Kareem Rush leads the Tigers against Alabama in the semifinals of the NABC Guardians Classic Tuesday night.Kareem Rush leads the Tigers against Alabama in the semifinals of the NABC Guardians Classic Tuesday night.
Men's Basketball

Tigers Travel To Kansas City To Take On No. 24 Alabama

Nov. 18, 2001

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TIGERS AND CRIMSON TIDE SQUARE OFF IN GUARDIANS CLASSIC SEMIS
The 8th-ranked Missouri Tigers (2-0) venture to familiar territory to vie for the inaugural NABC Guardians Classic this week, when they travel to Kansas City, Mo. to take on the 24th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0). MU and Alabama face off Tuesday night at 9 p.m. at Kemper Arena, while the other half of the star-studded bill has #9 Iowa and #12 Memphis battling eachother. The winners meet Wednesday at 9 p.m. for the tournament championship, with the consolation game set for 6:30 p.m. that same night.

Mizzou won its regional by claiming wins over Tennessee-Martin and Air Force, while Alabama advanced to KC by knocking off Mississippi Valley State and Samford in Tuscaloosa.

MU-ALABAMA SERIES
Alabama has owned the series, winning all four contests dating back to the first meeting in 1977. The Crimson Tide has won games in four different cities in the series, winning in Birmingham, Ala., Columbia, Mo., Kansas City, Mo., and Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The win in Kansas City came in the old BMA Holiday Classic on Dec. 30, 1986, with UA claiming a 91-82 victory in Kemper Arena.

Alabama Head Coach Mark Gottfried was an assistant for UCLA when the Bruins won the national championship in 1995. Along the way, of course, they defeated Missouri on a buzzer-beater by Tyus Edney in a moment that is mercilessly beaten into Tiger fans every March on CBS.

As a head coach, Gottfried is 0-1 vs. Missouri from his Murray State days. The Tigers defeated the Racers 89-85 in Columbia in the first round of the 1996 NIT. In a wacky twist of fate, MU flew to Tuscaloosa, Ala., where they played Gottfried's current team, Alabama, just five days later. Well, "played" is a relative term, as the Crimson Tide pounded the Tigers, 72-49. Alabama's Roy Rogers blocked about 647 shots on the night.

In related ties, MU Assistant Coach Lane Odom spent five years as an assistant coach. In his time there, the Tide went a combined 105-42, and reached the NCAA Tournament four times, and won one SEC title (1991).

MU AT KEMPER ARENA
MU has an alltime record at Kemper Arena of 48-24 (66.7%). That includes a 6-5 mark in the Big 12 Tournament, a 29-13 mark in the old Big Eight Tournament, a 10-5 mark in the last three years of the old Big Eight Holiday Tournament (1974-78), regular-season wins over LaSalle (1981) and Notre Dame (1982), and a 1-1 record in the 1986 BMA Classic (win over Oral Roberts and a loss to Alabama).

At last year's Big 12 Tournament, Clarence Gilbert lit up Texas A&M for 30 points in MU's opener. He hit 10-of-15 FGs, including 8-of-11 from three-point range. The 8 makes from long distance tied the MU single-game record.

The next night, Kareem Rush wowed everyone by scoring 31 points against Oklahoma, known as one of the toughest defensive teams around. Rush hit 12-of-19 shots on the night, including 5-of-7 from long distance, despite playing with a cumbersome splint on his shooting hand. That was just his third game back after missing seven games due to a broken thumb.

MU VS. RANKED TEAMS
Missouri is looking to get started on improving on its 4-17 record versus ranked opponents under Quin Snyder. In its coaches' defense, Mizzou was ranked itself in only one of those games, so the Tigers weren't exactly considered favorites in many of those contests.

From an historical perspective, Missouri, ranked at #8 last week, thrives when it carries the #8 ranking. MU is 13-3 alltime in games in which it is ranked 8th at tipoff, including 2-0 this season.

Missouri has played a team ranked #24 only once previously, and the Tigers went down in defeat to #24 Texas last season in Austin by a score of 76-61 (2-26-01).

MU will also be looking to break a string of six consecutive losses in games in which both teams were ranked at tipoff. The last time MU won a game when both it and its opponent were ranked, dates back to a Sweet 16 win over Syracuse in the 1994 NCAA Tournament. MU was, however, the higher-ranked team in only one of those instances.

REBOUND THAT BASKETBALL (OR DON'T)
It's certainly way too early to determine much statistically, but in MU's first two games, the Tigers appear to be an improved rebounding squad.

