MU-IOWA STATE SERIES
Missouri and Iowa State have evenly split the last 20 meetings between the two old Big Eight rivals. MU leads the overall series by a 134-74 count, including 25-5 at the Hearnes Center. The Cyclones have won three of their last five games at Hearnes, however, including last year's 72-62 win.

The recent series history has been rather streaky. ISU carries a two-game streak over MU into Saturday's fray. MU preceeded that with a four-game streak over ISU from 1998-99. Prior to that, ISU won seven straight from 1995-98, while MU won five straight of its own from 1993-95.

BIG GAME, BIG STAKES
Saturday's game vs. ISU is a big game for the Tigers, on several different fronts. First off, a win keeps the Tigers tied for 1st place in the Big 12 Conference standings.

Secondly, if the Tigers are to challenge for the league crown this season, they'll likely need this game to do so. Last season, MU lost three tough league home games that prevented them from assaulting the top of the standings. A win Saturday legitimizes the Tigers as a contender.

Those losses all came against ranked opponents, and all were close ballgames that the Tigers were in before eventually falling.

KEYS VS. THE CYCLONES
Besides the fact that Marcus Fizer is no longer with the Cylones (he averaged 23 pts. vs. MU last year), MU will look to reverse a couple of trends from last year as the Cyclones earned a season sweep over the Tigers.

DEFENSE SHINES AT COLORADO
Holding Iowa State down in shooting will certainly be a tough order, but MU proved Wednesday in Boulder that the task can be done.

Colorado entered Wednesday's game as the 3rd-best shooting team in the NCAA, averaging 51.7% from the floor coming in. The Tigers' defensive efforts limited the Buffs to a season-low 31.2% from the floor, however (24-of-77 FGs). Included in that total was a 7-of-22 mark from three-point range for CU. They had ranked 5th nationally with a mark of 43.1% coming in.

MU ranks 7th in the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense, as opponents are shooting just 40.0% for the year. They are just .2% away from ranking fourth (Colorado 39.8%).

MU VS. RANKED TEAMS
Missouri is 0-2 this season against ranked teams, with both losses coming away from home and both going overtime.

The Tigers lost at #22 Iowa back on Dec. 16th by a 99-94 count in double overtime. Two games later, MU led #5 Illinois with as little as 38 seconds left in regulation, but the Illini rallied for an 86-81 overtime win.

MU's other loss this season came in the championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout to then-unranked Syracuse, 84-62. The Orangemen have since cracked the rankings, and currently stand 11th in the latest Associated Press poll.

MU went 2-8 last season vs. ranked teams, but four of the losses were by five points or fewer.

MORE RANKINGS
Missouri has lost five straight games to ranked Iowa State teams, and hasn't beaten ISU when they were ranked since claiming a 119-93 win over the 10th-ranked Cyclones in Columbia on Jan. 23, 1988.

All but one of the games have been decided by 10 points or fewer, however, including three of those by four points or less.

A NEW CAPACITY FOR HEARNES

After adding several new seating areas to Hearnes this year, Tiger Athletics officials have taken a look at the capacity for the Hearnes Center, and have come up with a new number.

Hearnes' official capacity will now be listed as 13,545. That's up from the previous listed capacity of 13,300.

MU drew 13,496 in its last game vs. Nebraska, and anticipates a sellout crowd for Saturday's game vs. Iowa State.

MU is averaging 10,266 in seven home games thus far this season, a number which will jump throughout the conference year. Last year, MU averaged 10,882 in Quin Snyder's first season -- the first season since 1986-87 that MU listed attendance as actual turnstile count, rather than tickets sold.

IN HOSTILE TERRITORY
Winning on someone else's home court is a tough chore, but the Tigers have shown an ability to come away with some key road wins over the past two seasons, and those wins have spurred MU to consecutive finishes in the top-half of the Big 12 standings.

Last season, MU went 5-3 on the road in Big 12 play, and ended 10-6 overall to finish 6th. All five wins came by 10 points or less.

In 1999, MU went a similar 5-3 in Big 12 road games, and finished 11-5 overall to take second in the league. All but one of those wins came by 10 points or less, as well.

Missouri went the entire first two years of Big 12 play without a conference road win.

HOME-ROAD COMPARISON
As expected, MU has performed better statistically at home in amassing a perfect 7-0 home record thus far.

