Senior guard Jeff Hafer leads the Tigers into battle at Kansas State on Saturday, Feb. 19. Tipoff is set for 12:45 p.m.Senior guard Jeff Hafer leads the Tigers into battle at Kansas State on Saturday, Feb. 19. Tipoff is set for 12:45 p.m.
Men's Basketball

Tigers Wrap Up Two-Game Road Swing At K-State

Feb. 18, 2000

Missouri (15-8, 8-3)
at
Kansas State (8-14, 1-10)
Feb. 19, 2000 - Manhattan, Kan.

TIPOFF: 12:45 p.m. (central).
ARENA: Bramlage Coliseum (13,500). KSU is 7-5 there this season, and holds a 7-4 advantage there over MU since the building opened in 1988.
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: ESPN-Plus (Big 12 Network). Fred White, play-by-play, Jon Sundvold, color. Please see page seven of these notes for a listing of statewide affiliates.
RANKINGS: Neither team is ranked.
SERIES: KSU leads the series, 106-104. MU has won four of the last five in the series, including a 73-56 decision on Jan. 15th in Columbia.

COACHES
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89), 15-8 at MU (1st season), 15-8 overall (1st season). Snyder is 1-0 vs. Kansas State and Tom Asbury.
Kansas State: Tom Asbury (Wyoming '68), 84-83 at KSU (6th season), 209-142 overall (12th season). Asbury is 4-7 against MU, and is 0-1 vs. Quin Snyder.

OFFICIALS: Will be announced prior to tipoff.

TIGERS LOOK FOR FIFTH-STRAIGHT ROAD WIN SATURDAY AT KANSAS STATE
The Missouri Tigers (15-8 overall, 8-3 in Big 12 Conference play) wrap up a two-game road swing Saturday in Manhattan, Kan., where they'll take on the Kansas State Wildcats (8-14, 1-10). Tipoff is set for 12:45 p.m. at Bramlage Coliseum. Missouri is coming off an exciting, if not pretty, 86-76 win at Texas Tech on Tuesday, a game in which the Tigers rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to claim its fourth straight road win. Freshman Kareem Rush was phenomonal on the night, as he poured in a career-high 31 points, just one point shy of MU's freshman scoring record. Kansas State opened the Big 12 season by winning a home game vs. Nebraska, but has since fallen on hard times, as they've dropped 10 straight games. Included in that string was a 73-56 loss at Missouri, back on Jan. 15th.

MISSOURI TIGERS (15-8, 8-3)
(Probable Starting Lineup/Just an SID's best guess)

PNONAMEHTWTYRHOMETOWNPPG/RPG
F24Jeff Hafer***6-5212Sr.Joplin, Mo.7.7 / 3.7
C33Tajudeen Soyoye6-9236Jr.Lagos, Nigeria9.7 / 6.3
G 5Keyon Dooling*6-3184So.Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.15.3 / 2.6
G12Brian Grawer**6-0165Jr.St. Louis, Mo.7.7 / 3.1
G 4Clarence Gilbert*6-2197So.Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.13.0 / 3.8

KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (8-14, 1-10)
(Probable Starting Lineup/Just an SID's best guess)

PNONAMEHTWTYRHOMETOWNPPG/RPG
F 3Quentin Buchanan6-7200Fr.Junction City, Kan.3.3 / 2.4
F 4Tony Kitt*6-8235Sr.Charlotte, N.C.12.9 / 9.3
C44Kelvin Howell6-9240Jr.Buckner, Ark.7.6 / 7.6
G 1Galen Morrison6-0200Jr.Omaha, Neb.11.9 / 2.0
G 2Cortez Groves*6-5195Sr.Kansas City, Mo.15.5 / 2.3

SERIES HISTORY KANSAS STATE
(KSU Leads, 106-104)

LAST 20 MEETINGS

2-27-91W, 84-75at Manhattan
2-12-92W, 67-59at Columbia
2-29-92L, 69-73at Manhattan
2-8-93W, 67-51at Columbia
3-2-93L, 67-78at Manhattan
3-14-93W, ^68-56at Kansas City
1-8-94W, 63-43at Columbia
3-2-94W, 68-57at Manhattan
1-14-95W, 67-61at Columbia
2-4-95W, 77-60at Manhattan
1-27-96W, 86-80at Columbia
2-21-96L, 64-69at Manhattan