Just ask Air Force. Missouri held the Falcons to just 12 rebounds in its 86-58 win last Wednesday. That's right, 12 rebounds total. MU outrebounded Air Force 31-12 on the night, and had more offensive boards (17) than the Falcons had overall (12).

Part of the disparity had to do with the fact that both teams shot the ball well, (MU was 58.9% on the night, with USAF going 52.6%), but the fact remains that the Tigers appear to be improving a year after being outrebounded by an average of 0.1 rebounds per game last season.

After some painstaking research (and believe us, two hours in archives listening to the high school cheerleading championships going on the arena at the same time is quite painful), records show that the 12 rebounds by Air Force is a new record single-game low for an opponent against MU.

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED's fairness RATES AN 'F-minus'
Sports Illustrated came out recently with its pre-season college basketball issue, and it gave a less-than flattering depiction of the Missouri Basketball program.

SI rated Missouri No. 9 in its pre-season poll. You'd think that would merit at least a somewhat positive outlook on the season, but editors chose to focus more on why Mizzou might not be worthy of such a ranking.

Along with that barely-flattering assessment, SI ran a sidebar in which it assessed the MU program and its performance in a number of areas over the past 10 years, giving Mizzou a letter ranking of a 'D'.

Among the areas the magazine focused on were graduation rates, number of transfers leaving the program, number of high profile recruits coming in and indiscretions of former players (one dating back nearly 10 years ago - hardly a true indication of what's taking place with Quin Snyder's program at the current time).

Here's a few bones of contention with the magazine's assessment of MU's program:

  • SI reported a graduation rate of 13%, which is an accurate figure from NCAA records, but what they fail to explain with but a mere footnote is that those figures are culled from players who entered the program from the 1991-92, '92-93, '93-94 and '94-95 seasons. Not one of those players was around when Quin Snyder came on board in 1999. In fact, in Snyder's two previous seasons, of the five student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility, all five have earned their degrees from MU. The team's only senior this year, Clarence Gilbert, is on track to graduate this year, as well. Additionally, as many as six Tigers were on academic probation when Snyder arrived at MU. Exactly zero are in that situation now.
  • SI reported 12 transfers out of the program the last 10 years. Again, an accurate number, but they fail to point out that only two have come on Snyder's watch, a very low number during the transition period to a new coaching staff.
  • SI reported that MU has attracted just two McDonald's All-American recruits in the past 10 years. Again, an accurate number, but the magazine failed to mention that one of those two - sophomore forward Travon Bryant - was brought on board by Snyder and staff, which is a sign of increasing interest in the program by high-profile athletes.
  • In its assessments of all the top-25 programs, the magazine gave one school credit for cutting ties with a high-profile recruit who got into legal trouble over the summer, but gave no mention or credit to Missouri for doing the same thing this year in a situation that was more highly publicized.
  • The magazine drudged up indiscretions of former players that took place nearly 10 years ago. Snyder was barely done with his own playing career at Duke when one of the chronicled incidents occurred. That's akin to blaming SI's current editorial staff for the Sydd Finch debacle/fraud incident that was perpetrated on the American public over 10 years ago!! Not that we're looking for a pat on the back here, but SI conveniently failed to mention that no Tigers have been in trouble off the court under Snyder's regime.

    We'll get off the soapbox for now, thanks for obliging by reading this far. NOTE -- The preceding message was brought to you by your friendly (but slightly miffed) neighborhood SID, and does not necessarily reflect the views of management.

    And now, for something completely different: PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES
    Mizzou is off to a good start offensively, as the Tigers are connecting at a salty 55.9% rate from the floor as a team through two games.

    That's a big improvement over the past two seasons under Quin Snyder, when the Tigers shot just 42.3% and 42.0% in 1999-2000 and 2000-01, respectively.

    MU outscored UT-Martin and Air Force by an average margin of 27 points per game last week, and it wasn't due to jacking up the shots, as Missouri attempted just eight more field goals total in the two games than its foes (111 to 103). The advantage also wasn't due to huge edges at the foul line (MU made 35 FTs to opponents' 31) or behind the 3-pt. line (16 3-pt. FGs to opponents' 12).

    Efficiency was the name of the game for the Tigers, as MU made 62 field goals, while holding opponents to just 39 makes, for a percentage of 37.9%.

    MU shot 58.9% from the floor last Wednesday against Air Force, which represented the 2nd-highest single-game total under Quin Snyder. The best mark was a 64.6% standard set on Jan. 12, 2000 vs. Colorado.

    Under Snyder, MU is now 11-1 when shooting 50.0% or better in a game. The only defeat was at Nebraska last year when MU shot 51.0% from the floor, but lost, 85-79.

