Jan. 11, 2004
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Tip-off: 8:00 p.m. CST
Arena: Hearnes Center (13,611)
TV: ESPN. Dave O'Brien, play-by-play: Steve Lavin, analyst
Radio: Tiger Radio Network. Mike Kelly, play-by-play: Gary Link, analyst
Rankings: Missouri picked up 13 votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and six votes in the Associated Press Poll. Syracuse was ranked #17 in ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and #19 in the Associated Press Poll.
Series: SU leads, 4-1 Last Meeting: SU, 76-69 in Syracuse, NY.
Coaches:
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89) 90-54 at MU and overall (5th season).
Syracuse: Jim Boeheim (Syracuse '66) 664-227 at SU and overall (28th season)
The 'Cuse is in the House
ESPN's Big Monday returns to the hallowed halls of the Hearnes Center on ... well ... Monday night as the Tigers of Ol' Mizzou (6-5 overall, 1-1 in the Big 12) welcome defending National Champion and No. 17 Syracuse (11-1 overall, 2-0 in the Big East) to Columbia for what should be an entertaining matchup. This is the first time since Feb. 25, 200 that the Tigers have hosted an ESPN Monday night national broadcast, with the result from the last time being quite favorable, a 72-69 win over Oklahoma State.
The Tigers have won two of their last three contests including their latest contest, a 82-77 win over Big 12 foe Texas A&M on Saturday. Senior Arthur Johnson equaled season highs with 19 points and 12 rebounds as the Tigers used a 20-6 second half run to take out the Aggies.
The contest is set to tip at 8 p.m. CST on the mothership with Dave O'Brien providing play-by-play and Steve Lavin offering expert analysis. Mizzou is 1-1 so far this season on ESPN (1-0 when Steve Lavin is at the broadcast table) with a win over Indiana in Bloomington and a loss to Memphis in Memphis, Tenn. Tiger fans can also catch all the action on the Tiger Radio Network with the "Voice of the Tigers" Mike Kelly and former Tiger great Gary Link calling all of the action. A third option also exists as the radio broadcast will be carried via the world wide web at www.mutigers.com, the home for Mizzou Athletics on the web.
Quick Hits
* This is the third of a three-game-in-six day stretch for the Tigers. The Tigers are 1-1 so far in that stretch.
* The Tigers carry a 24-13 mark during the month of January under Head Coach Quin Snyder. They are also 19-1 in the month of January at home under Snyder.
* The Orangemen own a 4-1 lead in the all-time series with Mizzou. This will mark the second time in the series that the two squads will face each other on a non-neutral court. The other contest was last year at Syracuse, a 76-69 win, which was also played on Big Monday.
* The last time the Tigers faced a defending National Champion was on Dec. 3, 1994 when Mizzou faced 1994-Champion Arkansas in Columbia.
* The last time the Tigers hosted a ESPN Big Monday contest was on Feb. 25, 2002, a 72-69 win over Oklahoma State.
* Seven different Tigers have led the team in scoring through 11 games this season and four different Tigers have led in rebounding.
* After playing six of their first 11 games away from home, the Tigers will play four of their next six contests in the Hearnes Center.
* Coach Snyder is looking for win number 91 at Mizzou on Saturday. He has recorded more wins in his first 144 games at Mizzou than any previous Tiger coach had recorded in as many games in their careers.
* Freshmen Linas Kleiza is leading all Big 12 freshmen in rebounding, averaging 8.8 boards per contest. If he can keep that pace going through the rest of the season, he will eclipse Arthur Johnson's Big 12 freshmen rebounding mark of 7.8 boards per game which he set in 2000-01.
* The Tigers are 39-29 under Coach Snyder against Big 12 opponents.
* With his first bucket against Texas A&M, Arthur Johnson became only the fourth Tiger to record at least 1,400 career points and 900 rebounds. The other three are Steve Stipanovich (80-83), Doug Smith (88-91) and Derrick Chievous (85-88). He now has 1,418 points (13th on the Mizzou Career scoring list) and 943 rebounds (5th on the Tiger Career rebounding list).
* Mizzou is outrebounding their opponents by an average of +9.6 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 Orangemen
The 'Cuse enter Monday's contest with an 11-1 mark and winners of 11 straight. The defending National Champions have made themselves at home ... literally ... having played 11 of their 12 games at the Carrier Dome. Sophomores Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara lead an explosive offensive attack, averaging 19.5 and 18.0 points per game, respectively. Warick also leads the squad in rebounding ripping down 7.8 boards per contest while shooting 55 percent from the field so far in 2003-04. McNamara is one of the most accurate shooters in the country, connecting 42 of his 99 three-point field goal attempts, a 42 percent clip. Sophomore Billy Edelin (15.4 ppg.) has also had a great year for the Orangemen so far. He leads them in assists with 69 and is shooting 57 percent from the field.
