Feb. 14, 2000
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri Tigers (14-8 overall, 7-3 in Big 12 Conference play) hit the road for a pair of games this week, looking to break a two-game skid. MU's first road test takes place Tuesday night in Lubbock, Texas, where the Tigers will take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-11, 1-9). Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. MU will then play at Kansas State on Saturday afternoon (12:45 p.m.).
Missouri is coming off a tough week at home, in which the Tigers lost a pair of heartbreakers to ranked teams - 72-62 vs. #17 Iowa State on Wednesday, and 66-63 vs. #18 Texas on Saturday. MU had won seven straight games prior to Wednesday.
Texas Tech is coming off its first win of the conference season, as the Red Raiders earned a 79-68 home win over Baylor Saturday evening.
Missouri (14-8, 7-3) at Texas Tech (10-11, 1-9)
Feb. 15, 2000 - Lubbock, Texas
TIPOFF: 7:00 p.m. (central).
ARENA: United Spirit Arena (15,500). Opened this season. Tech is 7-5 there. MU is 0-2 alltime in Lubbock.
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: No television for this game.
RANKINGS: Neither team is ranked.
SERIES: The series is tied 3-3. Tech has won 2-of-3 games in Big 12 Conference play vs. Missouri.
COACHES:
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Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89), 14-8 at MU (1st season), 14-8 overall (1st season).
Texas Tech: James Dickey (Central Arkansas '76), 155-100 at Tech (9th season), 155-100 overall (9th season). Dickey is 2-1 vs. MU.
OFFICIALS: Will be announced prior to tipoff.
MISSOURI TIGERS (14-8, 7-3)
(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. | 7.7 / 3.7 |
| C | 33 | Tajudeen Soyoye | 6-9 | 236 | Jr. | Lagos, Nigeria | 9.6 / 6.3 |
| G | 5 | Keyon Dooling* | 6-3 | 184 | So. | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. | 15.1 / 2.6 |
| G | 12 | Brian Grawer** | 6-0 | 165 | Jr. | St. Louis, Mo. | 8.0 / 3.0 |
| G | 4 | Clarence Gilbert* | 6-2 | 197 | So. | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. | 12.9 / 3.8 |
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (10-11, 1-9)
(Probable Starting Lineup/Just an SID's best guess)
| P | NO | NAME | HT | WT | YR | HOMETOWN | PPG/RPG |
| F | 14 | Mario Layne* | 6-7 | 195 | Sr. | St. Michael, Barbados | 13.3 / 5.6 |
| F | 33 | Brodney Kennard* | 6-8 | 210 | Sr. | Fort Worth, Texas | 6.6 / 6.7 |
| C | 25 | Johnny Phillips** | 6-9 | 235 | Jr. | Fort Worth, Texas | 1.5 / 1.5 |
| G | 3 | Rayford Young*** | 5-11 | 180 | Sr. | Pampa, Texas | 16.2 / 4.0 |
| G | 5 | James Ware* | 6-5 | 210 | Sr. | Minneapolis, Minn. | 11.0 / 3.1 |
THE QUIN-TISENNTIALS
The 15th head coach in Missouri basketball history, Quin Snyder is 14-8 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.
MISSOURI-TEXAS TECH SERIES
Missouri and Texas Tech have met just six times previously, and the teams have split the series right down the middle, with three wins apiece. Texas Tech owns a 2-1 edge in the series since the formation of the Big 12 Conference, and won the last meeting between the two in Lubbock, 80-60 in 1998.
Texas Tech Head Coach James Dickey is 2-1 vs. Missouri, while MU Head Coach Quin Snyder will be making his first appearance against both Tech and Dickey.
Please see page four of these propagana-lined pages for a breakdown of the MU-Tech series.
road sweet road?
Generally speaking, playing on the road is not preferred, but a road trip might actually be a welcomed sight this week for the Tigers, as they're looking to regroup from a pair of home losses last week.
Mizzou has proven this season that it can get the job done in enemy territory, as the Tigers have won three straight games on the road, and stand 3-1 on the road in league play, which is the second-best road record in the league, behind only Oklahoma State's 4-1 mark. MU's wins have come at Baylor (Jan. 18th), at Colorado (Feb. 2nd) and at Nebraska (Feb. 5th), with the sole loss coming to current league leader Iowa State on Jan. 8th in Ames.
