COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri men's basketball schedule has been finalized for the upcoming 2000-01 season, as announced today by Director of Athletics Michael Alden. A minimum of 24 contests are scheduled to be televised, up from 18 a year ago.

After reaching the NCAA Tournament last year against what was rated as the nation's 16th-toughest schedule, Head Coach QUIN SNYDER and his second Tiger squad will take on what should again prove to be one of the nation's toughest slate of foes. The Tigers will play 14 games this season against 11 teams that reached the postseason (eight NCAA Tournament, two NIT) - eight of which won 20 or more games.

Missouri will continue to offer one of the most fan-friendly schedules in the country, relating to television appearances. In all, a minimum of 24 games are scheduled to be televised, with the Tigers making no fewer than 10 nationally-televised appearances, five regional cable appearances, and 10 statewide appearances on the Mizzou Sports Network. The most regular-season network appearances MU has ever had came back in the 1989-90 season, when the Tigers were featured 11 times. Not including the Great Alaska Shootout, only two regular-season games are not scheduled for telecast at this time.

After a pair of exhibition games in early November, the 2000-01 regular-season gets underway on Nov. 17th when the Tigers host Savannah State in an 8:00 p.m. tipoff at the Hearnes Center. Then it's off to the great Northwest, as the Tigers will play in the Great Alaska Shootout, scheduled for Nov. 22-25 in Anchorage, Ak. MU will play its opening-round contest against Rhode Island on Nov. 22. After a day of for Thanksgiving, the Tigers will face either Valparaiso or host Alaska-Anchorage in the second round, and then face either DePaul, Florida State, Ohio State or Syracuse in the third outing.

The month of December features seven games, including attractive back-to-back home games against DePaul (Dec. 6) and Saint Louis (Dec. 9). That precedes a tough three-game-in-five-day-stretch that will see the Tigers play at Iowa (Dec. 16), at Indiana (Dec. 18) and vs. Illinois in the annual Busch Braggin' Rights Game (Dec. 21 in St. Louis, Mo.).

The Big 12 season gets underway with a home contest vs. Nebraska on Jan. 6th at the Hearnes Center, and January concludes with an ESPN Big Monday game vs. Kansas on Jan. 29th at 8:00 p.m. in Columbia. Sandwiched in between the league games is a Jan. 20 date that will see MU travel to Charlottesville, Va., where the Tigers will take on the Virginia Cavaliers on CBS.

In the Big 12 scheduling matrix, Missouri will face South Division opponents Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas Tech at home, and will travel to Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas A&M, in addition to home-and-away dates with North brethren Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Nebraska.

The Tigers close the regular season on Sunday, March 4th at Kansas on CBS. It marks the second straight year that MU will play its regular-season finale at KU.

SCHEDULE NOTES

• Missouri will be one of five teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last year that are playing in the Great Alaska Shootout. Other NCAA teams from the 2000 season include DePaul (21-12), Ohio State (23-7), Syracuse (26-6) and Valparaiso (19-13). Three games in the tournament will be televised by ESPN, but Missouri would not be seen on the network until the championship game on Nov. 25.

• Missouri has played in two previous Great Alaska Shootouts, and the Tigers are 3-3 overall there. MU's first appearance there came in 1980, when the Tigers went 2-1 to win the consolation bracket. The Tigers returned in 1985, and went 1-2, including a second-round loss to host Alaska-Anchorage.

• The 11 teams on MU's schedule which reached postseason play last year include: NCAA teams - DePaul, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Saint Louis and Texas, NIT teams - Colorado and Virginia.

• The eight teams on MU's schedule which won 20 or more games last year include: DePaul (21-12), Illinois (22-10), Indiana (20-9), Iowa State (32-5), Kansas (24-10), Oklahoma (27-7), Oklahoma State (27-7), and Texas (24-9).

• Missouri closes the regular season at rival Kansas, March 4th on CBS. This marks the second straight year that MU will play its final regular-season game at Kansas. Last season, Kansas held on to defeat Missouri 83-82 on March 5 in Lawrence in the regular-season finale for both teams.

• Missouri has won 26 consecutive home openers, dating back to a 95-81 win over Wisconsin-Oshkosh to tip off the 1974-75 season. The Tigers open the home portion of the 2000-01 schedule Nov. 17th against Savannah State.