MISSOURI-BAYLOR HISTORY
Missouri and Baylor will square off for just the 11th time Saturday, and the Tigers will be looking to break a 5-5 series tie.

MU has won three of four meetings with Baylor as part of the Big 12 Conference. The Tigers have won two straight, and own a 4-0 mark against BU in games played at Hearnes.

Last season, Missouri claimed a 74-72 win in Waco. The Tigers enjoyed a balanced scoring attack, as four starters scored in double figures, led by Keyon Dooling's 16 points. MU led by double digits most of the night before a Bear rally cut the lead to 67-64 with 1:27 left in the game. But the Tigers sank 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch to pull out the win.

A SCORING EXPLOSION
It's nothing new for Clarence Gilbert to get hot and score points in bunches. After all, he's been doing that his entire career at MU. But even Gilbert himself had to be slightly amazed at the five-minute stretch he put up against Texas A&M last Saturday in College Station. Gilbert scored 19 of MU's 21 points (and assisted on the other basket) in a first-half stretch that spanned just 5:16. The game was tied 13-13 when he began his personal binge, and moved to a 36-26 MU lead and a :30 second timeout by A&M when it ended.

IT'S THE NEW STYLE
It's hard to imagine that any team in America in position for an NCAA berth has been affected more in its lineup than Missouri, with the Tigers' recent loss all-American candidate Kareem Rush for the season.

Maybe Iowa, which has lost their leading scorer, Luke Recker, for the season with an injury. Recker averaged 18.1 points per game, but the Hawkeyes could still fall back on two others (Reggie Evans -- 15.5 ppg and Dean Oliver -- 14.3 ppg) who average double figures.

But Missouri's loss of Rush seems more impacting, as his scoring average of 21.9 ppg accounted for 28.4% of the teams' 77.3 per-game average. Additionally, MU has just one player left averaging double figures -- Clarence Gilbert who carries a 17.0 average into the final three games of the regular season.

Things got worse for Mizzou recently when Gilbert sat out the Iowa State game last week for disciplinary reasons. Credit Brian Grawer, Wesley Stokes and Rickey Paulding for picking up the slack. Additionally, reserve Justin Gage has quadrupled his normal output coming into the last four games.

PLAYING WITH PUPS
Missouri's youth was never more evident than recently at Iowa State, as the Tigers started three freshman (Arthur Johnson, Rickey Paulding & Wesley Stokes) against ISU's veteran-laden lineup that featured four senior starters. Also, after senior T.J Soyoye picked up two quick fouls, MU's fourth freshman, Travon Bryant, found his way on the court as the Tigers played with four rookies and senior captain Brian Grawer.

MU's rookies held up quite nicely in the heated atmosphere at Hilton Coliseum, as the quartet combined to score 34 points (Paulding 15, Stokes 12), 23 rebounds (Johnson 11), 8 assists (Stokes 5) and 6 blocks (Johnson 3).

Feb. 14th vs. Colorado, it was a pair of rookies again who led the way, as Wesley Stokes had career highs of 19 pts. & 4 rebs. in his second career start, and Johnson added a career high of 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for his 5th double-double of the year.

LOOKING FOR THE LONG-RANGE TOUCH
After a six-game stretch (Jan. 24-Feb. 11) where Missouri made a solid 43.8% of its three-point field goals as a team (60-of-137), the Tigers are searching to regain the long-distance touch.

MU went just 7-of-22 (31.8%) from long range in Monday's heartbreaker against Oklahoma. In its last three games, the Tigers have connected on just 35.6% as a team (26-of-73).

The Tigers were 11-of-26 Feb. 11th at Iowa State for a success rate of 42.3%. MU went 13-of-28 from long range Feb. 7th vs. K-State, good for an outstanding 46.4% mark.

MU went a solid 8-of-19 from beyond the arch Jan. 29th against Kansas, and previously made 12-of-26 threes at Nebraska, and followed with 8-of-17 vs. Texas Tech.

Missouri is now 10-0 on the season when they attempt 20 or fewer treys.

HITTING THE FREEBIES
Missouri has been solid from the foul line of late, as the Tigers have connected on 76.7% of their free throws in the last 9 games entering Saturday's contest vs. Baylor.

Last Saturday, the Tigers had a sterling 25-of-31 effort (80.6%) from the foul line in their 97-90 win at Texas A&M.

