Jan. 7, 2005

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Tigers Face Iowa State in Big 12 Opener

The University of Missouri men's basketball squad opens play in the Big 12 Conference on Saturday when it welcomes Iowa State to Columbia. The Tigers enter the contest having won four of their last five contests and six of their last eight including a gritty win in their latest outing over American on Tuesday night.

Senior Jason Conley has been the straw that has stirred the Tigers' drink the past two games, averaging 14.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. He has recorded the first two double-doubles of his career in each of the last two games and has also handed out six assists. After leading Mizzou to a 63-61 win over No.12/21 Gonzaga to end 2004 with 16 points and 13 rebounds, Conley scored 12 points and pulled down 10 rebounds against American. Sophomore Thomas Gardner also had a great outing against American, scoring a team-high 14 points on 3-of-8 shooting on the night.

Saturday's contest will be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network with Mike Kelly handling the play-by-play duties and former Tiger great Gary Link offering expert analysis. Tiger fans can also see the contest on ESPN+ with Fred White and Reid Gettys calling all of the action. The game, which will be aired on KMIZ in Columbia, is set to tip at 12:47 pm.

The home squad has won the last eight contests between the two including last season when the Tigers dropped their Big 12 opener in Ames before avenging the loss in Columbia in February.

Saturday's Game can be seen on the following stations around Missouri:

St. Louis: KDNL
Kansas City WDAF
Springfield KWBM
Columbia KMIZ

Quick Hits

Mizzou is 3-2 under coach Quin Snyder in Big 12 conference openers ... Mizzou has held each of its last nine opponents to 70 points or fewer ... This marks the second straight season Mizzou has faced Iowa State in its Big 12 opener and the third time in five years the two have met in their respective Big 12 openers ... Mizzou has won seven straight Big 12 home openers dating back to 1996-97 when they fell to No. 4 Iowa State, 68-65 in Columbia ... The home team has won the last eight meetings between the two schools ... The Tigers are 8-2 at Mizzou Arena this season, but are 0-3 away from home ... After playing 11 of their first 14 games at home, the Tigers will play six of their next nine games on the road following the Iowa State game ... Mizzou is in search of its first three-game winning streak of the season ... Sophomore Linas Kleiza has led Mizzou in scoring, rebounding or in both categories in 10 of its 13 games so far this season ... Head coach Quin Snyder is looking for win number 109 at Mizzou ... Junior Jimmy McKinney has now started 69 straight regular season games for Mizzou, dating back to Dec. 30, 2002 against Valparaiso ... Seven of the Tigers' 2004-05 opponents were ranked or receiving votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25.

About the Cyclones

Iowa State enters Saturday's contest with an 8-3 mark, having dropped their latest contest on Monday at Xavier, 72-59. The Cyclones are 8-0 at home, but have struggled away from Hilton at 0-3 including losses to in-state rivals Iowa and Northern Iowa. The three-headed monster of sophomores Curtis Stinson and Will Blaylock and senior big man Jared Homan average 44.0 of the Cyclones' 68.1 points per game (64.6 percent) and 45.7 percent of their rebounding (174-of-381). Stinson leads the way averaging 15.5 points per game while also leading the Cyclones in assists with 52. The 6'10" Homan paces the Cyclones' rebounding efforts pulling down 8.8 boards per game.

Wayne Morgan is in his second year at the helm of the Cyclones. He led ISU to the National Invitation Tournament semifinals last season and has registered a 28-16 mark in his two years as coach at ISU.

Series - Mizzou leads, 138-79 - Last Meeting: MU, 82-70 in Columbia, MO on Feb. 18, 2004

A Look Back ... Mizzou vs. American

Mizzou held American to only 51 points and 34.6 percent shooting on the night as they used 10 three-pointers to put the Eagles away, 64-51. Jason Conley recorded his second straight double-double in the contest. Below are a couple other notes of note from the game ...

Missouri Team Notes vs. American

* Missouri has now won each of the two meetings all-time between the two teams.

* MU closed the first half on an 16-2 run over the final 3:41 to take a 33-21 lead into halftime.

* Missouri outscored American 16-9 over the final 7:34 of the game.

* Missouri has now won four straight games at home after its win over American on Tuesday night. MU is now 8-2 at Mizzou Arena.

* The Tigers improve 5-1 under coach Quin Snyder in opening games of the calendar year.

* Missouri held a 33-21 lead at halftime and improved to 7-0 when leading at the half this season.

