Jan. 1, 2004

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Tip-off: 2 p.m. CST

Arena: The Hearnes Center (13,611)

TV: Mizzou Sports Network. Dan McLaughlin, play-by-play; Jon Sundvold, analyst

ESPN+. Larry Morgan, play-by-play; Mac McCausland, analyst.

Radio: Tiger Radio Network. Mike Kelly, play-by-play: Gary Link, analyst

Rankings: Mizzou was ranked 23rd in the latest AP Poll and 22nd in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Iowa is receiving votes in both polls.

Series: Iowa leads, 10-6: Last Meeting: MU 88-82 on Jan. 4, 2003 in Iowa City, Iowa.

Coaches:

Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89) 88-53 at MU and overall (5th season).

Iowa: Steve Alford (Indiana '87) 80-60 at IU (5th season) and 236-137 overall (13th season)

Tigers Look to Get Back on Winning Track in '04

The University of Missouri basketball team (4-4 overall, 0-0 in the Big 12), opens 2004 with what promises to be a hotly contested battle with its border rivals from Iowa. While the Hawkeye's lead the all-time series with Mizzou 10-6, the Tigers own a 4-3 advantage over the past seven matchups and are 3-2 against the Hawkeyes since coach Quin Snyder took over in 1999-2000. The past five meetings have been decided by an average of 8.2 points and in 2000, the contest went to double overtime (a 99-94 win for Iowa in Iowa City.)

The Tigers have lost four of their last five after beginning the season 3-0. Their latest setback came on Tuesday to Belmont, 71-67. However, Mizzou will have a good chance to get things turned around in the near future as it welcomes five of its next seven opponents to Columbia where they have posted a 16-2 mark over the past two seasons (2-1 this season).

The game, which is set to tip at 2:00 p.m. CST will be broadcast in the state of Missouri on the Mizzou Sports Network with Dan McLaughlin providing the play-by-play and former Tiger great Jon Sundvold offering his analysis. It will also be broadcast on ESPN+ with Larry Morgan and Mac McCausland on the call. For Tiger fans that prefer radio, be glad to know that the Voice of the Tigers, Mike Kelly, and his partner Gary Link will back in the saddle on the Tiger Radio Network.

Quick Hits

* This is only the fourth time a Mizzou squad has lost three straight games under Coach Quin Snyder. No Snyder-coached squad has lost four consecutive games in his five years at Mizzou.

* Mizzou is 2-1 at home this year, 2-1 on the road and 0-2 in neutral court battles.

* Mizzou is 3-1 this season on the Mizzou Sports Network.

* After playing five of their first eight games away from home, the Tigers will play five of their next seven contests in the Hearnes Center.

* Coach Snyder is looking for win number 89 at Mizzou on Saturday.

* The Tigers are 46-24 under Coach Snyder against non-conference opponents.

* With his first of 10 rebounds against Illinois, senior Arthur Johnson became only the fourth player in Mizzou school history to record at least 1,300 career points and 900 career boards. The other three are Steve Stipanovich (80-83), Doug Smith (88-91) and Derrick Chievous (85-88). He now has 1,385 points (14th on the Mizzou Career scoring list) and 924 rebounds (5th on the Tiger Career rebounding list).

* Seniors Arthur Johnson and Travon Bryant and freshman Linas Kleiza are all looking for their fourth double-doubles of the season.

* Mizzou is outrebounding their opponents by an average of +12.8 rebounds per contest. While it is still early in the season, the largest rebounding margin for a Mizzou squad through an entire season was in 1988-89, when that squad outrebounded its opponents by an average of 7.9 boards per game.

A Look at the Hawkeyes

The Hawkeyes (7-2 overall, 0-0 in the Big 10) got back on the winning track on Tuesday, with their win over Eastern Illinois (71-62) in Iowa City. Prior to the win, they had lost two in a row at Northern Iowa (77-66) and to Texas Tech (65-59) in Dallas after winning their first six contests.

Guard Pierre Pierce leads a balanced scoring attack at 15.7 ppg., while also pulling down 6.0 rpg. Greg Brunner (12.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg.) and Jared Reiner (10.7, 7.3 rpg.) are two very powerful presences in the paint for the Hawkeyes while Jeff Horner (11-of-40 from three) and Brody Boyd (16 three's on the year) have been Iowa's most effective outside shooters.

The Hawkeyes have been extremely efficient on the offensive end, shooting 45.7 percent from the field, but have struggled from three, shooting only 32.5 percent (39-120) from long range. They, like the Tigers, have also been dominant on the board, outboarding their opposition by an average 9.4 rebounds per contest.

Coach Steve Alford is in his fifth year at Iowa, carrying an 80-60 mark at Iowa and a 226-137 career record. He is 2-3 vs. Mizzou and Coach Quin Snyder. The home team had won five straight games in the series before Iowa won in Columbia in 2002 and the Tigers grabbed an 88-82 win in Iowa City last year.

Facts, Figures and Other Points of Interest Following the Belmont Game

+ The Tigers fall to 4-4 on the year

+ Mizzou has now dropped four of its last five contests.

+ The Tigers dominated Belmont on the boards, 41-30, marking the eighth time they have outrebounded their opponent this season.

