Feb. 20, 2004
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Tigers Look to Win Fourth Straight Contest on Saturday
The University of Missouri basketball squad (12-10 overall, 6-5 Big 12) hits the road for the first time in two weeks on Saturday when it travels to Waco, Texas to take on the Baylor Bears (7-17 overall, 2-9 Big 12). Mizzou is coming off of an 82-70 win over Iowa State on Wednesday night at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, its third straight win, while Baylor has dropped three straight, including a 74-54 loss at Kansas on Wednesday in Lawrence.
Several Tigers have had the hot hand during Mizzou's much needed three-game winning streak as six players have averaged in double figures in scoring during that stretch. Senior Arthur Johnson has led the way during the streak, averaging 18.3 points and 7.7 boards while knocking down 54.5 percent of his shots. Senior Travon Bryant has also continued his consistent play, averaging 11.3 points and 8.7 boards over the course of the last three games, knocking down 63.2 percent of his shots.
Saturday's contest, which will be broadcast on ESPN+ (KMIZ in Columbia) will tip at 12:47 p.m. CST. Bill Doleman will assume the play-by-play duties while Reid Gettys will provide analysis. The Tigers can also be heard on the radio and on the world wide web at www.mutigers.com. The Voice of the Tigers, Mike Kelly, and former Tiger great Gary Link will call the action live from the Ferrell Center on the Tiger Radio Network
Quick Hits
* The Tigers are looking to win four straight games for the first time this season.
* Mizzou is also looking for a second win over a Big 12 South school on the road this season. On Jan. 17, the Tigers took out then No. 10 Oklahoma in Norman. The Tigers have not won two road games over Big 12 South opponents since 1999-2000.
* The last time Mizzou won four straight games was last season from Dec. 30-Jan. 11 with wins over Valparaiso, at Iowa, Centenary and Baylor.
* Two of the Tigers five remaining regular season contests are at home.
* Mizzou leads the all-time series with Baylor, 7-6.
* The Tigers check in at No. 44 on the RPI charts and have played the 9th toughest schedule in the country as of Thursday's CollegeRPI.com report.
* The Tigers have won their last five home contests by an average of 17.6 points per game.
* The Tigers are in a tie for fourth place in the Big 12 with Iowa State, Texas Tech and Colorado.
* The Tigers are 9-3 at home this season and 22-4 over the past two years in the Hearnes Center.
* Senior Travon Bryant has gone 21-of-34 from the field in the Tigers last five games.
* Senior Arthur Johnson has gone a combined 40-of-74 (.541) from the field over the course of the last six games.
* AJ currently ranks 10th on the Mizzou all-time scoring list with 1,580 points (which also puts him in 10th on the career Big 12 list.) He is second on the Mizzou rebounding charts with 1,020 career boards and ranks fourth on the Big 12 career list.
* Arthur needs just 34 boards to eclipse the Mizzou mark and also to move into second on the Big 12 career boards list. He is the only player in school history to record at least 1,500 career points, 1000 career rebounds and 200 career blocks.
* Seven different Tigers have led the team in scoring through 22 games this season and five different Tigers have led in rebounding.
* Coach Snyder is looking for win number 97 at Mizzou on Saturday.
* Snyder is 1-0 vs. Coach Scott Drew. The Tigers took out Drew's Valparaiso Crusaders last year in Columbia, 65-47.
A Look at the Bears
The Baylor Bears enter Saturday's contest with a 7-17 overall mark and a 2-9 record in Big 12 Conference contests. First year coach Scott Drew has led the Bears to some impressive wins at home this season including victories of Iowa State and Texas A&M. Senior Terrance Thomas and junior Harvey Thomas leads the Bear scoring charge, averaging 16.5 and 15.8 points per game respectively. They also rank one and two on the squad in rebounding averaging 5.7 and 4.7 boards per game. Terrance Thomas has been Baylors' most affective outside shooter, having knocked down 46 threes on the year, which ranks third in the Big 12.
Baylor is looking for back-to-back wins over Mizzou in Waco, as the Bears took out Tigers in Texas on Feb. 9, 2002, 81-80. However, the Tigers have won four of the last five contests in the series.
Do I Hear Four?
Mizzou is looking to win four straight games for the first time since midway through last season. During their current three-game winning streak, the Tigers have put up some pretty dominant numbers. For instance
+ The Tigers have outrebounded their opponents by an average of 8.7 rebounds per game and have outscored their opponents by an average of 19.3 points per game.
+ Fast starts have been key for Mizzou as the Tigers have outscored their last three opponents, 134-90 in the first half.
+ Mizzou has shot 48 percent from the field including 44 percent from three.