FIRST YEAR IN BIG 12 CONFERENCE

2-1-97W, 85-63at Columbia
3-1-97L, 76-60at Manhattan
1-3-98L, 56-111at Manhattan
2-28-98W, 89-59at Columbia
1-6-99W, 78-73at Manhattan
1-27-99W, 70-63at Columbia
3-5-99L, @74-84at Kansas City
1-15-00W, 73-56at Columbia

^ Big Eight Tournament
@ Big 12 Tournament
at Columbia: MU leads, 55-39
at Hearnes: MU leads, 22-8
at Manhattan: KSU leads, 51-41
at Neutral Sites: KSU leads, 15-8
Big 12 Conference Games: MU Leads, 5-2
Big 12 Tournament Games: KSU Leads, 1-0

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

DateOpp.Deficit (Time)Final Score
11-13Princeton9 pts. (13:06, 1st)51-48
11-21UNCA10 pts. (1:26, 1st)75-69
12-1SMU6 pts. (5:58, 2nd)63-60
12-21Illinois14 pts. (8:03, 1st)78-72
1-12Colorado7 pts. (9:21, 1st)100-86
1-29Texas A&M8 pts. (14:24, 1st)93-62
2-5at Nebraska14 pts. (17:06, 2nd)84-78
2-15at Texas Tech11 pts. (15:31, 2nd)86-7

THE QUIN-TISENNTIALS
The 15th head coach in Missouri basketball history, Quin Snyder is 15-8 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-KANSAS STATE SERIES
Kansas State leads the longtime series by a slim 106-104 margin, but Missouri has won four of the last five (including a 73-56 MU win in Columbia on Jan. 15th), and 11 of the last 15 meetings, dating back to 1993.

K-State leads the meetings in Bramlage Coliseum by a 7-4 margin, but the Tigers claimed a 78-73 win there last season, which broke a three-game losing streak at the arena.

Tiger Head Coach Quin Snyder is 1-0 vs. Kansas State and Tom Asbury. Asbury is 4-7 against MU, and is 0-1 vs. Snyder.

With just two wins separating the two schools, the MU-KSU rivalry is the closest between Mizzou and any of the other seven former Big Eight schools.

Please see page four of these propagana-lined pages for a breakdown of the MU-KSU series.

RED RAIDERS CAUGHT IN RUSH HOUR
Mizzou freshman Kareem Rush firmly inserted himself as a front-runner for Big 12 Conference Freshman-of-the-Year with an incredible performance Tuesday night at Texas Tech.

Rush scored a career-high 31 points, leading MU to a come-from-behind win that was crucial to keeping the Tigers in the Big 12 race, as well as keeping hopes alive for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Just how impressive were his exploits in Lubbock? You be the judge:

  • Rush virtually single-handedly drew MU back from an 11-point second-half deficit. Texas Tech took an 11-point lead, at 55-44, with 15:31 left in the game. From that point on, Rush scored 19 points, just two fewer than the 21 points tallied by the Red Raiders the rest of the way, as MU rallied for an 86-76 win.
  • Rush was 10-of-14 from the floor, including 7-of-9 from three-point range, including consecutive threes with under four minutes left that gave MU the lead for good.
  • Rush's 10-of-14 (71.4%) shooting was vital, as the rest of the team shot a combined 29.4% as a team (15-of-51).

MORE MOUNT RUSH-MORE
Kareem Rush's 31 point performance at Texas Tech marked just the second time in Tiger history that a freshman has scored 30 or more points in a game.

He joined former Tiger all-American Derrick Chievous in that select group, as Chievous scored 32 points as a rookie on Dec. 29, 1984 against Arizona.

Additionally, Rush's total was the most ever scored by a Tiger in Big 12 play, and was the most overall since Sammie Haley scored 31 against Murray State in the 1996 NIT.

The last time a Tiger had scored 30 or more in a conference game was back in 1994, when Melvin Booker scored 32 at Kansas.

when 17-0 is not a football score
A score of 17-0 is more suited for a football game than a game on the hardcourt, but that's exactly what Mizzou put on Texas Tech in an incredible ending to Tuesday night's game in Lubbock.

Missouri outscored Tech by a 17-0 margin to end the game, a span which stretched the last 6:42 of the contest.

Tech's James Ware hit a three-point field goal with 6:42 left to give the Red Raiders a seemingly comfortable 76-69 lead. But the Tigers turned up the heat, holding Tech scoreless in their last 11 possessions - including eight turnovers and three missed shots.