The Tigers have had to gut out all three wins, however, as they came by a combined 13 points. Rebounding has been a key in those games, as the Tigers have held a slight 37.7-to-37.3 rebounding edge in the wins.
Five Tigers are averaging double figures in scoring in the last three road wins. They're led by freshman Kareem Rush, who averaged 18.0 points in the last two games, followed by Brian Grawer (15.7 ppg), Keyon Dooling (13.0), Jeff Hafer (12.7) and Clarence Gilbert (12.3).
DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS
There's another streak that the Tigers hope to keep alive Tuesday in Lubbock, and it has to do with playing in the state of Texas.
MU has won four straight games in the Lone Star State, including a 1-0 mark this season, and a perfect 3-0 record last year.
MU won at Baylor back on Jan. 18th, by a 74-72 count, and notched consecutive wins last season at Texas, Texas A&M and SMU.
TOUGH STRETCH CONTINUES
After winning 7-of-8 games to begin conference play, the Tigers head into the second half of the league season staring at tough road to hoe, as it were.
MU is coming off consecutive home defeats at the hands of 17th-ranked Iowa State and 18th-ranked Texas.
In all, the Tigers will face five ranked teams in its final eight games of the regular season, with later ranked foes such as #14 Oklahoma State (Feb. 21 in Columbia), #16 Oklahoma (Feb. 26 at Norman) and #20 Kansas (March 5 in Lawrence) lining the docket.
CARDIAC KIDS
While the Tigers would certainly prefer a big win on Tuesday at Texas Tech, MU has been predisposed to playing tight ballgames this season.
More than half of MU's games (12-of-22 to be exact) have been decided by six points or fewer. The Tigers hold a 7-5 record in those games.
Each of MU's four road games this season have been decided by five points or fewer.
STREAK ENDS AT SEVEN
Missouri saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end last Wednesday in a rugged game vs. 17th-ranked Iowa State. MU then dropped a heartbreaker to 18th-ranked Texas on Saturday, when three last-second shots wouldn't fall.
MU's defensive efforts were solid, as ISU and UT scored an average of just 69.0 points per game, and only outrebounded the smallish Tigers by an average of 37.0-to-35.0.
The most obvious area to pinpoint for MU's losses last week would come on the offensive end of the court. Missouri entered last week averaging a league-best 84.0 points a game in conference play, but both Iowa State and Texas' strong perimeter defense held MU's potent guard attack in check, as the Tigers averaged just 62.5 points in the two games.
As a team, the Tigers shot just 37.5 percent from the floor in the two games, making just 42-of-112 attempts.
The seven straight wins was the longest such streak for MU since the inception of the Big 12 Conference, in 1996-97. The previous longest streak was five games, accomplished last season.
SCORING EXPLOSION
Missouri began its recent seven-game winning streak on Jan. 12th in Columbia against Colorado. Since then, MU knocked off Kansas State, Baylor, Kansas, Texas A&M, Colorado again, and Nebraska in succession, prior to last week's losses to Iowa State and Texas.
In those seven games, Missouri really put things together on the offensive end. MU shot 49.5 percent as a team in the seven wins, compared to just 43.3 percent by opponents.
Perhaps most impressive was the fact that the Tigers 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 outscored foes by a 13.8 point margin per game during the streak (84.4 to 70.6).
It's been said that numbers don't lie, and when you compare MU's numbers of the last two games to those posted during the recent seven-game winning streak, you can see why Mizzou had a rough go of it last week:
| 7-Game Streak | Last 2 Games | |
| MU Points Per Game | 84.4 | 62.5 |
| Scoring Margin | +13.9 | -6.5 |
| Rebounding Margin | +0.2 | -2.0 |
| MU FG Percentage | 49.5% | 37.5% |
| Opp. FG Percentage | 43.3% | 46.5% |
| MU 3-pt. FG Percentage | 42.7% | 35.4% |
| MU Assists Per Game | 17.0 | 10.0 |
| MU FT Attempts Per Game | 26.3 | 16.0 |
MORE SCORING FACTS
Missouri has scored 80 or more points in 6-of-10 conference games thus far (60.0 percent), entering the Texas Tech 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 the Big 12 Conference season, Quin Snyder's bunch has exhibited an impressive balance offensively, making it hard for opponents to focus on one person.
