Feb. 29, 2000
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri Tigers (16-10 overall, 9-5 in Big 12 play) look to break a two-game losing streak Wednesday night when they play host to the Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-16, 4-10). Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
Missouri is looking to rebound from an 83-56 loss at #20 Oklahoma on Saturday, a game in which the Tigers made a season low 3-of-23 three-point field goals.
The game will serve as the final regular-season home appearance for Tiger seniors Jeff Hafer and Mark Wampler.
Nebraska broke a six-game losing streak last Saturday at home by defeating Colorado, 69-64. The 'Huskers are looking to avenge an 84-78 loss to Mizzou in Lincoln on Feb. 5 - a game in which the Tigers rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit.
Nebraska (11-16, 4-10) at Missouri (16-10, 9-5)
Game #27 - March 1, 2000 - Columbia, Mo.
TIPOFF: 7:00 p.m. (central).
ARENA: Hearnes Center (13,300). Opened in 1972. MU is 9-5 at home this season, and is 353-63 (.849) alltime there. MU is 21-6 alltime at Hearnes vs. NU.
RADIO: Tiger Network (Mike Kelly, play-by-play/Gary Link, color). Carried on more than 50 stations statewide, and on the Internet at www.mutigers.com.
TV: Mizzou Sports Network. Brian Neuner (play-by-play), Jon Sundvold (color). Please see page seven of these notes for a listing of statewide affiliates carrying the game.
RANKINGS: MU is receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today poll, NU is not ranked.
SERIES: MU leads the series109-82 alltime, including an 84-78 win in Lincoln earlier this season. MU has won five of the last seven meetings between the two schools.
COACHES:
- Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89), 16-10 at MU (1st season), 16-10 overall (1st season). Snyder is 1-0 vs. Nebraska and Danny Nee.
- Nebraska: Danny Nee (St. Mary's of the Plains '71), 254-187 at NU (14th season), 361-254 overall (20th season). Nee is 10-21 vs. Missouri and is 0-1 vs. Quin Snyder.
MISSOURI TIGERS (16-10, 9-5)
(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. | 7.2 / 3.6 |
| C | 33 | Tajudeen Soyoye | 6-9 | 236 | Jr. | Lagos, Nigeria | 9.6 / 6.5 |
| G | 5 | Keyon Dooling* | 6-3 | 184 | So. | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. | 15.4 / 2.7 |
| G | 12 | Brian Grawer** | 6-0 | 165 | Jr. | St. Louis, Mo. | 7.7 / 3.0 |
| G | 4 | Clarence Gilbert* | 6-2 | 197 | So. | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. | 12.5 / 3.8 |
NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (11-16, 4-10)
(Probable Starting Lineup/Just an SID's best guess)
| P | NO | NAME | HT | WT | YR | HOMETOWN | PPG/RPG |
| F | 5 | Larry Florence*** | 6-5 | 220 | Sr. | Phenix City, Ala. | 13.0 / 5.5 |
| F | 15 | Steffon Bradford | 6-6 | 240 | Jr. | Clewiston, Fla. | 11.1 / 8.4 |
| C | 31 | Kimani Ffriend | 6-11 | 220 | Jr. | Kingston, Jamaica | 11.9 / 8.8 |
| G | 11 | Rodney Fields | 6-2 | 210 | Jr. | Tampa, Fla. | 4.4 / 1.9 |
| G | 3 | Cary Cochran* | 6-1 | 185 | So. | Minden, Iowa | 7.8 / 2.4 |
TIGER FACT-OF-THE-GAME
Missouri, the Big 12's top 3-pt. shooting squad, is coming off a season-worst 3-of-23 (13.0%) game from beyond the stripe Saturday at Oklahoma. They'll look to find the range against a Nebraska team which broke a six-game losing streak Saturday against Colorado by holding the Buffaloes to a miserable 1-of-20 (5.0%) effort from three-point range.
