KEYS TO THE GAME
From a statistical standpoint, there appear to be several categories that look to be keys to Saturday's contest. Here's a few:

Colorado enters the game ranked 2nd in the Big 12 in scoring (82.6 ppg), while MU is 4th in scoring defense, allowing just 65.2 ppg. That number has been even better for MU in league games only, as MU has allowed a Big 12-low 60.0 ppg in 4 league tilts.

Colorado is 3rd in the league in rebounding margin (+8.6), while MU is 4th (+7.9). Which team will win the battle of the boards? MU is 11-2 this year when outrebounding its foe. The Tigers also lead the Big 12 in offensive rebounding, at 15.65 per game and recently demolished K-State on the offensive glass, 19-7 on the way to a 2nd-chance point advantage of 21-4 in MU's 81-66 win. Individually, Saturday's game features two of the Big 12's top rebounders in CU's Stephane Pelle and MU's Arthur Johnson. Pelle ranks 2nd in the league in rebounding (9.6) while A.J. is 3rd (9.1). Pelle leads the league in conference games (11.7), while Johnson is 3rd (10.8)

Mizzou ranks 2nd in the Big 12 in 3-pt. field goals per game (8.65), while Colorado ranks last in the league in 3-pt. field goal percentage defense, allowing its opponents to connect at a rate of 38.7%.

Individually, both teams have big men making huge impacts in the middle. CU's freshman 7-footer David Harrison is coming off a 21-point, 15-rebound performance, while MU's Arthur Johnson has recorded 3 straight double-doubles.

MU-TEXAS A&m POST-GAME NOTES

NUMBERS that DON'T LIE
Numbers don't always paint an accurate picture, but there are several statistical trends that have developed this season that indicate success for Mizzou.

The Tigers are 9-0 this season when:

Additionally, this season MU is...

MU-COLORADO SERIES
Missouri and Colorado will meet for the 133rd time Saturday, and the Tigers will take an 85-47 series lead into the fray.

MU Coach Quin Snyder is a perfect 4-0 vs. Colorado and Buff Coach Ricardo Patton. Patton had won 5 of his first 7 games vs. Missouri prior to Snyder's arrival at MU, and stands 5-6 overall vs. the Tigers since taking over 7 seasons ago in Boulder.

Mizzou has won 5 straight against Colorado, and 6 of the last 7 overall.

Last season in Boulder, Clarence Gilbert scored 22 points, and Arthur Johnson cleaned the glass for an MU freshman record 19 rebounds, as the Tigers claimed an 82-76 win.

One month later in Columbia, Mizzou got a career-high 19 points from Wesley Stokes, 15 points from Brian Grawer and 17 points and 11 rebounds from Arthur Johnson as they cruised to an 80-69 win.

Johnson averaged 13.0 points and 15.0 rebounds vs. CU last season.

hearnes has been a house of horrors for colorado
A wise man once uttered, "You win some, you lose a lot."

That phrase relates literally to Colorado's fortunes over the years playing at MU's Hearnes Center. Since the building opened for the 1972-73 season, Mizzou has amassed a record of 29-2 there against the Buffs.

Colorado's only 2 wins at Hearnes came in their first appearance (81-79 in OT on 1-15-73) and on Jan. 7, 1997 (87-78). Between those wins, MU rolled to 25 consecutive wins at Hearnes over CU.

GILBERT RANKS AMONG BIG 12 BEST
Senior guard Clarence Gilbert enters the Colorado game with 1,353 career points, which ranks him as the leading active scorer among Big 12 players.

His point total is just 11 points shy of tying former Kansas star Paul Pierce for 10th on the alltime Big 12 scoring chart. Pierce scored 1,364 points during his Big 12 days, while the alltime Big 12 leading scorer is Iowa State's Marcus Fizer, with 1,830 points.

THE QUIN SNYDER FILE
In only his third season at Missouri, Head Coach Quin Snyder has his Tigers achieving heights not seen at MU in years.