The most glaring numbers that jump out relate to shooting and free throws. MU is shooting 47.8% from the floor at home, compared to just 38.1% away from home. MU turned in its best game of the season on Dec. 30th, as they fired in 56.5% of their shots (35-of-62) against Stetson. That mark was also the 2nd-highest under Quin Snyder.

Additionally, Tiger opponents are getting an average of 35.7 free throw attempts per game away from Hearnes (led by a massive 50 attempts by Iowa on Dec. 16), but are being held to 14.7 attempts on average at Hearnes.

Also, the Tigers have controlled the glass with authority at home, posting a rebounding margin of +7.4 at Hearnes, as opposed to a deficit of -1.7 away from home.

MU NO. 29 IN POWER RANKINGS

Missouri enters Saturday's game ranked 29th in the latest RPI power poll (www.collegerpi.com). The Tigers have played the 44th-toughest schedule in the land to this point.

Iowa State enters the game ranked 21st in the power rankings, with a strength of schedule rating of 66th.

All three of MU's losses have come to teams ranked 12th or higher in the RPI system -- #4 Illinois, #5 Iowa and #12 Syracuse.

RUSH, GILBERT DYNAMIC DUO
Missouri's top two scorers, sophomore forward Kareem Rush and junior guard Clarence Gilbert put on quite a show Dec. 16th on national television at Iowa.

The duo combined for 64 points against the Hawkeyes, as they scored 32 points apiece -- both career-high totals.

They combined to score 34 of MU's 41 second-half points, as the Tigers rallied to force overtime.

Gilbert, who ranks 8th in the Big 12 in scoring, and Rush (the league's top scorer) are in fact the top point-scoring duo in the league.

IT'S A BLOCK PARTY
Missouri has blocked 65 shots in 14 games on the season, and has already surpassed last year's total of 61 for the entire season (31 games).

Freshman center Arthur Johnson is leading the charge, with 33 blocks. That's an average of 2.4 per game, and puts him on pace to break the MU single-season record of 56 set by former all-American Steve Stipanovich in 1982-83. He needs just one more to move into the single-season top-10 list.

Blocked shots are just one fact that points out how much the Tigers' inside game has improved from last year, when Quin Snyder was forced to employ 6-foot-5 Jeff Hafer and 6-foot-9 T.J. Soyoye at the 4 and 5 spots, respectively.

Hafer and Soyoye combined to average 15.8 points and 9.9 rebounds a game last year playing against much bigger competition most every game. They blocked a total of 16 shots in 31 games.

This season, Soyoye and Johnson are adding an average of 18.6 points and 16.5 rebounds per game to the Tiger cause. TAKING A SECOND CHANCE Missouri has been an impressive second-half team early in the 2000-01 season. That's been important, given the fact that the Tigers have trailed at halftime in six of 14 outings (winning all but two of those).

In addition to coaching adjustments made in the lockerroom by Quin Snyder and his staff, Mizzou has simply played better after halftime. The Tigers are scoring more, shooting better, and handling the ball better.

MU has outscored opponents by 111 points in the second half (compared to 25 in the first half), as the Tigers are averaging 42.6 points after intermission, to opponents' 34.6.

MU's recent 68-66 win over Nebraska was a perfect example of this trend. MU was ice cold in the first half, shooting just 27.3% from the floor (including 9.1% from 3-pt. range), and scored just 26 points. The Tigers regrouped to connect on 16-of-30 FGs in the 2nd half (including 4-8 3-pt. FGs), good for a 53.3% clip, and outscored the Huskers, 42-32 for the comeback win.

Nebraska held a huge 23-12 rebounding edge in the first half, but the Tigers held their own in the second half on the boards, grabbing 14 while holding NU to 12.

Another prime example of this second-half superiority came during the Great Alaska Shootout, when the Tigers turned strong second-half performances into wins over Rhode Island and Valparaiso.

Against URI, Missouri shot just 29.0% from the floor in the first half, and trailed 31-19 at half. Undaunted, the Tigers regrouped and shot a solid 53.1% in the second half, and outscored the Rams 51-29 to post the 70-60 win.

