Jan. 3, 2003
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Tigers Open New Year at Iowa
The University of Missouri men's basketball team (7-1) takes to the road for the first time this season on Saturday when they travel to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on the Hawkeyes of Iowa in an ESPN matinee. Mizzou is coming off its first post-holiday break contest last Monday, a 65-47 win over Valparaiso in Columbia. MU checks in at #16 in both the ESPN/USA Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Poll that was released Monday afternoon prior to the contest with Valparaiso. This marks the fifth straight season that Mizzou and Iowa have faced off during the regular season. While Iowa leads the all-time series, 10-5, the two squads split two games last season and have split the last six games in the series, 3-3. That last statement was brought to you by the Missouri department of the obvious. Happy New Year!
About the Iowa Hawkeyes
Head coach Steve Alford, who is in his fourth season at Iowa, has the Hawkeyes off to a quality 8-2 start. They are coming off of probably their best win of the season, a 67-63 victory at Tulsa last Saturday. With that win, the Hawkeyes received five votes in the Associated Press Poll last Monday.
Senior guard Chaucey Leslie leads the Hawks' scoring attack averaging 17.5 points per contest and is shooting 54% from the field. Forward Glen Worley is the only other Iowa player to average double figures in points, but four other players average 7.8 or more points per contest. Iowa has used the same starting lineup of Leslie, Worley, Jeff Horner, Greg Brunner and Jared Reiner in every game so far this season.
Reiner has been a beast on the boards so far for Iowa averaging 9.4 rebounds per contest and has led the Hawkeyes in that category in seven of their ten games played so far this season. He has also been a force at the rim averaging 1.9 blocks per contest (19 blocks for the year.)
After winning its first three contests of the season, the Hawkeyes dropped a tough contest at Florida State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Since that time, Iowa has won five of their last six contests.
Let's Get After It
As stated earlier in this quality (?) publication, Mizzou and Iowa have split the past six contests in the series. The home team has been victorious in each of the last five games played on a non-neutral court; Mizzou took the only neutral-court tilt last year in the championship of the Guardians Classic.
A Classic Comeback Revisited
After losing in double overtime (94-99) to the Hawkeyes in 2000 in Iowa City, the Tigers did some heartbreaking of their own in their first of two games against then No. 9 Iowa last season. Here is a snippet from last year's game notes following one of the most improvable and unbelievable comebacks in Mizzou basketball history:
"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 Iowa timeouts, but got the second on home and MU knocked away a desperation full-court heave to get the dramatic win, 78-77. All told, Mizzou outscored Iowa 14-4 over the last 2:11 and forced three turnovers."
The Guns 'n' Roses Factor
Mizzou was able to run past Valparaiso Monday night to earn its seventh win of the season. However, before they could sprint out to 44 points in the second half en route to the 65-47 win, the Tigers displayed patience (which was a hit for G & R from the Lies album) on the offensive end in the first half. Mizzou attempted only 14 shots in the first half, hitting on seven of them to shooting 50% for the half to take a 21-20 lead into half time.
The Tigers were lethal in the second stanza, opening the half with a 16-5 run the first 6:46 of the second half. Mizzou shot 64% in the half and 59% for the game, while holding Valpo to 33% shooting in the contest.
Johnson Grabs MU Blocks Record
With the fourth of his five blocks against Valparaiso, Arthur Johnson became the all-time blocked shots leader at Mizzou. He now has 151 swats, displacing former Tiger great Steve Stipanovich for the top spot on the chart.
Johnson accomplished the feat in just 77 games played for his career while Stipanovich set the record in 128 games. Besides being one of the top defensive players in MU history, Arthur is off to a great offensive start as well this season averaging 16.1 points and 8.1 boards per contest through the first eight games. Below is a look at the Top 10 shot-blockers in school history.
