Dec. 16, 2004
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Tigers Face Hoosiers at Mizzou on Sunday
Coming off of a convincing win over Montana last Saturday, the University of Missouri men's basketball squad (5-4) takes on the Indiana Hoosiers (2-4) in Columbia on Sunday. The Tigers have won three of their last four contests and are coming off one of their best offensive and defensive performance of the season. Mizzou scored a season-best 87 points against the Grizzlies knocking down 47.8 percent of its shots while holding the Grizzlies to only 62 points and 38.3 percent shooting from the field.
Spurring the offensive effort for Mizzou on Saturday was scoring and rebounding leader Linas Kleiza (16.0 ppg., 7.9 rpg.). The sophomore from Kaunas, Lithuania put together the best offensive effort of his young career scoring 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting after missing his first five attempts from the field. He knocked down four threes. Probably the most impressive part of Kleiza's efforts was the fact that he did all of this damage in only 24 minutes due to foul trouble. Mizzou also received great contribution from its bench, accounting for 28 points and five blocks including 12 points and four blocks from freshman Kalen Grimes.
Sunday's contest, which is set for a 1 pm tip, will be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network with the `Voice of the Tigers' Mike Kelly handling play-by-play duties and former Tiger great Gary Link providing analysis. The game can also be seen on the Mizzou Sports Network with Dan McLaughlin and former Tiger great Jon Sundvold on the call. The Tigers are 3-0 in afternoon games so far this season, 5-2 when they are on the Mizzou Sports Network and 3-2 when McLaughlin and Sundvold call the game.
Quick Hits
The Indiana game will be Mizzou's 10th contest of the season; they did not play game 10 last season until Jan. 7 at Iowa State ... The Tigers are 5-2 at Mizzou Arena this season ... Kleiza's 26-point effort against Montana was the most points a Tiger has scored since Mar. 13, 2004 when Arthur Johnson scored 26 against Michigan ... Linas has led Mizzou in scoring, rebounding or in both categories in eight of its nine games so far this season ... Mizzou scored its most points (87) and shot its best percentage (47.8 percent) of the season against Montana ... Head coach Quin Snyder is looking for win number 106 at Mizzou ... The Tigers will play four of their next five contests at home ... Junior Jimmy McKinney has now started 65 straight regular season games for Mizzou, dating back to Dec. 30, 2002 against Valparaiso ... Ten of the Tigers' opponents were ranked or receiving votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25 and three (Illinois, Oklahoma State and Kansas) were ranked in the top five ... Mizzou played four schools from the Big 10 last year, going 2-2 against them ... The Tigers are 10-9 against Big 10 schools under head coach Quin Snyder and are 2-1 against the Hoosiers in his six year tenure.
About the Hoosiers
The Hoosiers enter Sunday's contest at 2-4 after dropping their last four contests. They have played one of the most brutal schedules in college basketball to this point, having faced four schools that have been ranked or receiving votes (No. 6 North Carolina, No. 13 UCONN, No. 11 Kentucky and Notre Dame, who is receiving votes) in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll over the course of a 10-day stretch from Dec. 1-11.
Under the guidance of fifth year head coach Mike Davis, the Hoosiers are led by junior Bracey Wright, who is averaging 17.8 points per game through the first six contests. Four Hoosiers average better than eight points per game and freshman D.J. White has recorded 14 blocks on the year. They are shooting 35.7 percent from the field including 31.7 percent from three-point range.
Series - Indiana leads, 9-8 - Last Meeting: MU, 63-57 in Bloomington - 12/4/03
A Look Back ... Mizzou vs. Montana
Nine of the 10 Tigers that played against Montana scored on the day as Mizzou recorded its highest point total of the season with 87. After missing his first five shots, sophomore Linas Kleiza went off for 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting in the Tigers most lopsided win since a 94-60 drubbing of UNLV last February. A couple other notes of note ...
Missouri Team Notes vs. Montana
* This was the first-ever meeting between Missouri and Montana on the basketball court.
* The Tigers are now 5-0 all-time against teams from the Big Sky Conference. The last time they faced a Big Sky opponent was December 16, 1988, when they handed Eastern Washington an 81-68 defeat in Columbia.
* Mizzou is now 12-2 all-time on games played on December 11, including one win over Missouri basketball SID Sam Fleury's alma mater, Nebraska-Kearney.
* The Tigers' 87 points are a season high for the team, as is the 25-point margin of victory.
Mizzou players set or tied 14 personal career highs against Montana. Sophomore forward Linas Kleiza set two and tied two, while freshman forward Glen Dandridge set one and tied three.
* For the second consecutive game, the Tigers have banked in a three-point field goal from the top of the key. Freshman forward Marshall Brown drained one off glass against Arkansas, and classmate Jason Horton did the same against the Grizzlies.
* The Tigers went on a 10-0 run over the final 1:42 of the first half to take a 37-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.
* The 21 points the Tigers allowed in the opening stanza were the fewest points they've allowed in the first half of a game this season.
* The Tigers came into the game shooting 38.4 percent from the floor this season, but turned in a 47.8 percent (33-of-69) effort against the Grizzlies.