Five Tigers, led by freshman Kareem Rush (16.2 ppg), are averaging double figures in scoring in conference play. Others in double figures include Clarence Gilbert (15.9 ppg), Keyon Dooling (13.6), Brian Grawer (10.4) and Jeff Hafer (10.0). Additionally, one other Tiger, Tajudeen Soyoye (9.7) is just shy of giving MU six people averaging double digits.
Here's a quick look at a few numbers which have told the story during MU's 7-3 start to the conference season:
| Big 12 Season | Prior to Big 12 | |
| MU Points Per Game | 79.7 | 67.4 |
| Scoring Margin | +7.9 | +3.8 |
| Rebounding Margin | -1.5 | -4.2 |
| MU FG Percentage | 46.7% | 40.3% |
| Opp. FG Percentage | 44.7% | 44.2% |
| MU 3-pt. FG Percentage | 41.1% | 35.2% |
| Opp. 3-pt. FG Percentage | 28.4% | 32.5% |
| MU Assists Per Game | 14.7 | 12.8 |
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:
| PPG | PPG | |
| Tiger | Big 12 | Non-Conf. |
| Kareem Rush | 16.2 | 10.9 |
| Clarence Gilbert | 15.9 | 10.4 |
| Keyon Dooling | 13.6 | 16.4 |
| Brian Grawer | 10.4 | 6.0 |
| Jeff Hafer | 10.0 | 5.8 |
BREAK OUT THE CALCULATORS
Missouri earned its 84-78 comeback win at Nebraska on Feb. 5th 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 MU's bid at eight straight conference wins fell a bit short last Wednesday against Iowa State, the fact that the Tigers strung together seven consecutive wins was no small feat.
Since the 1922-23 Tigers went 14-2 in Missouri Valley Conference play, only four other MU teams have won as many as seven consecutive regular-season conference games. All four of those teams went on to claim conference championships.
Here's a look at the longest conference winning streaks by MU since 1922-23:
| Winning | League | League | |
| Year | Streak | Record | Standing |
| 1993-94 | 14 | 14-0 | 1st |
| 1981-82 | 8 | 12-2 | 1st |
| 1999-00 | 7 | 7-2 | T-3rd |
| 1989-90 | 7 | 12-2 | 1st |
| 1979-80 | 7 | 11-3 | 1st |
| 1988-89 | 6 | 10-4 | 2nd |
| 1986-87 | 6 | 11-3 | 1st |
| 1976-77 | 6 | 9-5 | 3rd |
AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME
Missouri stood 7-1 through the first half of the Big 12 season, MU's best halfway mark in the short history of the league.
We all know that a good start is important, but it's likely even more important how a team finishes the season. Last year, MU followed a 6-2 first half with a solid 5-3 second half, which helped propel the Tigers into the NCAA Tournament.
In the previous three years of Big 12 play, MU was an even 24-24 in league action. Oddly, the Tigers were a symmetrical 12-12 combined in the three years between the first and second halves of season play.
Here's a look at how the Tigers have started and finished the league season:
| Year | 1st 8 | 2nd 8 | Overall (Place) |
| 1996-97 | 2-6 | 3-5 | 5-11 (10th) |
| 1997-98 | 4-4 | 4-4 | 8-8 (5th) |
| 1998-99 | 6-2 | 5-3 | 11-5 (2nd) |
| 3-Year Totals | 12-12 | 12-12 | 24-24 |
| 1999-00 | 7-1 | 0-2 | 7-3 (T-4th) |
| Totals | 19-13 | 12-14 | 31-26 |
rush one of league's best rookies
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 a politician to flip-flop a position - not too long.
Rush showed no signs of rust that day, as he scored a team-high 16 points, on 6-of-10 shooting. He followed up with 15 more points at Colorado, and added a career-high 21 at Nebraska. He was named Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week last week for his efforts at CU and at NU. He scored 10 of his team's 24 points in the first half at Nebraska, keeping the Tigers within striking distance.
He followed with another impressive pair of games last week, as he scored 17 points in 30 minutes of play, hitting 3-of-4 three pointers along the way.