Similarly, against Valpo, the Tigers fell behind early by 10 points, and trailed by two points at half, but blitzed the Crusaders 44-26 in the second half. Mizzou held Valpo to a miserable 19.4% shooting effort in the second half (6-of-31 FGs), and turned a 26-12 rebounding deficit in the first half to a 24-14 edge on the glass after intermission. IT'S ALWAYS RUSH HOUR AT MIZZOU

It's only halfway through the season, but MU sophomore forward Kareem Rush is quickly establishing himself as an all-America candidate, as well as a leading candidate for Big 12 Player-of-the-Year honors.

The Sporting News recently released its all-American team to this point in the season, and Rush was listed as a first-teamer at small forward. He was also listed as one of 30 mid-season candidates for the prestigious Wooden Award, as announced recently by the Wooden Award Foundation.

The top scorer in the Big 12 Conference (21.6 ppg), Rush is making 30-point performances seem routine. He's already turned in three 30-pt. games this year, and two games ago racked up 30 points and added 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks vs. Nebraska.

Rush was a perfect 8-of-8 from the foul line on the night, including a pair of clutch freebies with 1:04 left that provided the final margin in MU's 68-66 win.

Rush was suffering from the flu bug earlier this week, and was less than 100 percent in Wednesday's game at Colorado. He gave it a go for 29 minutes vs. the Buffs, but could muster "only" 14 points and six rebounds.

Without a doubt MU's MVP, Rush leads the team in scoring, 3-pt. percentage, free throw percentage and steals, and is second in blocks and third in rebounding and assists. The Tigers are 0-2 when he plays 21 minutes or less, and conversely are 11-1 when he plays 24 or more.

On Dec. 30, Rush had a 25-point, 12-rebound outing vs. Stetson. He sank 10-of-16 shots on the day, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. He also added a career-high five assists in the game, and notched the third double-double of the season.

Rush turned in an outstanding performance recently at #22 Iowa, as he tallied a career-high 32 points. He also added 11 rebounds, marking the second double-double of the season.

Rush scored 24 of his points after halftime, and was a perfect 10-of-10 from the foul line, including 8-of-8 in overtime.

Prior to that, Rush had a huge week when he averaged 28.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in leading MU to comeback wins over DePaul and Saint Louis. He scored 31 points in MU's 99-84 win over DePaul, and followed with 25 more vs. SLU, including a gutsy fall away jumper in the lane that gave MU the lead for good, at 71-70 with just 1:33 left in the game.

For his efforts, Rush was named national player of the week by ESPN.com, FoxSports.com, CNN/SI.com and was also named Big 12 Player-of-the-Week.

Rush averaged an MU-freshman record 14.7 points per game last year, and was named the Big 12's co-freshman-of-the-year.

He leads the Big 12 Conference in scoring currently, and ranks in the league's top-10 in seven different categories.

Rush carries a streak of 32 straight games scoring in double figures into Saturday's game with Iowa State, and has scored in double figures in 33 of 36 career games.

GILBERT THE GREAT
Junior guard Clarence Gilbert has emerged as one of the Big 12's top scorers this season, and his presence gives MU the luxury of having one of the deadliest 1-2 perimeter scoring combos around.

Gilbert is coming off a clutch game at Colorado, where he scored a game-high 22 points. He struggled for most of the night to find his shot, yet he still proved to be the key to MU's win as he scored eight straight Tiger points in less than a minute in the second half to stake MU out to a 64-48 lead with 6:47 left. That personal binge, which included two three pointers, essentially put the game away. He later hit 6-of-6 free throws in the final 3:05 to help seal it up.

Gilbert previously had a gutty performance against Nebraska. He tallied 16 points (11 in the second half), and added 4 steals and 3 assists in 36 minutes. Perhaps most important, however, was his harassing defensive effort against NU's Cookie Belcher. Gilbert held Belcher to 8 points (8.5 below his average coming in), and forced him into 7 turnovers in the game.

Gilbert had a great all-around game on Dec. 30 vs. Stetson, as he scored 13 points and dished out seven assists (one shy of his career high) and added four rebounds and two steals. He made 5-of-10 shots on the day.

Gilbert previously had a 23-point outing vs. Illinois. Despite making just 8-of-23 FGs on the night (4-of-13 3-pt. FGs), he was forced to carry the load offensively while his teammate Rush was on the bench with foul trouble. Gilbert did his best to play hero, though, as he hit a runner in the lane with 1:03 left in regulation that gave MU its last lead of the game, at 72-70, before Illinois sent it into overtime.