SERIES HISTORY NEBRASKA
(MU Leads, 109-82)LAST 20 MEETINGS
| 3-10-91 | W, ^90-82 | at Kansas City |
| 1-18-92 | W, 83-73 | at Lincoln |
| 2-17-92 | W, 87-61 | at Columbia |
| 1-30-93 | L, 87-88 OT | at Lincoln |
| 2-21-93 | L, 75-76 | at Columbia |
| 1-24-94 | W, 89-73 | at Lincoln |
| 3-5-94 | W, 80-78 | at Columbia |
| 3-12-94 | L, ^91-98 | at Kansas City |
| 1-7-95 | W, 82-74 | at Lincoln |
| 2-22-95 | L, 75-78 | at Columbia |
| 1-24-96 | L, 58-76 | at Lincoln |
| 2-7-96 | W, 99-98 | at Columbia |
| FIRST YEAR IN BIG 12 CONFERENCE | ||
| 1-18-97 | L, 53-76 | at Lincoln |
| 1-22-97 | W, 75-74 | at Columbia |
| 3-6-97 | W, @78-72 | at Kansas City |
| 2-4-98 | W, 81-76 OT | at Columbia |
| 2-18-98 | L, 66-67 OT | at Lincoln |
| 1-2-99 | W, 80-57 | at Columbia |
| 2-6-99 | L, 61-69 | at Lincoln |
| 2-5-00 | W, 84-78 | at Lincoln |
^ Big Eight Tournament
@ Big 12 Tournament
| at Columbia: MU leads, 60-25 | at Hearnes: MU leads, 21-6 |
| at Lincoln: NE leads, 48-36 | at Neutral Sites: MU leads, 12-9 |
| Big 12 Conference Games: MU leads, 4-3 | |
| Big 12 Tournament Games: MU 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:
| Date | Opp. | Deficit (Time) | Final Score |
| 11-13 | Princeton | 9 pts. (13:06, 1st) | 51-48 |
| 11-21 | UNCA | 10 pts. (1:26, 1st) | 75-69 |
| 12-1 | SMU | 6 pts. (5:58, 2nd) | 63-60 |
| 12-21 | Illinois | 14 pts. (8:03, 1st) | 78-72 |
| 1-12 | Colorado | 7 pts. (9:21, 1st) | 100-86 |
| 1-29 | Texas A&M | 8 pts. (14:24, 1st) | 93-62 |
| 2-5 | at Nebraska | 14 pts. (17:06, 2nd) | 84-78 |
| 2-15 | at Texas Tech | 11 pts. (15:31, 2nd) | 86-76 |
THE QUIN-TISENNTIALS
The 15th head coach in Missouri basketball history, Quin Snyder is 16-10 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.
SNYDER CAN TIE MU COACHING MARK
With a win Wednesday evening against Nebraska, MU Head Coach Quin Snyder would tie the school record for wins by a first-year coach.
The win record for coaches in their first year at MU is 17, and that's been accomplished twice - but not since the 1920-21 season, when Craig Ruby guided MU to a 17-1 mark and the Missouri Valley Conference championship.
Three years prior to that, in the 1917-18 season, Walter Meanwell (now in the College Basketball Hall of Fame) coached the first of his two seasons at MU, and led the Tigers to a similar 17-1 record, and an MVC title - that marked Mizzou's first-ever conference championship in the sport of basketball.
BIDDING FAREWELL TO THE SENIORS
Missouri fans will get one last chance to show their appreciation for two special Tiger seniors when MU takes on Nebraska Wednesday evening at Hearnes.
Seniors Jeff Hafer (Joplin, Mo.) and Mark Wampler (Savannah, Mo.) will be making their final regular-season home appearances Wednesday night.
A crowd favorite since he first stepped onto the Hearnes hardwood, Hafer has won over countless MU fans for his all-out style of play. He's played in 108 career games entering Wednesday's contest, and ranks 5th on MU's career steals list, with 161. He's averaging a career-high 7.2 points per game this season, and carries a career scoring average of 6.4 into Wednesday's contest.
Also making his Hearnes farewell appearance is graduate student Mark Wampler. Wampler, who earned his undergraduate degree in May, but returned to the team for his last season of eligibility, is in his third year with the MU squad. Wampler walked on to the team prior to the 1997-98 season, and was awarded a scholarship prior to the current season by coach Quin Snyder. Wampler has played in 23 games in his Tiger career, including starts as a sophomore against Texas and this season against Iowa.
