Jan. 30, 2004
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Tip-off: 6 p.m. CST
Arena: Hearnes Center (13,611)
TV: ESPN+ (KMIZ in Columbia, Mo.)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network. Mike Kelly, play-by-play: Gary Link, analyst
Rankings: Missouri was not ranked or receiving votes in either poll. Kansas State was not ranked or receiving votes in either poll.
Series: Tigers lead, 110-107 Last Meeting: MU, 77-70 in Manhattan, KS on 3-1-03
Coaches:
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89) 92-57 at MU and overall (5th season).
Kansas State: Jim Woolridge (Louisiana Tech '77) 46-58 at KSU (4th season) and 275-205 overall (17th season).
Tigers Face Off with Wildcats on Saturday
The University of Missouri men's basketball squad wraps up the month of January on Saturday when they welcome the Kansas State Wildcats to Hearnes for a Big 12 Conference matchup. The Tigers (8-8 overall, 3-3 in the Big 12) are looking to get back on the winning track after dropping a tough matchup with Colorado on Wednesday in Boulder. Senior Arthur Johnson was 9-of-12 from the field on his way to 19 points, but it wasn't quite enough as the Buffaloes shot 55 percent from the field en route to a 83-70 win over MU.
Mizzou is 5-3 at home this season, but has dropped two of its last three at the Hearnes Center. They are 1-2 against schools from the Big 12 North and 2-1 against schools from the Big 12 South so far this season.
Saturday's contest, which is set for a 6:04 tip, will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Brad Sham handling the play-by-play duties while former Tiger great Jon Sundvold will provide his expert analysis. The game can be seen on KMIZ in Columbia. It can also be heard on the Tiger Radio Network with the Voice of the Tigers Mike Kelly with the play-by-play and former Tiger great Gary Link providing the analysis.
Quick Hits
* After Saturday's game against KSU, the Tigers will take to the road on Monday to face rival Kansas and then head to Lincoln on Saturday to take on Nebraska.
* The Tigers are 5-3 at home, 3-3 on the road and 0-2 in neutral court contests.
* Freshman Linas Kleiza will not be available off of the bench on Saturday. He suffered a separated shoulder against Colorado and will be out for the next two weeks. He is averaging 11.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
* The Tigers lead the all-time series with Kansas State, 110-107. The Tigers have won seven of their last eight meetings with the Wildcats and have won 19 straight over KSU in Columbia.
* The Tigers carry a 26-16 mark during the month of January under Head Coach Quin Snyder. They are also 20-3 in the month of January at home under Snyder.
* Senior Arthur Johnson had 19 points (16 of which came in the second half) on 9-of-12 shooting from the field against Colorado.
* Senior Rickey Paulding has averaged 19.2 ppg., over the Tigers' last five games. He ranks fifth in the league in scoring averaging 15.9 ppg. He has been even more impressive in Big 12 play averaging 17.0 ppg., in conference action.
* Paulding has led Mizzou in scoring four of its last five games and in eight of the Tigers' 16 contests so far this season. He has reached double figures in scoring in nine of the Tigers last 11 contests.
* The Tigers have already recorded as many road wins this season (3) as they did all of last season, when they went 3-7 away from Hearnes.
* Freshman Thomas Gardner made his third career start on Wednesday at Colorado. He registered his second double-digit scoring effort in as many games with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field against Colorado. He has averaged 14.0 ppg., over the past two games.
* AJ currently ranks 11th on the Mizzou all-time scoring list with 1,487 points and is tied for third on the rebounding charts with 979 rebounds. He needs just 75 boards to eclipse the Mizzou mark and also to move into second on the Big 12 career boards list.
* Rickey is right on AJ's heels on the scoring chart with 1,475 points, putting him in 12th.
* Seven different Tigers have led the team in scoring through 16 games this season and four different Tigers have led in rebounding.
* As of Monday's CollegeRPI.com report, the Tigers have played the 10th toughest schedule in the country.
* Coach Snyder is looking for win number 93 at Mizzou on Saturday.
* The Tigers are 41-31 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).
A Look at the Wildcats
The Kansas State Wildcats enter Saturday's contest with a 9-7 overall mark and a 1-4 record in the Big 12. They have been extremely tough on their home floor in Manhattan, sporting a 9-2 record at Bramlage Coliseum, but have yet to win a game away from their friendly confines. Junior college transfer Jeremiah Massey leads KSU in scoring and rebounding averaging 13.1 points and 7.7 rebounds. Massey had a huge game on Wednesday against Kansas with 21 points. He has scored in double figures in nine games this year. The part time starter (he has started eight of the Wildcats 16 games) also paces the squad in blocks (11) and steals. Four other KSU players average 9.0 points per contest or better including guard Tim Ellis, who has canned 20 threes on the year.
Jim Wooldridge is in his fourth year at Kansas State and has recorded a 46-58 mark during his time at KSU.
Facts, Figures and Other Points of Interest Following the Colorado Game
+ The Tigers have lost two straight to the Buffaloes in Boulder, but still lead the series with CU, 88-49.
+ The game, which was not televised, is the only Tiger game this year to not be televised.
+ Senior Arthur Johnson led Mizzou with 19 points, 16 of which came in the second half. He was 9-of-12 from the field and 1-of-2 from the free throw line. He also pulled down six boards on the night.
