Jan. 20, 2003
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Tigers Look to Get Back on Track Against Cyclones
The University of Missouri Basketball team continues its trek through the Big 12 Conference on Tuesday night as it welcomes the Cyclones of Iowa State to Hearnes for a 7 p.m. tip. The Tigers enter Tuesday's contest having lost their last two and sport a record of 10-3. Iowa State faces a similar challenge having lost its last three contests and brings a mark of 10-4 into the week.
Mizzou had a tough week last week as they fell to No. 25 Syracuse on Monday, 76-69 and then to No. 24 Oklahoma State, 76-56 on Saturday in Stillwater, Okla. More fun on the road is coming up after this brief home respite as Mizzou heads to Austin, Texas on Saturday to take on No. 4 Texas and then to Nebraska on Jan . 29 for a Wednesday tilt with the Huskers. As a matter of fact, the Tigers play three of their next five contests away from the friendly confines of the Hearnes Center.
About the Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State enters Tuesday's contest with a 10-4 mark overall, but are 0-3 in the Big 12. The Cyclones opened their conference schedule against three teams (Kansas, at Texas and Oklahoma) that began the season in the top five of both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Polls and are all currently in the top 15.
The Cyclones latest loss was a hard-fought contest against Oklahoma in Ames, 70-60. The Cyclones leading scorer, Jake Sullivan (18.7 ppg.) had 13 points and Chris Alexander just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as the Sooners pulled away in the second half.
Sullivan ranks fourth in the Big 12 at 18.7 points per contest and is one of the best free throw shooters in the conference, shooting at 90% clip.
Junior college transfer Jackson Vroman has been a great addition to the Cyclone lineup. He has led the Clones in rebounding in all but four games while ranking third in the conference in boards per contest pulling down 9.1 per game. He is also averaging just under 12 points per game, which ranks second on the squad.
Freshman guard Adam Haluska is also off to a solid start. He is averaging 11.4 points per game and ranks second on the squad with 23 3-point field goals. Junior center Chris Alexander, who became eligible this semester, has been outstanding off of the bench in the last four games averaging 11.0 points per contest, including a game-high 25 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He is also averaging 6.8 boards per contest and is shooting 48% from the field.
Larry Eustachy is in his fifth year as head coach of the Cyclones. He brings a 94-49 record at Iowa State into Tuesday's contest.
Breaking Down the Matchup
Both the Tigers and Cyclones look to end consecutive-game losing streaks on Tuesday as the Tigers have lost two in a row and the Cyclones have dropped three straight.
That being said, some interesting notes can be gleaned from the two squads performances thus far. The Tigers have been extremely accurate from behind the 3-point arc shooting just under 40%, which ranks second in the league. That bodes well for Mizzou heading into its contest with ISU as the Cyclones have been the worst team in the league at defending the three, allowing opponents to shoot 37% from behind the arc.
However, the Cyclones interior defense has been solid as they lead the league in blocks per game, averaging 6.14 rejections per game. Jared Homan and Jackson Vroman roam the paint for the Cyclones as they rank third and sixth in blocked shots in the league. The will face off with the leagues fourth-leading shot blocker, Arthur Johnson on Tuesday and will both more than likely have a crack at guarding AJ sometime during the contest.
Big 12 ... Big Man ... Big Numbers
While junior center Arthur Johnson (6-9, 259 lbs.) has been great all year for Mizzou (17.1 ppg., 9.9 rpg.), the early stages of Big 12 play have shown AJ is ready to move his play to a whole new level.
The flamboyant big fella is averaging 25.0 points and 14.5 boards in two Big 12 contests against Baylor and Oklahoma State.
In the BU game, he was phenomenal, registering a career-best 30 points and 15 boards. He was equally as impressive against Oklahoma State, going for 20 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. He has now recorded double-doubles in each of the last five contests.
Noting Oklahoma State
Here are a couple of notables from the Tigers 76-56 loss at Oklahoma State:
* Arthur Johnson recorded his fifth straight double-double and his ninth double-double of the season.
* Freshman Jimmy McKinney equaled a career-high with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
* The Tigers were without the services of point guard Ricky Clemons, who was suspended.
* The 21 first half points the Tigers scored equaled their lowest offensive output in a half this season. They also scored 21 against Valparaiso on Dec. 30, 2002 in Columbia.
* The 20-point final deficit was the Tigers' largest margin of loss since their 91-68 setback at the hands of Texas Tech last year in Lubbock.
* The 56 points scored was the lowest total a Tiger team has registered since Feb. 26 of 2000 when the Tigers fell to Oklahoma in Norman, 83-56.
Clemons in, Kroenke out Against Iowa State
Junior Ricky Clemons will be back in the Tiger lineup on Tuesday. Clemons was suspended for last Saturday's game against Oklahoma State, but the suspension was lifted Monday by Director of Athletics Mike Alden and Quin Snyder.
