Feb. 2, 2004
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| TIPOFF: 7:05 p.m. CST | ||||
| ARENA: Frank Erwin Center (16,837). MU is 160-179 (.472) on the road, including 0-21 vs. ranked Big 12 opponents. The Tigers are 22-33 in the state of Texas, yet have lost their last 19 in a row dating back to a win at Baylor on Jan. 2, 1990. | ||||
| RADIO: KFRU-AM 1400 (David Lile, play-by-play/Kerensa Barr, color) and available to affiliates of the Tiger Radio Network. Also available on the Internet at www.mutigers.com. | ||||
| TV: None. | ||||
| SERIES: UT leads, 9-1, including 6-1 since the formation of the Big 12 Conference, and is 6-0 in Austin. The Longhorns have won the last two meetings. | ||||
| RANKINGS: Texas is ranked No. 3 in the Feb. 2 AP poll and No. 4 in the Jan. 26 Coaches' poll. MU is unranked. | ||||
| COACHES: | ||||
| Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 95-73 at MU (sixth season) and 160-98 overall (ninth season).
Texas: Jody Conradt (Baylor '63), 719-204 at UT (28th season) and 836-266 overall (35th season). |
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MU WOMEN LOOK TO REBOUND IN AUSTIN VS. #3-RANKED TEXAS
An injury-depleted Missouri women's basketball team (11-7, 2-5 Big 12) hits the road early this week in preparation for another test against a ranked team. This time, it's a Tuesday contest at No. 3-ranked Texas (19-2, 7-1), who leads the Big 12 Conference race by half-a-game over Kansas State and Colorado.
? ? ? Mizzou is in the middle of a five-game stretch that sees the Tigers play four ranked teams. The Tigers are also in the midst of a 10-game stretch in which seven opponents are ranked.
? ? ? The Tigers are coming off a tough two-point loss at home to the Buffaloes, while the Longhorns picked up a solid nine-point win at home over No. 7 Texas Tech. UT has won five straight, while Mizzou's loss on Saturday snapped a two-game win streak.
MORE ON TEXAS
The third-ranked Longhorns are second in the league in scoring and rebounding, and like the Tigers have four players scoring in double figures. Freshman Tiffany Jackson leads the way at 13.0 ppg, and also leads the rebounders at 7.9 boards a game. Senior Stacy Stephens is making 58.1 percent of her shots, which is third in the league, and has solid averages of 11.7 points and 7.2 rebounds a game. Heather Schreiber (12.9 ppg) and Jamie Carey (11.7 ppg) round out the double-figure scorers.
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 17.6 points and 9.2 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 four of her last five games.
? ? ? On top of her scoring and rebounding prowess, Unrau is ranked among the Big 12's top players in seven other diverse categories to make her arguably the Big 12 Conference's MVP (Most Versatile Player). Here are her league ranks:
? ? ? 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: #11/10 COLORADO 68, MU 66
Despite having four players score in double figures, the Missouri women's basketball team dropped a 68-66 decision to No. 11/10 Colorado Saturday afternoon at the Hearnes Center.
FINALLY, THEY'RE FREE!
The Mizzou women entered the week by making just 67.8 percent of their free throws, which ranked the Tigers near the bottom of the league.
? ? ? The Tigers set a school record in Wednesday's upset of Oklahoma by making all 21 of their charity tosses, then hit 14-of-16 from the line Saturday vs. Colorado. All told, Mizzou's 35-of-37 performance last week - an impressive 95 percent - boosted the team's season free-throw percentage nearly three points, up to 70.7 percent. In Big 12 games, the Tigers are shooting 72.8 percent from the line, which ranks MU fourth in the league.
RANK-AND-FILE THIS
The Tigers are in the midst of a stretch that sees them play four of five games against ranked opponents (the unranked game is at always-tough Iowa State). In addition, each of Mizzou's next five games at home, starting with last Wednesday's win over Oklahoma, are also against ranked squads.
? ? ? 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 against ranked teams - all Big 12 opposition. MU's only win in that span came in its last home win over a ranked team until last Wednesday: Jan. 9, 2002, against then-No. 10 Texas Tech.
STRONG SCHEDULE HELPING TIGERS
Mizzou's currently listed at No. 40 in the RPI coordinated by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, and despite the Tigers' recent struggles, are still in good position for postseason play. Much of that is due to MU's strong schedule, which is ranked No. 13 in the country by the WBCA.
? ? ? Three Tiger opponents - Austin Peay/Ohio Valley, Miami/Mid-American, and Southwest Missouri State/Missouri Valley - lead their respective conferences, and another three (Iowa/Big Ten, UW-Green Bay/Horizon, Tulsa/Western Athletic) are second or third.