Rush then scored a team-high 12 points Saturday vs. Texas, but more impressive than his numbers was how he played down the stretch. Rush scored seven of MU's last eight points in the final four minutes of play, on a pair of free throws, a three-pointer and a spinning jumper.
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.
Rush is now averaging 12.9 points and 4.4 rebounds a game, numbers which rank 2nd and 3rd on the team, respectively. His scoring average ranks him 2nd among Big 12 freshmen, and 16th overall in the league, 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:
| Tiger | Fresh. Year | Pts. | Rebs. |
| Steve Stipanovich | 1979-80 | 14.4 | 6.4 |
| Derrick Chievous | 1984-85 | 13.1 | 5.3 |
| Kareem Rush | 1999-00 | 12.9 | 4.4 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
DOOLING IS MU'S 'KEY' 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 5.1 assists per game in MU's last seven games.
He currently ranks 11th in the Big 12, with a scoring average of 15.1 points a game. He was held in check Saturday vs. Texas, scoring seven points on 2-of-10 shooting, but he contributed four of MU's 13 assists on the day, and added four rebounds.
Dooling had a solid night against #17 Iowa State last week, a game in which he led MU with 18 points. He was credited with just two assists (his lowest total since Jan. 8, also vs. ISU) on the night, but had several nice dishes underneath bounce off teammates' hands, only to go unrewarded.
Dooling had a stellar performance at Nebraska, when 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.
GILBERT 8th IN BIG 12 IN SCORING
Sophomore guard Clarence Gilbert enters Saturday's game as the 8th-leading scorer in Big 12 Conference games, as he's scoring at a 15.9 points per game clip. He had been leading the league in scoring through five games (22.4 ppg), but has been held to an average of 9.4 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 3rd in league games with an average of 3.40 three-pointers made per game, and is 5th in three-point shooting percentage (43.6%). His season scoring average of 12.9 currently ranks 15th in the league.
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 five games that Rush has played since returning to the lineup, the Tiger bench has contributed an average of 29.6 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.
MU'S RPI IS A.O.K.
Missouri ranks 35th in the latest RPI rankings, while Texas Tech rates #121 in the land. MU's schedule ranks as the 16th-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.
TIGER QUICK FACTS
Johnnie Parker was one of the key components in MU's recent seven-game winning streak, as the junior from St. Louis, Mo. has been playing the best ball of his Tiger career. For the season, he's averaging a career-high 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He had 14 points (on 6-of-6 FGs) in 15 minutes vs. Texas A&M, and followed that with a 10-point outing 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 9th in conference play with a field goal percentage of 56.2 percent. Earlier, Parker had a career-high 16 points in 20 minutes off the bench vs. Colorado.
Senior forward Jeff Hafer continues to be a key cog in MU's lineup. Hafer was held to six points Saturday vs. Texas, but grabbed nine rebounds, helping MU to a 45-36 advantage on the boards over the 'Horns. He also just missed out on being a hero, as his driving layup which would have given MU the lead with 18 seconds left rolled in and out. He scored 16 points, and added 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists at Colorado on Feb. 2nd. 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 10.0 points per game in Big 12 play, and is shooting 55.6 percent from the floor, which ranks 10th 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. That gave him double figures in points in three straight games (a season first), and he averaged 16.7 points per game in those three outings. He hit 10-of-18 three pointers in the three games (55.6 percent). Grawer was held to two points against Iowa State and six points against Texas last week, and made a valiant effort to send the Texas game into overtime, but his 25-footer with three seconds left fell short. 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-10 league games, after doing so just twice during 13 non-conference games. The career 48 percent shooter is connecting on 34.3 percent of his shots thus far. Grawer is shooting 90.4 percent from the foul line this year (47-of-52), 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 3-7 when he plays 25 minutes or fewer. Soyoye currently ranks 14th in the Big 12 with a season field goal rate of 52.7 percent. He's looking to get untracked offensively, as he's been held to an average of 4.5 points per game in the last four outings.
Freshman forward justin gage, was a key performer in MU's win at Nebraska, as he grabbed a career-high seven rebounds. He also turned in some late-game heroics on Jan. 18th at Baylor. Gage entered the game at Baylor shooting just 46.2 percent from the foul line, but 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.
