Tigers Take On K-State At Hearnes This Saturday
1/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 24, 2002
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TIPOFF: 12:45 p.m. (central time).
ARENA: Hearnes Center (13,545). Opened in 1972. MU is 377-65 (.853) there alltime,
including 23-8 there versus Kansas State. MU has won 17 straight there vs. KSU.
TIGERS LOOK TO EXTEND HEARNES WIN STREAK OVER K-STATE TO 18 GAMES
The Missouri Tigers (14-5 overall, 4-2 in Big 12 Conference play) return to the friendly confines of the Hearnes Center, where they will look to win the school's 18th consecutive game there against the visiting Kansas State Wildcats. Since K-State's last win at Hearnes in 1985, MU has won the last 17 meetings in the building.
Missouri is coming off an 84-71 loss Monday night at #6 Oklahoma. That loss broke a 3-game winning streak for the Tigers, who stand alone in 4th place in the Big 12 standings at 4-2 in league play. MU is 9-1 at home this season.
Kansas State is coming off an 85-71 loss at Colorado on Tuesday. The Wildcats stand 10th in the league standings with their 1-4 league mark. KSU is 0-5 on the road this season.
HOME SWEET HOME
Missouri will look to rebound from Monday's loss at #6 Oklahoma with a time-tested remedy - playing at home.
Missouri is 9-1 at home this season, and has won 23 of its last 25 games at Hearnes, dating back to the 1999-2000 season.
As expected, MU is statistically better at home, as compared to road games, where the Tigers are 2-3 at this point.
Mizzou's sole loss at home this season came on Dec. 15th when the Tigers were trounced by then-#15 Iowa, 83-65. MU shot just 33.3% from the floor in the game, including a miserable 17.2% (5-of-29) from 3-pt. range.
MU-OKLAHOMA POST-GAME NOTES
DEAD ZONE DOOMS TIGERS
A 10-minute stretch sandwiched around halftime essentially was the difference in Monday's loss at Oklahoma.
Mizzou played well early, and held a 27-26 lead with 5:18 left in the initial half. OU turned up the intensity, however, and MU couldn't match it, as the Sooners closed the half with an 18-4 scoring run to take a 44-31 halftime lead.
OU then pushed the margin to 18 points by outscoring MU 13-8 through the 15:05 mark in the 2nd half to take a 57-39 lead.
In doing the math, that means from the 5:17 mark of the 1st half, to the 15:05 mark in the 2nd half ( a span of 10:12), OU outscored Mizzou 31-12. In the remaining 29:48 of the game, MU outscored the Sooners, 59-53.
REBOUND THAT BASKETBALL
After enjoying great success in rebounding for most of the season, Missouri has fallen on hard times on the boards of late.
Mizzou outrebounded its opponent in 13 of its first 17 games on the year, and held a rebounding margin of +7.9 prior to its Jan. 19 game with Colorado. That ranked MU 4th in the Big 12, a year after ranking 11th in that category with a margin of -0.7 last season.
But MU's last 2 games have seen the Tigers get out-boarded by a 88-54 margin against Colorado (CU, 45-28) and at Oklahoma (OU, 43-26).
Colorado held a massive 26-11 advantage on the offensive glass, which led to a 26-8 edge in 2nd chance points. Much of that came after MU had established a comfortable 27-point first-half lead, though.
OU grabbed 16 offensive boards Monday, compared to just 7 for Mizzou, which certainly was a factor in their 13-pt. win.
Individually, MU needs center Arthur Johnson to get untracked on the glass. He's been held to a total of 7 rebounds in the last 2 games, after averaging 10.8 rebounds in MU's 1st 4 conference games.
GILBERT DIALS LONG DISTANCE
Senior guard Clarence Gilbert did everything he could to will his team to a victory Monday at Oklahoma, but his 26-point performance wasn't enough, as the Tigers fell, 84-71.
Gilbert, who has started at point guard in MU's last 4 games, tied a school record by hitting 8 3-pt. field goals in Norman. He ended the game 8-of-13 from beyond the arch, and tied the record he co-held with John Woods. Woods first set the mark in March of 1998 against UAB in the opening round of the NIT in Columbia. Gilbert equaled that against Texas A&M last year in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament.
With 274 career 3-pt. field goals, Gilbert is MU's alltime leader in the category. He also ranks 2nd alltime in the Big 12, behind Jeff Boschee of Kansas, who has 277 entering this weekend.
Gilbert has made 188 of his career 3s against Big 12 teams, so we thought it would be interesting to see who he's been most successful against beyond the arch.
MU-KANSAS STATE SERIES
Missouri and Kansas State will meet for the 215th time when they tip it up Saturday in Columbia.
Missouri claimed an 81-66 win just 2 Saturdays ago in Manhattan, which deadlocked the long-standing series at 107 apiece. According to Missouri records, that is. According to Kansas State records, the Wildcats lead the series by a 108-106 margin.
A check of the record books shows a discrepancy dating back to 1913. On Feb. 12, 1913, MU says it claimed a 25-24 win in Manhattan, while the Wildcats say they won the game, 26-25.
Either way, though, MU has won 4 of the last 5 meetings between the rivals, and 7 of the last 9.
Overall, MU has established a stronghold in the series in recent years, as the Tigers have won 28 of the last 38 meetings dating back to 1985. That somewhat counters KSU's dominance in the series from 1956-68, when the Wildcats won 31-of-33 games, including 23 straight from 1956-64.
Mizzou leads K-State by a 23-8 margin in games played at the Hearnes Center, and has won 17 straight there vs. the Wildcats. KSU's last win at Hearnes was a 69-54 victory here on March 2, 1985. It's the longest current home winning streak MU has over any Big 12 foe.
