March 9, 2004
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Tip-off: 8:30 p.m. CST
Arena: American Airlines Center (19,200)
TV: ESPN2. Ron Franklin, play-by-play: Jon Sundvold, analyst.
Radio: Tiger Radio Network. Mike Kelly, play-by-play: Gary Link, analyst
Rankings: Neither Missouri or Texas A&M are currently ranked or recieving votes in either the Associated Press or ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Series: MU leads the all-time series with Texas A&M, 10-2. The Tigers won the latest meeting between the two schools, 82-77 on Jan. 10, 2004, in Columbia.
Coaches:
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89) 99-60 at MU and overall (5th season).
Texas A&M: Melvin Watkins (UNC-Charlotte '71) 46-97 at TAMU (5th season) and 88-117 overall (7th season).
Tigers Have Big Opportunity at Big 12 Tournament
The University of Missouri (15-12, 9-7 Big 12) men's basketball squad opens play in the eighth Big 12 Conference basketball tournament on Thursday in Dallas. The Tigers, who are the No. 6 seed in the tournament for the fifth time in the history of the event, will take on the 11th seeded Texas A&M Aggies (7-20, 0-16 Big 12) with tip set for 8:30 p.m. CST.
The Tigers are coming off of two tough losses at Texas Tech and at home against Kansas in their final contest ever at the Hearnes Center. However, they have won six of their last eight contests and have a chance to make a fresh start as they begin tournament play ... and Mizzou is not in new territory here. Last season, the Tigers dropped their last two regular season games at Iowa State and at home against Kansas before reeling off three straight wins on their way to a runner-up finish to Oklahoma, 49-47. Seniors Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding both earned 2003 All-Big 12 Tournament honors for their outstanding play during the exciting four-day run by the Tigers.
Mizzou will look to duplicate some of that magic over the course of the four-day event, which is being held in Dallas for the second straight year. The opportunity begins with a first round matchup, that will be broadcast by ESPN2, with Ron Franklin and Jon Sundvold calling all of the action. The game can also be heard on the Tiger Radio Network with Mike Kelly and Gary Link on the call.
Quick Hits
* The Tigers have now won six of their last eight games and seven of their last 11.
* Mizzou finished the regular season 4-2 against Big 12 South schools and 5-5 against Big 12 North schools
* Mizzou leads the all-time series with the Aggies, 9-2.
* The Tigers check in at No. 39 on the RPI charts and have played the 8th toughest schedule in the country as of Teusday's CollegeRPI.com report.
* The Tigers are the No. 6 seed in the tournament and face the No. 11 seeded Texas A&M Aggies. Mizzou is 4-0 in the Big 12 Tournament against the No. 11 seed.
* The Tigers finished the regular season tied for fifth place in the Big 12 with Texas Tech, but lost the tie breaker with the Red Raiders.
* The Tigers are the sixth seed in the tournament. They have been the sixth seed five times over the course of the first eight Big 12 Conference Tournaments.
* Senior Arthur Johnson's career-high 37-point effort against Kansas on Sunday was the most points scored by any player in the Big 12 Conference in a game this season.
* Five Tigers have averaged 9.4 points per game or better over the course of the last eight games, six of which have been wins.
* Mizzou finishes the 2003-04 regular season at 10-4 at home, 0-2 in neutral court battles and 5-6 on the road (which eclipses their road mark of 3-7 last season). Mizzou has gone 23-5 over the past two years in the Hearnes Center.
* Senior Arthur Johnson has gone a combined 67-of-119 (.563) from the field over the course of the last eight games. He is also averaging 21.0 points and 8.1 rebounds during that stretch. He has also averaged 26.0 ppg., over the last three games.
* AJ currently ranks 6th on the Mizzou all-time scoring list with 1,693 points. He is the only player in school history to record at least 1,600 career points, 1000 career rebounds and 200 career blocks.
* He has moved into the top 10 on the following Big 12 Charts:
Points: 9th, 1,693FG: 3rd, 705
Rebounds: 2nd, 1,062
Blocked Shots: 2nd, 244
Double-Doubles: 4th, 43
We're Going Through the Big D, and We Do Mean Dallas
Thank you, thank you its nice to be here again at the American Airlines Center. The Tigers open play in the eighth annual Big 12 Tournament on Thursday in Dallas against Texas A&M on ESPN2. Mizzou enjoyed a lot of success last year at the AAC, advancing to the Big 12 Championship with wins over Nebraska (#12 seed), No. 23 Oklahoma State (#4 seed) and No. 4 Kansas (#1 seed) before falling to Oklahoma (#2 seed) in one of the craziest games in Big 12 Tournament history.