After getting out to a 9-0 start to the season, Mizzou was perched #2 in the Associated Press top-25 poll. That marked the highest an MU team has been ranked since the 1989-90 season. Additionally, when MU won the Guardians Classic in November with its miraculous comeback vs. Iowa, it gave the school its first in-season tournament championship since 1989.

The 15th head coach in Missouri basketball history, Snyder is 51-30 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.

COMPARISON SHOPPING
Mizzou began the year with 9 straight wins, but fell on hard times during a 3-game losing streak to close out December. Not surprisingly, statistics comparing MU's output during its winning streak vs. the losing streak are quite revealing.

Here's a statistical look at what MU has managed in its 13 wins, compared to its 4 losses.

johnson-johnson: an mu double-double
Sophomore center Arthur Johnson is laying claim to being one of the best big men in not only the powerful Big 12 Conference, but the nation, as well.

Johnson has tallied 3 straight double-doubles in points and rebounds entering Saturday's game with Colorado. A 4th straight such accomplishment would put him in select company, as only 3 other Tigers since 1979 have recorded as many as 4 consecutive double-doubles in a single season. Those would be Jevon Crudup (4 in 1992-93), Doug Smith (4 in 1989-90) and Steve Stipanovich (5 in 1980-81).

A.J. had 12 pts. and 11 rebs. Wed. vs. A&M, and is averaging 14.0 points and 10.8 rebounds in Big 12 Conference play. He has 7 double-doubles on the season entering Saturday's Colorado game.

His performance last Saturday at Kansas State was nothing short of dominant, as he scored a career-high 23 points and added 15 rebounds. He hit 10-of-19 shots on the day, was a perfect 3-of-3 from the foul line, and added 2 blocks to his Big 12-leading total for the year.

Just this week, ESPN College Basketball Analyst Digger Phelps named Johnson as the most improved player in the nation in an online chat on ESPN.com.

A look at the statistics show that the Detroit, Mich. native ranks among Big 12 leaders in 5 different categories.

Johnson leads the Big 12 in blocked shots (2.18) and ranks among leaders in offensive rebounding (2nd - 4.3 p/g), total rebounding (3rd - 9.2 p/g) and field goal percentage (4th - 55.3%).

Johnson had a huge outing Dec. 29 at DePaul. A.J. tallied 20 points vs. the Blue Demons (on 10-of-17 FGs), and added a season-high 18 rebounds (just one shy of his career best). His efforts kept the Tigers in the game, especially in the first half when his teammates were not playing well offensively. He scored 10 straight points for MU at one stretch in the first half.

He grabbed 16 boards Dec. 3rd at St. Louis, and added 10 vs. both Grambling and Jackson State. All 10 of his rebounds against Grambling came on the offensive end.

Johnson is MU's 3rd-leading scorer, averaging 11.8 points a game.

His 14-point, 16-rebound outing vs. SLU was a key reason why MU won the game, as the Tigers were a season-worst 1-of-10 from three-point range. MU outscored SLU in the paint, 42-28 on the night.

rush hour IS BACK Junior forward Kareem Rush was named MU's first-ever pre-season first team All-American by the Associated Press, and he's recently been named to the top-30 mid-season watch list for the prestigious Wooden Award.

He's coming off a 16-pt. outing that led MU in its win Wed. vs. A&M. Rush struggled to find the range early on, as he was just 1-of-6 at halftime and had 5 pts. He let the game come to him more in the 2nd half, and sank 5-of-6 shots to score 11 2nd-half pts.

The silky-smooth lefty had an outstanding offensive week as he averaged 24.5 points in games at Iowa State and Kansas State.

Last Saturday in Manhattan, Rush hit for 20 points and added 2 assists in 32 minutes of play. Indicative of the team's emphasis on defense, Rush also turned up the intensity and nabbed a career-high 4 steals vs. KSU.

Jan. 9th saw Rush turn in his best offensive performance of the season, as he scored a season-high 29 points at Iowa State, on the strength of 12-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-8 from 3-pt. range.

