Feb. 13, 2004
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| TIPOFF: 6:00 p.m. CST | ||||
| ARENA: Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611). Opened in 1938, and renovated in 2000. MU is 161-180 (.472) on the road, including 14-25 vs. unranked Big 12 opponents. | ||||
| RADIO: KFRU-AM 1400 (David Lile, play-by-play/Gary Link, color). Also available on the Internet at www.mutigers.com. | ||||
| TV: None. | ||||
| SERIES: Mizzou leads, 24-19, yet is 7-10 in Stillwater. OSU has won both the last meeting overall (56-54 in last year's Big 12 Tournament first round) and in Stillwater (73-57 on Jan. 6, 2002). | ||||
| RANKINGS: Neither team is ranked nor receiving votes in either major poll. | ||||
| COACHES: | ||||
| Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 96-75 at MU (sixth season) and 161-100 overall (ninth season).
Oklahoma State: Julie Goodenough (UT-Arlington '91), 16-35 at OSU and 204-89 overall (11th season). |
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TIGERS DESPERATE TO KEEP ROAD STREAK GOING IN STILLWATER
The Missouri women's basketball team (12-9, 3-7 Big 12) is hoping that Cupid is trying to match the Tigers with a win on Valentine's Day against Oklahoma State. The Tigers were soundly beaten at home, 83-59, vs. No. 18/20-ranked Baylor Wednesday night, yet is looking to even its Big 12 road record at 3-3.
? ? ? The Cowgirls, meanwhile, have lost four in a row, yet three came on the road and the fourth was at home to then-No. 3/4 Texas. Despite winning just three of their last 14 games, OSU does have the biggest upset feather in the league's cap this season after its double-overtime win at home vs. then-No. 3 Texas Tech.
? ? ? The series has an odd coincidence. In 43 total meetings, both teams have scored 2,994 points (69.6 ppg). MU's average margin of victory in its 24 wins is 10.3 points per game, while Oklahoma State has won its 19 matchups with the Tigers by an average of 13.0 ppg.
MORE ON OKLAHOMA STATE
Senior All-Big 12 center Trisha Skibbe is the league's second-leading scorer at 19.5 ppg, and is also grabbing 8.2 rebounds a game. She is supported by juco transfer Nina Stone (11.0 ppg) as the only Cowgirls scoring in double figures.
? ? ? Oklahoma State is 3-2 in Big 12 play this season at Gallagher-Iba Arena. In addition to Texas Tech, OSU has also knocked off Texas A&M and Iowa State in Stillwater.
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 17.4 points and 8.8 rebounds a game. Unrau leads the Big 12 in rebounding, and is fourth in scoring. In addition, the forward leads the league with nine double-doubles, including four in Big 12 play.
? ? ? On top of her scoring and rebounding prowess, Unrau is ranked among the Big 12's top players in nine of the 12 categories the league office tracks weekly, making her arguably the Big 12 Conference's MVP (Most Versatile Player). That is TWO more than any other player in the league; UT's Tiffany Jackson, OU's Dionnah Jackson, Colorado's Randie Wirt and Kansas State's Nicole Ohlde are ranked in seven. Here are Unrau's 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: #18/20 BAYLOR 83, MIZZOU 59
Evan Unrau scored 14 points, and two other Tigers were in double figures, but the Missouri women's basketball dropped an 83-59 decision to the No. 18/20-ranked Baylor Bears.
STRONG SCHEDULE HELPING TIGERS
Mizzou is listed at No. 37 as of Friday in the RPI coordinated by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, and despite the Tigers' recent struggles are by no means out of the running for postseason play. Much of that is due to MU's strong schedule, which is ranked No. 5 in the country by the WBCA.
? ? ? MU's only non-conference losses were to SMS, who leads the Missouri Valley and is ranked No. 23 in this week's AP poll, and UW-Green Bay, who leads the Horizon League. Two other Tiger opponents - Austin Peay (Ohio Valley) and Miami [Ohio] (Mid-American) - lead their respective conferences, and another (Tulsa/WAC) is third.
MORE RPI RUMINATIONS
It's always too late to play "What If...", but it bears noting that "if" the Tigers would have won their three home Big 12 games against Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado - games Mizzou lost by an average of 3.3 points - then the Tigers would currently be tied for fourth in the Big 12 with a 6-4 record. More importantly, the resultant winning percentage would have propelled Mizzou all the way to a current No. 12 in the WBCA RPI.
RANK-AND-FILE THIS
Saturday's game is the only one in a four-game stretch in which the Tigers are NOT playing a ranked opponent. In addition, Mizzou's last three home games - and next two, as well - 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 two weeks ago: Jan. 9, 2002, against then-No. 10 Texas Tech.
IT'S NOT THE "USELESS STAT...", BUT IT'S STILL A NOTE
We already had something picked for the "Useless Stat of the Week", so this is where the overflow minutiae must flow:
? ? ? It is by sheer coincidence that Wednesday's loss to Baylor was not only the 100th of Cindy Stein's nine-year coaching career; it was also the 100th loss by the MU women in their 30 years in the Hearnes Center.
BOND RETURNS TO ACTION
Sophomore point guard LaToya Bond (Urbana, Ill. / Urbana HS) was cleared to practice on Monday, and saw her first game action Wednesday since playing at Saint Louis on Jan. 4. She was diagnosed the next day with a broken bone in her left foot, which kept her out of competition for five weeks.
? ? ? She played 13 minutes on Wednesday in an effort to ease her into the action, and tallied an impressive nine points in that short time frame. She also had an assist without turning the ball over.
? ? ? Before her injury, Bond had adjusted well to taking the reigns at the point-guard position for the Tigers following a year behind all-everything Kerensa Barr, ranking third in scoring (12.2 ppg). The week before, Bond went off for career highs of 20 points, nine assists and a seven rebounds vs. Iowa on Dec. 30, and added four steals, which was just one off her best ever. The nine assists were the most since Kerensa Barr had the same number exactly three years previous to the day, against UW-Green Bay.
? ? ? Because she has no longer played in 75 percent of Mizzou's games, Bond is ineligible to be ranked among the league's statistical leaders. If she were eligible, though, her numbers would place her among the Big 12 leaders in five categories: scoring (20th/11.9 ppg); assists (third/5.17 apg); steals (fourth/2.50 spg); free-throw percentage (seventh/82.4 pct.); and assist/turnover ratio (ninth/1.41).