    MU EFFICIENT FROM LONG DISTANCE
    At the risk of sounding like one of those never-ending long distance calling plan pitches, the Missouri Tigers have been headache free from beyond the arch thus far, as MU is shooting a solid 43.2% as a team from three-point range.

    Mizzou connected on 16-of-37 three pointers in its two games last week. That's an average of 8.0 made in 18.5 attempts per game, compared to last year's numbers of 8.5 makes in 22.2 attempts per game.

    The past two seasons have seen undersized Tiger squads depend heavily on the three-pointer, and too often it was a feast-or-famine situation - if MU was on, it was tough to beat, and if it wasn't, wins could be tough to get.

    With an improved inside game, the hopes are to get away from being so dependent on the three-pointer. That's not to say that the trifecta won't still be a major weapon of the Tigers - they're hoping for more efficient use of the shot.

    Numbers bear out that efficiency from long distance has been a key to success under Quin Snyder. When MU attempts 20 or fewer three-pointers, Mizzou is a sterling 18-3 in Snyder's two-plus seasons.

    During the same time, they are less than .500 (22-23) when trying more than 20 treys in a game.

    KNOCKING THEM BACK
    Shots, that is, but not the kind that have you feeling foggy in the morning. We're talking about blocked shots, and the Tigers had plenty of them in their first two games last week.

    MU blocked 13 shots last week, including 10 in the opener vs. UT-Martin. That was just one block shy of the single-game school record of 11, accomplished twice (most recently Jan. 24, 1999 vs. Kansas).

    The blocks certainly played a factor in MU holding UT-Martin to just 29.2% from the floor - the 2nd-lowest total for an opponent in the Quin Snyder era (the low is 28.6% last season by Valparaiso).

    Missouri established a single-season blocks record last year, when it swatted 132 shots (an average of 4.0 per game). Arthur Johnson, who had 5 in the UT-Martin game, set a single-season record with 65 blocks. He is already 7th on the alltime career blocks chart entering Tuesday's game vs. Alabama, and needs just two blocks to move into 6th place on the list.

    MU NABS TOP-10 RANKING
    It's official, Missouri is a top-ten team, according to both key national polls. The pre-season Associated Press top-25 poll was released last week, and MU found itself perched at number eight, just one spot below its initial No. 9 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today poll. MU is now #8 in the coaches' poll, after a new version was released last Monday.

    It is the first time since 1995 that MU has started the season ranked (#14 prior to the 1995-96 season). The #8 ranking equals the highest an MU team has received to begin the season, matching the 1987-88 squad, which was ranked eighth in the initial poll. That squad went 19-11 and was not ranked at the end of the season after falling to Rhode Island in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

    MORE RANKING RANTINGS
    The last time MU was ranked in the A.P. top ten came in February of 1995, when the Tigers were ranked No. 9 prior to enduring a four-game losing streak that dropped them to No. 23 by the end of the 1994-95 season.

    The highest MU has ever finished a season in the rankings in the A.P. poll is No. 5, accomplished by the 1981-82 and 1993-94 teams. The first squad began the season ranked 16th and won the third of four consecutive Big Eight Conference titles for Norm Stewart, and finished the year with a 27-4 record. The '93-94 team started the year unranked but eventually climbed to as high as No. 3 after going a perfect 14-0 in the Big Eight. That squad finished with a record of 28-4.

    THE QUIN SNYDER FILE
    The 15th head coach in Missouri basketball history, Quin Snyder is 40-26 in his third season as a head coach.

    Snyder guided Missouri to a 20-13 record in 2000-01, including the schools' first NCAA Tournament win since 1995, when MU defeated Georgia in the opening round.

    He was named the national rookie coach-of-the-year by Basketball Times after leading the Tigers to an 18-13 record and an NCAA appearance in the 1999-2000 campaign.

    Snyder's mission is to take the Tiger program to the next level. And if that next level represents the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, Snyder will be a repeat visitor. In 10 years at Duke, he took part in five Final Fours - three as a player (1986, 88, 89) and two more as a coach (1994, 99).

    Snyder had served as Duke's associate head coach the previous two seasons, and was entrusted with numerous on-court coaching responsibilities, as well as recruiting duties for the Blue Devils by Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. He was widely credited with recruiting the group of student-athletes (including 1999 national player-of-the-year Elton Brand) at Duke who compiled a 37-2 record in 1998-99 and finished as NCAA runners-up.

    ABOUT THE TIGERS
    Pre-season prognosticators were pretty high on Missouri this season, as the Tigers return three starters (and two part-time starters), including its top three scorers, from last year's team which gave eventual national champion Duke a run for its money in the NCAA Tournament second round.

