HOME SWEET HOME
Sunday's game vs. Texas is the middle game in a stretch that has the Tiger playing 4 of 5 games on the road. MU split its 1st 2 road games, winning at Nebraska Wednesday, after losing a heartbreaker Feb. 9 at Baylor.

Missouri is 12-1 at the Hearnes Center this season, with the only loss coming to then-#15 Iowa, 83-65 on Dec. 15th (when MU shot only 33.3% from the floor, including 17.2% from 3-pt. range). That loss broke MU's 9-game winning streak to start the season, and came back when the Tigers were ranked #2 in the country.

Missouri has won 26 of its last 28 games at the Hearnes Center, dating back to the 1999-2000 season, with those 26 wins coming by an average margin of 16.2 points per game.

MU sits 35-7 at home under the tutelage of Quin Snyder.

As one would imagine, MU's stats at home are significantly better than on the road. Here's a gander at the numbers.

Rush heating up
Junior Kareem Rush has been one of the hottest players in the country recently, as he's averaging 28.0 points per game in his last 4 outings. He's coming off a season-high 30-point performance at Nebraska Wednesday, and continued his torrid output behind the 3-pt. line, connecting on 6-of-10 treys at NU. In his last 4 games, Rush, who is the Big 12's top 3-pt. producer (3.4 p/g), has hit 55.3% of his 3's (21-of-38). He has his season 3-pt. shooting percentage up to 43.6%, which ranked 4th in the Big 12 entering the weekend's action. Rush was featured in a six-page spread in this week's Sports Illustrated, as well as a front page article in Thursday's USA Today. He's already been the subject of an ESPN SportsCentury piece, as well as a feature in ESPN The Magazine.

RUSH NAMED NAISMITH FINALIST
Junior Kareem Rush has lived up to his pre-season All-American billing of late, as the smooth lefty has averaged 28.0 points per game in Missouri's last 4 games. Accordingly, on Tuesday, Rush was named one of 20 national finalists for the prestigious Naismith Award, given annually to the top player in college basketball. Here's a look at the men's finalists for the award, which will be announced in Atlanta, Ga., on April 5th.

COUCH POTATO CITY
Tiger fans might want to buy home cholesterol kits, because they'll have an opportunity to scarf down lots of fried food and salty snacks while watching Mizzou on national TV over the next few weeks.

Beginning with Sunday's national ABC broadcast, 3 of MU's final 5 games will be shown on national cable or network TV.

Following Sunday, MU will appear on ESPN vs. Oklahoma State (Feb. 25) and finally on CBS vs. Kansas (March 3).

Those final 3 games are all at home, where MU is 12-1 this season, and 26 for its last 28 under Quin Snyder.

AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME
Missouri went 5-3 through the first half of the Big 12 season. As important as it is to get out to a good start in league play, perhaps finishing on just as strong a note is of even more importance.

MU will look to make a strong push toward the post-season, and the much-coveted first-round bye in the Big 12 Tournament (given to the top 4 seeds).

In MU's previous 5 years of Big 12 play, the Tigers have been above .500 in the 2nd half of league play just once. That year (1999), MU followed a 6-2 1st half with a 5-3 2nd half, and finished 2nd in the league.

Here's a look at how the Tigers have started and finished each league season.

MU-TEXAS SERIES HISTORY
Missouri and Texas will meet for the 13th time when they tip it up Sunday. MU owns an 8-4 edge in the series history, but the teams have split 6 meetings since the formation of the Big 12 Conference.

Texas has won 2 straight games over Missouri. The Longhorns claimed a 76-61 win over Missouri in Austin last year, as the Tigers played without Big 12 leading scorer Kareem Rush, who was sidelined with torn ligaments in his left thumb. Texas jumped out to a quick 20-8 lead and never looked back on the way to a 43-26 halftime lead. MU shot just 33.8% from the floor, while the Longhorns connected at a 57.1% clip. Texas' Maurice Evans led all scorers with 21 points, while Wesley Stokes led Mizzou with 17 points.

Texas won its last appearance at the Hearnes Center, as UT notched a 66-63 comeback win in 2000. MU held a 9-point lead in the 1st half, and led for much of the game, before a 2nd-half Texas surge proved too much. Texas' Darren Kelly scored 13 2nd-half points, including two game-clinching free throws with 13 seconds left. MU outrebounded Texas by a 45-36 margin, but shot just 37 percent. Clarence Gilbert and Kareem Rush were the only Tigers to reach double figures in scoring, with 12 points apiece.