+ The loss marked only the fourth time a Tiger squad has dropped three straight contests under head coach Quin Snyder.

+ It was also the first time Mizzou has lost to a non-conference opponent since Dec. 1, 2001 vs. Iowa (whom the Tigers play on Saturday), 83-65.

+ Rickey Paulding recorded the second double-double of his career against the Bruins with 21 points and 10 rebounds. His other double-double came in last year's Big 12 Tournament against Nebraska when he had 19 points and 10 boards in a come-from-behind win for Mizzou.

+ With his 21-point effort, Paulding moved into 17th on the All-Time Mizzou Scoring Charts with 1,341 career points.

+ Since averaging only 12.0 points per game in his first three games, Paulding has averaged 17.0 ppg., over the course of the last five contests.

+ After struggling in the Tigers two contests heading into the Belmont game, (7 total points vs. Memphis and Illinois) freshman Linas Kleiza just missed his fourth double of the year with a career-best 18 points and nine rebounds against the Bruins.

+ The Tigers finish the calendar year of 2003 at 19-14. In comparison, Mizzou went 23-9 in the calendar year of 2002.

Close Only Counts in Horse Shoes, Hand Grenades and Slow Dancing

So far, the early going of the 2003-04 season for the Tigers has not been for the Tiger fan that is weak of heart. Tiger contests have been decided by 5, 9, 5, 7 (in overtime), 8, 1, 2 and 4 points so far this season and Mizzou has battled back from margins of 14, 22, 15 and 10 points. That is an average winning or losing margin of only 5.1 points per contest and the Tigers have lost those four games by a total of 13 points.

In Order to Be the Best ...

... you have to beat the best. The Tigers are definitely putting that adage to the test this year with one of the toughest schedules in the country. As of Monday's Associated Press Poll, 12 (Oklahoma, Kansas, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Texas, Illinois, Texas Tech, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Iowa and Iowa State) of the Tigers 2003-04 opponents are ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes.

You don't have to look to far down the Tigers schedule to see the toughest stretch (if the entire thing isn't tough enough) begins with the new year when the Tigers face (RV) Iowa on Saturday, go to Iowa State on Wednesday, where they are 0-4 under coach Quin Snyder, welcome defending national champion #17 Syracuse to Hearnes, travel to #7 Oklahoma and face #19 Texas ... all in a 20-day span.

A Superior Effort from the Seniors

While the Tigers have come up just short of three heroic comebacks (from down 21 in the first half to losing by one, down 15 to Memphis only to lose by two and down 10 to Belmont to lost by four) against Illinois, Memphis and Belmont, the three contests have not gone without some very heroic efforts from a senior class that is in its last go around. Senior Travon Bryant had a brilliant game against Illinois, scoring a career-best 19 points including the three that tied the contest at 67 with 1:29 left while also pulling down 12 boards. Senior Rickey Paulding also put up some big numbers, scoring 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Arthur Johnson put up AJ-esque numbers with 18 points and 10 rebounds, collecting his second double-double of the season and the 38th of his career.

The talented threesome continued to carry the Tigers against Memphis. Tra and Rick each went for 13 points (Bryant also had 10 rebounds) while Arthur paced Mizzou with 14 points and 12 boards, good for his third double-double of the season and the 39th of his career. He now needs just nine more double-doubles to become the Big 12's all-time leader in that catergory.

Rickey had a huge game against Belmont, scoring 21 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in the tough four-point loss. All told, over the Tigers past three games, Bryant, Johnson and Paulding have combined for 139 of Mizzou's 196 points (71% of their offense).

Thanks for the Memories ... Here's to Many More

The Tigers are playing their final year in the Hearnes Center and will be moving into a state-of-the art arena starting in October of 2004. Mizzou has called Hearnes home for 31 years now and has registered a mark of 397-69 there as of its 71-67 loss to Belmont. The 15,000 seat, $75 million new building will feature unbelievable player development facilities (weight room, practice gym, players lounge, film room) and will be the finest on-campus basketball facility in the country.

Tra is Taking Over

Through the Tigers seven contests so far this season, no Tiger has shown as much improvement and explosiveness on both the offensive and defensive ends as senior Travon Bryant. The 6-9 power forward from Long Beach, Calif., has raised his scoring average from 8.9 ppg., last season to 12.9 ppg., through eight games in 2003. His rebounding numbers are also up from 5.8 boards per contest in 02-03 to 7.1 per game this season. He has recorded career-highs in points (19 vs. Illinois), rebounds (12 vs. Illinois) and threes (3-of-4 vs. Illinois) this season and has already recorded three double-doubles year. He is shooting 67% from the field (36-of-53) and a Big 12 best 69% from three (9-of-13).

Travon has worked unbelievably hard to improve on the defensive end as well. He currently ranks seventh on the Mizzou all-time blocks charts with 87 career blocks, 13 of which have come in the Tigers' first eight contests this year.