His offensive performance was a sight for sore Tiger eyes, as the Kansas City, Mo. native had been frustrated for much of the past month. After scoring 20 or more points in 4 of MU's first 9 games, he had surpassed the 20-point mark just once in the next 5-game stretch (Dec. 15-Jan. 5). He was held to a season-low 8 points in MU's Big 12 opener vs. Nebraska, marking just the 5th time in his MU career that he has been held in single digits.

Rush had experienced a rough stretch in MU's December 3-game losing streak, when he shot just 29.4% from the floor (including 26.7% from 3-pt. range).

Rush had an efficient outing Dec. 6th vs. Southern, as he tallied 25 points in only 22 minutes of play. He hit 9-of-13 shots, including 4-of-7 from 3-pt. range before being pulled with just over 12 minutes left in the game.

Rush had perhaps his best all-around performance in a Tiger uniform Nov. 24th when he led MU to a solid victory over Xavier in Indianapolis, with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists in 39 minutes. He also played excellent defense, holding one of Xavier's top scorers, Romain Sato, to a 4-of-13 shooting night.

Rush is averaging 19.0 points per game, which currently ranks him 3rd in the Big 12 Conference, a year after leading the league as a sophomore with a mark of 21.1 points per game.

The top 3-pt. shooter in the Big 12 thus far (3.2 threes made per game), Rush also ranks 9th in the league in 3-pt. percentage (42.5%). He's connected at a 50.0% clip from 3-pt. range in his last 3 games (13-of-26 3FGs).

Rush was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Nov. 27th. The league award marked the fifth time the that Rush claimed a Big 12 weekly honor. A pre-season first team All-American, Rush was named Big 12 Player of the Week twice last season, and earned the league Freshman of the Week honor twice during his freshman season of 1999-2000.

Rush has now scored in double figures in 60-of-65 games in his Tiger career.

He enters Saturday's game ranked 23rd on the MU career scoring chart, with 1,195 career points.

RUSH HOUR II
Kareem Rush is the subject of an ESPN special which debuted Jan. 11th at 6:30 p.m. (central) on ESPN Classic. He was featured as part of the network's series, "Collegiate SportsCentury," and the piece is a half-hour documentary on his life. An ESPN crew came to Columbia back in early November and spoke with Kareem and many others involved in the Tiger program. The piece will air periodically on ESPN Classic throughout the remainder of the basketball season. Be sure to check local listings for the next showing. As if that's not enough publicity, Rush is featured in an upcoming 7-page spread in ESPN The Magazine, and will be featured in a soon-to-be-published story in Sports Illustrated.

GILBERT MAKES A POINT
Following Missouri's tough 71-67 loss at Iowa State Jan. 9th, MU Head Coach Quin Snyder was adamant about getting more leadership from his team. He turned to senior guard Clarence Gilbert as the one who would be in charge, and put the career shooting guard at the point guard spot.

Gilbert has started the last 2 games at the point guard position, and has responded quite nicely in leading his team to 2 wins.

Gilbert led the team with 4 assists Wed. vs. A&M, and added 11 pts. and 1 steal. He hit just 2-of-7 shots on the night, but did a nice job of getting to the foul line, where he hit 6-of-7 freebies.

Gilbert made his 1st career start at point guard last Sat. at K-State, and while he wasn't officially credited with an assist (although this SID remembers one that should have been given), he committed just 1 turnover in 33 minutes of play, and the Tigers displayed good ball movement and executed their halfcourt offense effectively. Oh by the way, he scored 19 points against the Wildcats, on the strength of 4-of-8 from 3-pt. range. He added 5 rebounds and led his team's improved defensive efforts.

After the game, Snyder has talked about Gilbert taking over as a leader for this underclass-laden team. "Clarence's heart has to beat in everybody," Snyder said. "Putting him at the point was more about, 'It's your team.'"

