. Baylor, as he scored 15 points, on 7-of-9 shooting. He's averaging 10.9 points per game in Big 12 play, and is shooting 59.6 percent from the floor, which ranks 7th in league games. Hafer scored a career-high 19 points on Jan. 12th against Colorado, eclipsing the previous best of 18 he had against Coppin State as a sophomore. Hafer hit 12-of-14 free throws on the night, and added four assists.

Junior guard BRIAN GRAWER scored a season-high 23 points at Colorado, and followed up with 16 more at Nebraska. He's now scored in double figures in three straight games, and has averaged 16.7 points per game in the last three outings. He's hit 10-of-18 three pointers in the three games (55.6 percent). He scored 14 points on Jan. 15th vs. Kansas State, as he made 6-of-12 shots on the day. He's now scored in double figures in 5-of-8 league games, after doing so just twice during 13 non-conference games. The career 48 percent shooter is connecting on 36.2 percent of his shots thus far. Grawer is shooting 90.0 percent from the foul line this year (45-of-50), and leads the Big 12 Conference in that category.

Junior center tajudeen soyoye notched the second double-double of his career on Jan. 18th at Baylor, as he racked up 14 points and added 11 rebounds in 31 minutes of play. He followed up with a solid game against Kansas, when he scored 16 points and held KU's Eric Chenowith to six points and five rebounds. MU is now 11-1 on the year when he plays 26 minutes or more, and is just 3-5 when he plays 25 minutes or fewer. Soyoye currently ranks 11th in the Big 12 with a season field goal rate of 55.3 percent.

Freshman forward justin gage, was a key performer in Saturday's win at Nebraska, as he grabbed a career-high seven rebounds. Gage entered the Jan. 18th game at Baylor shooting just 46.2 percent from the foul line, calmly nailed a pair of free throws with :16 seconds left to give MU a 73-68 lead, which proved to be the winning points in MU's 74-72 win. Gage is a quarterback on the MU football team who walked on to the basketball team following the conclusion of the football season.

MU'S RPI IS A.O.K.
Missouri ranks 28th in the latest RPI rankings, while Iowa State rates #16 in the land. MU's schedule ranks as the 31st-toughest in the nation currently. The Big 12 Conference is ranked as the #3 league in strength ratings, behind only the Big Ten, and Pac-10 conferences.

DEFENSE TIGHTENS THE SCREWS
After allowing Iowa State to shoot 50.9 percent from the floor to begin the league season, Head Coach Quin Snyder preached to his Tigers the importance of focusing on defense. The message was received loud and clear by Snyder's troops, as no opponent has reached the magical 50.0 percent mark since.

Last Saturday, MU held Nebraska to 43.1% shooting, and previously held Texas A&M to 43.6% shooting, and forced 29 Aggie turnovers on the day, along with grabbing 20 steals (just three shy of the school record). Prior to that, MU limited 7th-ranked Kansas to just 36.8% shooting, forced 18 Jayhawk turnovers, and allowed KU to post just 13 assists, on a team which averaged 21 assists per game.

On Jan. 15th, MU held Kansas State to 38.9% shooting, including 18.8% from three-point range (3-of-16). Additionally, MU harassed the Wildcats into 20 turnovers, and had 13 steals.

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

But the Tigers have come up big on the glass during MU's seven-game winning streak, as they've outrebounded opponents by a 35.9-to-35.7 margin per game. That doesn't seem like much, but consider the fact that prior to the current streak, the Tigers were being outrebounded by a 37.8-to-32.8 margin by their opponents.

In last week's sweep of road games at Colorado and Nebraska, the Tigers outrebounded both teams. MU outworked CU on the glass, 42-39, and did so in similar fashion to NU, 42-38. Colorado and Nebraska had entered last week ranking 2nd and 3rd in the Big 12 in rebounding, respectively.

Missouri is averaging 33.9 rebounds a game entering the Iowa State contest. The Tigers are 7-0 when outrebounding their opponent, and 6-5 when losing the battle of the boards.

GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES
Missouri has used the three-point shot to its advantage this year. The Tigers enter the Iowa State game as the top three-point outfit in the Big 12 Conference. Through 20 games, Missouri has hit 186-of-490 three pointers, both totals which are tops in the Big 12 Conference thus far.

MU has made at least 10 three pointers in a game nine times on the year, and hit 11-of-29 threes at Nebraska last Saturday. Previously, they had an 11-of-20 night from beyond the arch at Colorado (55.0%). On Jan. 12th, the Tigers also scorched the nets vs. Colorado, when MU hit 10-of-15 attempts for a season-best 66.7% clip.