    Included among the returnees is 1st team Associated Press pre-season All-American Kareem Rush. Rush led the Big 12 Conference in scoring last season with a 21.1 average, and was likely on his way to claiming conference player of the year honors, before an injury late in the season cost him seven games, and a shot at the award. Rush is back and healthy at the small forward position.

    Senior guard Clarence Gilbert will be the leader of the team, as the squad's lone senior. Gilbert ranked 4th in the Big 12 last year in scoring, at a 16.5 per-game clip.

    Sophomore center Arthur Johnson, who led the team in rebounding (7.8 rpg) and was third in scoring (9.0 ppg) will anchor MU's inside play.

    Other projected starters for the Tigers include point guard Wesley Stokes and forward Travon Bryant, both sophomores. Stokes was a sparkplug for the Tigers last season, and down the stretch became one of MU's most valuable players. He averaged 12.6 points a game during Kareem Rush's injury, and showed that he could run the team from the point effectively.

    Bryant is a 6-foot-9 power forward who joined the team late last season, and spent the year as a reserve. The prep McDonald's All-American has worked hard in the offeseason to improve his conditioning and strength, and he's primed for a breakout season.

    IT'S A YOUTH MOVEMENT
    The lofty expectations thrust upon Missouri this pre-season are a welcome challenge to all those in the Tiger program.

    Not that we're trying to temper expectations, but to be a top-10 team like many are predicting, will be indeed a tall challenge for a squad that is very young overall.

    Eight of MU's top 11 players in the rotation are freshmen or sophomores, and a ninth - junior college transfer Uche Okafor - is in his first year in the program.

    Playing the role of veteran leaders this year will be senior guard Clarence Gilbert (the only senior on the roster) and junior forward Kareem Rush.

    That duo was, by the way, the top scoring duo in the Big 12 last season, tallying a combined 37.6 points per game. Rush led the Big 12 in 2000-01 with a 21.1 scoring average, while Gilbert ranked 4th with a season mark of 16.5 points per game.

    RUSH HOUR 3 TOUR COMES TO K.C.
    Major League 3 - Horrendous.
    Jaws 3D - Not good.
    The Godfather, Part III - Better.
    Rocky III - Now you're talking.
    There is no such movie yet as Rush Hour 3, but Missouri struts out its own version of Rush Hour 3 this season, as Kareem Rush plays his junior (or third) season. Early previews are out of this world.

    Rush was named a pre-season first-team All-American prior to the season by the Associated Press. He's believed to be the first Tiger to win such acclaim prior to a season.

    He hasn't disappointed early on, as he was named the MVP of Missouri's regional last week in the Guardians Classic. Rush averaged 23.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game vs. UT-Martin and Air Force, including a sterling 28-point night in the opener.

    Rush hit 6-of-12 three pointers in the two games, and was careful with the ball, as he had a 5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

    Rush blossomed into the Big 12 Conference's top offensive player last year as a sophomore, and became the first Tiger to win a conference scoring title since Anthony Peeler led the Big Eight in 1991-92 (23.4 ppg).

    He did so despite missing seven games late in the year due to a broken thumb on his shooting hand. He returned in time for the post-season, and led MU to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with superb play despite a cumbersome cast/splint on his shooting hand. Rush scored 31 points in the Big 12 Tournament vs. Oklahoma, and netted 29 more in the NCAA vs. eventual national champ Duke.

    Big 12 coaches and media tabbed Rush as the league's pre-season player of the year. He would become MU's first player to win that honor since Melvin Booker was named Big Eight player of the year in 1994.

    Rush has been listed on the pre-season candidate list for both the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award, honors given to the nation's top collegiate player.

    Rush is completely healthy from the thumb injury last year, and worked hard in the offseason to become stronger physically in MU's new strength and conditioning program.

    Should Rush go on to win league player of the year honors, he'd join some pretty select names as Tigers who have done so.

    THE DEER HUNTER
    If Rush Hour 3 doesn't ever come about, maybe Kareem Rush could audition for a part in the Deerhunter 2, if that sequel ever got made.

    All joking aside, Rush had a bit of a scare this past week, when he hit a deer while driving on Nifong Boulevard Thursday evening after practice.

    With deer hunting season in full swing, a big buck darted out into harms' way, and Rush could do nothing to avoid hitting it. His truck was pretty well totaled, and the deer took a pretty good licking, but bounced up and ran off into the woods. An injury report is not yet available, but it is known that Kareem came out just fine.

    CLEARANCE, CLARENCE
    Senior sharpshooter Clarence Gilbert was very impressive with his overall play last week. The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. native helped lead MU to a pair of wins by averaging 19.5 points per game.

