tigers NOT IN THE GIVING MOOD

In its last 2 games, Missouri has been successful in keeping opponents off the foul line, and that has certainly been a contributing factor in the Tigers breaking their recent 3-game losing streak.

MU's defensive efforts have held its last 2 opponents to just 2 made free throws in only 7 attempts. Coppin State went just 1-of-2 from the line (in a school-record low 4 MU team fouls), while Nebraska made just 1-of-5.

In those last 2 games, MU is a combined 23-of-31 from the foul line, an average of 15.5 attempts per game. Mizzou averaged 20.8 foul shots in its first 9 games.

The defensive prudence by MU of late is a stark contrast to what took place during the Tigers' 3-game losing streak, when opponents averaged 30.0 free throw attempts per game.

WELCOME BACK
Missouri had a much bigger bench Saturday vs. Nebraska than what it had in its previous game vs. Coppin State.

Sophomore forward Rickey Paulding missed the Coppin State game to attend the funeral of his grandmother in Detroit. Paulding returned for the Nebraska game Saturday, and made his first start of the season.

Joining Paulding back on the team for Saturday's game was freshman forward Jeffrey Ferguson, who missed MU's previous 2 games due to problems with his immigration papers after going home to his hometown of Toronto, Ontario for the Christmas holiday. Ferguson missed the DePaul and Coppin State games, but returned to Columbia just prior to Saturday's contest vs. Nebraska. He suited up but did not play vs. the Huskers.

Junior forward Justin Gage sat out his second straight game due to a strained right hip flexor suffered Dec. 29 vs. DePaul. He has not practiced with the team since that game, and is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game at Iowa State.

MU-IOWA STATE SERIES
Missouri and Iowa State will meet for the 211th time Wednesday. MU holds a 135-75 edge in the series, and the 135 wins are the most Mizzou owns against any opponent.

Missouri Coach Quin Snyder is 1-3 vs. ISU and Larry Eustachy, getting his first win over the Cyclones in MU's epic 112-109 quadruple overtime affair in Columbia last season. Eustachy is 3-3 vs. Missouri in his previous 3 seasons at the helm of the Cyclones.

Former MU assistant coach Bob Sundvold (1978-91) is now on the Iowa State coaching staff, as is Lance Irvin, who is the brother of former MU star Byron Irvin.

GILBERT RANKS AMONG BIG 12 BEST
Senior guard Clarence Gilbert enters the Iowa State game with 1,312 career points, which ranks him as the leading active scorer among Big 12 players.

His point total is just 52 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 49-29 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.

BACK TO A REGULAR ROUTINE
After an irregular holiday routine, the Missouri Tigers hope that a more normal routine helps them get back to the winning ways that saw them reel off 9 straight wins to open the season..

Many factors can be brought forth as reasons why MU struggled in its recent 3-game losing streak, but one could argue the poor stretch was due to the Tigers' irregular schedule.

Mizzou won its first 9 games of the season, in a span of 24 days (from Nov. 13 to Dec. 6). The next 23 days (Dec. 7-Dec. 29) saw MU play just 3 games, and whether it was rust or not, the Tigers couldn't shake the cobwebs enough to avoid dropping all 3 games.

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

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.

GILBERT movin' on up
Just like George and 'Weezy, senior guard Clarence Gilbert keeps movin' on up.

Instead of a dee-lux apartment in the sky, Gilbert is continuing his ascent up the MU career scoring chart.

He enters Wednesday's game at Iowa State ranking 16th on the MU career scoring chart, with 1,312 points.

Gilbert led the way Saturday with a game-high 17 points vs. Nebraska, including 5-of-10 from 3-pt. range.

He also scored 17 points last Wednesday vs. Coppin State, the most he'd racked up since going for a season-high 29 points on Dec. 6 vs. Southern. He hit 6-of-14 shots on the night, including 4-of-9 from 3-pt. range in 32 minutes of play.