OU guard Hollis Price nailed his fourth three pointer of the day, extending what had been a 19-point halftime Sooner lead to 22.
Mizzou seemed to decide that they had enough. The Tigers would go on a 23-3 run the rest of the way, not allowing the Sooners (who had shot a blistering 54 percent in the first half) to score a field goal in the final 15:05 of the contest. The Sooners would miss their next 15 shots and would shoot only 15.0 percent from the field, including 10.0 percent (1-of-10) from three.
Despite Mizzou's best efforts, the Sooners held on to the 49-47 win with some clutch free throw shooting. The Tigers' Arthur Johnson (who set the tournament record for blocks with 11 over the course of the four games) and Rickey Paulding were named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team.
Mizzou will try to once again become the first team in the history of the Big 12 Tournament to win four games in four days and come away with the Championship.
Tiger Accolades Beginning to Pile Up
Several Tigers have received recognition for their efforts during the 2003-04 season both on and off the court. Below is a quick list of those accolades:
All-Big 12 Second Team-Associated Press
Big 12 All-Defensive Team
All-Big 12 Second Team-Associated Press
Finalist for CLASS Award (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School)
Big 12 All-Reserve Team
Big 12 All-Newcomer Team
Academic All-Big 12 First Team
2003-04 Freshman All-America Team by Rivals.com
Board Out of His Mind
Tiger senior Arthur Johnson has grabbed more boards than a carpenter during his four year career at Mizzou. The powerful native of Detroit, Mich., became Mizzou's all-time leading rebounder last Wednesday, Mar. 3, with his last of eight boards on the night, to go along with 24 points. Johnson, who is already Mizzou's all-time leading shot blocker with 244 career blocks, now has 1,062 career rebounds, surpassing former Tiger great Doug Smith's mark of 1,053. He is averaging 7.5 boards per contest this season and is on pace to lead Mizzou in total rebounds for the fourth straight year.
With his eight rebound effort, he also moved into second on the Big 12 all-time charts. He is fighting tooth and nail with Texas' James Thomas, who has 1,057 career boards after Saturday's action, in hopes that he can reach former Kansas Jayhawk Nick Collison, who pulled down 1,143 career boards. Here is a look at the Big 12 all-time rebound leaders:
1. Nick Collison, KU (1999-03) 1,1432. Arthur Johnson, MU (2000-present) 1,062
3. Stephane Pelle, CU (1999-03) 1,053
4. James Thomas, UT (2000-present) 1,057
5. Chris Mihm, UT (1998-00) 945
A Look at the Aggies
The 11th seeded Aggies enter Thursday's contest having lost their last 16 contests. They have an overall record of 7-20 and a Big 12 mark of 0-16. Antoine Wright paces TAMU's scoring efforts, averaging 13.2 points per game while averaging a team-high 30.3 minutes per game. Jesse King, who was a teammate of Arthur Johnson's at Pershing High School, is the only other Aggie to average double figures in scoring at 11.8 points per game. Senior Andy Slocum has been a force in the middle, averaging 9.0 rebounds per contest, which ranks third in the Big 12. He is also shooting a team-best 47.7 percent from the field and has started 26 of Texas A&M's 27 games so far this season.
Mizzou leads the all-time series with TAMU, 9-2, and is 1-0 against them in Big 12 Tournament play. The Tigers won the regular season meeting between the two, 82-77 in Columbia.
The Last Eight Have Been Pretty Great
When the Tigers' dropped to 9-10 overall and 4-5 in the Big 12 after losing at Nebraska, they were in desperate need of a spark. A return home to the Hearnes Center to face Colorado on Feb. 10, ignited a six game winning streak that has since come to an end. Despite the end of the streak, the improvements have been evident in several categories over the past eight games. For instance:
First 19 games Last 8Record 9-10 6-2
FG% .434 (474-1093) .476 (229-481)
3-pt FG % .321 (117-365) .412 (68-165)
FT% .702 (301-429 .743 (127-171)
Steals/Game 5.5 7.1
Arthur Johnson PPG 13.5 21.0
Arthur Johnson RPG 7.3 8.1
Jason Conley PPG 3.4 14.4
Jason Conley 3-pt FG % .185 (5-27) .444 (20-45)
Rickey Paulding 3-pt FG% .305 (32-105) .462 (18-39)
Facts, Figures and Other Points of Interest Following the KU Game
+ The game was a sell out with a called attendance of 13,611. It was the seventh sold out game of the season.