MU-NEBRASKA POST-GAME NOTES

tigers FINDING THE MARK
Missouri shot a solid 53.1% from the floor at Nebraska Wednesday, and hit the 50 percent mark for the 2nd straight game (51.8% at Baylor on Feb. 9). That marked the 1st time since games #1 and #2 on the year that MU has shot 50 percent or better in consecutive games.

MU has shot a combined 52.5% in those 2 games, including a stellar 47.3% from 3-pt. range (26-of-55). The Tigers made 13-of-29 treys at Nebraska, after a 13-of-26 night from long distance at Baylor Feb. 9.

SHUTTING 'EM DOWN
After Kansas, Virginia and Iowa State shot a combined 56.2% against Missouri in a 3-game stretch from Jan. 28-Feb. 6, the Tigers have since turned up the heat defensively.

MU's last 2 opponents have combined to make just 40.2% of their shots (49-of-122). Nebraska hit just 38.6% from the floor, while Baylor was only slightly better, at 41.5%.

THE QUIN SNYDER FILE
The 15th head coach in Missouri basketball history, Quin Snyder is 56-33 in his third season as a head coach, and is already MU's 4th-winningest coach ever. He earned his 50th career win on Jan. 12th at Kansas State.

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.

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.

In just 2-plus seasons, Snyder is already the 4th-winningest coach in MU history.

SNYDER GETS MENTION
In a recent list compiled by senior Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl, Quin Snyder was rated as one of the top 15 head coaches in the nation:

1. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
2. Lute Olson, Arizona
3. Rick Pitino, Louisville
4. Tom Izzo, Michigan State
5. Tubby Smith, Kentucky
6. Roy Williams, Kansas
7. Jim Calhoun, UConn
8. Rick Majerus, Utah
9. Billy Donovan, Florida
10. Quin Snyder, Missouri
11. John Chaney, Temple
12. Mike Montgomery, Stanford
13. Larry Eustachy, Iowa State
14. Bill Carmody, Northwestern
15. Gary Williams, Maryland

GILBERT RANKS AMONG BIG 12 BEST
Senior guard Clarence Gilbert enters the Texas game with 1,475 career points, which ranks him as the leading active scorer among Big 12 players.

Gilbert also ranks 8th on the alltime Big 12 scoring chart, and passed Gabe Muoneke of Texas for 8th at Baylor with his 18-pt. outing on Feb. 9. Gilbert is now 40 points behind Rayford Young of Texas Tech, who is 7th with 1,515 career points. The alltime Big 12 leading scorer is Iowa State's Marcus Fizer, with 1,830 points.

Additionally, Gilbert continues his ascent up the MU career scoring chart. He currently ranks 9th alltime on the MU scoring list. He passed former Tiger legend Ricky Frazier for 9th at Baylor and now trails Jevon Crudup, who is 8th, at 1,498.

RUSH JOINS 500 CLUB AGAIN
Kareem Rush's 29-pt. performance at Nebraska Wednesday put him over the 500-point mark for the season. Rush scored 549 points last year as a sophomore, and is now just the 8th player in Missouri history to notch 500-pt. seasons in consecutive years.

MU'S 3-PRONGED ATTACK Arthur Johnson, Kareem Rush and Clarence Gilbert combine to form one of the best inside-outside offensive attacks around.

MU's top 3 scorers combine to average 48.3 points per game. Rush leads the way at 20.5 per game, with Gilbert next at 16.0, followed by Johnson at 11.8.

Rush and Gilbert are ranked 1-2 in the Big 12 in 3-pt. field goals made per game. Johnson is climbing the charts in scoring, and ranks 5th in rebounding, 4th in offensive rebounding and 4th in field goal percentage. He also leads the league in blocked shots.

When clicking like they can, the trio forms one of the country's most dangerous inside-outside combos. When Johnson is left one-on-one inside, he is a dangerous scorer. When teams double him, that often frees up Rush and Gilbert, who are arguably the most potent perimeter combo in the country.

rush hour CONTINUES AT MIZZOU Junior forward Kareem Rush was named MU's first-ever pre-season first team All-American by the Associated Press.

Rush has lived up to his pre-season billing of late, as he's averaged 28.0 points in MU's last 4 games. He's made 55.3% of his 3-pointers in those 4 games (21-of-38).

Rush is coming off a season-best 30-pt. performance Wednesday in leading MU to a big win at Nebraska. He scored 10 of MU's 1st 15 pts. in the game, and ended with 6-of-10 from 3-pt. range on the night.

Prior to that, Rush had a 29-pt. outing at Baylor Feb. 9, when he tied a career-high by hitting 7 3-pt. FGs (in 13 attempts). Rush added 7 rebounds and 3 assists on the night, and led MU's late comeback from a 10-pt. 2nd-half deficit.