Gilbert continues to ascend the MU career scoring chart, as he now ranks 13th alltime in MU history, with 1,353 points. He passed former Tiger legend Al Eberhard Wednesday, and now stands 35 points to pass Willie Smith for 12th place alltime.

Gilbert led the way in MU's Big 12 opener vs. Nebraska with a game-high 17 points, including 5-of-10 from 3-pt. range.

Like most of his teammates, Gilbert struggled to find the mark in MU's 3-game December losing streak, as he was held to an average of 9.0 points on a combined 23.1% shooting (9-of-39 FGs), including just 18.5% from 3-pt. range (5-of-27 3FGs). That was a stark contrast to his superb shooting to begin the season, as he averaged 19.7 points in MU's first 9 games, shooting 47.2% from the floor, including a solid 40.6% from 3-pt. range.

Gilbert was named Big 12 Conference player of the week Dec. 10th for his play in leading MU to wins over Saint Louis and Southern.

Gilbert led MU in scoring each game, averaging 23.5 points for the week. He first had 18 points at SLU, and led the way down the stretch, as he scored 8 of MU's final 13 points in the win. Included in that were 6 consecutive points late in the game, as well as a pair of clutch foul shots with under a minute left.

He followed with a sizzling shooting performance against Southern, when he erupted for a season-high 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting (including 7-of-10 from 3-pt. range).

Gilbert is on pace to statistically become one of the most productive players in Missouri history. Gilbert is already MU's career leader in three-point field goals (264), 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.

Gilbert was the hero vs. #9 Iowa in the NABC Guardians Classic championship game, as he had a 27-point outing. He hit the game-winning free throw after being fouled with just :00.8 seconds left in the game. He was named the tournament MVP for his performances in Kansas City, where he averaged 22.5 points against two ranked teams.

Gilbert's game-winning free throw against Iowa got the headlines, but it was his leadership down the stretch that was really evident, as he helped will his team to the title.

He helped lead MU's improbable comeback win vs. Iowa with a steal, and two baskets in a 45-second stretch. He grabbed a crucial defensive rebound with time running down, and raced down court to draw the foul just before the buzzer that set up his winning free throw.

Against #22 Alabama the night before, he led MU with 18 points, and grabbed a season-high 9 rebounds, including four huge defensive boards in the final two minutes as MU fought off a Crimson Tide charge after Kareem Rush was knocked out of the game.

MORE ON GILBERT
To help illustrate just what a solid overall player Clarence Gilbert has been in his career, consider the fact that he is on pace to end his Tiger career in the top-10 in scoring, 3-point field goals, assists and steals. He would join former All-American Melvin Booker as the only Tiger to rank in the top-10 of each of those categories.

START ME UP: PAULDING GETS IN STARTING LINEUP
Earlier in the year, sophomore Rickey Paulding had established himself as one of the nation's top 6th-men. But his solid play warranted more playing time, and he's now been promoted to a starter, as he's started the last 4 games for MU.

The statistics haven't been as glowing for the explosive sophomore as a starter, as he's averaged 6.5 PPG on 33.3% FGs in his 4 starts, compared to 10.9 PPG and 54.7% FGs in his first 12 games off the bench.

He's coming off a tough offensive night vs. A&M Wed., when he was held to a season-low 3 pts. on 1-of-6 shooting. That was the lowest percentage (16.7%) he's shot in a game this season, and just the 5th time in 16 games he's been under 50.0%.

The Detroit, Mich. native earned his 1st start of the year Jan. 5 vs. Nebraska, and he responded with a 9-pt., 6-reb. effort vs. the Huskers. He had missed MU's Jan. 2 game vs. Coppin State to attend the funeral of his grandmother.

Paulding is currently 4th on the Tiger squad with an average of 9.8 points per game, up from his freshman scoring mark of 7.0 points per game.

And while he's still MU's human highlight reel (re: countless amazing alley-oop jams throughout the year), his improvement in shooting has been arguably the most impressive part of his game this year.