MU is coming off a game in which it made 12-of-18 free throws (66.7%) vs. Oklahoma, who went 7-of-12 from the line. That marked the first time this season MU has lost when attempting more free throws than its opponent (MU had been 13-0 coming in).

Mizzou sank a season-high 33-of-41 free throws in last week's win over Colorado, good for a salty 80.5% mark. Leading the way was freshman guard Wesley Stokes, who sank 14-of-16 freebies on the night, including 7-of-8 in the final two minutes as MU sealed the win.

Feb. 11th at Iowa State, MU didn't get much of a chance, as they made five of only eight opportunities from the line (62.5%), while ISU essentially won the game from the line, going 20-of-29. For the first time this season, the Tigers did not attempt a single free throw in the game's final two minutes.

Last week vs. Kansas State, MU had a sterling effort from the foul line, as the Tigers connected on a season-best 90.5% of its free throws in MU's 70-66 comeback win.

MU sank 19-of-21 free throws vs. KSU, including 6-of-7 in the last four minutes as they charged back from an eight-point deficit.

For the season, MU ranks 4th in the Big 12, with a team percentage of 70.7%. The Tigers have upped that mark to 73.5% in league games only, and rank 3rd in league play.

BIG 12 RECORD BREAKDOWN
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.

MORE RANKINGS
Five of MU's nine losses on the year have come at the hands of teams which were ranked in this week's Associated Press Top-25 poll.

Illinois leads the list at #3, followed by #6 Iowa State, #9 Virginia, #16 Oklahoma and #17 Syracuse as ranked teams that MU has come up short against. Kansas, ranked #11 this week, and Iowa State (#6), find themselves on MU's victim list.

Overall, the Tigers are 2-5 against ranked teams at tipoff. Syracuse was not ranked when MU faced them in the championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout in November.

REBOUND THAT BASKETBALL
Missouri has hit the boards with aplomb of late, as they've recently outrebounded two of the nation's top 10 rebounding teams.

Feb. 11th at #12 Iowa State, the Tigers grabbed 38 rebounds, equaling ISU's total for the game. The Cyclones aren't accustomed to not having their way on the boards, as they entered the game ranked 2nd in the NCAA in rebounding margin, at +10.8.

On Jan. 29th against #3 Kansas, the Tigers outrebounded the taller Jayhawks by a 41-37 margin. KU is currently ranked 7th in the country in rebounding margin (+8.5).

That broke a streak in which Missouri had been outrebounded in seven straight games, and 10 of its previous 11. The Tigers had opened the season by winning the battle of the boards in six of their first eight contests. They have now outrebounded opponents nine times in 25 games, a year after doing so only eight times all of last season (31 games).

On Jan. 24th, Nebraska outboarded MU, 44-24, and had as many offensive rebounds (24) as the Tigers could muster on both ends of the court. MU entered the game as the Big 12's top offensive rebounding team (over 15 per game), but could snag only 6 offensive caroms.

For the season, MU is being outrebounded by a slim margin (-0.5 per game). That's still a significant improvement from last season, when MU was outrebounded by 5.0 boards per game (38.5-to-33.5).

CARDIAC KIDS
Missouri has been predisposed to playing tight ballgames of late, as 12 of its previous 20 games have been decided by six points or fewer. MU has fared well in the close ones, as they're 10-6 in games decided by 10 points or fewer overall for the season.

After playing a total of one overtime period in the last two seasons combined, the basketball gods are making Tiger faithful sweat it out this year.

Jan. 13th's four-overtime affair against Iowa State was historic on several fronts. It marked the most overtimes played in MU and Big 12 history.

MU has also now played seven overtime periods this season -- that's just one five-minute period short of a complete extra game.

The current group of Tigers are now tied for the most extra periods played in one season at MU. The 1982-83 team, which won the Big Eight championship that year, also played seven extra stanzas.

IT'S A BLOCK PARTY
Missouri has blocked 111 shots in 26 games on the season, and long ago surpassed last year's total of 61 for the season (31 games).

Freshman center Arthur Johnson is leading the charge, with 57 blocks. That's an average of 2.3 per game, and he broke the MU single-season record of 56 set by former all-American Steve Stipanovich in 1982-83 with his second-half block Monday vs. Oklahoma. A.J. needs only four more blocks to equal MU's output as a team last season (61 in 2000-01).