Syracuse is shooting a sizzling 50.2 percent from the field as a team and have blocked an amazing 85 shots so far this season (7.9 blocks per game). Perhaps the only kink in the 'Cuses armor is their free throw shooting, as they are connecting on only 63 percent (186-of-295) of their free throws.
Head coach Jim Boeheim is in his 28th season at the helm of the Orange. He has a career mark of 664-227. Syracuse owns a 4-1 advantage in the series with Mizzou and has taken two of the last three in the series.
Facts, Figures and Other Points of Interest Following the Texas A&M Game
+ The Tigers have won two of their last three after dropping three straight contests.
+ After trailing 42-41 with 16:13 left in the second half, the Tigers used a 20-6 run over the next 9:10 to take their largest lead of the day (13 points) at 61-48. They would equal that margin with 4:46 left in the contest.
+ The five-point win over the Aggies marked the seventh time a Mizzou contest has been decided by five points or less in their first 11 games. The Tigers are now 3-4 in those contests.
+ The Tigers improve to 4-1 at home this season (2-2 road, 0-2 neutral court).
+ Mizzou is now 398-69 all-time at the Hearnes Center and 18-2 over the past two seasons at home.
+ The Tigers are now 39-29 against Big 12 opposition under head coach Quin Snyder
+ Snyder recorded the 90th win of his career on Saturday. He is now 90-54 in his five years as the captain of the Tigers' ship.
+ Senior Arthur Johnson equaled season highs in points (19) and rebounds (12) against the Aggies in 30 minutes of action. He was 9-of-16 from the field and 1-of-2 from the free throw line. Johnson also had two blocks and an assist in the contest.
+ With his first bucket of the contest (17:09 in the first half), Johnson scored points 1,400 and 1,401 for his career. He is only the 19th player to score 1,400 points in his career in Big 12 history and now ranks 13th on the Mizzou all-time scoring charts with 1,418 career points. He needs just four points to pass former Tiger John Brown for 12th on the list (1971-73, 1,421 points) and 31 points to move past Ricky Frazier (1980-82, 1,448 points) in 11th place.
+ Johnson also moved into a tie for fourth on the Big 12 all-time double-double's list with his 19-point, 12 rebound effort. He now has 40 career double-doubles and needs just eight to become the Big 12 all-time leader in the category.
+ Junior point guard Randy Pulley earned his first start of the year, registering four points, four assists and three rebounds.
+ Senior Rickey Paulding scored 15 or more points for the sixth time in 11 games so far this season with his 16-point effort against Texas A&M. He ranks 16th on the all-time Mizzou scoring charts with 1,379 points and needs just nine points to move into 15th place, which is currently occupied by former Tiger Willie Smith (1975-76, 1,387).
+ Mizzou was outrebounded for the second straight contest (37-34) after outrebounding its first nine opponents.
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, 10 (Oklahoma, Kansas, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Texas, Illinois, Texas Tech, Memphis, Oklahoma State and Nebraska) 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) began with the new year when the Tigers faced (RV) Iowa on Saturday (W, 76-56), lost a tough one at Iowa State on Wednesday where they are 0-5 under coach Quin Snyder, will welcome defending national champion #17 Syracuse to Hearnes, travel to #6 Oklahoma and face #18 Texas ... all in a 20-day span.
Like the TNT Network, We Know Drama
Sorry ESPN, but that one was just to good to let slip by. The Tigers have made some breathtaking comebacks and have experienced some heartbreaking losses so far this season. Seven of the Tigers' 11 games have been decided by five points or less with the Tigers carrying a 3-4 mark in those contests. The average margin of victory or loss for Mizzou has been 6.45 points per contest after its five point win over Texas A&M.
Prior to their 20-point blowout win against Iowa on Jan. 3, the Tigers lost three games in seven days by a total of seven points to wrap up 2003, a year the Tigers would be just as soon forget. They faced a 21-point deficit to Illinois in the first half, only to storm back and lose by one and were down by as many as 15 to Memphis, only to have their comeback come up just short, losing by two to the Tigers.
That Strong, Quick and Flyin' Kid Sure Plays Some Mean Basketball
Freshman Tommy Gardner (he prefers Thomas, but hey, a "The Who" reference in basketball notes only comes along so often) had a breakout game on Wednesday night. The athletic guard who has brought a high-level of emotion to the Tiger lineup this season got off to a flying start, scoring Mizzou's first six points on a monster dunk (on which he was fouled and canned his free throw) and a three from the right wing in the game's first two minutes.
Gardner would go on to score 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field (4-of-5 from three) in only 13 minutes of action. Wednesday's outburst was only his second start of the season, the other coming against Iowa, where he scored three points.
Gardner came off of the bench against Texas A&M and continued the fireworks show scoring eight points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 shooting from the free throw line. He has had an incredible week, averaging 12.5 points per game after averaging only 2.0 points per game through Mizzou's first nine games of the year. He is now averaging 4.3 points per game and is shooting 91 percent (10-of-11) from the free throw line.