Gilbert had struggled to find the mark in the previous 3 games, as he had been 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) from the school's career leader in 3-pt. field goals. 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 needs 17 points to pass former MU player Curtis Berry for 15th place on the chart.

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 (256), 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.

Gilbert was named one of 30 senior players as candidates for the first-annual Senior CLASS Award, to be awarded to the nation's top senior. The award stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, and is being sponsored by broadcaster Dick Enberg and the Kansas City Club.

rush hour returns to an arena near you
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.

Rush is MU's leading scorer, and ranks 4th in the Big 12, with an 18.4 scoring average.

He's looking to rebound from Saturday's game against Nebraska in which he was held to a season-low 8 points, on 3-of-13 shooting. It marked just the 5th time in his MU career that he was held below double-digits in points. Despite the scoring troubles, Rush did contribute with a career-high 5 assists on the day.

Previously, Rush had a 23-point outing Jan. 2 vs. Coppin State, on the strength of an 8-of-14 shooting night, including 5-of-9 from 3-pt. range.

Those shooting numbers were well received, as Rush had experienced a rough stretch in MU's previous 3 games, when he shot just 29.4% from the floor (including 26.7% from 3-pt. range) during MU's recent 3-game losing streak).

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.

He had a 17-point performance Dec. 1st vs. Grambling in a game in which he sat out the final 8 minutes after the game was in hand for MU. He entered the game with 994 career points, and became the 33rd member of MU's 1,000-point club. He's now ranked 25th alltime among Tiger scorers with 1,130 points.

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 56-of-61 games in his Tiger career.

A.J. COMING UP BIG
Sophomore center Arthur Johnson is laying claim to being one of the best big men in the powerful Big 12 Conference.

Statistics show that the Detroit, Mich. native ranks among Big 12 leaders in 5 different categories.

After an 11-point, 7-rebound game Saturday vs. Nebraska, Johnson leads the Big 12 in blocked shots (2.29) and ranks among leaders in offensive rebounding (2nd - 4.14 p/g), field goal percentage (3rd - 58.9%), total rebounding (4th - 8.4) and steals (1.64).

Johnson had a huge outing Dec. 29 at DePaul. A.J. tallied a career-high 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.

He also scored in double figures in each of those games, making him the first Tiger to record three straight double-doubles since Albert White did so in games 2, 3 and 4 during the 1998-99 season.

Johnson is MU's 3rd-leading scorer, averaging 11.1 points a game. He scored a then career-high 19 points in MU's Nov. 14 win over Air Force.

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.

STOKES FANS THE FLAMES
Wesley Stokes is just a sophomore, but he's shown throughout the season that he's got a solid grasp of what it takes to direct the Tiger team from the lead guard spot.

Stokes is coming off a solid 11-point outing vs. Nebraska last Saturday. He had 4 assists and added 7 rebounds, which was a team-high tying total on the game. Stokes 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 last Wednesday's win over Coppin State. His unselfish efforts were vital toward MU's first 50 percent shooting night since Dec. 6th.

His assist total of 78 on the year (a per-game average of 5.6 which ranks him 5th in the Big 12 Conference) has already surpassed his freshman assist total of 67.

A little over a month ago, 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. Here's a look at the top-five individual assist games:

paulding returns to get 1st start
Sophomore Rickey Paulding had established himself as one of the nation's top 6th-men, but he found himself in the starting lineup for the 1st time this season against Nebraska.

The Detroit, Mich. responded with a solid 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 10.8 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 54.3% from the floor in MU's 1st 13 games, including a solid 41.2% from 3-pt. range. He enters the Iowa State game ranking 11th in the Big 12 with his 3-pt. field goal percentage.

Paulding was held to a season-low 5 pts. Dec. 29 at DePaul, but did hit a late 3-pointer in the game's final minutes as the Tigers tried to stage a comeback. Previously, he had a 14-pt. game Dec. 22 vs. Illinois. Prior to that, he turned in a career-high 22-pt. outing 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 provided immediate dividends for the hoops squad.

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.