Missouri ranks 3rd in the Big 12 with an average of 4.23 blocks per game. Last season, the Tigers were dead last, at 2.0 per game.

Missouri is on pace to finish the season with 135 blocks as a team, which would break the MU single-season record of 128, by the 1990-91 team.

RUSH HOUR RESUMING SOON?
Prior to the thumb injury suffered recently, Mizzou sophomore forward Kareem Rush had established himself as an all-America candidate, as well as a leading candidate for Big 12 Player-of-the-Year honors. His injury was originally predicted as a season-ending blow, but MU recently received good news that he should be available to play soon.

Prior to the beginning of conference play, The Sporting News released its all-American team, 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. ABC/ESPN color man Dick Vitale recently named Rush to his all-Rolls Royce team.

The top scorer in the Big 12 Conference (21.9 ppg), Rush made 30-point performances seem routine. He turned in four 30-pt. games this year, including two of his last 7 outings.

Rush had 21 points and seven rebounds in his last outing of the season, at Oklahoma State. He injured his left thumb with 1:50 left in the game, but stayed in to finish as MU tried for the comeback win.

Rush played in 21 games as a sophomore, after playing in 22 games as a freshman.

Rush had arguably the best performance of his young career on Jan. 29th vs. Kansas, as he notched his fourth double-double of the year, with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Rush scored 18 of his points in the second half, including 8-of-9 free throws to help seal the win. He was named Big 12 Player-of-the-Week for his efforts -- his 2nd time earning the honor this season.

He made 52.2% of his shots in the last three games (24-of-46) and scored 20 or more points in five straight outings.

Rush had a 23-point outing Jan. 27th vs. Texas Tech. He hit the game-winning three-pointer with 33 seconds left to give MU a 64-62 lead, and later notched a steal with time running out to preserve the win. Rush hit 4-of-6 three-pointers on the day, and hit 9-of-15 from the floor overall.

On Jan 13th, Rush had a 32-point game vs. Iowa State, which tied his career high. He hit only 13-of-31 shots on the day, but was solid from beyond the three-point line, where he sank 5-of-10 attempts.

Rush had 30 points vs. Nebraska in MU's Big 12 opener, and 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 turned in an outstanding performance at #22 Iowa, as he tallied a career-high 32 points. He also added 11 rebounds.

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.

CLEARANCE, CLARENCE
Junior guard Clarence Gilbert has emerged as one of the Big 12's top scorers this season, and assured everyone with his performance last Saturday at Texas A&M that he's ready to lead the Tigers into the postseason.

Gilbert had an outstanding overall performance Saturday, with 26 points, 6 assists and 2 steals in 29 minutes off the bench. As mentioned earlier, he went ballistic in the first half, scoring 19 points in a 5 minute, 16 second stretch.

He followed with a game-high 16-point performance in Monday's narrow loss to #16 Oklahoma. He made 4-of-10 3-pt. FGs on the night, but went just 1-of-9 inside the arch, as his efforts to get inside the lane just wouldn't fall for him. He ended 5-of-19 overall.

Gilbert has come off the bench in the last three games, since missing the Feb. 11th game at Iowa State due to disciplinary reasons.

He came off the bench for the first time this season vs. Colorado (Feb. 14) and scored 8 pts. and added 3 rebs. and 3 assists in 26 minutes. He took only 7 shots on the night and passed up several open shots, which prompted Head Coach Quin Snyder to joke after the game, "I told Clarence that I was going to suspend him again if he didn't start shooting the ball."

Gilbert had a solid night at Oklahoma State, where he scored 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting in Stillwater. That marked the third time this season he connected at 50 percent or better in a game.

Gilbert had a 7-of-15 shooting night at Nebraska (46.7%) on Jan. 24th. He sank 7-of-13 from three-point range, which tied his career high for makes, and was just one shy of John Woods' school record for a game.

In case you hadn't heard, Gilbert had a pretty good gameon Jan. 13th in MU's 4-overtime win against Iowa State.

Gilbert tied a Big 12 record by scoring 43 points vs. ISU, and added 9 assists and had zero turnovers in 56 minutes. He set Big 12 and MU records in minutes (56) and field goal attempts (36). His 18 three-point attempts (of which he made 7) were also an MU single-game record. His point total was the 4th-most in MU history, and if the 78.0% free throw shooter had made more of his 12-of-17 attempts from the foul line, he might have surpassed the MU scoring record of 46 points.