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 had a big day on the glass against #18 Texas on Saturday, as MU outrebounded the Longhorns by a 45-36 margin. All 10 Tigers who played in the game had a rebound, and they were led individually by Jeff Hafer, who grabbed a season-high nine boards. MU had been 7-0 on the year when outrebounding their opponents, but fell to 7-1 on the year, as the Longhorns claimed a 66-63 win.
But the Tigers came up big on the glass during MU's recent seven-game winning streak, as they 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 MU'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 the week ranking 2nd and 3rd in the Big 12 in rebounding, respectively.
GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES
Missouri has used the three-point shot to its advantage this year. The Tigers enter the Texas Tech game as the top three-point outfit in the Big 12 Conference. Through 22 games, Missouri has hit 203-of-538 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 10 times on the year, and hit 10-of-28 threes against Texas on 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:
| 15 vs. Colorado | W |
| 17 vs. SMU | W |
| 18 at Baylor | W |
| -- | |
| 31 vs. Morgan State | W |
| 30 vs. Indiana | L |
| 30 vs. Winthrop | L |
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 22 games, the Tigers are on pace to make 268 three pointers in 709 attempts.
MORE ON THE LONGBALL
Through 22 games, the Missouri Tigers have already proven to be one of the school's most prolific long-range shooting teams.
The 203 three-point field goals made to this point already stands as the third-most number of treys made in MU single-season history. The Tigers need just 12 more to break the single-season team record at Mizzou, which is 214 treys made by the 1997-98 squad.
Additionally, the current Tigers have attempted 538 threes thus far, a total which ranks fourth on the alltime MU single-season chart. With 43 more attempts, they'll break the single-season mark of 580 set by the 1997-98 squad.
Here's a look at the single-season marks:
THREE-POINT FGs MADE
| 1. | 214 | 97-98 |
| 2. | 204 | 93-94 |
| 3. | 203 | 99-00 |
| 4. | 197 | 96-97 |
| 5. | 180 | 94-95 |
| 180 | 98-99 |
THREE-POINT FGs ATTEMPTED
| 1. | 580 | 97-98 |
| 2. | 575 | 93-94 |
| 3. | 549 | 96-97 |
| 4. | 538 | 99-00 |
| 5. | 474 | 98-99 |
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 at Colorado and Nebraska. 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.
The Tigers are looking to regain that aggressiveness, as they averaged just 16.0 free throws in its pair of losses last week vs. Iowa State and Texas. MU hit 75.0 percent of its freebies in the two games, but needed more opportunities to overcome the combined 37.5 percent shooting from the floor in the two games as a team. In its recent seven-game winning streak, MU averaged 26.3 free throw attempts per game.
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.
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 a 79.7 per-game average entering Tuesday's game at Texas Tech. That's despite averaging just 62.5 points in a pair of losses last week against Iowa State and Texas.
In conference play, MU is 2nd in the league in field goal percentage (46.7%) and in three-point shooting (41.1%).
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-10 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.
MIZZOU SETS ATTENDANCE RECORD
Missouri has broken single game attendance records twice in Quin Snyder's first year as head coach.
On Jan. 22nd 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.
| 1. | 14,098, 1-22-00 vs. Kansas |
| 2. | 13,782, 12-7-99 vs. Indiana |
| 3. | 13,706, 2-11-89 vs. Kansas |
| 4. | 13,645, 1-14-89 vs. Iowa State |
| 5. | 13,610, 2-27-88 vs. Kansas |
| 6. | 13,558, 2-21-88 vs. Oklahoma State |
| 7. | 13,544, 1-23-88 vs. Iowa State |
| 8. | 13,471, 3-3-88 vs. Oklahoma |
| 9. | 13,470, 2-4-89 vs. Kansas State |
| 10. | 13,469, 2-9-00 vs. Iowa State |
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).
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:
| Category | Home | Away |
| Record | 7-2 | 2-4 |
| Points | 74.8 | 65.0 |
| Opp. Points | 63.8 | 69.5 |
| FG % | 43.6 | 39.6 |
| Opp. FG % | 41.3 | 50.2 |
| 3-pt. FG % | 35.4 | 39.0 |
| Rebounds | 36.7 | 28.8 |
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.