DOOLING NAMED TO NABC 1ST TEAM
Sophomore guard Keyon Dooling was selected to the National Basketball Coaches Association District 12 First Team, as recently released by the NABC.
Dooling was named on the District 12 First Team along with Eduardo Najera of Oklahoma, Marcus Fizer of Iowa State, Desmond Mason of Oklahoma State and Eric Coley of Tulsa.
First and second teams were chosen in each of 15 districts, making 150 student-athletes honored overall. Fifteen of those players will later be selected to first, second or third team all-America teams.
Anthony Peeler is the last Tiger to be selected to the NABC all-America team, when he was named a 2nd-team NABC all-American in 1992.
MU'S RPI IS A.O.K.
Missouri ranks 32nd in the latest RPI rankings, while Nebraska rates #114 in the land. MU's schedule ranks as the 15th-toughest in the nation currently. The Big 12 Conference is ranked as the #5 league in strength ratings, behind only the Big Ten, Pac-10 , Southeastern and Conference USA conferences.
a break from the ranks
When unranked Nebraska comes calling at Hearnes Wednesday, it will mark the first time since Jan. 29th that MU will host a team which has not been ranked in the Associated Press Top-25.
MU has dropped three straight home games, but all three were to ranked foes - then-#18 Iowa State (Feb. 9), then-#19 Texas (Feb. 12) and then-#10 Oklahoma State (Feb. 21).
In fact, each of the last five losses the Tigers have endured have come at the hands of ranked foes, and seven of MU's 10 losses on the season have come against ranked competition.
PROTECTING THE HOME TURF
Missouri is looking to break a three-game losing streak at Hearnes, as the Tigers dropped consecutive games against Iowa State, Texas and Oklahoma State.
It's the first time MU has lost three straight home games since the 1992-93 season. That year, MU dropped consecutive league games at Hearnes to Kansas (67-63), Nebraska (76-75) and Oklahoma (69-68) by an average margin of 2.0 points per game.
Missouri finished that season in 7th place in the Big Eight standings, but went on to win the conference tournament.
Mizzou has never lost four straight home games playing in the Hearnes Center, dating back to the building's opening for the 1972-73 season.
MISSOURI-NEBRASKA SERIES
Missouri leads the overall series against Nebraska by a commanding 109-82 margin. The Tigers have won five of the last seven meetings, including an 84-78 comeback win in Lincoln earlier this season.
A win Wednesday for MU would give the Tigers their first regular-season sweep of the 'Huskers since the Tigers' perfect 14-0 run through the Big Eight Conference in 1994.
Nebraska is just 6-21 alltime at the Hearnes Center, and has not won in Columbia since claiming a 78-75 win here in 1995.
Prior to MU's 80-57 win over Nebraska in Columbia last season, the Tigers and Cornhuskers usually hook up in a tight ballgame at Hearnes. The previous six meetings, dating from 1993 through 1998 were all decided by five points or fewer.
MU Head Coach Quin Snyder is 1-0 vs. Nebraska and Danny Nee, while Nee is 10-21 alltime against MU, including 0-1 vs. Snyder.
MU LOOKS TO REGAIN SHOOTING TOUCH
Through the first seven games of the Big 12 season, Missouri was the top-shooting outfit in the league, as the Tigers shot an even 50.0% as a team in those contests (204-of-408), a mark which led the league through seven contests.
In the last seven games, however, the Tigers have struggled to find the range. Mizzou has shot a combined 37.7% from the floor as a team (157-of-417), which has contributed to the Tigers' 3-4 mark during that span.
In the first seven games, MU shot 43.5% as a team from three-point range (67-of-154), but the Tigers have cooled off to shoot 35.0% from beyond the stripe (69-of-197) in the last seven outings.
RUSH IS BIG 12'S TOP ROOKIE
Since returning to the Tiger lineup nine games ago, Mizzou freshman Kareem Rush has firmly inserted himself as a front-runner for Big 12 Conference Freshman-of-the-Year.