+ Chancellor Richard Wallace announced at halftime that former Tiger coach Norm Stewart will continue to be commemorated for several years to come. The court in the new arena, which is set for completion in November of 2004, will carry the same name as the one in the Hearnes Center, Norm Stewart Court.
+ In the eight-year history of the Big 12 Tournament, the Tigers have been the #6 seed five times (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004).
+ Mizzou finishes the regular season at 10-4 at home, 5-6 on the road and 0-2 in neutral court battles.
+ Mizzou has now dropped seven of its last eight games against the Jayhawks. Their last win over KU was in the Big 12 Tournament semi-finals last season. If the Tigers can get by Texas A&M on Thursday, they will get their third crack at the Jayhawks, who are the No. 3 seed, in the 8:20 p.m. CST, game on Friday.
+ The Tigers have now lost two straight games after winning six straight between Feb. 10 and Feb. 28.
+ Sunday's contest was the final Mizzou basketball game at the Hearnes Center. Mizzou wraps up its 32nd year of calling the building home with a total record of 405-72.
+ The game was the 250th meeting between the schools.
+ Tiger seniors Arthur Johnson, Rickey Paulding, Josh Kroenke and Travon Bryant played in their final home game at Mizzou. One of the most heralded classes in school history, the four standouts finished their career with a 60-9 record over the last four years at Hearnes.
+ The hotly contested game featured seven ties and 17 lead changes. The Tigers were down by as many as 10 in the second half with 4:07 left, but battled back to take the lead with 47 seconds left before falling victim to the KU heroics at the end of the contest.
+ Mizzou falls to 0-2 this season on CBS. The Tigers have lost the two contests by a total of nine points and one of those games went to overtime (87-80 vs. Gonzaga on Dec. 13, 2003)
+ Senior Arthur Johnson scored a career-best 37 points on 13-of-17 shots from the field. He also grabbed eight rebounds and swiped a game-high four steals.
+ His 13 field goals is a career high and he took a career best 17 free throws, making 11 of them.
+ His 37-point outburst is the most points scored by a Mizzou player since Clarence Gilbert scored 40 points at Colorado on Feb. 23, 2002.
+ Johnson has averaged 21.0 points and 8.1 rebound per game over the past eight games. He currently ranks sixth on the Mizzou scoring charts and now has 1,693. Here are the people in his immediate scope on the chart:
5. Melvin Booker (91-94) 1,6976. Arthur Johnson (01-04) 1,693
7. Kelly Thames (94-98) 1,689
8. Clarence Gilbert (99-02) 1,685
9. Rickey Paulding (01-04) 1,645
+ AJ extended his lead on the Mizzou All-Time Rebounding charts with his eight-rebound effort. He now has 1,062 career boards. He now trails only former Jayhawk Nick Collison for the Big 12 lead by 81 rebounds. Johnson has recorded eight or more rebounds in a game 14 times this season and has seven double-doubles on the year.
+ Fellow Detroit native Rickey Paulding continued to advance on a couple of career charts. He is still in ninth on the all-time Mizzou scoring charts with 1,645 points.
Reading Up on the Rick
Senior Preseason All-American Rickey Paulding has been one of the fiercest competitors in the Big 12 Conference throughout his illustrious career.
Paulding is tied for the lead in scoring on the Tiger squad, averaging 15.7 points per contest while breaking the 20-point barrier in seven of the Tigers' 27 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 6th on the all-time Mizzou scoring charts with 1,645 points following his 14-point effort against Kansas. He will now be chasing No. 8 Clarence Gilbert (1999-02, 1,685 points).
Rick is now alone in fifth on the Mizzou all-time three point field goals made list with 187 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 (Mar. 8) 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 are receiving votes.
Like the TNT Network, We Know Drama
Sorry to the ESPN family, 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. 11 of the Tigers' 27 games have been decided by five points or less and four of them have went to overtime. The Tigers are 6-5 in games decided by five points or less this season.
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 244 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. 244 Arthur Johnson, MU, 2000-present
3. 243 Nick Collison, KU, 1999-03
4. 242 Eric Chenowith, KU, 1997-01
5. 202 Venson Hamilton, NU, 1997-99
He also currently ranks 6th on the all-time scoring charts with 1,693 points after his 37 point outburst against Kansas. He is now be chasing No. 5 Melvin Booker, 1991-94, 1,697 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 29-point, 13-rebound effort against Oklahoma State, he recorded his 43rd career double-double, putting him 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. 43 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 played their final game in the Hearnes Center on Sunday and will be moving into a state-of-the art arena starting in October of 2004. Mizzou called Hearnes home for 32 years now and registered a mark of 405-72 there as of its two point loss at the hands of the Kansas Jayhawks. 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.