Balancing Act
The Tigers have been extremely balanced on the offensive end of the court so far this year. Five Tigers are averaging between 14.6 and 10.7 points per contest with senior Rickey Paulding taking top honors following the Tigers contest with Texas A&M. Seven different players have led Mizzou in scoring over the course of the first 11games and four different Tigers have led in rebounding.
King Arthur's Court
Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Arthur Johnson is on a mission. The objective: to leave the Hearnes Center in April as one of the best big men in school history. He has certainly had a remarkable career here at MU and continues to work his way up several career charts.The explosive big man with feather-soft touch around the basket already owns Mizzou's all-time shot blocking mark with 218 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 Leaders1. 264 Chris Mihm, UT-1998-00
2. 243 Nick Collison, KU, 1999-03
3. 242 Eric Chenowith, KU, 1997-01
4. 218 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 7.6 boards per contest following his 12-rebound effort against Texas A&M. He needs just 110 more boards to pass former Tiger great Doug Smith on the chart.
He also currently ranks 14th on the all-time scoring charts with 1,418 points after his tremendous 19-point, 12-rebound effort against Texas A&M. He will now be chasing No. 12 John Brown (1971-73, 1,421 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 19-point, 12-rebound effort against Texas A&M, he recorded his 40th career double-double, putting him alone in a tie for 4th on the Big 12 All-Time Double-Double leaders list. A look at that chart follows:
Big 12 All-Time Double-Double Leaders1. 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
40 Arthur Johnson, MU, 2001-Present
Reading Up on the Rick
Senior Preseason All-American Rickey Paulding continues to be one of the fiercest competitors in the Big 12 Conference.
Paulding leads the squad in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per contest while breaking the 20-point barrier in three of the Tigers' 11 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 watch lists this season and also earned a preseason All-American nod from the Associated Press. He ranks 16th on the all-time Mizzou scoring charts with 1,379 points following his 16-point effort against Texas A&M.
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 157 career treys.
Blocks, Boards and Ball Handling
Mizzou has been dominant in the low post so far this season. They have registered 56 blocked shots (compared to their opponent's 31) and are outrebounding their opponents by 9.6 boards per contest.
On the flip side, the Tigers continue to work on valuing the basketball. They are averaging a Big 12 worst 15.8 turnovers per contest. However, they did make a marked improvement in their game against Iowa, when they recorded a season-low eight turnovers against the Hawkeyes, two of which came in the final two minutes when Mizzou had the game in hand.
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 has played in the most NCAA Tournament games of any Tigers in school history with eight post-season tilts under their belts. Also of note, in each of Coach Quin Snyder's first four years, the Tigers have been knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by an eventual Final Four Team (2000-North Carolina, 2001-Duke, 2002-Oklahoma and 2003-Marquette).
And the Award for Best Supporting Act Goes To ...
... the University of Missouri bench against Iowa on Saturday. The boys off the bench scored 37 of Mizzou's 76 points on 12-of-26 shooting on the day. Paced by Freshman of the Year candidate Linas Kleiza's 18 points and nine boards, the Tiger bench made its biggest impact of the year so far. Senior Josh Kroenke hit two huge threes, junior Randy Pulley handed out a career-best five assists and senior Arthur Johnson blocked two shots in only 13 minutes due to foul trouble.
Return of the Mac
After getting off to a flying start to the season with 21 points against Oakland in Mizzou's season opening win, sophomore Jimmy McKinney averaged only 9.2 points per contest over the next five Tiger contests shooting only 29 percent from the field. However, the firey competitor has really turned it on in the Tigers' last five contests, averaging 11.4 points per contest and is shooting 42 percent (19-of-45) from the field and 38.5 percent (10-of-26) from three while also pulling down 4.8 boards per contest.
The Lithuanian Domination Tour Rolls On
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 11-game career for Mizzou. He is averaging 11.2 points (fourth on the squad) and amazing 8.8 rebounds, which is fourth in the Big 12. The power forward from Kaunas, Lithuania has recorded double-doubles in three of his first 11 games as a Tiger and just missed his fourth and fifth double-doubles in the Tigers' contests with Belmont and Iowa when he went for a career best 18 points while pulling down nine boards in both games.
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 22.5 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.
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 398-69 there as of its 82-77 win over Texas A&M. 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' 11 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 11.8 ppg., through 11 games in 2003-04. His rebounding numbers are also up from 5.8 boards per contest in 02-03 to 6.8 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 this year. He is shooting 61 percent from the field (50-of-82) and a Big 12 best 61 percent from three (11-of-18).
Travon has worked unbelievably hard to improve on the defensive end as well. He currently ranks sixth on the Mizzou all-time blocks charts with 93 career blocks, 19 of which have come in the Tigers' first 11 contests this year.