Last week, he won his second Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week award in three weeks, based on incredible performances at Texas Tech and Kansas State.
At 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).
Rush followed with yet another salty performance at Kansas State, scoring 19 points, and adding three rebounds and three steals in 25 minutes. He hit 4-of-7 three pointers, and nailed 7-of-8 free throws.
He followed up last week by scoring 13 points against both #10 Oklahoma State and at #20 Oklahoma.
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.
MU TIES BIG 12 RECORD FOR THREES
Missouri came out firing on all cylinders on Feb. 19th at Kansas State, as the Tigers hit their first six three-point field goal attempts, on the way to a 12-of-19 effort beyond the arch in the first half.
The 12 threes made in the opening half tied the Big 12 record for threes made in a single half, tying the 12 made by Texas against Kansas State in 1997.
The Tigers appeared well on their way to breaking the MU single-game mark of 15 threes made (accomplished three times previously, including once this season), as well as the Big 12 single-game record of 18 (by Texas in 1997 vs. Kansas State), but the basket tightened up after halftime. MU connected on just 2-of-14 threes in the second half, to end the game 14-of-33.
THREE-PEATS
Missouri enters Wednesday's contest as the third-most prolific three-point shooting team in the country, according to the latest set of NCAA statistics.
Through games of Feb. 21st, Missouri ranks third in the NCAA with an average of 9.6 three-point field goals made per game. The Tigers trail only Tennessee Tech (9.9 per game) and Belmont (9.7).
Additionally, while MU's success isn't solely related to its success from long range, there is a standard that appears to dictate whether the Tigers will be successful, or not.
To date, MU is tough to beat when it hits 40.0% or better from three-point range, as the Tigers are 8-1 in those games. Conversely, MU is a sub-.500 club (8-9) when it makes less than 40.0% from three-point range.
The Tigers are coming off a game at Oklahoma Saturday in which they were held to a season-worst 3-of-23 from three-point range (13.0%). The previous low for made threes was five against Winthrop.
TIGERS SET THREE-POINT RECORD
After nailing 14 three-pointers on Feb. 15th at Texas Tech, Missouri broke the school single-season three-point field goal record. Through 26 games now, the Tigers have already proven to be the school's most prolific long-range shooting team, with 244 treys.
That breaks the single-season team record of 214 treys made by the 1997-98 squad.
Additionally, the current Tigers have attempted 658 threes thus far, a total which breaks 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. | 244 | 99-00 |
| 2. | 214 | 97-98 |
| 3. | 204 | 93-94 |
| 4. | 197 | 96-97 |
| 5. | 180 | 94-95 |
| 180 | 98-99 |
THREE-POINT FGs ATTEMPTED
| 1. | 658 | 99-00 |
| 2. | 580 | 97-98 |
| 3. | 575 | 93-94 |
| 4. | 549 | 96-97 |
| 5. | 474 | 98-99 |
MU TOPS IN LEAGUE GAMES FROM 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 has led to an average of 24.5 free throw attempts in the last four games. The Tigers have been rather clutch from the line recently, as they've connected on 80.6 percent of its foul shots in their last four games (79-of-98).
More importantly, in its last four wins, the Tigers have been solid from the foul line in the clutch, as MU has gone a combined 30-of-40 (75.0%) from the line in the last two minutes of all four games.
Mizzou leads the Big 12 Conference in foul shooting in league play, with a team percentage rate of 72.9 percent. In all games, the Tigers rate 4th in the league, with a season mark of 70.0 percent.
Individually, junior guard Brian Grawer leads the Big 12 with a season mark of 90.5 percent, making 57-of-63 freebies thus far. If he was to hold that percentage, he'd break the MU single-season record of 89.6 percent set by Travis Ford in the 1989-90 season.
Getting to the line has proven to be an indicator of MU's success this season. In its 16 wins, the Tigers have attempted an average of 24.5 foul shots per game. In its nine losses, MU is shooting just 16.8 freebies a game. The 7.7 extra attempts would have certainly come in handy in its five losses suffered by five points or fewer.
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.
The Tigers enter Wednesday's game vs. Nebraska having been outrebounded in each their last four games (39.3-to-33.0).