Gage's decision surprised a lot of people in the Tiger camp, as most thought he would forego basketball after playing two sports for the past two years.

He's currently hampered by a strained right hip flexor, suffered in the first half of the Dec. 29 game at DePaul, and he hasn't played since. His status is questionable for the Iowa State game Wednesday.

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.

REBOUNDING REPORT CAN LOOK DOWNRIGHT OFFENSIVE FOR MU
In winning 11 of 14 games, Missouri has shown that it looks to be an improved rebounding team.

A year after ranking 11th in the Big 12 Conference with a rebounding margin of -0.7 per game, the Tigers currently rank 5th in the league with a margin of +7.4 per outing. MU had ranked 1st in the league, and 3rd in the nation, with a margin of +12.1 prior to its recent 3-game losing streak.

Despite the recent losses, the Tigers have been especially dominant on the offensive rebounding, as MU still leads the Big 12 in that category, with an average of 15.79 per game.

In MU's 4 games prior to Iowa, 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 10 of 14 games this season, and is 9-1 on the year, and an impressive 26-4 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.

GETTING QUALITY WINS
In winning its first 10 non-league games, Missouri claimed wins against teams from five of the top conferences in college basketball.

MU has downed Iowa of the Big Ten, Alabama of the SEC, Xavier of the Atlantic 10 and Saint Louis of Conference USA.

Mizzou will have a chance to add the ACC to its list when the Tigers host Virginia in its last non-league game of the regular season in February.

MU did stake its claim to the SWAC championship, as MU rolled to a perfect 3-0 in games vs. SWAC teams Jackson State, Grambling State and Southern.

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.

tigers strong out of the gate
Missouri got off to a 9-0 start to a season for the first time since the 1991-92 squad won its first 11 games.

Only 5 times previously in modern school history has MU won its first 9 games to begin a season. The best start in school history came when the 1981-82 team won its first 19 games on its way to a #1 national ranking and eventual 27-4 record and Big Eight championship.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
Missouri is taking quite good care of the ball thus far, as Quin Snyder's group is averaging just 13.9 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.

"We're very pleased that Jimmy will be a part of the Missouri family," said MU Head Coach Quin Snyder. "Jimmy comes from a very strong family and super parents. He's an outstanding young man with tremendous character. In terms of the game of basketball, Jimmy has tremendous scoring and passing ability, but of even greater significance is his feel for the total game. He should be an impact player in the Big XII."

McKinney's signing is viewed as important to Snyder in another realm, as well.

"I'm personally excited to have an opportunity to work with one of Coach Irons' young men," said Snyder. "I have great respect for Coach Irons. Vashon is one of the finest programs in the country, and it's important that the top kids in Missouri see our program as one where they can come and grow as players and as young men," he said.

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.

"Kevin is a very talented young man who has a tremendous passion for the game of basketball," said MU Head Coach Quin Snyder. "We're very pleased that he has chosen to come to Missouri to further develop his skills. He is a strong, agile and physically imposing inside player who can impact the game in a number of areas. He will be a good fit with our team," said Snyder.

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.

"Giedrius is a quality young man with a tremendous upside to his game," said MU Head Coach Quin Snyder. "We see him as someone who can come to Missouri and develop into a complete player. He has good athleticism, and can run the floor well, and when he develops his strength, he can be quite a talent," said Snyder.

Tom Konchalski, a top east coast recruiting analyst, has seen Rinkevicius play, and has good things to say about the big man. "I was impressed when I saw him," he said. "Giedrius runs and catches extremely well, and he has nice hands and feet. He's a good passer, and has a solid feel for the game. His best basketball is ahead of him, and Missouri will be a great environment for him to learn the game. He's got to get stronger, but if he is patient and stays the course, I believe he's got the potential to play in the NBA one day," said Konchalsky.

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.

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.

If all remaining 8 home games are announced at capacity (13,545), the season average would be approximately 12,480. That would be up from 11,562 last season and 10,882 in Quin Snyder's first year (1999-2000).

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.