Gilbert turned in a career-high 32 point outing at #22 Iowa. He hit 5 three pointers on the night (and tied an MU record with 16 three-point attempts), and added 3 rebounds and 2 assists, playing 46 of 50 minutes.

Gilbert had 26 points vs. DePaul, going for 17 second-half points. He hit 6-of-9 3-pt. field goals on the day -- a performance that reminded many of his 27-point outing last year that helped sink then-No. 7 Kansas. He sank 7-of-10 threes in that contest.

He scored 17 points vs. Saint Louis, a game in which he struggled from the floor, connecting on just 5-of-16 FGs. But he was money when the chips were down, as Gilbert made two straight long three-pointers which helped key the Tigers to a comeback win.

His first trey, with 2:44 left, cut the SLU lead to 69-66, and his second bomb just 40 seconds later made it 70-69. He had been 0-of-6 from long range prior to his late-game heroics.

Gilbert currently ranks among league leaders in several categories.

Naturally, the long-range shot hasn't left the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native's mentality. Gilbert, who broke the MU single-season three-point field goal record last season (88 treys) already ranks 4th on the MU career 3-point field goal chart (153 entering the Iowa State game), and is on pace to break the career record of 190 set by former Tiger Jason Sutherland. He passed Mark Atkins for 4th on the list on Wednesday, and is just 6 behind active leader Brian Grawer for 3rd place.

The 3rd-leading returning scorer in the Big 12 Conference, Gilbert earned 3rd-team all-league honors last season as a sophomore. He was tabbed as high as 2nd-team all-league by several publications this fall.

KING ARTHUR
You can call him A.J., or you can call him Arthur, or you can call him Dock. Through the early going this season, though, opponents are calling Arthur Johnson a handful.

The affable freshman came to MU as a highly-touted recruit out of Detroit, Mich., and he's not disappointed anyone in the Tiger camp.

Johnson is laying claim to Big 12 Freshman-of-the-Year candidacy, as he's averaging 10.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He leads Big 12 freshmen in four categories, including field goal percentage, rebounding, blocks and steals, and is currently 3rd in scoring.

Johnson ranks not only among league leaders in freshmen, but all players.

A.J. had a monster game Wednesday at Colorado, as he pulled down an MU freshman record 19 rebounds, which broke the old record of 16 by Gary Leonard in 1986. He might have approached the single-game record of 27 by Bob Reiter (1955), but foul trouble limited Johnson to just 23 minutes of play. He added 9 points, 4 blocks and 1 assist to the cause.

He previously had a solid 13-point game vs. Nebraska. He added 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks in a career-high 34 minutes. He had 9 of his points in the second half (on 4-of-5 FGs), as his teammates continued to look for him down the stretch. His biggest bucket came on a sweet jump hook in the lane with 3:21 left to give MU a 63-60 lead.

On Dec. 30 vs. Stetson, Johnson blocked a school-record 8 shots. That shattered the old MU single-game mark of 5, which was held by seven former Tigers. He also added 10 points and 6 rebounds on the day.

He followed that with a 14-point outing vs. Coastal Carolina. He blocked 7 shots during the game, marking the second straight game he surpassed the old school record.

Against 5th-ranked Illinois, A.J. had a solid 15-point, 12-rebound performance vs. the Illini's strong front line, which marked his 4th double-double since being inserted into the starting lineup. He's averaging 10.6 points and 9.4 rebounds a game as a starter.

Johnson scored a career-high 16 points and added 10 rebounds vs. DePaul.

A.J. was possibly MU's MVP of the game, as he kept the Tigers in the game during a first half when DePaul led by as many as 10 points. With primary scorers Kareem Rush and Clarence Gilbert struggling to find the mark, Johnson collected 7 offensive rebounds in the first half, and scored 14 points. He ended the game with 9 offensive boards.

Johnson was a vital cog in MU's comeback win over Rhode Island, scoring 12 second-half points (all 12 coming during a decisive 33-6 run) to lead the charge. He ended with 14 points, and added seven rebounds.

A.J. reported this fall a bit overweight, tipping the scales at over 300 pounds. But he worked hard in pre-season conditioning, and is now down to 265.

COMEBACK KIDS
In just 45 games under Head Coach Quin Snyder, Missouri has shown a propensity to comeback from precarious situations, as the Tigers have already won five games this year in which they've trailed opposition by 10 or more points. In Snyder's rookie season, MU won four games under similar circumstances.

