Dec. 4, 2003
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Mizzou Takes On Hoosiers Saturday in Bloomington
The No. 4/5 University of Missouri basketball squad travels to Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday for a tough non-conference matchup with the Indiana Hoosiers. The Tigers (2-0, 0-0 in the Big 12) are coming off of a gritty 70-61 win over Coppin St. on Tuesday night at the Hearnes Center in their home opener. Indiana (2-2, 0-0 in the Big 10) dropped a tough contest at Wake Forest on Tuesday night as part of the ACC/Big 10 Challenge, 100-67.
The two squads are meeting for the first time since 2000, when the Tigers took out IU in Bloomington, 68-63 in a pre-Holiday matchup. The Hoosiers own a 9-7 advantage in the all-time series against MU, but the Tigers have won three of the last four games in the series.
The contest, which is set for a 3 p.m. CST (4 p.m. EST) tip, will be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network, which reaches 50 affiliates around the state of Missouri. Mike Kelly, the Voice of the Tigers, will provide the play-by-play, while former Tiger great Gary Link gives his analysis. The game will also be carried on ESPN, the world wide leader in sports. Mark Jones, Tim McCormick and Steve Lavin will call the action on the mothership of the ESPN family of networks.
Quick Hits
* Mizzou's No. 4 ranking is their highest mark since the 2001-02 season when they were ranked No. 2 by the Associated Press
* Head Coach Quin Snyder is 1-1 in his four years against Indiana.
* The Tigers have opened each of the last three seasons at 2-0.
* Missouri is the only school in the conference to return two players from the Big 12 Top 10 scoring list from last season (Rickey Paulding, 4th, 17.4 ppg: Arthur Johnson, 9th, 16.1 ppg).
*This is the first of five Tiger contests that will be played on ESPN this season.
* Coach Quin Snyder is looking for win number 87 at Mizzou.
* Guard Randy Pulley was certified for competition on Tuesday by the University of Missouri Certifying Officer. He will join the squad at the end of the first semester along with shooting guard Jason Conley
* The Tigers are 44-20 under Coach Snyder against non-conference opponents.
A Look at the Hoosiers
Head coach Mike Davis (69-49) is in his fourth year as head man at IU. He has led the Hoosiers to a 2-2 mark so far this season with wins over UNC Greensboro (who the Tigers face on Dec. 21st) and Xavier. Bracey Wright has been the man for Indiana averaging 23.8 points per contest while shooting 40 percent from three. However, the Hoosiers next leading scorer averages only 9.8 ppg. IU received a devastating blow on Monday when talented big man George Leach went down with injured knee. The loss of Leach enabled Wake Forest to dominate the paint outscoring the Hoosiers, 44-20 down low on Tuesday. Indiana is in the midst of a brutal stretch in which three of the their next four opponents are ranked in the top 25 (Missouri #4, at Notre Dame #23 and Kentucky #9).
Facts, Figures and Other Points of Interest Following the CSU Contest
* The Tigers now lead the all-time series vs. Coppin State, 4-1 ... the Tigers have now won 20 games straight against non-ranked non-conference opponents at home.
* Mizzou moves to 13-2 when ranked No. 4 in the AP poll, the last time Mizzou was No. 4 was in 1990 ... the last time Mizzou was in the top 5 was in the 2001-02 season.
Individual Feats
* With the first basket of the game for Missouri, senior Arthur Johnson jumped to a tie with Kim Anderson (73-77) for 20th place on the all-time Mizzou scoring list ... Johnson's 14 points makes his total 1,301 for his career and 19th in Mizzou History ... along with Kim Anderson, Johnson passed Ron Coleman (64-67) who ended his career with 1,295 points.
* Johnson also jumped to No. 6 on the Tigers' all-time rebounding list, passing Jevon Crudup (91-94) ... his nine rebounds brought his total to 879 for his career.
* Johnson is also part of the 800-100-100-100 club, as he is one of three Tigers all-time to have 800 rebounds, 100 blocks, 100 steals, and 100 assists ... the other two on the list are Jevon Crudup (91-94) and Doug Smith (87-91)
* Freshman Spencer Laurie took a baseline charge with 11:31 to go in the first half to stop a possible easy lay-up by Coppin State's #33 Jimmy Boykin ... Laurie also scored his first points of collegiate career with a three-pointer with 9:53 to go in the first.