Feb. 6 saw Rush turn in a 27-point outing vs. Iowa State, in which he scored 23 points in a dominant 2nd-half performance.

He hit 9-of-16 shots after intermission, and scored 4 of MU's last 6 points as they erased a 71-70 deficit in the final 1:51 to post an important 76-73 win.

On Feb. 3, Rush led MU to its captivating win vs. Virginia with a game-high 26 points. He hit 10-of-20 shots on the day, including 4-of-6 from 3-pt. range, and nailed a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left to close out the win.

Rush currently ranks 2nd in the Big 12 in scoring (20.5 ppg), leads the league lead in 3-pt. FGs made per game (3.4) and is 4th in 3-pt. percentage (43.6%).

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). He was later 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 one of his best all-around performances 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 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 68-of-73 games in his Tiger career.

He enters Sunday's game ranked 14th on the MU career scoring chart, with 1,384 career points.

GILBERT DIALS LONG DISTANCE
With 290 career 3-pt. field goals, senior Clarence Gilbert is MU's alltime leader in the category. He also ranks 2nd alltime in the Big 12, behind Jeff Boschee of Kansas, who had 296 entering the weekend. Gilbert has made 202 of his career 3s against Big 12 teams.

CLEARANCE, CLARENCE
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 10 games at the point guard position, and has responded quite nicely. Since he's taken over the lead guard spot, MU has improved statistically in several areas.

Gilbert made his 1st career start at point guard Jan. 12th at K-State, and while he wasn't officially credited with an assist, 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 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 9th alltime in MU history, with 1,475 points.

He's coming off a 14-pt. outing at Nebraska. Gilbert has handled the ball well of late, as he's recorded 17 assists while comitting just 5 turnovers in his last 3 games.

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 (290), 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.

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.

He's heated up of late, as Johnson is shooting 70.0% from the floor (21-of-30) in his last 4 games, and is averaging 12.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game in that stretch.

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

Heading into Saturday's league games, Johnson led the Big 12 in blocked shots (2.32 p/g) and ranked among leaders in double-doubles (2nd - 9), offensive rebounding (4th - 3.44 p/g), total rebounding (5th - 8.2 p/g) and field goal percentage (4th - 56.8%).

A.J. came off the bench for the 1st time this season Wednesday at Nebraska, and he responded with solid play as he notched 8 pts., 6 rebs. and blocked 4 shots.

Johnson turned in his 2nd consecutive double-double Feb. 9 at Baylor, as he notched 12 pts. and 11 rebs. He had 9 of his pts. in the 2nd half, including a bucket inside with just 23 seconds left to give MU its last lead of the game, at 80-79.

Feb. 6 vs. Iowa State, Johnson notched 13 points and added 10 rebounds. He also blocked 6 shots on the night, and gave MU a big lift when he got free underneath for a layin to give the Tigers 67-66 lead with 3:17 left in the game, after MU hadn't led since the 10-minute mark of the 1st half.

Johnson was equally solid Feb. 6 vs. #8 Virginia, when he recorded 16 pts., 8 rebounds and 4 blocks in a season-high 37 minutes. He has now blocked 16 shots in his last 4 games, after netting just 1 block in a 4-game stretch from Jan. 16-26.

His performance Jan. 12th 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.

On Jan. 15th, ESPN College Basketball Analyst Digger Phelps named Johnson as the most improved player in the nation in an online chat on ESPN.com.

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.

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.

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 started the last 12 games for MU.

The likeable Detroit, Mich. native is establishing himself as a solid offensive cog in MU's attack. He's averaging 13.0 points per game (3rd-most on the team) in Missouri's last 8 contests, and is shooting 53.8% from the floor, including 48.3% from 3-pt. range, in those games.

Paulding is coming off a solid 13-pt. outing Wed. at Nebraska. He tied a career high w/6 rebounds, and got MU jump started early when he stole the ball in the opening minutes and raced down for a thunderous dunk.

Paulding had a solid 14-pt. outing Feb. 6 against Virginia, and played a key role in MU's 2nd half surge that essentially won the game. He scored 7 straight points for MU from the 5:25 mark to the 3:06 mark to help stake the Tigers to a 74-66 lead.

Previously, Paulding had a sterling 19-pt. outing Jan. 28 at #2 Kansas, when he hit 7-of-14 field goals on the night, including a career-best 3-of-8 from 3-pt. range.

Paulding 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 10.9 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.

Paulding currently ranks 5th in the Big 12 in 3-pt. shooting (43.5%). His 3-pt. rate is more than twice his production of 21.4% a year ago. Overall, Paulding is connecting at a solid 51.2% rate from the floor.

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.