He tallied 23 of his points in the second half alone, including sinking 5-of-8 from the three-point line.

Gilbert had 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.

The 32.5 points-per-game average vs. CU and ISU, coupled with his 11 assists to just 1 turnover, earned him Big 12 Conference Player of the Week honors (Jan. 15). He was also named ESPN national player of the week.

He 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 32 point outing at #22 Iowa. He hit 5 three pointers on the night, and added 3 rebounds and 2 assists, playing 46 of 50 minutes.

Gilbert, who broke the MU single-season three-point field goal record last season (88 treys) ranks 4th on the MU career 3-point field goal chart (187 entering the BU game), and is now 10 behind current leader Brian Grawer. He needs 3 treys to tie Jason Sutherland for 2nd place, at 190.

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.

GRAWER LEADS THE CHARGE
When Kareem Rush went down with a thumb injury, everyone wondered where MU's points would come from. Everyone except senior guard Brian Grawer. In the five games since Rush went down, Grawer has stepped up his scoring role immensely, and has averaged 17.0 points per game.

Grawer scored 14 points at Texas A&M last Saturday, and became MU's alltime 3-pt. king with his first of four treys. That bomb from the left corner gave him 191 career three pointers, which gave him sole possession of the career lead, moving him past former leader Jason Sutherland (190).

After a 3-of-8 performance from three-point range Monday vs. Oklahoma, Grawer has made 197-of-461 threes in his Tiger career, good for a school-best 42.7% career mark.

Grawer had a brilliant performance at #12 Iowa State, when he sank 8-of-13 three-point field goals and ended with 24 points. The eight treys tied the MU single-game record held by John Woods (vs. UAB in 1998), and was the fourth-most in Big 12 history.

In the previous game, Grawer stole the show in MU's 70-66 come-from-behind win over Kansas State.

In MU's first game without the services of Kareem Rush, and a sick Clarence Gilbert who scored just 2 points (he was averaging 17.7 ppg coming in), the Tigers were in desparate need of someone picking up the scoring slack.

Grawer did just that, by shooting his way to a season-high 22 points, on the strength of a 6-of-12 night from three-point range. His biggest one of the night came with just 17 seconds left in the game, and MU trailing by one. His 23-footer settled home perfectly, and gave MU a 68-66 lead.

On Jan. 29th, Grawer tallied 14 points vs. #3 Kansas. He nailed 4 three pointers on the night (in 7 attempts), and scored 11 of his points in the second half.

Grawer is showing that he's regaining the stroke from long range that saw him rank 3rd in the NCAA as a sophomore in three-point percentage (49.6%).

The St. Louis native has made 34-of-68 three-point field goals in his last 9 games (50.0%), and his season total of 58 is already 11 more than he made all of last season, when he struggled behind the stripe (shot a career-low 32.8%).

Grawer has scored in double figures 11 times this season, including five straight games since the Rush injury.

A quick check of the MU career records shows that Grawer is statistically one of the school's most productive players.

He is the only Tiger in school history to rank among the career top-10 lists in free throw percentage (3rd -- 83.5%), steals (3rd -- 187) and assists (10th -- 313).

He is also joined by former Tiger greats Anthony Peeler and Melvin Booker as the only players to rank among the career top-10 lists in three point field goals, assists and steals.

STOKES FANS THE FLAMES
Freshman point guard Wesley Stokes has emerged as an invaluable cog in the Tiger attack.

Stokes has combined with fellow guard Brian Grawer to spearhead the Tiger scoring attack of late, as he's averaged 13.2 points per game in MU's last 5 outings, after averaging 4.7 points a game in his first 21 contests.

Stokes had 12 points last Saturday at Texas A&M (on the strength of 7-of-9 FTs), and added a career-high 7 assists with just one turnover in 30 minutes. He was held to four points Monday vs. Oklahoma (on 2-of-7 FGs), but stepped up in crunch time, as he hit a floater on the right baseline with 17 seconds left to forge a 61-61 tie prior to OU's last-second win.

Stokes scored 19 points Feb. 14th vs. Colorado, on the strength of a 14-of-16 performance from the foul line. He hit 7-of-8 freebies in the game's final three minutes to help seal the win.