* Sophomore Jimmy McKinney broke his consecutive free-throws made streak, ending at 17, dating back to last year's Big 12 Tournament game vs. Nebraska ... McKinney went 4-of-5 from the line on the night.
* Senior Travon Bryant was close to breaking his career-high 18 points in a game, however, he ended the game with 16 in just 21 minutes.
I've Got the Power! (Forwards)
Senior Travon Bryant and freshman Linas Kleiza have pushed each other around relentlessly for the past six weeks in practice. The talented twosome is now getting a chance to battle with players other than themselves and the results have been ... well ... powerful.
Bryant has ranked second on the Tiger squad in rebounding in each of the last two seasons. He averaged a career-best 8.9 points per game while actually improving his average against the brutal Big 12 with 9.8 ppg. He also pulled down 5.8 boards per contest and rejected a career-best 40 shots (he ranks seventh on the Mizzou all-time blocked shots list with 77 career swats. Bryant was solid in the Tigers season opener, scoring seven points, while pulling down eight boards. He followed up his solid play at Oakland with an awesome 16-point, six rebound night against Coppin State in the Tigers home opener. The 16 points were only two shy of his career high.
Kleiza is a physically imposing specimen for being only a freshman. He was unbelievable in his Tiger debut against Oakland, scoring 10 points and pulling down 12 boards in 16 minutes of action. He also handed out two assists and was a perfect 1-for-1 from the free-throw line. The Coppin State contest was no different for Kleiza as he sparked the Tigers second-half comeback with six points and nine boards in a 70-61 Tiger win. Kleiza averaged over 29 points per contest at the Junior World Championships last summer and will be counted on as a valuable contributor in the Tigers' plans this year.
Not Your Normal Newcomers
Freshmen Thomas Gardner (Portland, Ore.), Spencer Laurie (Springfield, Mo.) and Linas Kleiza (Kaunas, Lithuania) entered the season as the foundation of one of the top recruiting classes in America. So far, each of the three amigos have made different, significant impacts for Mizzou in their first two games.
Kleiza has been a man-child in his first two outings dawning the black and gold. He registered the first double-double of his career against Oakland with 10 points and a team-high 12 rebounds in 16 minutes of action. He then proceeded to put in six points and nine critical boards in the Mizzou's win over Coppin State. With Mizzou trailing by seven with 16:28 left in the contest, Kleiza grabbed a loose ball and nearly ripped the rim down with a momentum-charged dunk, which the Tigers used to finish the game on a 35-19 run and get the win.
Gardner had a fine night against Coppin State as well. He canned a huge three and went 3-of-3 from the free throw line giving him eight points in 14 quality minutes for Mizzou. Laurie has also made quality contributions when called upon to spell Jimmy McKinney or Josh Kroenke. He scored the first hoop of his career against CSU on Tuesday, took a charge and played quality defense in nine minutes of playing time.
Lean, Mean and on the Scene
Since coming to Mizzou at over 300 lbs. his freshman year, senior Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Arthur Johnson's weight (which was a svelte 255 at the beginning of this season) has gone down while his numbers have gone up. The explosive big man with feather-soft touch around the basket already owns Mizzou's all-time shot blocking mark with 202 career swats. With his two block effort on Tuesday night against Coppin State, he became only the fifth player to record 200 or more career blocks in Big 12 conference history. Here's a quick look at where he needs to go to grab that mark
Big 12 All-Time Blocked Shots Leaders
1. 264 Chris Mihm, UT-1998-00
2. 243 Nick Collison, KU, 1999-03
3. 242 Eric Chenowith, KU, 1997-01
4. 202 Venson Hamilton, NU, 1997-99
202 Arthur Johnson, MU, 2000-present
If all goes according to plan, he will also become the Tigers all-time leading rebounder right around Feb. 2, which just happens to be the Tigers yearly trip to Kansas to face the Jayhawks. He needs just 173 more boards to pass former Tiger great Doug Smith on the chart. He also currently ranks 19th on the all-time scoring charts with 1,301 points and has a good shot at moving into the top five on the chart. He will now be chasing No 18 on the list, Nathan Buntin (87-90, 1,308 points) and No. 17 Curtis Berry (1,328 points).
Last season, Johnson became only the fourth Tiger since the 1949-50 season to lead the team in rebounding in three straight campaigns and can become the first Mizzou player to lead the squad in boards for four straight years if he can be the leader of the pack once again this year. Stay tuned.