Missouri Player Notes after the American Game

* Junior Jimmy McKinney has now started 69-straight regular season games for Mizzou dating back to Dec. 30, 2002.

* Freshman Jason Horton had a career-high 12 points on Tuesday night. His previous best was eight points which he had scored twice (vs. Montana and vs. Illinois).

* Senior Jason Conley scored 12 points and had 10 rebounds for his second-consecutive double-double and the second of his career.

Conley Comes Alive!

After being held to a season-low two points (on 0-of-3 shooting) against Illinois on Dec. 22, senior Jason Conley has put together two of the most impressive games of his career at Mizzou so far.

Conley recorded a second double-double in as many games against American, scoring 12 points and pulling down 10 rebounds while also handing out five assists on the night. Nine of those points and six of those rebounds came in the second stanza.

The native of Silver Spring, MD, played one of the most dynamic games of the year last Thursday against Gonzaga, scoring 16 points (on 7-of-13 shooting) while also pulling down a career-best 13 rebounds. The double-double was the first of Conley's career and was the second double-double a Tiger guard has produced this season. The other was Thomas Gardner's 19-point, 12-rebound effort to open the season against Brown.

Doing it with Defense

One of the main focuses of the Tigers' efforts has been and will be improving on the defensive end. Its no secret how the Tigers have won six of their last eight contests. Mizzou has given up only 59.4 points per contest during that stretch. The Tigers limited American to just 51 points (a season low for the Eagles) and 34.5 percent shooting from the floor on Tuesday night.

After holding No. 1 Illinois to only 70 points (14 below their season average) before the Holidays, the Tigers stepped up their defense once again against Gonzaga. Mizzou held the high-powered Zags offense that was averaging 80 points per contest and 52 percent shooting from the field to just 61 points and 38.3 percent shooting from the floor in the upset win.

Mizzou recorded a great defensive performance against Indiana, holding the Hoosiers to just 53 points, the lowest total the Tigers have allowed this season. Mizzou held Indiana's leading scorer Bracey Wright to just 12 points on 3-of-8 shooting and forced 15 Hoosier turnovers.

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 23 three pointers over the course of the last six games and have held its last five opponents to a combined 29.7 percent from three (22-of-74).

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 scored 25 (of Mizzou's 64) points, pulled down seven rebounds and handed out three assists against Illinois. He has led Mizzou in scoring in four of its last six games and in eight of the Tigers' 13 games so far this season.

After scoring just three points in the opening half against Indiana, Kleiza poured in 15 of his game-high 18 points in the second half including 12 free throws in the win.

He had the best offensive game of his career against Montana, scoring a career-best 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. Kleiza 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 (15.6 ppg.), rebounds (7.0 rpg.) and is second on the squad in assists (33).

The Youth of the Tiger Nation

The freshmen on the Tiger roster have started to really assert themselves on the court for Mizzou. Over the course of the last eight games, Marshall Brown, Kalen Grimes, Jason Horton and Glen Dandridge have combined to score 26.9 percent of the Tigers points (139-of-515) and all four of them have set or equaled career highs in points during that stretch.

Horton and Brown had great outings against American. Horton scored a career-best 12 points while Brown chipped in with nine as the Tigers took out the Eagles. The foursome was great against Gonzaga, combining for 16 points and 10 rebounds. Horton scored six points and handed out three assists and recorded no turnovers in 37 minutes while running the Tiger offense. Dandridge and Grimes also had solid nights. Dandridge scored five points on 2-of-3 shooting while also recording a steal, a block and an assist in seven minutes of playing time while Grimes set a career-best with six rebounds.

Two of the four members of the class (Brown and Horton) have started this season and all of them are playing at least 5.8 minutes per contest.

`Cap'-tain Consistency

Junior Kevin Young (his teammates call him Cap) has started each of the Tigers' first 13 contests and has been a solid contributor so far. Young is tied for fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 4.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest. He has recorded five or more rebounds and/or five or more points in 10 games this season. He scored a career-high eight points against Houston in the second round of the Guardians Classic. He also matched a career best with eight boards (seven of which were offensive) against Illinois on Dec. 22. Young is second on the squad in field goal percentage, connecting on 45.1 percent from the field.

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

107-68

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.

In 2004-05, Mizzou returns several of its top players including senior Jason Conley, junior Jimmy McKinney and sophomores Thomas Gardner and Linas Kleiza. Snyder and his staff 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.