That followed a solid performance at #12 Iowa State, where he had 12 pointsand added career highs in rebounds (6) and assists (5) in his first career start.

Stokes turned in a heroic performance in MU's 70-66 win over Kansas State on Feb. 7th. The dynamic rookie scored a career-high 19 points on the night -- an invaluable feat considering the fact that MU got only 2 points from Clarence Gilbert, who entered the game with a 17.7 scoring average.

Stokes picked up the scoring slack mostly from long range, as he nailed a career-high 5-of-8 three pointers. He had made 9 treys in 21 games prior to his feat that night.

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

At Indiana, 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.

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.

The Sporting News recently listed Stokes as having the best hair in college basketball.

DOCK BLOCK
You can call him A.J., or you can call him Arthur, or you can call him Dock. Whatever you prefer, Tiger opponents are calling Arthur Johnson a handful.

The Detroit, Mich. native is laying claim to Big 12 Freshman-of-the-Year candidacy, as he's averaging 9.2 points and 8.0 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 had 10 points and 8 rebounds in his last outing vs. Oklahoma. Eight of his points and all of his rebounds came in the second half. Six of his rebounds were on the offensive glass, and led to six of his 10 points on the night.

A.J. notched his 5th double-double of the season last week as he scored a career-high 17 points and added 11 rebounds vs. Colorado. He sank 3-of-4 free throws, and has now made 11 of his last 17 foul shots in four games, and has raised his season percentage to 49.1%.

A.J. had a solid game at Iowa State, where he grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, and added 7 pts. and 3 blocks to the cause.

He had a solid performance at #13 Virginia, where he scored 14 points, on 7-of-9 shooting. He proved to be vital to MU's success, as the Tiger offense suffered without him in the game. When he picked up his fifth foul with 3:34 left in the game, MU trailed by just two points. Without him patrolling the middle, MU went scoreless until a free throw with 50 seconds left. UVA took advantage to claim an 80-70 lead by that point, however, sealing the game.

A.J. had a monster game 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 him to just 23 minutes of play. He added 9 points, 4 blocks and 1 assist to the cause.

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.

OH, RICKEY, YOU'RE SO FINE
Freshman slasher Rickey Paulding is one of the more quiet guys on the Missouri team, and sometimes he can get a lost in the shuffle.

But with MU's recent hits to the roster, he's been thrust into the spotlight more than ever. The Detroit, Mich. native has responded with flying colors in MU's last 5 games, as he's averaged 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while facing the daunting task of replacing all-American candidate Kareem Rush in the lineup.

Paulding has started all five games since Rush went down, and is coming off a 5-point, 3-rebound outing vs. Oklahoma. He was held to 1-of-7 shooting on the night, but his one make was an exciting alley-oop slam on a pass from fellow freshman Wesley Stokes. Paulding was fouled on the play, and consequently completed the three-point play with his free throw.

Paulding started his second straight game Feb. 11th at #12 Iowa State, and scored 15 points (one shy of his career best) and added five rebounds and a career-high 3 assists in 37 minutes of play. He had an important 3-point play that was MU's first score after ISU jumped out to a 10-0 lead right off the bat.

On Feb. 7th vs. Kansas State he scored 10 points and added 5 rebounds and 2 assists in his first career start. Paulding hit 3-of-6 shots on the night, including a career-best 2-of-2 from three-point range.

Prior to the Rush injury, Paulding had been MU's top reserve this season.

Paulding had 3 points in a limited 7 minute-stint at Oklahoma State, hitting 3-of-4 free throws on the night. He went 0-of-3 from the floor, after having made 6-of-10 from the floor in his previous three games.

Paulding had 5 points in 13 minutes on Jan. 29th vs. #3 Kansas, and hit 1-of-2 from three-point land.

He's finding his stroke from the foul line, as he's hit 14-of-18 free throws (77.8%) in his last 6 games.

12-GAGE PLAYS A KEY ROLE
Sophomore forward Justin Gage might not have big numbers, but he gives much more to the team than his 2.0 point and 1.8 rebound per game averages would indicate.

Gage, who wears #11 in basketball but is #12 in football (thus the 12-Gage reference), where he was MU's leading receiver last season, has played more on the wing in Kareem Rush's absence, and his number have gone up considerably. In his last 5 games, Gage is averaging 4.4 points per game, after averaging just 1.0 points in his previous 12 games.