* The Tigers outscored Montana 34-18 in the paint, 27-6 off turnovers and 14-2 on the fast break.
* Mizzou has allowed its opponents to make only seven three-point field goals in the last two games combined.
Missouri Player Notes after the Montana Game
* Sophomore forward Linas Kleiza had a career-high day in the scoring department, notching 26, one better than his previous mark of 25. His nine field goals made are also the most he's tallied in a game while at Mizzou.
* Freshman forward Glen Dandridge buried a three-point field goal at the 12:56 mark of the first half, tying the career high he set against Creighton.
* Freshman forward Kalen Grimes recorded four blocks against the Grizzlies, besting the career high of two he set in his collegiate debut (vs. Brown).
* Freshman forward Glen Dandridge played a career high 16 minutes and equaled a career best with seven points for the Tigers.
* Freshman forward Kalen Grimes' 12 points more than doubled the career-high five he scored on two previous occasions.
* Freshman guard Jason Horton's eight points constitute a new career high, while his four rebounds are also a new career mark.
* Sophomore forward Linas Kleiza drained four three-point field goals, tying the career high he set earlier this season against Davidson.
* Junior forward/center Kevin Young tied his career high in rebounds with eight against Montana. He also accomplished the feat against UNLV last season.
A Step in the Right Direction
One of the main focuses of the Tigers' efforts has been and will be improving on the defensive end. Against Montana, the Tigers held the Griz to only 38.3 percent shooting from the field while also blocking a season-high seven shots. They allowed only one Grizzly to reach double figures in scoring and nabbed nine steals in the win.
Against Arkansas, the Razorbacks were averaging nearly 78 points per contest heading into the game and were hitting their three-point attempts at a 42.4 percent clip. Even though the final outcome wasn't what the Tigers had hoped for, they did make strides on the defensive end holding Arkansas to only 62 points (16 points off of their average) and shut down U of A from three (12.5 percent - 1-of-8). In fact, after giving up eight three-point field goals per game during the first seven contests of the season, the Tigers have allowed just seven three pointers over the course of the last two games and have held Arkansas and Montana to 29 percent from three (7-of-24).
The Youth of the Tiger Nation
The freshmen on the Tiger roster have started to really assert themselves on the court for Mizzou. Low-post presence Kalen Grimes continued his solid play against Montana when he scored a career-best 12 points and blocked a career-high four shots. Jason Horton also turned in a solid performance scoring a career-best eight points while also handing out a game-high five assists. Glen Dandridge also joined the party playing a career-best 16 minutes while scoring seven points on 3-of-6 shooting.
Even though the Tigers came up on the short end against Arkansas, they were encouraged by the play of the members of the freshmen class. As a group, they combined for 19 points and six rebounds. Brown was one of two Tigers to reach double figures in scoring with a career-best 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field while Horton registered a career-best six assists and four points in 35 minutes. Grimes was extremely efficient scoring five points on 2-of-2 shooting from the field in only eight minutes.
"Cap"-tain Consistency
Junior Kevin Young (his teammates call him Cap) has started each of the Tigers' first nine contests and has been a solid contributor so far. Young ranks fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 5.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest. He has recorded five or more rebounds and/or five or more points in seven games this season. He scored a career-high eight points against Houston in the second round of the Guardians Classic. Young leads the squad in field goal percentage, connecting on 48.6 percent from the field and is improving from the free throw stripe as he knocked down 5-of-7 free throws against Oakland.
Shouldering the Load
Linas Kleiza has recovered fully from a shoulder separation he experienced half way through last season and it looks as though he will be shouldering a major part of the Tiger offense this season. The All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention recipient has been amazing offensively so far this season and continues to improve on defense.
Kleiza had the best offensive game of his career against Montana, scoring a career-best 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. He recorded the fifth double-double of his career against Arkansas with a team-high 14 points and 11 rebounds. He broke out of mini-scoring funk with 13 points, nine boards and nine assists against Oakland while turning the ball over just one time, something he has been focusing on improving all season. He is definitely Mizzou's most versatile player as he leads the team in scoring (14.8 ppg.), rebounds (8.6 rpg.) and assists (25).
Kleiza just missed a double-double against Murray State when he scored nine points and recorded a team-high seven boards.
He flirted once again with the fifth double-double of his career against Houston when he went for nine points and nine boards. The Kaunas, Lithuania, native had his best night as a Tiger in the scoring column against Davidson when he scored 25 points on 7-of-13 shooting including four three pointers.
Kleiza recorded the fourth double-double of his career against Houston, scoring 19 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. He just missed another double-double in the season opener with 17 points and nine rebounds against Brown.
Where Were You When ...
While we are not sure who ordered the first batch of nachos from the concession stand or who was the first to christen the men's room ... we do have a list of "firsts" that took place against Central Missouri State on Nov. 4 at the Mizzou.
* The first point and first free throw in Mizzou Arena history came at 19:27 of the first half when sophomore forward Linas Kleiza knocked down his first shot from the charity stripe.