+ Six Tigers have averaged double figures over the past three games including Arthur Johnson (18.3 ppg.), Jason Conley (14.3 ppg.), Rickey Paulding (13.7 ppg.), Jimmy McKinney (12.0 ppg.), Thomas Gardner (11.3 ppg.) and Travon Bryant (11.3 ppg.)
+ The Tigers have forced 59 turnovers.
Facts, Figures and Other Points of Interest Following the Iowa State Game
Team Notes
- Mizzou improves to 12-10 overall and 6-5 in the Big 12. The Tigers have now won three straight games and five straight at home. They are 9-3 at home, 3-5 on the road and 0-2 in neutral court battles.
- Quin Snyder is now 96-59 in five years at Mizzou.
- Former Tiger coaching great Norm Stewart was recognized at halftime of the game when his retired number #22 was lowered from the rafters in preparation for its move to the Tigers' new arena next season.
- Mizzou took a 43-31 lead into halftime, which ended up being the final margin in the contest, 12 points. Mizzou has outscored its opponents by a total of 97-58 in the last two contests.
- The Tigers outrebounded the Cyclones, 43-27. They have outrebounded their last two opponents by an average of 15.5 boards per game.
- Mizzou shot 9-of-22 from three on the night including three three's from Rickey Paulding. The Tigers have shot 47 percent from three over the past two games.
Individual Notes
- Sophomore Jimmy McKinney equaled a career-best with 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field while knocking down 9-of-9 free throws. He pulled down six rebounds and handed out four assists.
- Senior Arthur Johnson recorded his sixth double-double of the year with 16 points and 11 rebounds. He now has 42 career double-doubles, which ranks fourth in Big 12 history.
- Johnson now has scored 1,580 career points (only five points out of the No. 9 spot on the Mizzou all-time scoring charts) and 1,020 rebounds (34 rebounds out for the No. 1 spot on the Mizzou all-time rebounding charts.
- A.J. has averaged 18.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game during the Tigers current three-game winning streak and 55 percent from the field.
- Senior Rickey Paulding was also great scoring 19 points while knocking down three threes. He now has 1,555 points for his career, putting him in the 11th on the Mizzou charts.
- Junior Jason Conley also continued his red-hot streak off the bench. He was one of four Tigers to reach double figures in points scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting while pulling down six boards.
- Conley has averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 boards per game over the past three Tiger games (all of which are wins) in only 21 minutes per game. He has knocked down 9-of-18 threes during that stretch and has shot 53 percent from the field over the past three games.
Lovin' Life at the Line
After finishing eighth in the Big 12 in free throw shooting last year and shooting 66.2 percent from the line, the Tigers have made a concerted effort to become more efficient at the charity stripe. And that effort has paid off in a major way as the Tigers are shooting a much improved 71.8 percent as a team, which ranks third in the Big 12. Freshman Thomas Gardner has been money from the free throw line, hitting at a 96 percent clip (23-of-24). Since going 1-of-2 in the Tigers season opener against Oakland, Gardner has knocked down 23 straight. In fact, five Tigers are shooting better than 75.0 percent from the free throw line this season.
Who's Line is it Anyway?
5-of-7 from the field, 17 points, nine rebounds and a career-best six assists. Not a bad nights work. That stat line belonged to Tiger senior forward Travon Bryant in the Tigers' much needed win over Colorado on Feb. 10 in Columbia. It also encapsulated what has been Bryant's most consistent season as a Tiger so far.
He is scoring 10.9 points per game (up from 9.8 points per game last year) and pulling down 6.5 rebounds per contest (up from 5.8 last season). Travon is shooting a team-best 56.9 percent from the field and 45.2 percent from three so far this season. In fact, after he missed his final shot of the game against Kansas on Feb. 2, Bryant went 9-of-11 from the field over the course of the Tigers' next two games with Nebraska and Colorado including making nine shots in a row.
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 15.2 points per contest while breaking the 20-point barrier in five of the Tigers' 22 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 is in 11th on the all-time Mizzou scoring charts with 1,555 points following his 19-point effort against Iowa State. He will now be chasing No. 10 Arthur Johnson, who has scored 1,580 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 176 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 last Monday's (Feb. 15) Associated Press Poll, nine (Oklahoma, Kansas, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State, Memphis and Illinois) of the Tigers 2003-04 opponents are ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes.
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. Eight of the Tigers' 22 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.
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 234 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. 234 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 first part of March. Johnson is averaging 7.3 boards per contest. He needs just 34 more boards to pass former Tiger great Doug Smith on the chart.
He also currently ranks 10th on the all-time scoring charts with 1,580 points after his 16-point effort against Iowa State. He will now be chasing No. 9 Kareem Rush (00-02, 1,584 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 Iowa State, he recorded his 42nd 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. 42 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 404-70 there as of its win over Iowa State. 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.