ONE MORE IMPRESSIVE STAT
Okay, we promise to stop going on about MU's comeback win Tuesday night, but just allow us one more brag:

After playing arguably its worst half of the season in the first half, the Tigers rebounded to post 11 assists, with zero turnovers in the second half. MU also forced 13 Red Raider miscues after halftime.

TIGERS SET THREE-POINT RECORD
After nailing 14 three-pointers Tuesday at Texas Tech, Missouri broke the school single-season three-point field goal record. Through 23 games now, the Tigers have already proven to be the school's most prolific long-range shooting team, with 217 treys.

That breaks the single-season team record of 214 treys made by the 1997-98 squad.

Additionally, the current Tigers have attempted 570 threes thus far, a total which ranks third on the alltime MU single-season chart. With just 11 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. 21799-00
2. 21497-98
3. 20493-94
4. 19796-97
5. 18094-95
5. 18098-99

THREE-POINT FGs ATTEMPTED

1. 58097-98
2. 57593-94
3. 57099-00
4. 54996-97
5. 47498-99

road sweet road?
Generally speaking, playing on the road is not preferred, but after dropping a pair of tough home games last week to ranked teams, the road must have been a welcomed site.

Mizzou has proven this season that it can get the job done in enemy territory, as the Tigers have won four straight games on the road, and stand 4-1 on the road in league play, which is tied for the best road record in the league, along with Iowa State's 4-1 mark. MU's wins have come at Baylor (Jan. 18th), at Colorado (Feb. 2nd), at Nebraska (Feb. 5th) and at Texas Tech (Feb. 15th), with the sole loss coming to current league leader Iowa State on Jan. 8th in Ames.

The Tigers have had to gut out all four wins, however, as they came by an average of just 5.8 points per game.

Five Tigers are averaging double figures in scoring in the last four road wins. They're led by freshman Kareem Rush, who's averaged 22.3 points, followed by Keyon Dooling (14.5 ppg), Clarence Gilbert (13.2), Jeff Hafer (12.7) and Brian Grawer (12.2).

CARDIAC KIDS
While the Tigers would certainly prefer a big win on Saturday at Kansas State, MU has been predisposed to playing tight ballgames this season.

More than half of MU's games (12-of-23 to be exact) have been decided by six points or fewer. The Tigers hold a 7-5 record in those games.

Four of MU's five road games this season have been decided by five points or fewer.

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.

Four Tigers, led by freshman Kareem Rush (18.7 ppg), are averaging double figures in scoring in conference play. Others in double figures include Clarence Gilbert (15.9 ppg), Keyon Dooling (14.1), and Jeff Hafer (10.0). Additionally, two other Tigers, Tajudeen Soyoye (9.9 ppg) and Brian Grawer (9.6) are 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 8-3 start to the conference season:

Big 12 SeasonPrior to Big 12
MU Points Per Game80.367.4
Scoring Margin+8.1+3.8
Rebounding Margin-2.1-4.2
MU FG Percentage45.9%40.3%
Opp. FG Percentage45.3%44.2%
MU 3-pt. FG Percentage41.4%35.2%
Opp. 3-pt. FG Percentage30.6%32.5%
MU Assists Per Game14.912.8

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:

PPGPPG
TigerBig 12Non-Conf.
Kareem Rush18.710.9
Clarence Gilbert15.910.4
Keyon Dooling14.116.4
Jeff Hafer10.05.8
Brian Grawer9.66.0

MORE SCORING FACTS
Missouri has scored 80 or more points in 7-of-11 conference games thus far (63.6 percent), entering the Kansas State contest.

That's a pretty heady feat, 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).

SCORING EXPLOSION
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.

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:

Year1st 82nd 8Overall (Place)
1996-972-63-55-11 (10th)
1997-984-44-48-8 (5th)
1998-996-25-311-5 (2nd)
3-Year Totals12-1212-1224-24
1999-007-11-28-3 (T-4th)
Totals19-1313-1432-26

HISTORY IN THE MAKING
While MU's bid at eight straight conference wins fell a bit short last week 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:

WinningLeagueLeague
YearStreakRecordStanding
1993-941414-01st
1981-82812-21st
1999-0078-3T-4th
1989-90712-21st
1979-80711-31st
1988-89610-42nd
1986-87611-31st
1976-7769-53rd

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 on Feb. 7 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.

