March 16, 2001

GAME: No. 9 Missouri (20-12) vs. No. 1 Duke (30-4).
REGIONAL: East, Second Round.
TIME: Saturday, 1:10 p.m. EST.
SITE: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.

If anyone can devise a game plan that will beat Duke, it may be Missouri coach Quin Snyder.

Snyder faces his mentor for the first time when the Tigers take on Mike Krzyzewski and Final Four favorite Duke in the second round of the East Regional.

Snyder spent nine seasons as an assistant coach at Duke and four as a player, going to 10 Final Fours.

"We've got the best guy to give us a scouting report," Missouri guard Brian Grawer said.

It will be the first time Krzyzewski faces a former assistant coach in the NCAA tournament. Seton Hall coach Tommy Amamker is also a former Duke player and assistant.

"I am not facing Quin Snyder, our team is facing Missouri," Krzyzewski said. "If I had to face Quin Snyder, I would say, `Hell, he's a good looking guy and I'm in a lot of trouble.'

"The job of a coach is to get your team ready, and whatever the outcome of the game you get on to your personal relationships. The game is a separate entity from a personal relationship."

The most important issue surrounding the Duke camp isn't the impending reunion with Snyder - it's the condition of point guard Jason Williams.

Less than a week after spraining his left ankle in the ACC tournament championship, Williams turned the ankle again with 14:28 left in Duke's 95-52 rout of Monmouth in the first round. He sat out the rest of the game, but should be ready to go against Missouri.

"I think I was just more scared than anything," Williams said. "I think it was a good move by coach to get me some rest."

Williams scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half and Naismith Award winner Shane Battier added 21 points and 10 rebounds.

The Blue Devils went 18-for-38 from 3-point range as Krzyzewski improved to 51-14 all-time in the tournament. The 18 3-pointers by Duke tied a school record set earlier this season against North Carolina A&T.

Missouri's advancement was not nearly as easy.

Clarence Gilbert's 15-foot baseline shot with 0.9 seconds left Thursday night gave the Tigers a 70-68 win over No. 8 Georgia. Gilbert made just 4-of-11 from the field, finishing with 10 points.

"It was a big shot, but it was just a shot," Gilbert said. "I'm supposed to make those."

Arthur Johnson led the Tigers with 15 points and nine rebounds.

With 6-foot-9, 270-pound center Carlos Boozer sitting out with a broken foot, Duke could have its hands full trying to contain Missouri forward Kareem Rush.

Rush only had 12 points and eight rebounds against Georgia, but he was the Big 12 scoring champion with 21.2 points per game and was a first-team all-conference selection. He shot 44 percent from the field during the regular season and 44 percent from 3-point range.

Thursday's win was the first in the tournament since 1995 for the Tigers, who last reached the round of 16 in 1994 when they were the No. 1 seed in the West and advanced to the regional final.

These teams have met only once, with Duke winning 82-59 at the Maui Invitational on Nov. 25, 1997.

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Missouri - F Rush (20.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg), F T.J. Soyoye (6.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg), C Johnson (9.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg), G Gilbert (16.5 ppg, 3.5 apg), G Grawer (8.5 ppg, 2.5 apg).
Duke - F Battier (19.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg), F Nate James (13.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg), F Mike Dunleavy (12.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg), G Williams (20.9 ppg, 6.2 apg), G Chris Duhon (7.0 ppg, 4.5 apg).

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Missouri - At-large bid, Big 12 Conference, defeated No. 8 Georgia 70-68, first round. Duke - Automatic bid, ACC tournament champion, defeated No. 16 Monmouth 95-52, first round.

ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Missouri - 14-18, 18 years. Duke - 68-22, 24 years.