A year ago, Paulding shot 42.1% for the year, including 21.4% from 3-pt. range. After working hard in the off-season, the numbers have gone up to 50.0% from the floor in his 1st 16 games, including a solid 40.0% from 3-pt. range.

He turned in a career-high 22-pt. outing on Dec. 15th vs. #15 Iowa, in which he sank 8-of-12 shots on the night. He was one of MU's few bright spots on the night, and scored 10 points in a stretch in the first half that helped pull MU to within 5 points of Iowa, the closest MU would get all night.

12-GAGE RETURNS WITH A BANG
All-Big 12 wide receiver Justin Gage joined the basketball team just prior to MU's Dec. 22 game with Illinois, and he has provided immediate dividends for the hoops squad.

He's averaging 4.8 rebounds per game in his 5 outings, which is the 2nd-highest total on the team - behind only Arthur Johnson's 12.6 in those games.

MU Coach Quin Snyder wasn't sure if he would play Gage vs. the Illini, but when Tiger center Arthur Johnson got his second foul with 15:51 left in the first half, up popped Gage as MU's first sub of the contest.

Gage ended up playing 17 minutes vs. Illinois, and grabbed 7 rebounds and added 1 steal in his time.

Gage, a 6-foot-4, 208-pound forward, is playing two sports for the third straight year. He is the only Tiger, along with Kareem Rush and Clarence Gilbert, to play in each of Quin Snyder's three years at Mizzou.

He's coming off a typical Gage game - 0 pts., and 5 rebs. in 18 minutes Wed. vs. Texas A&M.

Prior to that, he had an outstanding game last Saturday in Manhattan, where he gave the Tigers a huge spark off the bench in MU's 81-66 win. Gage scored a season-high 6 pts. and added a career-best 8 rebounds in 16 minutes of play. He was a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor and added a blocked shot in addition to his usual hard screens and hustle plays.

Gage missed the 2nd half of the Dec. 29 game at DePaul, and the 2 subsequent MU games, due to a strained right hip flexor suffered in the 1st half of the DePaul game. He returned to the floor Jan. 16 at Iowa State, and had 2 pts. and 1 rebound in 14 minutes of play.

Gage played in a total of 49 games the past two years for Snyder, and averaged 2.1 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. On the gridiron, he has led the football team in receiving each of the past two years, including 74 receptions in 2001 for 920 yards and 5 touchdowns. His receptions mark was just one catch shy of the MU single-season record.

stokes takes to NEW ROLE
After having a tough stretch on both ends of the floor in his last few games, sophomore guard Wesley Stokes was taken out of the starting lineup by Quin Snyder to take some of the pressure off. He's come off the bench in MU's last 2 games and has responded nicely to his new role.

Stokes is coming off a 13-pt. outing Wed. vs. A&M, on 6-of-8 FGs. The 13 points was more than Stokes had scored in his last 3 games combined (12 pts.) and was the most since Dec. 1st when he had 13 vs. Grambling.

Stokes played 22 minutes last Sat. at KSU, and dished out 6 assists with zero turnovers. He added 1 point on a free throw.

His sharp-shooting was nice to see, as Stokes had been hoping to break from shooting struggles that saw him make just 19.4% of his attempts in his previous 7 games (7-of-36 FGs). In that same stretch he shot 16.7% (3-of-18) from 3-pt. range and averaged 4.0 points a contest.

Those rough looking shooting numbers were a stark contrast to the success Stokes enjoyed in MU's first 9 games, when he averaged 9.6 points and shot a solid 49.2% from the floor (31-of-63 FGs) and 32.1% from 3-pt. range (9-of-28 3FGs).

Stokes has been hampered somewhat by a sore right (non-shooting hand) thumb which he dislocated in practice last week. He's played with the thumb wrapped, however, and will continue to do so.

On Jan. 5th, Stokes turned in a solid 11-point outing vs. Nebraska in MU's Big 12 opener. He had 4 assists and added 7 rebounds, which was a team-high tying total on the game. He was clutch from the foul line with the game in the balance, as he calmly sank 4-of-4 free throws to help seal the Tiger win.