Last Saturday vs. Nebraska, the Tigers trailed by 10 points with 15:20 left in the game. But MU strung together a 10-0 run that got them back in the game, and held on at the end for the win.

Earlier this season, the Tigers won consecutive games under similar circumstances.

On Dec. 9th, Missouri led Saint Louis for a grand total of just 2 minutes, 20 seconds in the game -- 47 seconds in the first half and the final 1:33 of the game. SLU led by 10 points with 10:44 remaining in the game, and had the Tigers down by eight (69-61) with just 4:14 left. But MU out-excecuted the Billikens down the stretch, and outscored them by a 16-4 count the rest of the way.

Earlier that same week, Missouri rebounded from a 10-point first half deficit to DePaul, and went on to a solid 99-84 win. Previously, MU cameback from a 14-point second-half deficit against Rhode Island, followed by a comeback from a 10-point deficit the next game vs. Valparaiso.

BRYANT HAS BREAKOUT
No, we're not talking about a nasty rash of any sort here, we're talking about freshman power forward Travon Bryant and his breakout game turned in Wednesday at Colorado.

Bryant, who had been with the team for only three weeks after enrolling at MU mid-semester, scored 12 points and added 9 rebounds vs. the Buffs, and was a key to MU's big road win.

Showing he's getting more and more comfortable with every day, Bryant added 1 block and 1 assist in a very efficient 15 minutes, all stats which represented career highs for the Long Beach, Calif. native.

Bryant sank 5-of-8 shots on the night, and now has connected on a team-best 69.2% of his attempts thus far in five appearances.

He's made just 3-of-10 free throws so far, but one look at his nice shooting stroke, and there's no doubting he'll improve on those numbers when he begins to feel more comfortable on the floor.

A McDonald's All-American out of Long Beach Jordan High, Bryant signed with MU last spring. He attended Maine Central Institute for the first semester, and after receiving a qualifying test score, joined the team at the conclusion of the first semester. His first practice with the team was Dec. 20th at Vashon High School in St. Louis, as the Tigers prepared for their next-day battle with 5th-ranked Illinois.

OH RICKEY, YOU'RE SO FINE
Freshman forward Rickey Paulding is a very quiet and humble young man. After helping lead MU's comeback win over Valparaiso with a career-high 16 points, he didn't want to go to the interview room after the game because he was timid about speaking in front a group of people.

Paulding acquitted himself just fine in the interview room, as he did on the court. You wouldn't know he was a shy person by the way he attacks the rim. The high-flying rookie is one of the Big 12's most exciting finishers around the basket, and continues to develop into a vitally important player off the bench for the Tigers.

Paulding is coming off an outstanding performance at Colorado, where he scored 9 points and added 2 assists in 16 minutes of play. His point total was his highest output since scoring 13 points vs. Saint Louis on Dec. 9, and broke a spell in which he had scored a total of 2 points in the last 2 games.

Paulding also had a landmark of sorts in Boulder, as he connected on the first three-point shot of his career. He entered the game having gone 0-for-20 from beyond the stripe, but he got the collar off his neck when he buried a trey as the shot clock expired with 15:30 left in the game to give MU an 8-point lead. The entire Tiger bench and team was so excited for him, that they forgot to get back on defense, as the Buffs scored a quick transition basket.

Paulding had a solid 8-point, 2-rebound and 2-assist outing vs. Stetson. Included in his point total was an eye-popping alley-oop dunk from Clarence Gilbert that will likely make quite a few highlight reels this season.

Paulding had a stellar performance Dec. 9th vs. Saint Louis, when he scored 13 points in 15 minutes and added a team-high 6 rebounds.

The Detroit, Mich. native was a key to MU's comeback win vs. Valparaiso, as he ended the game with a career-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting (including 2 rim-rocking dunks). He also sank 4-of-5 free throws and added 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist to the cause.

Through 14 games, Paulding is averaging 6.9 points a game, which is 5th-best on the squad.

WHEN YOU SAY SOYOYE, YOU'VE SAID A MOUTHFUL
Senior center Tajudeen Soyoye has continued his solid contributions in the middle for MU.

The 6-foot-9 center/forward is averaging 8.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and has played well together with freshman Arthur Johnson. That combo has helped MU claim an advantage on the boards in 7-of-14 games this season, a year after MU won the battle of the boards just 8 times in 31 games.

