Mizzou vs. Kansas: The Rivalry Continues
2/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 1, 2004
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Tip-off: 8 p.m. CST
Arena: Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
TV: ESPN. Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Jon Sundvold, analyst.
Radio: Tiger Radio Network. Mike Kelly, play-by-play: Gary Link, analyst
Rankings: Missouri was not ranked or receiving votes in either poll. Kansas was ranked 15th in the latest Associated Press poll and 12th in the lastest ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Series: Jayhawks lead 157-91 Last Meeting: MU, 68-63 on Mar. 13, 2003 in Dallas, Texas
Coaches:
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89) 93-57 at MU and overall (5th season).
Kansas: Bill Self (Okla. State '85) 13-4 at KU; 220-109 overall (11th season)
Big Rivals Tangle on Big Monday
Two of the biggest rivals in college basketball get together on Monday night to exchange pleasantries at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. The Missouri Tigers (9-8, 4-3 Big 12) face off with the Kansas Jayhawks (13-4, 5-1 Big 12) in what is always a fierce battle. Mizzou is coming off of a 62-53 win on Saturday night against Kansas State while the Jayhawks dropped their latest contest, a 68-61 setback to the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames on Saturday.
Freshman Thomas Gardner continued to provide a big time spark for the Tigers as he knocked down 5-of-11 shots on the night against the Wildcats on his way to a team-high 16 points while also pulling down a career-best six rebounds. Senior Arthur Johnson also had a landmark night, recording his 1,500 career point, putting him in 10th place on the Mizzou career scoring list following his 13-point performance against KSU.
The Jayhawks have won five of the last six meetings between the two schools, but Mizzou took the latest meeting, 68-63, in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament last March. Monday's contest will mark the beginning of ESPN's "Rivalry Week," which celebrates some of the great college basketball rivalries from around the country. Tip time is set for 8 p.m. CST on ESPN with play-by-play guru Ron Franklin on the call and former Tiger great Jon Sundvold giving his analysis. The game will also be aired on the Tiger radio network with the "Voice of the Tigers" Mike Kelly and former Tiger great Gary Link calling all of the action.
Quick Hits
* The exact distance from the Hearnes Center to Allen Fieldhouse is 167.51 miles.
* The Tigers are 6-3 at home, 3-3 on the road and 0-2 in neutral court contests.
* With his last bucket against Kansas State, Arthur Johnson became only the second Tiger to record at least 1,500 career points and 986 rebounds in his career. The only other Tiger to accomplish that feat is Doug Smith.
* Mizzou is looking to win back-to-back wins since winning their second and third games of the season.
* The Tigers are looking to defeat KU in the regular season for the first time since Feb. 29, 2001
* Freshman Linas Kleiza will not be available off of the bench on Monday. He suffered a separated shoulder against Colorado and will be out for the next two weeks. He is averaging 11.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
* Kansas leads the all-time series, 157-91.
* The Tigers carry a 19-13 mark during the month of February under Head Coach Quin Snyder.
* Senior Arthur Johnson has went a combined 14-of-20 (.700) from the field over the course of the last two games.
* The Tigers are looking for their second win over a ranked opponent this season on Monday. Their first victory over a ranked team came in Norman against then No. 10 Oklahoma on Jan. 17.
* Mizzou has played in front of capacity crowds at the Hearnes Center in each of their last five home games with five home games remaining on their schedule.
* The Tigers have already recorded as many road wins this season (3) as they did all of last season, when they went 3-7 away from Hearnes.
* Freshman Thomas Gardner is averaging 14.7 ppg., over the past three games (17 vs. Nebraska, 11 vs. Colorado and 16 vs. Kansas State.)
* AJ currently ranks 10th on the Mizzou all-time scoring list with 1,500 points and is second on the Mizzou rebounding charts with 986 career boards. He needs just 68 boards to eclipse the Mizzou mark and also to move into second on the Big 12 career boards list.
* Seven different Tigers have led the team in scoring through 17 games this season and four different Tigers have led in rebounding.
* Coach Snyder is looking for win number 94 at Mizzou on Monday.
* The Tigers are 42-31 under Coach Snyder against Big 12 opponents.
*Freshman Thomas Gardner and Jayhawk juniors Michael Lee and Aaron Miles all attended the same high school (Jefferson HS) in Portland, Ore.
A Look at the Jayhawks
The Jayhawks enter Monday's game having split their last four games. After winning eight of nine games from Dec. 10-Jan. 22, Kansas has dropped games against Richmond at home and in Ames versus the Cyclones on Saturday. They are 13-4 on the year and 5-1 in the Big 12, which puts them in a three-way tie with Texas and Oklahoma State atop the Big 12 standings heading into the week. Jayhawk juniors Ray Langford (17.2 ppg.), Wayne Simien (15.4 ppg., 9.7 rpg.) and Aaron Miles (9.9 ppg., 7.2 apg.) spearhead the explosive KU attack offensive attack. Freshman J.R. Giddens has been outstanding as a part-time starter for KU, averaging 9.7 ppg., while leading the squad in threes with 31 on the year.
Mizzou and Kansas are very similar on paper offensively. Both squads are shooting right around 44 percent from the field (MU-43.7, KU-45.5), both are averaging right around 74 points per game (MU-73.4, KU-74.9) and both average around 40 rebounds per contest (MU-39.1, KU-39.6). Defense has made the difference for KU though, as the Jayhawks rank second in field goal percentage defense, allowing their opponents to shoot only 37.6 percent from the field. The Tigers rank 10th in that conference in that category, allowing the opposition to shoot 43.2 percent from the field.