In that same stretch, however, MU has actually outrebounded its opponents on the offensive glass, by a 50-to-45 margin. That's no small feat (no pun intended), given MU's lack of size, and the fact that they routinely send only two people to the offensive glass in order to get defensive balance.
For the season, the smallish Tigers have held their own on the offensive glass, with 280 offensive rebounds, to 286 for their opponents.
MU's last big day on the glass came against then-#18 Texas on Feb. 12th, 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.
REBOUNDING A KEY FOR MU-NU?
The last time Missouri and Nebraska met, the Tigers outrebounded the taller 'Huskers, 42-38 on Feb. 5th in Lincoln. Nebraska entered that game as the Big 12's 3rd-best rebounding squad.
This time around, Nebraska enters Wednesday's game as the Big 12's 2nd-best rebounding squad, with a per-game average of 40.9 rebounds a contest. Missouri ranks last in the league, with a 33.8 per-game rebounding average.
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 a Feb. 15th 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.
CARDIAC KIDS
While the Tigers would certainly prefer a big win on Wednesday vs. Nebraska, MU has been predisposed to playing tight ballgames this season.
Just under half of MU's games (12-of-26 to be exact) have been decided by six points or fewer. The Tigers hold a 7-5 record in those games.
MU's five home losses have been decided by an average of 7.0 points a game.
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.
Three Tigers, led by freshman Kareem Rush (17.4 ppg), are averaging double figures in scoring in conference play. Others in double figures include Keyon Dooling (14.6 ppg) and Clarence Gilbert (14.2). Additionally, three other Tigers, Tajudeen Soyoye (9.6 ppg), Brian Grawer (9.2) and Jeff Hafer (8.5) 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 9-5 record in the conference season:
| Big 12 Season | Prior to Big 12 | |
| MU Points Per Game | 78.2 | 67.4 |
| Scoring Margin | +4.3 | +3.8 |
| Rebounding Margin | -3.0 | -4.2 |
| MU FG Percentage | 43.8% | 40.3% |
| Opp. FG Percentage | 46.2% | 44.2% |
| MU 3-pt. FG Percentage | 38.7% | 35.2% |
| Opp. 3-pt. FG Percentage | 33.6% | 32.5% |
| MU Assists Per Game | 14.1 | 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 | 17.4 | 10.9 |
| Keyon Dooling | 14.6 | 16.4 |
| Clarence Gilbert | 14.2 | 10.4 |
| Brian Grawer | 9.2 | 6.0 |
| Jeff Hafer | 8.5 | 5.8 |
MORE SCORING FACTS
Missouri has scored 80 or more points in 8-of-14 conference games thus far (57.1 percent), entering the Nebraska 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).
Despite scoring a conference-season low 56 points Saturday at Oklahoma, Missouri is still the highest-scoring team in Big 12 play, with an average of 78.2 points a game.
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:
| 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 | 2-4 | 9-5 (6th) |
| Totals | 19-13 | 14-15 | 33-29 |
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
While MU's bid at eight straight conference wins fell a bit short on Feb. 9th 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 | 9-3 | 4th |
| 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 |
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 - no time at all.
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 at Texas Tech, exploits of which we've discussed in detail previously.
He followed up with 19 more points last Saturday at Kansas State and 13 points a game last week vs. Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, and continues to be MU's leading offensive weapon, despite his relative inexperience.
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 14.4 points and 4.1 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 hasn't played in enough games to qualify for the statistics leader board.
Additionally, he would rank 5th in scoring in league games (17.4 ppg). He would also lead the league in 3-pt. field goal percentage in Big 12 games (50.0%) and would rank among league leaders in the other following categories: field goal percentage (6th - 55.9%), free throw percentage (2nd - 85.3%) and 3-pt. field goals made (8th - 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 there's still some ball yet to played, Rush is having arguably the best year ever by an MU freshman - and the Tigers have had a pretty good history of outstanding freshmen talent. Here's a quick look at how other prominent Tigers fared as freshmen:
| Tiger | Fresh. Year | Pts. | Rebs. |
| Kareem Rush | 1999-00 | 14.4 | 4.1 |
| Steve Stipanovich | 1979-80 | 14.4 | 6.4 |
| Derrick Chievous | 1984-85 | 13.1 | 5.3 |
| Kelly Thames | 1993-94 | 12.2 | 7.1 |
| Jevon Crudup | 1990-91 | 12.0 | 7.1 |
| Nathan Buntin | 1986-87 | 11.8 | 4.9 |
| Doug Smith | 1987-88 | 11.3 | 6.6 |
| 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 is one of the Big 12 Conference's top playmakers, and he's arguably one of the league's most valuable players.