* The first field goal, a two-point shot, in Mizzou Arena history came at 18:25 of the first half, courtesy of senior guard Jason Conley.
* The first dunk in Mizzou Arena history came at 17:24 in the first half, when sophomore forward Linas Kleiza slashed through the lane and raised for a two-handed flush.
* The first points of freshman forward Marshall Brown's career came at 15:36 of the first half when he converted a layup after being fouled. The first free throw of his career came moments later as he completed the three-point play.
* The first opponent point in Mizzou Arena history came at 16:40 of the first half, when senior forward Mike Suggs sank the second of two free throws. It was also the first points of Suggs' Mules career.
* The first opponent field goal in Mizzou Arena history came 13:23 of the first half, by junior forward Dwight Williams.
A Peek at the Mizzou Arena
On September 21, 2002, a new and exciting phase for Missouri Basketball began with the groundbreaking for a brand new, $75 million state-of-the-art facility. The new arena is an imposing place to play for opposing teams and provides unbelievable options for the Tigers when it comes to player development. In addition to more seating, with a capacity of 15,061, there are a host of other exciting additions:
Ø 26 Luxury Suites
Ø State-of-the art training room
Ø Expanded locker room facilities complete with film room and player lounge
Ø Practice gym
Ø Basketball office complex
Ø Box office and team store
Ø Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame
Mizzou Arena houses all the up-to-date technologies desired in a modern sports facility. Both men's and women's basketball programs have video game film viewing theaters; all coaches offices and meeting rooms have cable TV hook-ups and both private (suites, clubs) and public (concession stands, retail store) areas throughout the arena have direct-game and cable televisions in place. Adjacent to the west side truck dock are dedicated and secured television production and satellite truck parking areas with permanent patch-in panels. The audio-video room within the arena is also linked to Missouri's two major sports venues - the Hearnes Center and Memorial Football Stadium. The arena contains a center-hung scoreboard-video board as well as 30" high video ribbon board located above the luxury suites where the lower and upper seating bowl transition occurs.
New Editions
No, I am not going to break into a rendition of "Cool it Now" or "Candy Girl" (as much as you all would enjoy that) but Mizzou has two members of its staff that are beginning new editions of their careers. And like the group "New Edition," you might say that the newest members of the Tiger coaching family are old school.
Associate Head Coach Melvin Watkins joined the Tigers in July after six years as head coach at Texas A&M and a two year stint as head coach at UNC-Charlotte. Watkins has brought a wealth of experience and energy to the Tiger bench. The other new face on the Tiger bench is assistant coach Jeff Meyer, who most recently was an assistant at Butler University for three years. Meyer brings 25 years of coaching experience to Mizzou including 16 years as a head coach at Liberty University. He also joined the Tiger bench in July.
Coach Quin Snyder
6th Year at MU
105-67
In his sixth year at the helm of the Mizzou basketball program is Quin Snyder. Missouri's 15th head coach, Snyder has built a program that has joined the upper echelon of college basketball. With a focus on developing players academically, physically, skillfully and socially, Snyder's squads have enjoyed trips to the post season in each of the last five seasons including four trips to the NCAA Tournament. Mizzou has averaged exactly 20.0 wins per contest during Snyder's five-year tenure at Mizzou. The intense competitor the Tiger players call "Coach Q" won his 100th career game last season when Mizzou defeated Texas A&M in the Big 12 Tournament. He became the fourth coach in Mizzou school history to reach the 100-win plateau and Snyder will have a great opportunity to add to that total with a contract that will keep him as a fixture on the Tiger bench through 2007-08.
Heading into 2004-05, Mizzou returns several of its top players from a year ago including senior Jason Conley, junior Jimmy McKinney and sophomores Thomas Gardner and Linas Kleiza. Snyder and his staff have also gathered a sixth straight Top 25 recruiting class to augment the already talented roster. Mizzou has moved to a new state-of-the-art home this season, the Mizzou Arena, which holds around 15,000 rowdy Missouri fans and gives the Tigers an unbelievable opportunity to build on the foundation of success that has been established.
Given the success and excitement Snyder's squads have generated in his five years at the helm, it is not surprising that Tiger fans are looking for big things from Mizzou in 2004-05. In 2003-04, Snyder led the Tigers to wins over Top 20 teams such as Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. He also saw his second recruiting class of Arthur Johnson, Rickey Paulding, Travon Bryant and Josh Kroenke complete outstanding careers at Mizzou. Johnson and Paulding both jumped into the Top 10 on the Tiger scoring charts and Johnson finished his career as the Tigers' all-time leader in blocked shots and rebounds. That outstanding class also finished their career having played in the most NCAA Tournament contests of any class in school history with eight.
A native of the Pacific Northwest, Snyder, 37, attended Mercer Island High School in the state of Washington. A two-time state player of the year, Snyder led the team to the 1985 state championship. During this time, Mercer Island achieved a No. 1 ranking in USA Today's high school polls. Snyder was named a McDonald's All-America player, being the first ever chosen from the state of Washington.
Snyder and his wife, the former Helen Redwine, a native of Charlotte, N.C, have one son, Owen Redwine Snyder, born on December 25, 2002.