Chairmen on the Boards

Mizzou's big men continue to impress early in the year. Freshman Linas Kleiza continues to dominate the 20.9 minutes he is in the ball game averaging a 9.1 rebounds (which ranks second in the league) and 11.1 points per game. Senior preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Arthur Johnson has also been solid averaging 14.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest while fellow senior Travon Bryant is shooing 66.1 percent from the field and averaging 12.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest.

Proof positive of the dominance the Tigers have displayed in the paint and on the boards lies in the fact that they have outrebounded opponents by an average of 12.9 boards per contest as of their loss to Belmont on Dec. 30

The Lithuanian Domination Tour

Coming to a Big 12 town near you in the not-so distant future will be the Lithuanian Domination tour starring National Freshman of the Year candidate Linas Kleiza. While it is a might early to be throwing around award nominations, Kleiza has certainly been impressive in his young eight-game career for Mizzou. He is averaging 11.1 points (fourth on the squad) and amazing 9.1 rebounds, which is second in the Big 12. The power forward from Kaunas, Lithuania has recorded double-doubles in three of his first eight games as a Tiger and just missed his fourth on Tuesday when he went for a career best 18 points while pulling down nine boards.

While all of the those numbers and statistics are certainly impressive, the thing that has resonated the most with Linas has been the fact that he is putting up these numbers coming off the bench in only 21.5 minutes per game. Kleiza has also provided a huge emotional lift for the Tigers as he plays with a huge amount of fire and intensity.

Pontificating about Paulding

Senior Preseason All-American Rickey Paulding continues to be one of the fiercest competitors in the Big 12 Conference. His latest effort, a game-high 21-point, 10-board effort against Belmont marked the second double-double of his career, the other coming in a 19-point, 11 rebound effort against Nebraska in last year's Big 12 Tournament opening round.

Paulding leads the squad in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per contest while breaking the 20-point barrier in three of the Tigers' eight contests. He 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 17th on the all-time Mizzou scoring charts with 1,341 points following his 21-point effort against Belmont. He needs just seven points to move in 16th on the list, which currently is occupied by former Mizzou Hall of Famer Al Eberhard.

Paulding was awesome in his hometown 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 against Oakland in Detroit on Nov. 29.

Rick is now alone in sixth on the Mizzou all-time three point field goals made list with 155 career treys.

Big Fellas Putting Up Big Numbers

I don't think I am telling any of the Tigers upcoming opponents anything they don't already know, (not that they or anyone else reads these things anyway!) but the key to the Tigers' success in the early stages this season has been the play of senior big men Arthur Johnson (14.6 ppg., 8.1 rpg.), Travon Bryant (12.9, 7.1) and freshman spark plug Linas Kleiza (11.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg). While it is very early for this sort of note, Kleiza was second in the league in rebounding at press time.

AJ, Tra and Lenny (thats what his teammates call him) rank two, three and four respectively in scoring for Mizzou and make up just under two thirds of the Tigers rebounding. They scored 46 of the Tigers' 63 points in their win over Indiana and pulled down 32 of their total of 46 rebounds. Johnson, Bryant and Kleiza have all recorded three double-doubles in the year heading into the Iowa contest.

32 Minutes and 45 seconds of Trepidation; 7 Minutes 15 Seconds of Triumph

After struggling mightily through the first 33 minutes of play at Indiana, the Tigers were able to put together a tremendous comeback in the final 7:15 of play. When Indiana sophomore guard Bracey Wright nailed a three with 7:14 left in the contest, the Tigers found themselves down by 14 at 56-42.

The next seven minutes was a crazy ride as Mizzou would go on a 21-2 run from that point on, getting seven points from Linas Kleiza, all six of Jimmy McKinney's points in the contest, six points from Travon Bryant and a layup from Rickey Paulding to give Mizzou a 63-58 win. After allowing IU to shoot 53.8% in the first half, the Tigers allowed the Hoosiers to score only 19 points on 21.7% shooting in the second stanza while holding IU's leading scorer (Wright) to only three points in the second half.

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

Dec. 8-14 #4 #3

Dec. 15-21 #14 #10

Dec. 22-29 #14 #11

Dec. 30-Jan. 5 #22 #23

 

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 211 career swats. With his two-block effort 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. 211 Arthur Johnson, MU, 2000-present

5. 202 Venson Hamilton, NU, 1997-99

If all goes according to plan, he will also become the Tigers all-time leading rebounder right around the middle of February. Johnson is averaging 8.9 boards per contest following his 12 board performance against Memphis. He needs just 129 more boards to pass former Tiger great Doug Smith on the chart.

He also currently ranks 15th on the all-time scoring charts with 1,385 points after his powerful 14-point performance against Memphis and has a good shot at moving into the top five on the chart. He will now be chasing No. 15 Willie Smith (1975-76, 1,387 points) and No. 14 Larry Drew (1977-80, 1,401 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 14-point, 12 rebound effort against Memphis, he recorded his 39th career double-double, putting him alone in 5th place on the Big 12 All-Time Double-Double leaders list. 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. 39 Arthur Johnson, MU, 2001-Present

Happy to Be at Home in the Hearnes

Mizzou began its 31st and final season at the Hearnes Center when it faced Coppin State. The Tigers have experienced great success at the Hearnes registering a 397-69 (.852) 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.

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.

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 returned 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.