LAST TIME OUT VS. K-STATE
THE QUIN SNYDER FILE
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 52-31 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.
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 47.5 points per game. Rush leads the way at 19.2 per game, with Gilbert next at 16.5, 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 in the top 5 in rebounding. 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.
HITTING THE FREEBIES
Missouri hit 20-of-24 free throws in last Saturday's win over Colorado (83.3%). In its last 7 games, the Tigers are connecting at a 73.5% clip from the line as a team (97-of-132).
The recent success has lifted the season team success rate to a solid 71.9%, which ranks them 4th in the Big 12.
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 10-0 this season when:
Additionally, this season MU is...
GILBERT RANKS AMONG BIG 12 BEST
Senior guard Clarence Gilbert enters the Kansas State game with 1,388 career points, which ranks him as the leading active scorer among Big 12 players.
With his 26-pt. outing Monday at Oklahoma, Gilbert passed 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.
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 4 games at the point guard position, and has responded quite nicely, in different ways.
He's coming off a 26-pt. outing Monday at #6 Oklahoma, when he tied a school record by hitting 8 3-pt. field goals (in 13 attempts).
Gilbert wasn't hitting his shots last Saturday vs. Colorado (2-of-14 FGs), but more importantly, he got his teammates involved as he rang up 6 assists, with zero turnovers in 38 minutes of play.
Gilbert led the team with 4 assists Jan. 16th 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 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 12th alltime in MU history, with 1,388 points. He passed former Tiger legend Willie Smith Monday, and now needs 14 points to pass Larry Drew for 11th place alltime.
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 (274), 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.
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.
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, and he's recently been named to the top-30 mid-season watch list for the prestigious Wooden Award.
Rush is looking to bounce back after being held to 13 points Monday night at Oklahoma, as he managed just 4-of-15 field goals.
Prior to that, however, he turned in a scintillating 29-point outing last Saturday vs. Colorado, as he sank 5-of-10 3-pt. field goals. He had 18 first-half points, and was the key player as MU put the game on ice in the opening stanza.
After being held to a season-low 8 points in MU's Big 12 opener vs. Nebraska, Rush returned to his All-American form as he averaged 23.5 points per game in 4 outings from Jan. 9-19.
In those 4 games, Rush shot 48.5% from the floor, including a stout 50.0% from 3-pt. range (18-of-36) for the Big 12's leading 3-pt. shooter (3.2 p/g).
Jan. 12th 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 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 19.2 points per game, which currently ranks him 2nd 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 12th in the league in 3-pt. percentage (41.8%).
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 62-of-67 games in his Tiger career.
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.
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 two different times this season. He had his latest string broken last Saturday vs. Colorado, as he scored 20 points, but was held to a season-low 3 rebounds.
Despite being held to just 4 pts. (on 2-of-5 FGs) and 4 rebs. Monday at #6 Oklahoma, A.J. is still averaging 13.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in Big 12 Conference play. He has 7 double-doubles on the season.
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.
Just last 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.
Heading into the weekend, Johnson led the Big 12 in blocked shots (2.00) and ranked among leaders in offensive rebounding (2nd - 3.9 p/g), total rebounding (4th - 8.5 p/g) and field goal percentage (4th - 56.5%).
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.
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 now been promoted to a starter, as he's started the last 6 games for MU.
The likeable Detroit, Mich. native broke out of a mini offensive slump, as he had 15 points last Saturday vs. Colorado, on the strength of 6-of-8 shooting. He also added 5 rebs., 2 asst. and 3 steals in 20 minutes of play.
The statistics weren't quite as glowing for the explosive sophomore in his previous 4 starts, as he averaged 6.5 PPG on 33.3% FGs from Jan.5-16, compared to 10.9 PPG and 54.7% FGs in his first 12 games off the bench.
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 10.1 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 51.6% from the floor in his 1st 18 games, including a solid 42.9% from 3-pt. range.
He ranks 8th in the Big 12 in 3-pt. shooting, and 10th in free throw percentage (80.4%). In league games only, Paulding ranks 3rd in foul shooting, making 92.9% of his attempts thus far (13-of-14).
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 of MU's recent games, 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 6.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for the season. He leads MU in shooting, with a season mark of 60.5% from the floor, including 50.0% from 3-pt. range (2-of-4 3FGs).
He was held to 4 pts. Monday at Oklahoma, but led the team with 5 rebs., and was one of the few Tigers who made a concerted effort to get to the boards each opportunity.
Bryant has showed a marked improvement from the foul line this year, as well. He's shooting 61.3% 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 9 of his last 12 free throws in MU's last 5 games.
Bryant averaged 8.5 points and 7.0 rebounds last week. He had a solid 9-pt., 8-reb. outing last Saturday vs. Colorado in 23 minutes.
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 4.0 rebounds per game in his 7 outings, which is the 3rd-highest total on the team - behind only Arthur Johnson's 11.0 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 4-pt. outing at #6 Oklahoma in 14 minutes before fouling out.
Prior to that, he 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 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 4 games and has responded nicely to his new role.
The crowd favorite had 8 pts. and added 4 assists last Saturday in 25 minutes of play vs. Colorado. He followed Monday at #6 Oklahoma with a team-best 5 assists in 17 minutes.
He 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 played 22 minutes Jan. 12th 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 a 7 game stretch from Dec. 15-Jan. 12 (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).
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 96 on the year (a per-game average of 5.1 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.
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 eight past or future opponents on MU's docket currently reside in either 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 13.9 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.
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.