+ Freshman Thomas Gardner started the third game of his career. He scored 11 points (all in the first half) on 4-of-8 shooting including 3-of-6 from three.
+ Senior Travon Bryant reached double figures in scoring for the ninth time this season. He scored 13 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds while handing out five assists. He canned 3-of-4 three-point attempts and also had a block on the night.
+ The Tiger bench outscored the CU bench on the night, 15-7. Freshman Linas Kleiza highlighted the MU reserves performance scoring 10 points before leaving the contest late in the game with a separated right shoulder.
+ With his 19-point, six rebound performance, Arthur Johnson now has scored 1,487 points and is currently in 11th on the Mizzou All-Time Scoring charts. He needs just 12 points to move into the Top 10. He also moved into a tie for third on the Mizzou career rebounds chart with 979 boards. He needs just 75 boards to become the Tigers' All-Time rebounds leader.
+ Rickey Paulding's nine-point, four-rebound, four-assist night gives him 1,475 career-points and he remains in 12th on the All-Time Mizzou Scoring charts.
+ You could argue that the game was won at the free throw line as the Buffaloes hit 23-of-36 from the free throw line while the Tigers were just 3-of-6 from the line.
+ After turning the ball over nine times in the first half, Mizzou gave the ball up only three times in the second stanza for a total of 12 giveaways. CU turned the ball over 16 times, marking the first time the Tigers have turned the ball over less than their opponent and lost (they are now 5-1 on the year when that happens.)
+ The Tigers were 7-of-12 in the first half from three, but managed only 4-of-20 from behind the arc in the second half.
+ Mizzou falls to 2-5 this season when trying 20 or more three pointers in a contest and 1-4 on the year when outrebounded (41-30 by the Buffs on Wednesday.)
No. 400
After further review of the record books, the crack research staff in the MU media relations office (please hold your applause) gathered that last Saturday's 72-51 win over Nebraska was the Tigers' 400th win at the Hearnes Center. The first win in the hallowed halls came back in 1972, a 87-75 win over Ohio on Nov. 25th. It should also be noted that Tiger radio analyst Gary Link was part of the Tiger family for both the first and 400th win at the Hearnes.
They are now 5-3 at home this season and 19-4 at home over the past two years.
Youth of the Tiger Nation
The Tigers continue to get great production from several underclassmen on their roster. Freshman Linas Kleiza, who will miss the next two weeks due to a separated right shoulder, had a 10-point outing at Colorado on Wednesday. His 11.1 points per game off of the Tiger bench and aggressiveness will be sorely missed over the course of the Tigers' next four games. Fellow freshmen guard Thomas Gardner played his most energetic and emotional game of the year for the Tigers against Nebraska. He scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field including 3-of-5 shooting from three. The Portland, Ore., native hit a huge three against Nebraska as the first half ran down to give Mizzou a 30-29 lead and completely change the momentum of the game. He was solid again vs. Colorado, chipping in with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field in the third start of his young career.
The final freshmen on the squad, Spencer Laurie, is beginning to run the point for Mizzou like an experienced veteran. He played 19 quality minutes handing out one assist while blocking the first shot of his young career and grabbing a steal against Nebraska.
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 15.9 points per contest while breaking the 20-point barrier in five of the Tigers' 16 contests and in three of the Tigers' last five games. 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 12th on the all-time Mizzou scoring charts with 1,475 points following his nine-point effort against Colorado. He will now be chasing No. 11 Arthur Johnson, who has scored 1,487 career points.
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 166 career treys.
In Order to Be the Best ...
... you have to beat the best. The Tigers have definitely put that adage to the test this year with one of the toughest schedules in the country. As of Monday's Associated Press Poll, seven (Oklahoma, Kansas, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma 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) began with the new year when the Tigers faced (RV) Iowa on Jan. 3 (W, 76-56), lost a tough one at (RV) Iowa State (L, 70-65) where they are 0-5 under coach Quin Snyder, lost to defending national champion #17 Syracuse (L, 82-68), travel to #13 Oklahoma (W, 79-75 in OT) and faced #16 Texas (L, 75-69 in OT) ... all in a 20-day span.
Like the TNT Network, We Know Drama
Sorry MSN, 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. Eight of the Tigers' 16 games have been decided by five points or less and three of them have went to overtime. The Tigers are 4-4 in games decided by five points or less this season. The average margin of loss for Mizzou has been 6.5 points per contest.
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.
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 225 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.
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. 225 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 7.5 boards per contest following his six-rebound effort against Nebraska. He needs just 75 more boards to pass former Tiger great Doug Smith on the chart.
He also currently ranks 11th on the all-time scoring charts with 1,487 points after his team-high 19-point effort against Nebraska. He will now be chasing No. 10 Jevon Crudup (91-94, 1,498 points).
Last season, Johnson became only the fourth Tiger since the 1949-50 season to lead the team in rebounding in three straight campaigns.
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 16-point, 11-rebound effort against Oklahoma, he recorded his 41st career double-double, putting him alone in 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. 41 Arthur Johnson, MU, 2001-Present
5. 40 Raef LaFrentz, KU, 1994-98
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).
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 400-70 there as of its 72-51 win over Nebraska. 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.