That being said, the Tigers will be without the services of junior shooting guard Josh Kroenke. After having an MRI on Monday, Kroenke was diagnosed with a contusion to the lateral femeroral condyle and will be held out of his second straight game.
And Now, a Look at Your Local Forecast on the Weather Channel
Do you get it...Cyclones...Weather Channel...uh anyway. Beings that the junior (and elder) class of Tigers has faced off against the Cyclones more than any team in the country (five times), there was no shortage of performance marks to look at.
Fellow Detroit natives Rickey Paulding and Arthur Johnson love taking on the Cyclones. Paulding is averaging 8.4 points per contest and has scored 14 or more points in two of the five games he has played against ISU. AJ continues to double his pleasure like a Wrigley's Spearmint Chewing Gum commercial, averaging 11.0 points and 10.1 boards against the Clones. And now, a look at how all active Tigers have fared against the Cyclones on the 8's.
Travon Bryant GP PPG RPG 5 3.8 3.4 Josh Kroenke GP PPG RPG 4 1.5 0.5 Rickey Paulding GP PPG RPG 5 8.4 2.2 Jeffrey Ferguson GP PPG RPG 2 1.0 1.0 Arthur Johnson GP PPG RPG 5 11.0 10.2
On the Block with Doc
Junior Arthur "Doc" Johnson continues to be the straw that stirs the Tigers' Powerade this season in the post. After recording a career-best 11 double-doubles last season, AJ leads the Big 12 with nine double-doubles in just 12 contests played so far this season. He is averaging 17.1 points per game (7th in the Big 12) and 9.9 boards per game (2nd in the Big 12).
Johnson, who is the Mizzou all-time blocked shots leader (161 blocks) has been especially impressive the past four games registering 19.3 points and 12.8 rebounds a tilt, good for a double-double in all four contests.
Non-Conference a Non-Problem Once Again for Tigers
Mizzou finishes the non-conference regular season portion of its schedule with a 9-2 mark. The Tigers average margin of victory in those nine games was just under 15 points and they outrebounded their opponents by an average of 6.1 boards per contest.
Over the past two seasons, Mizzou is 21-6 against non-conference regular season opposition.
Three's Company
"Come and knock on our door, they've been waiting for you."
If you remember correctly, that is opening line of the '80's hit TV show "Threes Company" theme song, which starred Jack Ritter (before he did the "Problem Child" trilogy), Joyce DeWitt (otherwise known as Janet on the show) and Suzanne Sommers (before she did the whole "Thighmaster" workout craze).
Ricky Clemons, Rickey Paulding and Arthur Johsnon have been waiting for the opportunity to showcase their abilities on the court, and have done so in a major way for Mizzou. They make up 64% of the Tigers' offense, 65% of their 3-pt. field goals, 42% of their rebounding and 56% of the Tigers' steals. One of the Three Amigos has led Mizzou in scoring in every game this season and AJ has led the Tigers in rebounding in 10 of their 13 contests so far.
AJ Gives an A+ Effort
Sporting a new hair due (or lack there of, he and teammates Rickey Paulding, Ricky Clemons and Jeffrey Ferguson shaved their heads last Thursday), junior Arthur Johnson came out against the Baylor Bears and provided a hair-raising performance.
The fascinating 5-man recorded his seventh double-double of the season, pouring in a game and career-high 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the field against the Bears. He was also a beast on the boards pulling down 15 boards.
A microcosm of AJ's night came with just 1:04 left in the game and Mizzou was clinging to just a 3-pt lead. Johnson took a bounce pass from freshman Jimmy McKinney into the lane and brought the Tiger faithful to their feet when he dunked on Baylor's Steve Othoro, drawing the foul and nailing the free throw for an old fashion 3-point play to clinch the win.
More in the Middle
With his 30-pt. effort against Baylor, junior Arthur Johnson became the first Mizzou player to score 30 or more points in a game since former Tiger and now Los Angeles Laker Kareem Rush scored 33 points against Texas in the Big 12 Tournament last season.
While that is impressive, the search for the last time a Tiger big man (a power forward or center) went for 30 or more in a regular season contest* becomes a little more hairy. You have to look back to the days of Doug Smith when he went for 30 or more points 14 times, which is still a school record, the last time coming on Jan. 5, 1991 when he poured in 40 points.
To look even deeper into this issue, the last time a true Tiger center (Smith is considered by many to be more of a face-up-and-shoot power forward) scored 30 or more means we must venture back to Jan. 19, 1983 when former Tiger great Steve Stipanovich put in 32 against Oklahoma State. The bottom line is that Arthur Johnson played really well against Baylor.
In a related note, this also marked the third time AJ has went for a double-double in his three career games against Baylor.
* Sammy Haley (7'0'') scored 31 points against Murray State in 1996 in the NIT.