Jan. 30, 2004
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| TIPOFF: 1:00 p.m. CST | ||||
| ARENA: Hearnes Center (13,611). Opened in 1972, and in its final season as Mizzou's basketball venue. MU is 279-98 (.740) here alltime, including 31-28 (.525) in Big 12 Conference play and 8-15 (.348) vs. Big 12 ranked opponents. | ||||
| RADIO: KFRU-AM 1400 (David Lile, play-by-play/Gary Link, color) and available to affiliates of the Tiger Radio Network. Also available on the Internet at www.mutigers.com. | ||||
| TV: None. | ||||
| SERIES: CU leads, 32-22, yet Mizzou holds a slim 11-10 margin in Columbia. The Buffs have won twice in a row dating back to a 71-52 Tiger win here last year. Mizzou has won four of the last five meetings at home. | ||||
| RANKINGS: Colorado is ranked No. 11 by the Associated Press and No. 10 by the coaches. MU is unranked. | ||||
| COACHES: | ||||
| Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 95-72 at MU (sixth season) and 160-97 overall (ninth season).
Colorado: Ceal Barry (Kentucky '77), 412-217 at CU (21st season) and 495-259 overall (25th season). |
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"HEAD TO THE HEARNES" PROVIDES BACKDROP FOR SHOWDOWN
A crucial intradivisional matchup between Mizzou (11-6, 2-4 Big 12) and No. 11/10 Colorado (16-2, 5-1) will be the scene Saturday afternoon as the Tigers try to set the school's all-time single-game attendance record for a women's basketball game.
? ? ? The Tigers are coming off a solid 77-65 win over No. 20/21 Oklahoma on Wednesday to register their first win over a ranked opponent since Jan. 9, 2002. That game marked the start of a stretch where four of Mizzou's next five games will come against teams that are currently ranked.
MORE ON COLORADO
As was the case two weeks ago in Boulder, the Buffs are still led by senior center Tera Bjorklund. She leads Colorado, and is second in the Big 12, with her scoring average of 19.3 points per game. She also is pulling down a team-best 7.7 rebounds a game. Senior guard Kate Fagan is the only other CU player scoring in double figures (14.3 ppg), yet Head Coach Ceal Barry has four other players averaging between 9.8 and 7.1 points per game.
? ? ? The Buffs won the season's first meeting between the teams, 71-54, in Boulder. They have been off from competition since a 62-51 win at Iowa State on Sunday.
Evan Unrau: THE BIG 12'S MOST VERSATILE PLAYER
Senior All-America candidate Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS) is the engine that pulls the Tigers' train, leading the team with her scoring and rebounding averages of 17.8 points and 9.4 rebounds a game. Unrau leads the Big 12 in rebounding, and is third in scoring. In addition, the forward leads the league with nine double-doubles, including in each of her last four games.
? ? ? On top of her scoring and rebounding prowess, Unrau is ranked among the Big 12's top players in six other diverse categories to make her arguably the Big 12 Conference's MVP (Most Versatile Player): 3-point FG Percentage (seventh, 41.8 pct.); 3-pointers Made (t-11th, 1.65 3FGpg); Blocked Shots (12th, 1.12 bpg); Assist/Turnover Ratio (ninth, 1.66); Offensive Rebounds (first, 3.94 orpg); and Defensive Rebounds (fifth, 5.47 drpg).
? ? ? Unrau was selected to Street & Smith's preseason women's All-America team, and the four-year starter continues to impress this season. Unrau was one of 50 players listed by Street & Smith's, and one of 30 players given Preseason Honorable Mention All-America status by the magazine. Ten others were each named to the "Terrific 10" and High Honorable Mention lists.
? ? ? Last year, Unrau became Mizzou's second First Team All-Big 12 Conference selection in the seven-year history of the conference. She led the Tigers in both scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg) in leading Mizzou to postseason play for the fourth straight year.
LAST TIME OUT: MU 77, OU 65
The Missouri women's basketball team set a school record by hitting all 21 of its free throws, and four players scored in double figures en route to a 77-65 victory over No. 20 (AP)/No. 21 (Coaches) Oklahoma Wednesday night at the Hearnes Center. It is Mizzou's first win over a ranked opponent since an 82-71 win over No. 10 Texas Tech on Jan. 9, 2002.
RANK-AND-FILE THIS
As stated earlier, the Tigers are in the midst of a stretch that sees them play four of their next five games against ranked opponents (the fifth is at always-tough Iowa State). In addition, each of Mizzou's next five games at home, starting with Wednesday's win over Oklahoma, are also against ranked squads.
? ? ? That creates a historic opportunity for the Tigers: Mizzou has never beaten a ranked opponent in consecutive games, let alone back-to-back home wins over ranked teams. In fact, Saturday's game vs. CU will mark just the eighth time in school history that the Tigers have even played back-to-back home games against ranked teams. In four of the previous seven times, MU split the two games and was swept the other three. Here's a look at those back-to-back games:
Dates 1st Opp. 2nd Opp. Results Feb. 20-25, 2002 #13 Iowa State #3 Oklahoma L / L Jan. 25-Feb. 5, 2002 #20 Colorado #11 Kansas St. L / L Feb. 7-16, 1999 #22 Kansas #25 Texas L / L Jan. 16-30, 1999 #8 Colorado #16 Iowa State W / L Feb. 6-12, 1994 #6 Kansas #5 Colorado W / L Dec. 8-17, 1981 #14 Kansas State #17 UCLA L / W Jan. 18-19, 1980 #13 Kansas State #9 Kansas W / L
? ? ? Although five straight games at home against ranked teams is a challenge, it likely won't match the difficulty faced by the 2001-02 squad. That team, which went 14-15 including 9-6 at Hearnes, had six games in an eight-game home stretch - all against Big 12 opposition. MU's only win in that span came in its last home win over a ranked team until Wednesday: Jan. 9, 2002, against then-No. 10 Texas Tech.