The dynamic playmaker dished out a career-high tying 11 assists (with just 2 turnovers) in MU's Jan. 2nd win over Coppin State. His unselfish efforts were vital toward MU's first 50 percent shooting night since Dec. 6th.

His assist total of 87 on the year (a per-game average of 5.2 which ranks him 5th in the Big 12 Conference) has already surpassed his freshman assist total of 67.

In early December, Stokes enjoyed quite a week (Dec. 3-9) in MU's wins over Saint Louis and Southern.

Stokes earned national attention on Dec. 3rd when he drained a 17-footer at the buzzer to keep #2 Missouri undefeated with a win at SLU. He followed those heroics by scoring 10 points and dishing out a career-high 11 assists Dec. 6th vs. Southern.

He became just the 8th player in MU history to record double figures in points and assists in a game. The last Tiger to accomplish that feat was Melvin Booker, who had 21 points and an MU-record 13 assists vs. Illinois on Dec. 22, 1993. Booker did have the benefit of three overtime periods to amass his stats, for what it's worth.

Stokes' assist total tied for the 4th-most in a single game at Missouri.

TIGERS CONTROLLING THE BOARDS
In winning 13 of 17 games, Missouri has established itself as one of the more improved rebounding teams in the Big 12.

A year after ranking 11th in the Big 12 Conference with a rebounding margin of -0.7 per game, the Tigers currently rank 4th in the league with a margin of +7.9 per outing. MU had ranked 1st in the league, and 3rd in the nation, with a margin of +12.1 prior to its December 3-game losing streak.

The Tigers have been especially dominant on the offensive boards, as MU tops the Big 12 in that category, with an average of 15.65 per game.

A perfect case in point of MU's dominance on the glass came last Saturday at Kansas State, where the Tigers held a 19-7 advantage on the offensive glass. The hard work led to a huge 21-4 advantage in 2nd chance points for the Tigers, which made quite a difference in MU's 15-point win.

In a 4-game stretch from Nov. 9-Dec. 6, the Tigers enjoyed a rebounding margin of +24.0 per game, including 82-31 on the offensive glass.

Mizzou outrebounded Southern on Dec. 6th by a 53-24 margin, which is the largest single-game rebounding margin under Quin Snyder.

MU has won the rebounding battle in 13 of 17 games this season, and is 11-2 on the year, and an impressive 28-5 under Quin Snyder when outrebounding its opponent.

Last season, Missouri outrebounded its opponent just 11 times in 33 games.

Dec. 3rd at Saint Louis, the Tigers trailed 35-31 at halftime, thanks in large part to SLU's 20-19 rebounding edge in the first half. The second half was a different story, though, as the Tigers controlled the boards by a 24-11 margin in the second half, and won the category 43-31 for the game.

On Nov. 14th, MU had a historic rebounding game in an 86-58 win over Air Force. Missouri held the Falcons to just 12 rebounds in the game. 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).

Records show that the 12 rebounds by Air Force is a new record single-game low for an opponent against MU.

Missouri enjoyed a huge 104-49 rebounding advantage in wins over Grambling and Jackson State, outrebounding Grambling 50-23, preceded by a 54-26 edge over Jackson State.

Mizzou was dominant on the offensive glass in those games, holding an eye-popping 46-8 advantage in offensive rebounds.

FINDING WAYS TO WIN
In the first two years under Quin Snyder's direction, Missouri fell victim quite often to its dependance on the outside shot. While the 3-pt. shot is still a vital weapon in MU's arsenal, this year's Tigers are showing they have the ability to win games in varied ways - more often than not the trait of a good team.

What's this all mean? That's open for interpretation, certainly, but it should show that Missouri is no longer a one-dimensional team that lives and dies by the long jumper. Of course, it never hurts to bury a few.