Dooling currently leads MU in scoring (15.4 ppg), assists, blocked shots (at just 6-foot-3 inches tall) and free throws made and attempted.
Dooling was recently named to the NABC District 12 First Team, which means he's one of 150 players to be eligible for NABC all-American honors.
He is coming off a gritty offensive performance at Oklahoma, where he missed his first start of the season due to a sprained right ankle he suffered against Oklahoma State on Feb. 21st. Dooling came off the bench to play 28 minutes in Norman, and scored 10 points in relief work.
Against Oklahoma State he scored a team-high 19 points, despite spraining his right ankle. He had a hard time getting his shot to fall (5-of-15 FGs), but he remained aggressive offensively, as his constant penetration resulted in seven free throw attempts, of which he was perfect.
Dooling is one of the hotter shooters in the league from the foul line, of late. In his last six games, Dooling has connected on 88.6% of his freebies (31-of-35).
He helped guide MU to a pair of crucial road wins, at Texas Tech and at Kansas State. Dooling tallied 19 points, seven assists and three steals at Tech, and followed with 20 points and six assists at K-State.
Dooling had a solid night against #17 Iowa State on Feb. 9th, a game in which he led MU with 18 points.
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.
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 first eight games that Rush played since returning to the lineup, the Tiger bench contributed an average of 30.0 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.
GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES
Missouri has used the three-point shot to its advantage this year. The Tigers enter the Nebraska game as the top three-point outfit in the Big 12 Conference. Through 26 games, Missouri has hit 244-of-658 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 13 times on the year, and hit 14-of-33 threes at Kansas State on Feb. 19th (just one make shy of the single-game school record of 15). MU torched the Wildcats in the first half by making 12-of-19 three pointers, which tied a single-game Big 12 Conerence record for threes made in a half. Mizzou cooled off in the second half, making just 2-of-14 threes, but still made 14 threes for the second straight game.
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.
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 |
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 a 79.9 per-game average entering Saturday's game at Oklahoma.
In conference play, MU leads the league in three-point shooting (40.5%), and is 5th in the league in field goal percentage (44.6%).
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-13 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.
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.
MU RECORD WHEN
| 1999-2000 | |
| Ahead at half | 12-3 |
| Behind at half | 4-7 |
| FG% of .450 or more | 9-1 |
| FG% less than .450 | 7-9 |
| Better FG% than opp. | 11-0 |
| Worse FG% than opp. | 5-10 |
| Opp. shoots less than .450 | 8-2 |
| 3FG% of .400 or more | 8-1 |
| 3FG% less than .400 | 8-9 |
| Try more than 20 3FGs | 11-9 |
| Try 20 or less 3FGs | 5-1 |