Bill Self is in his first year as head coach of the Jayhawks. Prior to his time at KU, Self was head coach at Illinois. He boasts a career mark of 220-109 in 11 years as a head coach.
Facts, Figures and Other Points of Interest Following the Kanas State Game
? The Tigers are now 9-8 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12. Mizzou is now 6-3 at home, 3-3 on the road and 0-2 in neutral court battles.
? Mizzou has now won 20 straight home games over Kansas State and eight of the last nine over the Wildcats overall.
? Mizzou has won three of its last five games.
? The Tigers are now 2-2 against schools from the Big 12 North and 2-1 against schools from the Big 12 South.
? Coach Quin Snyder is now 93-57 (.620) during his five-year, 150-game career at Mizzou. He is now 8-1 against Kansas State.
? The Tigers went 5-4 in the month of January. They are now 27-16 during the month of January under head coach Quin Snyder. They are also 21-3 under Coach Snyder at home during the first month of the year.
? MU is now 6-2 this year when leading at halftime. They were up on the Wildcats, 27-25 after the first stanza.
? The Tigers outrebounded the Wildcats, 39-31. Mizzou has out boarded 12 of their 17 opponents so far this season and are 8-4 when they outrebound their opponent.
? The Tigers are now 401-70 all-time at the Hearnes Center.
? Freshman Thomas Gardner paced the Tiger scoring attack with 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field including 3-of-6 from three. He also pulled down a career-best six rebounds on the night in the fourth start of his career. He is averaging 14.7 points per game over the last three contests.
? Senior Arthur Johnson also had a solid night going 5-of-8 from the field for 13 points while pulling down a game-high seven rebounds. Over the Tigers last two games, he has shot 14-of-20 (70.0%) from the field and is averaging 16.0 point and 6.5 rebounds per game
? Johnson moved in the No. 2 spot on the Mizzou rebounding charts with 986 career rebounds and needs just 68 rebounds to become Mizzou's all-time leader in boards.
? Johnson also cracked the Tiger Top 10 in scoring with 1,500 career points putting him in 10th place on the list. He passed former Tiger Jevon Crudup on the list.
? Johnson swatted three blocks on the night as he continues to build his lead on the all-time Mizzou blocked shots charts. He now has 228 career blocks and needs just 37 blocks to become the Big 12 career blocked shots leader.
Gotta Love Them Jayhawks
While it may strike readers as troubling or disconcerting that the writer includes the words "love" and "Jayhawks" in the same sentence, history has shown that Tiger senior guard Rickey Paulding ... loves facing KU (I can't believe I did it again).
He is averaging 17.4 points per game against the Jayhawks in seven matchups during his career at Mizzou. That is his highest career scoring average against any Big 12 opponent. He was amazing against KU last year, averaging just under 20 points (19.7) points per game in three games including a 21-point performance against Kansas in the Tigers' Big 12 Tournament semifinal win.
Just Bring It
In his young, 17-game career at Mizzou, freshman shooting guard Thomas Gardner has done just that. He's brought it. Day in, day out, the native of Portland, Ore., has delivered an unbelievable amount of energy to the Tiger lineup both on the offensive and defensive end. He has earned four starts so far this year and is averaging 14.7 points per game over the course of the past three games. Gardner has hit on 52.9 percent (9-of-16) of his three-point field goal attempts during that stretch and has reached double figures in scoring in four games and in each of the Tigers' last three contests. He will get his first taste of the MU-KU rivalry on Monday night.
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 15.5 points per contest while breaking the 20-point barrier in five of the Tigers' 17 contests and in three of the Tigers' last six games. 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 ranks 12th on the all-time Mizzou scoring charts with 1,484 points following his nine-point effort against Kansas State. He will now be chasing No. 11 Jevon Crudup, who scored 1,498 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 167 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 Monday's (Jan. 26) Associated Press Poll, seven (Oklahoma, Kansas, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State) of the Tigers 2003-04 opponents are ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes.
You don't have to look to far down the Tigers schedule to see the toughest stretch (if the entire thing isn't tough enough) began with the new year when the Tigers faced (RV) Iowa on Jan. 3 (W, 76-56), lost a tough one at (RV) Iowa State (L, 70-65) where they are 0-5 under coach Quin Snyder, lost to defending national champion #17 Syracuse (L, 82-68), travel to #13 Oklahoma (W, 79-75 in OT) and faced #16 Texas (L, 75-69 in OT) ... all in a 20-day span.
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' 17 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. The average margin of loss for Mizzou has been 6.5 points per contest.
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 228 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 Leaders
1. 264 Chris Mihm, UT-1998-00
2. 243 Nick Collison, KU, 1999-03
3. 242 Eric Chenowith, KU, 1997-01
4. 228 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 middle of February. Johnson is averaging 7.5 boards per contest following his six-rebound effort against Nebraska. He needs just 68 more boards to pass former Tiger great Doug Smith on the chart.
He also currently ranks 10th on the all-time scoring charts with 1,500 points after his 13-point effort against Kansas 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 Oklahoma, he recorded his 41st 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 Leaders
1. 47 Chris Mihm, UT, 1998-00
2. 46 Venson Hamilton, NU, 1997-99
3. 44 Drew Gooden, KU, 1999-02
4. 41 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 401-70 there as of its 62-53 win over Kanas 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.