Gage scored 7 pts. at Texas A&M, matching the seven he scored Feb. 14th vs. Colorado. He also grabbed a season-high 4 rebounds last Saturday at A&M.

Gage has found the mark from the foul line of late, as he's made 10-of-14 freebies in his last five games (71.4%), after making just 6-of-15 (40.0%) in his first 12 games.

Gage made several big plays late in MU's win over Kansas State on Feb. 7th.

His first big play came with 1:14 left in the game, and MU trailing by five points. MU's Brian Grawer missed a three-pointer, and KSU's Quentin Buchanan grabbed the rebound. Just when things started looking bad for the Tigers, Gage quickly stole the ball from Buchanan underneath MU's basket, and was fouled as he tried to score.

A 40.0% foul shooter coming in, Gage calmly sank both shots to pull MU to within three, at 66-63 with 1:10 left. He later set up the game-winning three-pointer by Brian Grawer when he stepped in front of K-State's Larry Reid and drew a charge with 51 seconds left and KSU holding a 66-65 lead. Grawer hit a three-pointer on MU's ensuing possession which proved to be the game winner.

His was limited to 10 minutes due to foul trouble at Iowa State, but he still managed four points, including a huge three-pointer (his first of the season) in the game's final three minutes that pulled MU to within six points.

Gage has been battling injuries in the past month, as he's missed seven out of the past 14 games. He sprained a knee at Kansas State on Jan. 16, and has played in just 5 games since. His first game back was against Kansas on Jan. 29th, but he re-aggravated the knee when he drew a charge late in the game on KU's Kirk Hinrich. He did not play at Oklahoma State.

Earlier in the year, he suffered a broken nose in practice, and missed a three-game stretch from Dec. 30 through Jan. 6.

He is second on the team in charges taken, with 4 for the season.

T.J. BREAKS THROUGH AT A&M
There's no one on the Tiger team who works harder than senior forward Tajudeen Soyoye. That's why it's been so frustrating for those in the program who know his work ethic to see him struggle offensively since the start of league play.

Soyoye, who had a solid non-conference season (averaging 8.8 ppg), just couldn't get things to go his way in Big 12 play. He was averaging just 3.5 ppg in MU's 11 league games prior to Saturday.

He might have found his groove in College Station, however, as T.J. came up with a season-high 16 points vs. the Aggies. He made 5-of-9 shots on the day, and added a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line.

Soyoye, who has started all 57 games of his two-year career, continues to be one of the more improved foul shooters around. He has made 14 straight freebies entering Saturday's game with Baylor, and has raised his season mark to 78.3%, a year after making just 63.1% of his foul shots.

BRYANT FINDING HIS WAY
Freshman center Travon Bryant has had a crash course in Division I college basketball since joining the team in late December. And while he's had his typical freshman ups and downs, there's no question that he has the ability to be a huge contributor.

He is looking to find his groove offensively a bit, as he's been held to a total of 10 points in his last 5 games (going 5-of-14 FGs in that stretch).

Bryant played 10 minutes in Monday's loss to Oklahoma, and scored 4 points (on 2-of-4 FGs) and added 1 rebound.

Bryant played 12 minutes last Saturday at Texas A&M, and had 4 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in a solid day.

Bryant played well at Oklahoma State, as he grabbed 5 rebounds and blocked 3 shots while scoring 3 points in 20 minutes.

Previously, Bryant had a solid game vs. #3 Kansas, as he contributed 4 points and 5 rebounds in a 9 minutes off the bench.

Bryant had a breakout performance at Colorado on Jan. 10th, when scored 12 points and added 9 rebounds vs. the Buffs, and was a key to MU's big road win.

He followed with another stellar performance vs. ISU, as he hit the Cyclones for 9 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. More importantly, he gave MU 31 minutes off the bench, which proved invaluable in the 60-minute marathon.

Bryant was held to 3 points at Kansas State (on 1-of-6 FGs), but grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds in 18 minutes of play.

He's made just 8-of-27 free throws so far (29.6%), 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.

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 had a capacity crowd of 13,545 Monday vs. Oklahoma, and has already sold out for Saturday's game vs. Baylor. That represents the 7th sellout this season in 13 games at Hearnes.