More On AJ
And if you just can't get enough info on the big fella they call "Doc," he is also creeping up on the Big 12 career double-doubles mark. With his season-opening 19-point, 11-rebound effort, he recorded his 37th career double-doubles, putting him in a three-way tie for fifth place on the conference charts. A look at that chart follows:
Big 12 All-Time Double-Double Leaders
1. 47 Chris Mihm, UT, 1998-00
2. 46 Venson Hamilton, NU, 1997-99
3. 44 Drew Gooden, KU, 1999-02
4. 40 Raef LaFrentz, KU, 1994-98
5. 37 Arthur Johnson, MU, 2001-Present
37 Stephane Pelle, CU, 1999-03
37 Nick Collison, KU, 1999-03
The Rick is Ready to Rock
Senior Preseason All-American Rickey Paulding is coming off of his finest year as a Tiger in which he averaged a team-high 17.4 points per contest in 2002-03. If the numbers don't lie, and they usually don't, Paulding has a good shot to go down as one of the finest players to ever put on the Missouri uniform if he can continue his unbelievable improvement from year to year. Here's a quick look at how he as progressed over the past three years at Mizzou:
Year FGM/FGA FG% 3ptFG/3pt FGA 3pt FG% Pts/Gm RPG 2000-01 90-214 .421 12-56 .214 7.0 2.4 2001-02 147-288 .510 50-113 .442 11.9 3.9 2002-03 199-442 .450 75-193 .389 17.4 5.5
Paulding earned All-Big 12 second-team honors last season and was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team. He was named to both the Wooden and Naismith Awards this season and also earned a preseason All-American nod from the Associated Press. He ranks 23rd on the all-time Mizzou scoring charts with 1,248 points following his seven point effort against Coppin State. Paulding was awesome in his home town going 6-for-12 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line sharing team-high honors with Jimmy McKinney with 21 points on the night.
Rick is now alone in seventh on the Mizzou all-time three point field goals made list with 141 career treys. He needs six more threes to pass former Tiger Lee Coward (89-90, 146 threes) on the list.
What Does it Take to Be #1?
St. Louis rapper Nelly, who is a close friend of Tiger sophomore Jimmy McKinney, posed that question in his pop hit a couple of years ago. After taking over the point guard spot midway through the season last year for Mizzou, sophomore Jimmy McKinney (#1 in your program) has made it quite clear that he will do what ever it takes for theTigers to be #1 come spring time. The multi-tooled guard, whose natural position is more of a shooting guard, is capable of impacting a game in any of several ways.
McKinney had a solid outing against Coppin State with 10 points including 4-of-5 shooting from the free throw line. He made his desire to win quite evident on against Oakland, sharing team-high honors with senior Rickey Paulding with 21 points (15 of which came in the second half). McKinney was 6-for-12 from the field including 1-of-2 from three, while going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. After struggling through five turnovers in the first half, he was outstanding in the second stanza, committing only one turnover. McKinney finished the night with five assists and three rebounds in a team-best 38 minutes of playing time.
Road Warriors As already stated earlier in this unbelievably random gathering of text, the Tigers were on the road for their season opener for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. Mizzou better get used to living out of its suitcases for the first month or so of the season. Five of the Tigers first seven contests are on the road or at neutral sites including a Dec. 6 trip to Bloomington, Ind., to take on Indiana, a trip to Seattle for a might-as-well-be home game for Gonzaga at the Battle of Seattle, the Busch Braggin' Rights game against Illinois in St. Louis and a trip to the Pyramid to face Memphis. With powerhouses like that lined up and waiting for Mizzou, this truly could be a December to remember.
Happy to Be at Home in the Hearnes
Mizzou begins its 31st and final season at the Hearnes Center home when it faces Coppin State on Tuesday. The Tigers have experienced great success at the Hearnes registering a 396-68 (.853) record since the 1972-73 season. Five Tiger squads have gone undefeated in the Hearnes Center and 14 teams have lost one game or fewer including last year's squad, which went 14-1 at home. From 1988-90, the Tigers went 31-0 at the Hearnes Center.
Next year, Mizzou will move into a new state-of-the art arena, which will be located just southwest of the Hearnes. The new 15,000-seat building is on schedule for completion on Oct. 1, 2004.