After scoring 17 points against #17 Iowa State and adding a team-best 12 more against #18 Texas (including scoring seven of MU's final eight points), Rush exploded for a career-high 31 points Tuesday at Texas Tech, exploits of which we've discussed in detail previously.

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 14.2 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 12th overall in the league, but he has played in enough games to qualify for the statistics leader board.

Additionally, he would rank 2nd in scoring in league games (18.7 ppg), behind only likely player-of-the-year Marcus Fizer of Iowa State. He would also lead the league in 3-pt. field goal percentage in Big 12 games (59.3%) and would rank among league leaders in the other following categories: field goal percentage (4th - 62.9%), free throw percentage (2nd - 81.8%) and 3-pt. field goals made (5th - 2.67).

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:

TigerFresh. YearPts.Rebs.
Steve Stipanovich1979-8014.46.4
Kareem Rush1999-0014.24.4
Derrick Chievous1984-8513.15.3
Kelly Thames1993-9412.27.1
Jevon Crudup1990-9112.07.1
Nathan Buntin1986-8711.84.9
Doug Smith1987-8811.36.6
Anthony Peeler1988-8910.13.7
Melvin Booker1990-918.32.2
Curtis Berry1977-786.84.7
Larry Drew1976-776.92.8
Jon Sundvold1979-806.31.7

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 5.2 assists per game in MU's last 10 games.

He currently ranks 11th in the Big 12, with a scoring average of 15.3 points a game. He is coming off a nice night against Texas Tech, as he scored 19 points and added seven assists and three steals.

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 9th IN BIG 12 IN SCORING
Sophomore guard Clarence Gilbert enters Saturday's game as the 9th-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 10.5 points a game since spraining his left ankle at the end of the Kansas game on Jan. 22nd.

He scored 16 points in MU's comeback win at Texas Tech on Tuesday, posting 10 points, four rebounds and three assists in the decisive second half rally.

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 2nd in league games with an average of 3.45 three-pointers made per game, and is 7th in three-point shooting percentage (42.7%). His season scoring average of 13.0 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 six games that Rush has played since returning to the lineup, the Tiger bench has contributed an average of 30.3 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 31st in the latest RPI rankings, while Kansas State rates #104 in the land. MU's schedule ranks as the 19th-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 7.0 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 started Tuesday at Texas Tech, and grabbed six rebounds and added three points in 13 minutes of play. 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, and the Tigers hope to have him back in the lineup Saturday, as he missed Tuesday's game with a sprained left ankle. Hafer was held to six points last 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 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. 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 has been held to an average of 3.3 points in the last three games, but continues to be vital to MU's success, with his on-the-floor leadership. 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-11 league games, after doing so just twice during 13 non-conference games. The career 48 percent shooter is connecting on 34.5 percent of his shots thus far. Grawer is shooting 88.7 percent from the foul line this year (47-of-53), and leads the Big 12 Conference in that category.
  • Junior center tajudeen soyoye had a solid game Tuesday at Texas Tech, as he scored 12 points and led the way with six rebounds. Five of his points came in the game's final two minutes, as the Tigers completed a comeback from an 11-point deficit. He had been held to an average of just 4.5 points in MU's four previous games. 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 12-1 on the year when he plays 26 minutes or more, and is just 3-7 when he plays 25 minutes or fewer.
  • 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 last 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 Kansas State game as the top three-point outfit in the Big 12 Conference. Through 23 games, Missouri has hit 217-of-570 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 11 times on the year, and hit 14-of-32 threes at Texas Tech on Tuesday (just one make shy of the single-game school record of 15). 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.

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. The opponent high for threes made against MU this year is eight, accomplished by both Texas Tech and Princeton.

MU has already broken the school single-season three-point field goal record, with 217 made through 23 games. That breaks the old mark of 214 set by the 1997-98 squad. With 11 more attempts, the Tigers will also set the single-season 3-pt. attempt record. The old record is 580, also by the 1997-98 team. Through 23 games, the Tigers are on pace to make 274 three pointers in 719 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 27 foul shots, of which the Tigers hit 22, for a success rate of 81.5 percent.

More importantly, in its last three road wins, the Tigers have been solid from the foul line in the clutch, as MU has gone a combined 21-of-29 (72.4%) from the line in the last two minutes of all three games.

MU 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.

WHEN BEING OFFENSIVE IS GOOD
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 80.3 per-game average entering Saturday's game at Kansas State. That's despite averaging just 62.5 points in a pair of losses last week against Iowa State and Texas.