Ironically, however, when MU scored a season-high 100 points against Colorado, the 15 three point attempts were the fewest they've tried this season.

Taking a look at the season stats, it appears that when MU tries fewer threes, they are more successful. The three games in which MU has attempted the fewest number of threes this year, MU is 3-0. The three games in which they have attempted the most number of threes this year, the Tigers are just 1-2. Here's a breakdown:

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 the 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 20 games, the Tigers are on pace to make 270 three pointers in 711 attempts.

GETTING TO THE LINE
All season long, Tiger Coach Quin Snyder has preached the importance of driving the ball, which leads to open shots and getting fouled. Missouri's focus on being aggressive offensively led to 63 foul shots combined in its two road wins last week, of which the Tigers connected on 40 (63.5%). That compares to 31-of-48 foul shots combined for Colorado and Nebraska (66.7%).

More importantly, MU was a combined 18-of-24 (75.0%) from the line in the last two minutes of both road games.

On Jan. 12th, MU had a big night from the foul line against Colorado, as the Tigers' efforts resulted in a season-high 28 made free throws. MU shot a solid 77.8% from the line (28-of-38), which was a big factor in the outcome of the game, as CU was 19-of-28 on the night.

MU faced a huge deficit at the foul line at Iowa State, as the Cyclones hit 24-of-34 free throws, compared to just 8-of-11 for the Tigers. MU actually outscored ISU by a 73-62 margin from the field, but couldn't overcome the Cyclones advantage from the line.

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.

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."

FOUR FORMER TIGERS HONORED
Four former Tiger basketball standouts were honored last weekend, as they were inducted into the MU Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.

Joining the Hall this year were former players Kim Anderson, Melvin Booker, Ricky Frazier and Woody Hatfield.

KIM ANDERSON Currently in his first year as director of basketball operations for the Big 12 Conference, Anderson was a junior forward on Norm Stewart's first Big Eight Conference championship team in 1976, then led the league in scoring and was it's "Player of the Year" in 1977. He tallied 1,289 points in his career to rank among MU's top-20 alltime scorers. From 1982 until 1999, he was an assistant coach, including 12 years at MU and six others at Baylor.

MELVIN BOOKER Booker was the catalyst for MU's 14-0 run through the Big Eight Conference in 1994, and eventual advancement to the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. He was an all-Big Eight selection as a junior (15.8 ppg) and senior (18.1 ppg), and was a first-team all-American in 1994. He ranks fifth in school history in scoring (1,697 points) and second in both three-point field goals (183) and assists (488). Booker is currently playing in Europe, and will not be in attendance this weekend.

RICKY FRAZIER Played on three Big Eight Conference championship and NCAA Tournament teams from 1980-82. He was all-Big Eight and all-District in 1981 and ?82 and Big Eight Player of the Year and all-America in 1982. He was selected to MU's "Team of the Decade" for the 1980s, and was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 1982 NBA Draft.

WOODY HATFIELD Hatfield starred at MU in football, basketball and track and field in the 1930s, and will be inducted as part of the Pioneer Era (1890-1966).

MIZZOU SETS ATTENDANCE RECORD
Missouri has broken single game attendance records twice in Quin Snyder's first year as head coach.

Last Saturday vs. Kansas, a record 14,098 fans packed the Hearnes Center to see MU crush KU, 81-59. It was the first time over the 14,000 mark for an MU home game.

Previously, Missouri's home game on Dec. 7th vs. Indiana drew 13,782 fans, which broke the record 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.

TIGERS HIT THE ROAD
When MU plays at Baylor Tuesday evening, the game will mark just the second true road game of the year for the Tigers.

Due to a scheduling rarity, five of the Tigers' six games thus far outside of the Hearnes Center have been played at neutral-court sites. Missouri opened up at the NABC Classic in Syracuse, N.Y., and never faced the host Orangemen. Later, the Tigers played a pair of neutral-site games in St. Louis and closed out 1999 by facing Kentucky in New Orleans, La. MU dropped a 86-81 decision at Iowa State on Jan. 8th to open league play.

The Tigers hold a 1-4 record in games away from the Hearnes Center thus far. Here's a look at the Tigers' numbers this season at home compared to the six games they've played thus far outside the friendly confines of Hearnes:

Individually, numbers which stand out include the following: T.J. Soyoye is averaging 12.3 ppg at Hearnes, and just 7.0 away from home ... Soyoye is shooting an outstanding 59.4% from the floor at Hearnes (41-of-69 FGs), and just 42.4% away from home (14-of-33)...Conversely, leading scorer Keyon Dooling is averaging 20.2 ppg away from Hearnes, compared to 13.8 ppg at home.

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 two days 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.