The Conley Countdown/Pullin' For Pulley
In case Mizzou fans are wondering, and we are guessing that you are, when the Tigers tip off on Saturday afternoon, (3 p.m. CST on ESPN) it will be 15 days (or 360 hours or 21,600 minutes or 1,296,000 seconds) until offensive dynamo Jason Conley, a 6-5 swingman who transferred to Mizzou from VMI, will be eligible to compete for the Tigers. As has already been well documented, Conley led the country in scoring as a freshmen averaging 29.3 points per contest. He has worked extremely hard since coming to Mizzou to gain weight (up nearly 15 pounds) while also working to become a better defender. The time for Conley will come on December 21st when the Tigers welcome UNC-Greensboro to Mizzou for a 2 p.m. CST contest in Columbia.
This will also be the first game that junior Randy Pulley will suit up for Mizzou. The point guard averaged over 12 points and five assists per game in 2002-03 for Barton County Community College.
A Quick Check of the Polls
While the only poll that truly matters doesn't come out until the second week in April, its never to early to track how the Tigers are doing in the rankings.
Date USA Today Coaches Associated Press Poll Preseason #6 #5 * Nov. 23-30 #6 #5 Dec. 1-7 #5 #4*The #5 Preseason ranking is the highest Mizzou has been ranked in a preseason poll in school history.
I Did Not Know That. Did You Know That Ed?
Pardon the tribute to Johnny Carson, but did you know that there have been 16 schools that have participated in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments? Five of the 16 are Big 12 schools - Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas. The other schools are Duke, Maryland, Indiana, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Arizona, Stanford, Kentucky, Cincinnati and Gonzaga.
In a related note, this year's senior class of Arthur Johnson, Rickey Paulding, Josh Kroenke and Travon Bryant have played in the most NCAA Tournament games of any Tigers in school history with eight post-season tilts under their belts.
Getting Defensive
The Tigers continue to work on becoming a better defensive team. Last year, the Tigers held opponents to only 41 percent, down from 45 percent in 2001-02. Also, the Tigers dropped opponents scoring average from 72.5 point per game in 2001-02 to 67.7 points per contest in 2002-03. With its new-found depth and large amount of experience in 2003-04, look for Mizzou to focus on extending opponents and jumping in passing lanes more frequently in an attempt to get out and run.
Head Coach Quin Snyder
With a 2003-2004 team poised to be among the nation's elite, Quin Snyder has proven that success can come quickly with hard work and determination. On the brink of his fifth season as head coach of the Missouri Tigers, Snyder is leading a team that has been ranked as high as number three in the nation in preseason polls. Missouri's 15th head coach, Snyder has enjoyed impressive runs in the NCAA Tournament for four straight years. In fact, the 2002-2003 season was witness to a 22-win campaign that ended with an overtime loss in the NCAA Tournament to eventual Final Four contender, Marquette.
This season, Snyder's squad promises to offer even more excitement, with a powerful returning group, highlighted by the electrifying duo of Rickey Paulding and Arthur Johnson, along with a host of new recruits. Given the excitement Snyder has generated in such a short span of time at the helm, it is not surprising that many people are waiting with anticipation for this season to begin and predicting great things for the Tigers. It is easy to see why expectations are high when you consider all of the following ...
* Missouri returns four starters from last year's team, and in all, returns over 80 percent of its scoring, 98 percent of its blocked shots, and over 90 percent of its rebounding from last season.
* All of last season's impressive junior class, featuring Arthur Johnson, Rickey Paulding, Travon Bryant and Josh Kroenke will be returning for their senior campaign and will join a number of exciting newcomers.
* A fifth straight top-25 recruiting class has been added to the roster this fall.
* Mizzou continues to be a fixture on national and regional television broadcasts. With every game but one on television, Snyder's Tigers continue to create unprecedented exposure for the program.
* The program will be the direct benefactor of a new, state-of-the-art $75 million arena which athletic officials plan to have open in time for the 2004-05 season.
* Snyder signed a contract extension, which will keep him a fixture on the Tiger sidelines through at least the 2005-06 season.
* And while Mizzou's on-court achievements constantly grab the headlines, what takes place in the classroom remains at the top of Snyder's priority list. An academic All-American himself during his playing days at Duke, Snyder is quite proud of the fact that in his four years at MU, seven scholarship players have exhausted their eligibility and all seven have graduated. In addition, this past season saw the men's basketball team achieve the highest GPA in 15 years.