    He did so with an improved shooting accuracy, as he connected on 58.3% of his field goal attempts, including a salty 46.7% from three-point range (7-of-15).

    Gilbert has built a reputation of being an unconsionable gunner, but he's showing that he's working hard to become more efficient with his offensive attack. The numbers from MU's first two games show that he's doing just that - scoring more while shooting less.

    Gilbert was one of the Big 12's top players last season, as he led the league in three-point field goals (3.19 per game), ranked 4th in scoring (16.5 ppg) and was 13th in assists (3.5 apg). Despite that, he was named only to the honorable mention All-Big 12 team.

    Gilbert isalready MU's career leader in three-point field goals (221), and if he matches last season's point total of 529, he would end his career ranking 8th on the alltime school scoring chart. He began the season ranked #28 on the scoring chart with 1,074 points. After last week's games, he moved up to 24th, with 1,113 points, supplanting his former coach, Norm Stewart.

    Those in the Tiger program believe Gilbert is possibly the most underappreciated player in the league, as he is one of the Big 12's most dangerous scorers (he set a league scoring record with 43 pts. last year vs. Iowa State in Columbia) as well as being the team's top individual defender.

    A.J. IS A-OKAY
    Sophomore postman Arthur "A.J." Johnson was quite solid in his efforts last week. The Detroit, Mich. native averaged 11.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in MU's wins over UT-Martin and Air Force.

    He began the season by grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking five shots vs. UT-Martin. He was held in check offensively, as he tallied three points, but he came back the next night to score a career-high 19 points vs. Air Force, on the strength of an 8-of-11 shooting night.

    A candidate for All-Big 12 honors, Johnson, who was ranked among the nation's top-10 centers by Lindy's pre-season publication, averaged 9.0 points and led MU with 7.8 rebounds per game last season. He set the MU single-season (65) and single-game (8) blocked shots records, and was named honorable mention All-Big 12 and to the Big 12 All-Freshman team by league media.

    Johnson worked hard over the summer to get in better physical condition, and his efforts in MU's new strength and conditioning program paid off. His work with strength coach Jeff Watkinson knocked his weight from 281 in April to 262 in October, and his body fat percentage from 23% to 15% during the same time period.

    MU STOKED BY STOKES' PLAY
    Sophomore point guard Wesley Stokes served as an understudy last season to senior point guard Brian Grawer. After Grawer's departure, some people wondered if Stokes would be ready to take over the reigns of the MU offense, but early indications show that there's no need for concern.

    Stokes averaged 8.5 points and 4.5 assists in MU's games last week. He also shot a solid 58.3% from the floor in the process (7-of-12), and nabbed four steals.

    Stokes' shooting mark of 58.3% is up from last year's season total of 38.2%, and his assist average of 4.5 is up from 2.0 in 2000-01.

    Known for his stylish coif and on-court panache, Stokes was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team last season after averaging 6.4 points and 1.9 rebound per game. He started six games during Kareem Rush's absence, and really stepped to he forefront, as he averaged 12.6 points in that stretch, after averaging 4.7 ppg in his first 21 outings.

    BRYANT CAN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN PERFECT
    Sophomore forward Travon Bryant committed himself to MU's strength and conditioning program over the summer, and the results are paying off.

    Bryant is a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor thus far during the season, and he's averaging 7.5 points per game off the bench, compared to 3.0 per game last year as a freshman. Included in his shooting total was his first career three-pointer, which he sank in the opener vs. UT-Martin.

    The Long Beach, Calif. native, who joined the Tigers last year after the first semester, came in on unequal terms with his teammates, in terms of conditioning, and he spent most of the season trying to catch up.

    This summer, Bryant dropped his weight from 251 in April to 240 in October, and during the same time period, dropped his body fat percentage from 23% to 15%.

    AWAKEN THE ECHOLS
    Freshman guard/forward Najeeb Echols was quite impressive during the Tigers' exhibition season, and the Chicago, Ill. native showed that he's got the skills to be an immediate contributor.

    Echols averaged 5.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in MU's two practice contests, playing 21.5 minutes per game. He snagged a game-high 12 rebounds (including 7 on the offensive glass) Nov. 3 vs. EA Sports.

    Echols has started each of MU's first two games at the power forward spot, and has been solid in finding his way around the court. He's averaged 2.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game thus far, playing an average of 21.5 minutes per game. His rebounding total is 2nd-best on the squad through two games.

    Projected as the Big 12 freshman of the year by one ESPN.com analyst, Echols is returning to action after taking a year off due to a knee injury suffered prior to his senior year of high school. As a junior at Whitney Young High School, he averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists per game for the perennial Windy City power.