Soyoye had a workmanlike 5-point, 9-rebound outing Wednesday vs. Colorado. He attempted only 4 field goals in 29 minutes.

T.J. was held to 4 points last Saturday vs. Nebraska, but added 7 rebounds and played the role of hero in the waning seconds of MU's 68-66 win. With MU clinging to its 2-point lead, Nebraska had the ball in its own court with 1.7 seconds left for an inbounds pass. Soyoye guarded NU's inbounds man, John Robinson, and promptly stole the pass to seal the Tigers' comeback win.

Soyoye had a double-double three games ago, as he scored a season-high 16 points vs. Coastal Carolina and added 12 rebounds. He ranks 7th in the Big 12 in rebounding.

T.J. turned in an outstanding game vs. Indiana recently, when he grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds and added 5 points. Seven of his boards were of the offensive variety. Five of those came in the final 11 minutes of the game, and they led to five all important second-chance points for the Tigers in their five-point victory.

At Iowa, Soyoye scored 10 points and added 10 rebounds before fouling out in overtime. That marked the first double-double of the season for the Lagos, Nigeria native.

Soyoye has improved dramatically from the foul line. His season free throw percentage of 75.8% is up significantly from a mark of 63.1% last season, and Soyoye ranks 12th in the Big 12 Conference in that category. Included in his total is a perfect 9-of-9 effort from the charity stripe vs. Texas-Pan American.

RETURN OF GRAWER POWER
Following MU's Dec. 9th win over Saint Louis, MU Head Coach Quin Snyder called senior guard Grawer one of the best leaders he's been around.

"He's the guy that holds us together," said Snyder. "I feel like I've been around some pretty good leaders. I thought Steve Wojciechowski was a great leader. I thought Trajan Langdon was a great leader. Tommy Amaker, when I played, was a great leader. Brian Grawer right now is as good a leader on a team that I've ever been a part of," he said.

Grawer scored six points in MU's comeback win against the Billikens. Certainly not flashy numbers, but consider the value of his exploits: All six points of his points came after halftime. One was a key three-pointer that cut a SLU nine-point lead to six, and 3-of-4 free throws in the game's final 24 seconds. The final two provided the winning points in the 77-73 win.

Grawer has been held to an average of 1.7 points in his last three games (including going scoreless Wednesday for the first time this year), but he had his most efficient outing of the year just four games ago vs. Stetson, as he scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, all from three-point land. It was the most threes he's hit in a game since going 4-of-7 from deep last year at Colorado.

He had three points last Saturday vs. Nebraska, but they proved to be quite valuable for the Tigers. He hit a three-pointer from the left corner with 14:59 left in the game, just moments after Nebraska had taken a 10-point lead. His shot spurred a 10-0 run that got MU back in the ballgame.

Previously at Indiana, he scored 7 points, and added 4 assists (with no turnovers) and 2 steals in 26 minutes. He also sank a pair of free throws to give MU a 66-63 lead with 14 seconds left.

Grawer scored a season-high 13 points in MU's win vs. Valpo, and added 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. He also sank 6-of-7 free throws in the second half to salt away the win.

As a sophomore, Grawer led the Big 12 Conference, and ranked 3rd in the nation, in three-point shooting percentage, hitting at a school-record 49.6% clip.

Grawer ranks 3rd on the alltime MU career three-point field goal chart, with 159 entering the Iowa State game. The alltime leader is Jason Sutherland, with 190.

Grawer also needs 1 more steal to pass former Tiger Mike Sandbothe for 4th on the career steals chart, and needs 2 assists to tie Reggie Smith for 9th on the career assist chart.

REBOUNDING REPORT
Missouri struggled mightily last season to hold its own on the boards. Playing with a lineup that featured a front line of 6-foot-9, 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-6, MU was vastly undersized virtually each time out.

That disadvantage was difficult to overcome, and MU found itself outrebounded by a 5.0 margin per game. The Tigers were outrebounded in their last nine games last season, including a huge 55-30 deficit in the NCAA Tournament against North Carolina.

This year, the Tigers aren't exactly mammoth in size, but in the early going, rebounding is the area in which the Tigers have likely improved most.

MU ranked last in the Big 12 last season in rebounding, with a per-game average of 33.5. Through 14 games this season, the Tigers rank 3rd in the league with an average of 41.6 entering Saturday's contest.