In conference play, MU leads the league in three-point shooting (41.4%), and is 2nd in the league in field goal percentage (45.9%).

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-11 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:

CategoryHomeAway
Record7-22-4
Points74.865.0
Opp. Points63.869.5
FG %43.639.6
Opp. FG %41.350.2
3-pt. FG %35.439.0
Rebounds36.728.8

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.

MU RECORD WHEN

1999-2000
Ahead at half11-3
Behind at half4-5
FG% of .450 or more9-1
FG% less than .4506-7
Better FG% than opp.11-0
Worse FG% than opp.4-8
Opp. shoots less than .4508-2
3FG% of .400 or more7-1
3FG% less than .4008-7
Try more than 20 3FGs10-7
Try 20 or less 3FGs5-1
Try more FTs than opp.11-1
Try less FTs than opp.4-7
Bench outscores opp. bench6-3
Opp. bench outscores MU bench9-4
Outrebound opp.7-1
Tied or outrebounded8-7
More TOs than opp.5-2
Same or fewer TOs10-6
Make 10 or more TOs11-7
Make less than 10 TOs4-1
Score less than 50 pts.0-1
Score 50-59 pts.1-2
Score 60-69 pts.1-3
Score 70-79 pts.5-1
Score 80 or more pts.8-1
Allow less than 50 pts.1-0
Allow 50-59 pts.3-1
Allow 60-69 pts.5-2
Allow 70-79 pts.4-4
Allow 80 or more pts.2-1
Overtime0-0
Vs. AP Top 252-3
Home Games9-4
Road Games4-1
Neutral Site Games2-3
Day Games7-3
Night Games8-5
On Monday0-0
On Tuesday3-2
On Wednesday3-1
On Thursday0-1
On Friday1-1
On Saturday7-2
On Sunday1-1
On Mizzou Sports Network3-4
On CBS0-0
On ESPN0-1
On ESPN-Plus3-2
On ABC1-0

GAMES DECIDED BY...

5 pts. or less4-5
6-10 pts.4-1
11-19 pts.4-2
20 or more pts.3-0

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

TEAM STATISTICS

Scoring Offense7th73.6
Big 12 Only1st80.3
Scoring Defense6th67.7
Big 12 Only7th72.2
Free Throw Percentage4th.685
Big 12 Only2nd.709
Field Goal Percentage10th.431
Big 12 Only2nd.459
Field Goal Percentage Defense11th.448
Big 12 Only9th.453
3-Pt. FG Made1st217
Big 12 Only1st109
3-Pt. FG Percentage2nd.381
Big 12 Only1st.414
Rebounding12th33.8
Big 12 Only10th34.5
Rebounding Margin11th-3.2
Big 12 Only9th-2.2
Blocked Shots12th1.78
Big 12 Only11th2.00
Assists8th13.78
Big 12 Only5th14.91
Steals2nd8.87
Big 12 Only1st8.55

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
(Top 15 Rankings Only)

Scoring
Keyon Dooling11th15.3
Big 12 Only13th14.1
Kareem Rush12th14.2
Big 12 Only2nd18.7
Clarence Gilbert15th13.0
Big 12 Only9th15.9
Field Goal Percentage
Kareem Rush14th.523
Big 12 Only4th.629
Jeff Hafer
Big 12 Only7th.556
Johnnie Parker
Big 12 Only14th.529
Free Throw Percentage
Brian Grawer1st.887
Big 12 Only1st.871
Kareem Rush4th.792
Big 12 Only2nd.818
Keyon Dooling
Big 12 Only6th.786
Assists
Keyon Dooling13th3.70
Big 12 Only6th4.73
Brian Grawer
Big 12 Only15th3.27
3-Pt. Field Goals Made
Clarence Gilbert5th2.70
Big 12 Only2nd3.45
Keyon Dooling11th2.22
Big 12 Only14th1.91
Kareem Rush15th1.93
Big 12 Only5th2.67
3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage
Kareem Rush7th.435
Big 12 Only1st.593
Clarence Gilbert11th.411
Big 12 Only7th.427
Keyon Dooling15th.383
Big 12 Only14th.368
Brian Grawer
Big 12 Only13th.370
Steals
Brian Grawer9th1.70
Big 12 Only6th2.00
Assist/Turnover Ratio
Brian Grawer6th1.85
Clarence Gilbert13th1.59