| Try more FTs than opp. | 12-2 |
| Try less FTs than opp. | 4-8 |
| Bench outscores opp. bench | 6-4 |
| Opp. bench outscores MU bench | 10-5 |
| Outrebound opp. | 7-1 |
| Tied or outrebounded | 9-9 |
| More TOs than opp. | 5-3 |
| Same or fewer TOs | 11-7 |
| Make 10 or more TOs | 12-9 |
| Make less than 10 TOs | 4-1 |
| Score less than 50 pts. | 0-1 |
| Score 50-59 pts. | 1-3 |
| Score 60-69 pts. | 1-3 |
| Score 70-79 pts. | 5-2 |
| Score 80 or more pts. | 9-1 |
| Allow less than 50 pts. | 1-0 |
| Allow 50-59 pts. | 3-1 |
| Allow 60-69 pts. | 5-2 |
| Allow 70-79 pts. | 5-4 |
| Allow 80 or more pts. | 2-3 |
| Overtime | 0-0 |
| Vs. AP Top 25 | 2-6 |
| Home Games | 9-5 |
| Road Games | 5-2 |
| Neutral Site Games | 2-3 |
| Day Games | 8-3 |
| Night Games | 8-7 |
| On Monday | 0-1 |
| On Tuesday | 3-2 |
| On Wednesday | 3-1 |
| On Thursday | 0-1 |
| On Friday | 1-1 |
| On Saturday | 8-3 |
| On Sunday | 1-1 |
| On Mizzou Sports Network | 3-4 |
| On CBS | 0-0 |
| On ESPN | 0-3 |
| On ESPN-Plus | 4-2 |
| On ABC | 1-0 |
| 5 pts. or less | 4-5 |
| 6-10 pts. | 5-1 |
| 11-19 pts. | 4-3 |
| 20 or more pts. | 3-1 |
MU IN THE BIG 12
(Thru Games of Feb. 26)
TEAM STATISTICS
| Scoring Offense | 7th | 73.2 |
| Big 12 Only | 1st | 78.2 |
| Scoring Defense | 6th | 69.2 |
| Big 12 Only | 7th | 73.9 |
| Free Throw Percentage | 4th | .700 |
| Big 12 Only | 1st | .729 |
| Field Goal Percentage | 11th | .422 |
| Big 12 Only | 6th | .438 |
| Field Goal Percentage Defense | 11th | .454 |
| Big 12 Only | 10th | .462 |
| 3-Pt. FG Made | 1st | 244 |
| Big 12 Only | 1st | 136 |
| 3-Pt. FG Percentage | 5th | .371 |
| Big 12 Only | 3rd | .387 |
| Rebounding | 12th | 33.8 |
| Big 12 Only | 11th | 34.4 |
| Rebounding Margin | 12th | -3.5 |
| Big 12 Only | 10th | -3.0 |
| Blocked Shots | 12th | 1.65 |
| Big 12 Only | 11th | 1.71 |
| Assists | 10th | 13.50 |
| Big 12 Only | 8th | 14.14 |
| Steals | 3rd | 8.81 |
| Big 12 Only | 2nd | 8.50 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
(Top 15 Rankings Only)
| Scoring | ||
| Keyon Dooling | 10th | 15.4 |
| Big 12 Only | 11th | 14.6 |
| Kareem Rush | 12th | 14.4 |
| Big 12 Only | 5th | 17.4 |
| Clarence Gilbert | ||
| Big 12 Only | 12th | 14.2 |
| Field Goal Percentage | ||
| T.J. Soyoye | 14th | .520 |
| Kareem Rush | ||
| Big 12 Only | 6th | .559 |
| Jeff Hafer | ||
| Big 12 Only | 13th | .513 |
| Free Throw Percentage | ||
| Brian Grawer | 1st | .905 |
| Big 12 Only | 1st | .902 |
| Kareem Rush | 4th | .817 |
| Big 12 Only | 2nd | .853 |
| Keyon Dooling | 13th | .723 |
| Big 12 Only | 3rd | .811 |
| Assists | ||
| Keyon Dooling | 13th | 3.62 |
| Big 12 Only | 7th | 4.36 |
| 3-Pt. Field Goals Made | ||
| Clarence Gilbert | 6th | 2.58 |
| Big 12 Only | 4th | 3.07 |
| Keyon Dooling | 12th | 2.15 |
| Big 12 Only | 15th | 1.86 |
| Kareem Rush | 14th | 2.06 |
| Big 12 Only | 8th | 2.67 |
| 3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage | ||
| Kareem Rush | 7th | .422 |
| Big 12 Only | 1st | .500 |
| Clarence Gilbert | 14th | .385 |
| Big 12 Only | 12th | .384 |
| Keyon Dooling | 15th | .384 |
| Assist-to-Turnover Ratio | ||
| Brian Grawer | 6th | 1.88 |
| Big 12 Only | 12th | 1.77 |
| Clarence Gilbert | ||
| Big 12 Only | 10th | 1.83 |