BRYANT ADDS A SPARK
Mizzou's 6-foot-9 power forward Travon Bryant is unquestionably one of the most mild-mannered and polite kids around. But don't mistake his pleasant demeanor as weakness, because when he steps onto the basketball floor, Bryant has been an enforcer of late.

Since MU's disappointing loss at Iowa State on Jan. 9th, Bryant rededicated himself to bringing energy, emotion and physical play to the mix for his team, and the spark he's provided has been quite vital.

In 2 games since then, he's been involved in brief scuffles with opponents when things have gotten heated. Nothing involving cheap shots, mind you, just hard-nosed play that's been a missing ingredient in the past few years for Mizzou.

Overall, Bryant is averaging 6.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the season. He leads MU in shooting, with a season mark of 60.4% from the floor.

Bryant came off the bench Wed. at Nebraska after starting 9 straight games, and he responded with an effective 8-pt., 8-reb. outing in 14 minutes of play. He continued to show that he can be an effective perimeter threat, as he made 1-of-2 3-pt. FGs for the 2nd straight game. He is now shooting 44.4% from long range on the year (4-of-9 3FGAs).

Bryant was plagued by foul trouble Feb. 9 at Baylor, but still managed to contribute some quality numbers, with 7 pts., 6 rebs. and 3 assists in 24 minutes of play.

His numbers might not have been huge from the Feb. 6 game vs. ISU (4 pts., 4 rebs., 2 blocks), but all of those came in the 2nd half as MU made its successful comeback.

Bryant has showed a marked improvement from the foul line this year, as well. He's shooting 60.6% from the free throw line, maybe not an eye-popping number, but a drastic improvement from his rate of 28.1% last season as a freshman. He's made 10 of his last 14 free throws in MU's last 11 games.

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 pleasant 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.

He earned his 1st career start Wed. at Nebraska, and played a season-high 21 minutes. He had 2 pts. and 3 rebounds on the night.

Gage was key to MU's win Feb. 6 over Iowa State, as he had 5 pts. and 7 rebounds in an efficient 16-minute stint.

He turned in a solid 5-pt., 5-reb. outing Feb. 3 vs. Virginia. Four of his rebounds were on the offensive glass, and they led to both of his buckets on the day.

Gage had an outstanding game Jan. 12th 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 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 December and early January, 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 10 games and has responded nicely to his new role. Like any competitor, Stokes would like to start and be on the floor all the time.

Stokes is coming off a solid game Wed. at Nebraska, where he had 5 pts., but more importantly ran the team crisply, turning in 8 assists with zero turnovers in 19 minutes.

The crowd favorite had 7 pts., 4 assists (to just 1 turnover) and 4 steals in 20 minutes Feb. 3 vs. Virginia.

Stokes had a 13-pt. outing Jan. 16th 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 enjoyed good offensive numbers 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).

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.

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

FERGUSON FINDING HIS WAY
Freshman center Jeffrey Ferguson is showing signs of being a regular contributor for Missouri.

He had arguably his best outing of the season Feb. 9 at Baylor, when he turned in 6 pts. and added 4 rebounds and 1 assist in 15 minutes.

He showed his shooting touch by making all 3 of his shots in Waco, including 2 jumpers from beyond 15 feet. His 15 minutes of playing time was the most since he played a career-high 17 on Dec. 6 vs. Southern.

He was rewarded with his 1st career start Wed. at Nebraska, and while he played a total of just 7 minutes, he did help the Tigers stake an early double-digit lead. Ferguson had 2 pts. in his time on the floor in Lincoln.

Ferguson has played an average of 11.3 minutes in MU's last 3 games, after he played a total of 19 minutes in his previous 6 appearances.

Prior to Christmas break, Ferguson was showing signs of promise, as he averaged 3.5 pts. per game in a 6-game stretch from Nov. 29-Dec. 22, playing an average of 10.8 minutes.

But he soon met with setback, as he had trouble getting back into the country after visiting his native Toronto for the holidays. Ferguson's immigration paperwork was not up-to-date according to immigration officials, and he sat at home while MU played games on Dec. 29th at DePaul and Jan. 2 vs. Coppin State. He got his situation cleared in time to join the team on Jan. 4, but he did not play either of MU's 1st 2 Big 12 games.

Either way, Tiger fans are glad to see the 6-foot-10 swingman getting back into form. He provides good depth for MU at either the 4 or 5 spots, and can run the floor very well. He's shooting a solid 50.0% from the floor on the year, and has made 71.4% of his free throws thus far.

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.

A daunting list of foes
A quick glance at the top-25 rankings reads virtually like Missouri's schedule. As many as six 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.

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.

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.

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.