Blocked Shots 1. Arthur Johnson, 00-Pres. 151 2. Steve Stipanovich, 80-83 149 3. Doug Smith, 88-91 129 4. Jevon Crudup, 91-94 116 5. Gary Leonard, 86-89 96 6. Chris Heller, 90-91, 93-94 89 7. Monte Harge, 95-99 72 8. Greg Cavener, 82-85 69 Sammie Haley, 95-96 69 10. Dan Bingenheimer, 85-86 66
R.ickey P.aulding I.ndex
Mizzou is off to a flying start with a 7-1 record as they head into the New Year. While it may be early in 2003, it's never too early to talk RPI rankings. The Tigers currently own the second-best RPI in the Big 12 Conference with a #9 rank, trailing only Texas, who is #6 in the country.
It is mere coincidence that the first two letters of RPI are RP, which are also junior Rickey Paulding's intials. However, Paulding will play a major role in what the Tigers' RPI rank is the rest of the season. He has been up to the task so far averaging 18.5 points per contest and 21.5 points per game the past four games. He is shooting 53% from the field over the past four contests including 14-of-28 from three point land.
Despite battling the stomach flu on Monday, Rick poured in a game-high 22 points (17 of which came in the second half) on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from three.
It's Time to Kick the Tires and Light the Fires
After playing just seven games in the first five weeks of the season, Mizzou enters a stretch of its schedule where the Tigers will play eight games in the next 25 days including four games over the next nine days. Within that four-game whirlwind is Tigers first game on the road when they travel to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on Iowa.
In comparison, Mizzou had played 12 games last year heading into 2002. The eight contests played prior to the final game of December is the least amount of games played since the 1993-94 season when that team played just eight games in the first two months of the season. In a hopefully related note, that squad went on to a 28-4 mark and a Big 8 Championship regular season championship.
The Skinny on McKinney
Freshman Jimmy McKinney made his first start as a Tiger on Monday against Valparaiso. McKinney was extremely efficient scoring eight points and handing out four assists in the win.
While the Tigers took it on the proverbial chin against the Illini, McKinney made the most of his return to his home town of St. Louis and the Savvis Center.
McKinney poured in a career-best 15 points and handed out two assists in 27 minutes off of the bench in the contest. He was 4-of-10 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
The 15-point outing marked the second straight contest McKinney has recorded a career-high as he went for 13 points against Memphis on Dec. 14.
He has reached double figures in scoring in four of the seven contests he has played in so far this season and is Mizzou's leading free-throw shooter, hitting at a 91% clip (25-of-28). He also leads the team in assist/turnover ratio weighing in with a 4.3 dime per pastry mark.
Back to Somewhat Normal
The Tigers returned to defensive form against the Crusaders of Valparaiso on Monday. The Tigers held them ton only 33.3% shooting from the field and only 19% from the three point line.
Mizzou allowed an opponent to shoot better than 40% for the first time this season against the Illini when they shot 45% (27-of-60).
So far this season, good shooting against the Tigers has been the exception to the rule. Mizzou has held opponents to shoot only 36% from the field while forcing them into 135 turnovers (16.9 per game). The loss to the Illini also marked the first time Mizzou had been out-shot in a game this season. Illinois registered a 45% field goal percentage while Mizzou could manage only a 38% mark.
Ricks Squared
1980s rock icon Huey Lewis, whom I met once in the San Francisco airport, had a hit single with "Its Hip to be Square" back in 1986 on his "Fore" album.
While they may share the same first name, the play of back court mates Rick(y Clemons) and Rick(ey Paulding) has been anything but square so far this season. In fact it's been pretty hip daddy-o.
Paulding has led the Tigers in scoring in three of their eight games and is averaging a team-best 18.5 points per contest while pulling down 5.5 boards per contest. He has also committed larceny (stealing) 14 times this year to lead the Tigers.
He is shooting 44% from three point land and is averaging 2.5 three point field goals per contest.
Paulding has been especially hot over the past four contests averaging 21.5 points per game and has shot 53% from the field (75% vs. Valpo on Monday.)
Clemons has also been a spark for Mizzou. He has averaged 16.5 points per contest the last four games. He came up huge in the second half in the Tigers win over Valpo. RC dumped in 14 of his 18 points in the second stanza and handed out seven assists as the Tigers rolled to a 65-47 win after being up just 21-20 at halftime.