Mizzou is outrebounding opponents by a +2.4 margin through 14 games, and they recently held their own against one of the nation's best front lines. Fifth-ranked Illinois held a slight 49-45 rebounding edge over the Tigers in their overtime triumph on Dec. 21st.

MU also had an impressive performance on the glass vs. the tall and athletic DePaul Blue Demons back in December.

The Tigers outboarded DePaul by a 38-26 margin, including an eye-popping 20-to-9 advantage on the offensive end. The Tigers turned those rebounds into 27 second-chance points. The Tigers enter Saturday's game as the top offensive rebounding team in the Big 12 (15.1 p/g).

MU outrebounded Savannah State by a 54-27 margin to open the season. The biggest margin MU held last year was 14. The Tigers followed by outboarding Rhode Island by a 44-37 margin, holding URI to just 12 rebounds in the decisive second half.

On Nov. 25th vs. Valpo, the Crusaders jumped out to a 10-point lead, and held a massive 26-12 rebounding edge in the first half. But the Tigers regrouped to get control of the game in the second half -- largely due to a 24-14 advantage on the glass after intermission.

HITTING THE FREEBIES
If a game comes down to the foul line, early indications show that Mizzou should be right at home.

The Tigers enter Saturday's game with a success rate of 69.4% as a team from the line, which ranks 4th in the Big 12. They're coming off a game in which they made 28-of-38 freebies (73.7%) at Colorado, including a stellar 16-of-20 (80.0%) in the game's final four minutes to seal the win.

MU had ranked near the top of the league however, but they had a recent three-game swoon where they shot a combined 53.3% from the line (40-of-75), including a season-low 51.7% effort from the line against Illinois, as the Tigers connected on just 15-of-29 freebies.

In MU's double-overtime loss at #25 Iowa, the Tigers were solid from the line, going 20-of-29 (69.0%). But the homestanding Hawkeyes were the benefactors of a whopping 50 attempts during the game, making 34 of them in their five-point win.

The Tigers got back on track last Saturday in the win over Nebraska, as MU connected on 13-of-17 freebies (including 8-of-8 by Kareem Rush) to shoot 76.5% for the game. MU held the Huskers to a season-low 10 free throw attempts, and the Tigers are now a perfect 9-0 on the year when attempting more free throws than opponents.

MU has been sharp from the line in the game's final moments. Thus far, the Tigers have made 78.0% (85-of-109) of its free throws in the final four minutes of games (including overtime), and 76.8% (63-of-82) in the final two minutes (including overtime).

STOKES FANS THE FLAMES

After taking awhile to make the typical freshman adjustments, point guard Wesley Stokes has emerged as a valuable reserve. He of the unmistakeable coiff was possibly MU's MVP in the big win at Indiana.

At Bloomington, Stokes provided a huge spark off the bench, as he scored a career-high 11 points and added an assist and a steal in 15 minutes of play.

Stokes hit 4-of-7 FGs on the night, including a gutsy floater in the lane over IU's 6-foot-9 Jeff Newton with 1:06 left in the game that gave MU a 62-61 lead.

That performance was preceded by an equally-clutch outing in MU's double overtime affair at #22 Iowa. He scored 8 points, with all of them coming after regulation.

Stokes hit 6-of-7 FTs in overtime, including 2-of-2 with just 29 seconds left in the 1st overtime to force a second extra period. He also added 3 assists and 3 rebounds in 11 minutes of action.

He added 9 pts., 4 rebs., 3 steals and 2 asst. in 24 mins. vs. #5 Illinois. Seven of his points came in the second half, as he helped MU rally from an 8-point deficit to force overtime.

Stokes added 9 points at Colorado, including 7-of-8 free throws in the game's final four minutes to help seal the win.

RECRUITING COUP
Quin Snyder and his staff has put together what experts believe is one of the nation's top recruiting classes for next year. Four of the nation's elite prep players signed with Missouri during the early period.

The class of Najeeb Echols (Chicago, Ill.), Jeffrey Ferguson (Benton Harbor, Mich.), Duane John (Toronto, Ontario), and Robert Whaley (Benton Harbor, Mich.) has been ranked as high as fourth-best in the nation, according to HoopScoop.

Here's a brief look at each of them.