MU is averaging 11,410 in 13 home games thus far this season. 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.

LAST TIME VS. THE CYCLONES
Missouri's make-up has changed just slightly since the last time these two teams met, on Jan. 13th., when MU came away with a gut-wrenching 112-109 four-overtime win in Columbia.

MU will take the court Sunday in Ames without the services of Kareem Rush (injured) and Clarence Gilbert (suspended), who are respectively the #1 and #4 scorers in the Big 12.

ISU might as well have thrown away the game tape from that day, because the Tigers are without 75 of those 112 points (or 67.0%), as Gilbert scored 43 points and Rush added 32.

Here's a recap of the noteworthy happenings on that historic day:

TIGERS, CYCLONES SET NCAA MARK
Okay, just one more note about that MU-ISU game, then we promise we'll leave it be already.

It has been discovered that MU and ISU broke an NCAA record when they combined to score a total of 77 points in the four overtime periods. Missouri had 40 points, to ISU's 37.

That broke the old record of 75, set by Cleveland State (39 pts.) vs. Kent State (36) on Dec. 23, 1994. That was also a quadruple-overtime affair.

COMEBACK KIDS
In 52 games under Head Coach Quin Snyder, Missouri has shown a propensity to comeback from precarious situations, as the Tigers have 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. Included in that was a huge comeback last year at Nebraska, where MU rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to post an 84-78 win. Missouri scored a whopping 60 points in the second half, compared to just 24 in the opening 20 minutes.

This year, in MU's league opener 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.

WOE-KLAHOMA
Missouri has had its share of difficulty with the state of Oklahoma of late, as the Tigers have now lost eight straight games to teams from the Sooner state.

After MU's loss at OSU Monday, the Tigers have dropped three straight to the Cowboys, and will look to break a five-game losing streak to Oklahoma when the Sooners come to Columbia on Feb. 19th.

Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference for the 1996-97 season, MU is 3-9 combined vs. OU & OSU (25.0% winning percentage), and is 41-28 vs. the rest of the league (59.4%).

NORM STEWART COURT
Former Tiger legend Norm Stewart held court, of sorts, for 32 seasons at Missouri prior to his retirement after the 1998-99 season. Now, he's got a court named after him.

For his service to Mizzou, he was honored at halftime of the Kansas game on Jan. 29th, when the Hearnes Center court was dedicated in his name, and will henceforth be known as "Norm Stewart Court."

Stewart also saw his playing number of 22 retired to the Hearnes rafters, to take its place with five other former Tiger greats Doug Smith (#34), Willie Smith (#30), Bill Stauffer (#43), Steve Stipanovich (#40) and Jon Sundvold (#20).

Stewart had a record of 634-333 in 32 seasons at MU, and was 731-375 overall in 38 seasons. When he stepped down in April of 1999, he was the NCAA's 7th-winningest coach of alltime.

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 had an outstanding performance at Colorado last week, when 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 his previous 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 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 16 games, Paulding is averaging 6.6 points a game, which is 6th-best on the squad.

T.J. LOOKING FOR BOUNCEBACK
Senior center Tajudeen Soyoye has had a solid overall season for the Tigers, showing an improving game from last season.

The 6-foot-9 center/forward is averaging 7.6 points and 8.4 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-16 games this season, a year after MU won the battle of the boards just 8 times in 31 games.

He enters Saturday's game at Virginia looking to catch a rhythm offensively, however. Soyoye was held scoreless Tuesday at Kansas State for the first time this season. He didn't get off a single shot attempt in 19 minutes of play. He's averaging just 3.0 points in conference play, compared to 9.1 in non-conference action.

T.J. was held to 4 points 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.

T.J. turned in an outstanding game vs. Indiana on Dec. 18th, 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 75.0% is up significantly from a mark of 63.1% last season. Included in his total is a perfect 9-of-9 effort from the charity stripe vs. Texas-Pan American.

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 16 games this season, the Tigers rank 3rd in the league with an average of 41.8 entering Saturday's contest.

Mizzou is outrebounding opponents by a +1.6 margin through 16 games, and last Saturday held their own vs. Iowa State, as the Cyclones outrebounded MU by only two (50-48). ISU entered the game outrebounding their opponents by a Big 12-best margin of 13.7 per game.

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 (15.4 p/g).

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.

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.