A daunting list of foes
A quick glance at the top-25 rankings reads virtually like Missouri's schedule. As many as seven past or future opponents on MU's docket currently reside in both the Associated Press Poll and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
Missouri is taking quite good care of the ball thus far, as Quin Snyder's group is averaging just 13.7 turnovers per game. That's just slightly more than the school record of 13.3 turnovers per game set in the 1999-2000 season.

a comeback for the ages
The evening of Nov. 21st saw Missouri stage an incredible rally to gain an improbable 78-77 comeback win over 9th-ranked Iowa in the championship game of the NABC Guardians Classic in Kansas City, Mo. The Tigers trailed Iowa by 11 points (73-62) with just 2:15 remaining, but a frantic series of events took place quickly, and when the dust settled, the game was tied with :00.8 seconds left on the clock, and MU's Clarence Gilbert was standing at the foul line to shoot two free throws. He missed the first after a series of three Iowa timeouts, but got the second one home and MU knocked away a desperation full-court heave to get the dramatic win. All told, Mizzou outscored Iowa 14-4 over the last 2:11, and forced three turnovers.

MU SIGNS THREE PROSPECTS DURING EARLY PERIOD
Missouri signed three high school student-athletes to national letters of intent this past week. Here's a look at the information that was released on each:

Jimmy McKinney - St. Louis, Mo.

The Missouri men's basketball program added one of the nation's top prep players to its roster for next season, as Jimmy McKinney of Vashon High School in St. Louis, Mo., signed a national letter of intent to attend Mizzou.

McKinney, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard, has been a proven leader and an unquestioned winner on Coach Floyd Irons' Vashon squads that have won consecutive Missouri Class 4A state championships. McKinney averaged 23.4 points, four assists and four rebounds per game as a junior, and led Vashon to a 28-1 record last season, and a final ranking of No. 3 in the nation by USA Today. Widely regarded as one of the nation's top 30 players entering this season, McKinney is a pre-season candidate for the prestigious McDonald's All-American Game.

McKinney selected Missouri over Illinois, North Carolina, Kentucky, Cincinnati and Oklahoma, among others. His parents are Jimmy Sr., and Ema McKinney of St. Louis.

Kevin Young - Kingston, Jamaica

The University of Missouri men's basketball team has plenty to be thankful for during Thanksgiving week, as Head Coach Quin Snyder announced the signing of top prep prospect Kevin Young to a national letter of intent.

Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, the 6-foot-9, 270-pound center is in his second year at Berkshire Academy in Homestead, Fla., where he plays for Coach Rolando DeLaBarrera. He is a consensus top-100 prospect by recruiting analysts, and has been ranked among the top-10 post players in the country by one service.

Young played his junior season at Berkshire with current MU freshman guard Duane John. Together, they helped guide their squad to a 17-2 record and a national ranking by USA Today. He chose Missouri over Kentucky and Miami, Fla., among others.

Giedrius Rinkevicius - Kaunas, Lithuania
Missouri added the tallest player in MU history today, as they announced that 7-foot-2 center Giedrius Rinkevicius has signed a national letter of intent to attend Mizzou.

Rinkevicius, a native of Kaunas, Lithuania, was a member of the Lithuanian 19-and-under junior national team this past year. He is attending Bridgton Academy this season, a prep school located in North Bridgton, Maine, where he plays for Coach Whit Lesure.

At 7-foot-2, Rinkevicius will equal the tallest Tiger to ever wear the black and gold uniform, matching former player Tom Dore, a 7-foot-2 post who played for MU from 1979-80.

NON-CONFERENCE WINS MOUNTING
Mizzou's win Jan. 2 vs. Coppin State gave MU a 10-3 non-conference record, which marks the Tigers' most non-league regular-season wins since the 1995-96 team went 10-5.

TICKETS TO HOME GAMES SOLD OUT
Excitement for Tiger Basketball is reaching a fevered pitch, as evidenced by recent ticket sales for home games.

The MU Athletic Ticket Office announced earlier that all 8 of MU's remaining home games have officially sold out.

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.