NAJEEB ECHOLS

The 6-foot-7, 220-pound small forward is considered one of the nation's top prospects, and has been ranked as high as No. 20 in the country by ESPN.com. He averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists per game as a junior at Chicago Whitney Young High School, and led his school to second place in the Chicago Public League playoffs. An all-state special mention in 2000, Echols will attend Chicago's Morgan Park this season.

Echols chose Missouri over Illinois, DePaul and Houston primarily, and also considered Duke, Michigan State, Kansas, Michigan, UCLA and Cincinnati, among others. He is the son of Jim and Shirley Echols.

JEFFREY FERGUSON
Jeffrey Ferguson, a 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward from Benton Harbor, Mich., is considered among the nation's top-50 prospects by most recruiting analysts. Ferguson averaged 12.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.8 block per game as a junior at Benton Harbor High School. Ferguson helped lead Benton Harbor to a Big 8 Conference title and a Class A championship last season.

Ferguson is a Toronto native who moved to Benton Harbor for high school. He selected the Missouri program over Michigan State, North Carolina, Kentucky, Stanford and Michigan, among others. He earned first-team all-conference honors as a junior, and was selected honorable mention all-state. He is the son of Ms. Carol Ferguson.

DUANE JOHN
Mizzou picked up Canada's top prep player when John, of Toronto, Ontario, signed a national letter of intent to attend Mizzou.

John is a 6-foot-6, 195-pound forward who was rated by many analysts as the top prospect in all of Canada. He averaged 32.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and three assists as a junior at Boylen High School in Toronto. He was named to the Toronto Sun's All-Star Team, and later averaged 18.3 points a game this summer playing AAU basketball for Team Toronto Elite, under coach Rowan Russell.

A native of the West Indies, John moved to Canada prior to high school, to be with his mother, Aldona Fosu. He chose Missouri over Michigan State, Syracuse, Louisville and Pittsburgh, among others. He moved to Homestead, Fla. over the summer, and will attend Berkshire High School for his senior season.

ROBERT WHALEY
Whaley is a 6-foot-9, 250-pound power forward who is considered by many recruiting services as one of the nation's top prospects, and is ranked by ESPN.com as the No. 10 prep player in the country. He averaged 17.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.2 blocks, 3.2 assists and 3.1 steals per game last year at Benton Harbor, and helped lead his team to a Big 8 Conference title and a Class A district championship. He received honorable mention on USA Today's high school all-American team.

Whaley plays at Benton Harbor for Head Coach Paul Wilhite and Assistant Coach Lou Harvey, who is the father of MU Associate Head Coach Tony Harvey. He picked Missouri over Michigan State, Michigan, Kentucky, Georgetown, Syracuse, Cincinnati and Connecticut. He is the son of Ms. Sonya Whaley and John Barnes.

POLLING DATA
The Sports Illustrated college basketball season preview issue had Missouri well-represented.

For beginners, the magazine has Missouri ranked No. 22 in its pre-season poll.

Secondly, and more interestingly, the magazine conducted an informal poll among Big 12 Conference players this summer, and several Tigers won their own election, of sorts.

Head Coach Quin Snyder was voted as the "Opposing Coach You'd Most Like to Play For." We won't mention who was named the "Opposing Coach You'd Least Like to Play For."

Senior guard Brian Grawer was named as the best shooter in the league.

Junior guard Clarence Gilbert was named as the biggest trash-talker in the league. Since he's from the state of Florida, Gilbert is going to ask for a hand re-count.

NEW ARENA APPROVED BY CURATORS
Missouri received some rather exciting news on Nov. 9th, when the MU Board of Curators approved a presentation by Chancellor Richard Wallace to build a new arena, which will house the Tiger men's and women's basketball teams.

Wallace's proposal called for a $75-million facility to be built, most likely in time for the 2004-05 season. He announced a $25-million donation by an anonymous donor to go toward the arena - the largest gift ever in the history of the University.

That $25 million, along with $2 million more already raised for the arena, gives MU $27 million up front to help fund the arena. Dr. Wallace then asked the Curators to seek $35 million from the Missouri Legislature in general obligation bonds. Other donations/gifts, up-front seat payments and interest income would make up the remaining $13 million for the project.

The Board voted a unanimous 9-0 in favor of the project, and the next step is to get the appropriations from the state.

The arena would be located South of the Hearnes Center, and would seat anywhere from 15,000-to-17,000 people. The Hearnes Center would remain open to house the needs of MU Olympic sports such as volleyball, gymnastics, wrestling and indoor track and field.