Jan. 10, 2005

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Tip-off: 8:00 p.m.

Arena: Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)

TV: ESPN+ (KMIZ in Columbia) (Dave Armstong, play-by-play; Reid Gettys, analyst)

Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, play-by-play: Gary Link, analyst)

Rankings: Oklahoma State was No. 6 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 7 in the Associated Press Poll. Missouri was not ranked in either poll.

Series: MU leads, 70-37 : Last Meeting: MU, 93-92 (2OT) on Feb. 24, 2004 in Columbia.

Coaches:

Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89) 109-68 at MU and overall (6th season).

OSU: Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State '58) 336-129 at OSU (15th season) and 766-293 overall (35th season)

Mizzou Travels to Oklahoma State on Tuesday

Winners of three straight contests and seven of its last nine, the University of Missouri men's basketball team heads to Stillwater, OK, for its first official road contest of the season. Mizzou enters the game with a 9-5 record and a 1-0 mark in the Big 12 Conference after defeating Iowa State on Saturday in Columbia, 62-59. The No. 6/7 Cowboys enter the contest with a 11-1 overall mark after a come-from-behind win at Texas Tech on Saturday. Mizzou is 1-0 this season against Top 25 opponents.

Mizzou senior Jason Conley led the Tigers efforts against ISU, scoring a team-high 13 points and junior Jimmy McKinney scored four of his 10 points in the last 28 seconds of the game to lead the Tigers to the come-from-behind win. Conley has led Mizzou in scoring in two of its last three games and is averaging 13.7 points and 8.7 rebounds during that stretch.

Tuesday's game, which will be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network with Mike Kelly and former Tiger great Gary Link on the call, is set for an 8:00 pm tip. The game will also be broadcast for television on ESPN Regional (KMIZ in Columbia) with Dave Armstrong handling the play-by-play duties and Reid Gettys providing analysis. Mizzou is 1-0 when Gettys is involved in the broadcast of a game.

The two squads have definitely played some classic contests over the course of the last two seasons with the Tigers winning the latest meeting in double overtime last season, 93-92 (which just happened to feature Dave Armstrong on the call for ESPN+). The duo of former Tigers Rickey Paulding and Arthur Johnson combined for 60 points (31 for Paulding and 29 for Johnson) as Mizzou defeated the No. 6 Cowboys. The last two contests between OSU and MU have been decided by a total of three points.

The Tigers went 5-7 on the road last season and 2-1 on the road against teams from the Big 12 south picking up wins over Baylor and Oklahoma.

Quick Hits

The Tigers have won three of the last four games over Oklahoma State and two straight in the series ... Coach Snyder is 3-3 against coaching legend Eddie Sutton ... The Tigers are looking for their first win in Stillwater since Feb. 13, 1996 when they defeated the Cowboys, 63-59 ... the last two games between MU and OSU have been decided by a total of three points ... The Tigers are also looking for their first win in a Big 12 road conference opener since 1999 ... Mizzou is now 4-2 under coach Quin Snyder in Big 12 conference openers after their win over Iowa State ... MU has held each of its last 10 opponents to 70 points or fewer ... Mizzou has now won eight straight Big 12 home openers dating back to 1997 ... The Tigers are 9-2 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 ... Mizzou is in search of its first four-game winning streak of the season ... Head coach Quin Snyder is looking for win number 110 at Mizzou ... Junior Jimmy McKinney has now started 70 straight regular season games for Mizzou, dating back to Dec. 30, 2002 against Valparaiso ... McKinney and fellow junior Kevin Young are the only Tigers to start all 14 games this season ... After giving up eight three-point field goals per game during the first seven contests of the season, the Tigers have allowed just 24 three pointers over the course of the last seven games and have held those opponents to a combined 28.2 percent from three (24-of-85).

About the Cowboys

The Cowboys were No. 6 in the last ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and are an impressive 11-1 on the season. Their lone loss was to Gonzaga on Dec. 28th in Oklahoma City, who the Tigers then defeated two days later in Columbia. OSU is 6-0 at home and has won their contests at Gallagher-Iba Arena by an average of 33.5 points per contest. They are shooting a robust 52 percent (354-of-678) from the field and are averaging 81.6 points per contest.

Anchored by five seniors in the starting line up, John Lucas leads the Cowboys averaging 18.9 points per game while Joey Graham checks in with 18.4 points per contest. OSU went 15-0 at home last season under the guidance of coaching legend Eddie Sutton. He led Cowboys to the NCAA Final Four and to the Big 12 regular season and tournament championships in 2003-04.

Series - Mizzou leads, 70-37 - Last Meeting: MU, 93-92 (2OT) in Columbia, MO on Feb. 24, 2004

A Look at the Last Six Games in the Series

2-21-00 L 72-84 Columbia, MO
2-5-01 L 66-69 at Stillwater, OK
2-25-02 W 72-69 Columbia, MO
1-18-03 L 56-76 Stillwater, OK
3-14-03 W @60-58 Dallas, TX
2-24-04 W (2ot) 93-92 Columbia, MO
 @ Big 12 Tournament

A Look Back ... Mizzou vs. Iowa State

The Tigers went from up by as many as 13 to down by as many as 12 in the second half before using a 17-2 run the last 4:35 to defeat Iowa State in Mizzou's home conference opener. Please turn the page for a couple other notes of note from the Iowa State contest ...

Missouri Team Notes vs. Iowa State

* Iowa State scored the first four points of the game before Mizzou recorded its first basket at 16:55 left in the first half.

* Missouri went on a 12-4 run over a 5:21 period late in the first half to build a 24-18 lead.

* The first free throw of the game did not come until the 4:21 mark of the first half when ISU's Tasheed Carr made one of two shots.

* Iowa State took the lead away from MU with 8:57 left in the second half on a free throw by Rahshon Clark to make the score 44-43.

* The Cyclones went on a 28-4 run from 17:16 to 5:05 in the second half, taking a 54-43 lead.

* Missouri responded with a 13-0 run over 2:56 to retake the lead at 58-57. MU finished the game with a 17-2 run over the final 4:35

* Mizzou shot a season-high 51.2 percent from the field (21-of-41).

* With the victory, Missouri now leads the all-time series with Iowa State 140-78.

* Missouri is 4-2 under Coach Quin Snyder in Big 12 Conference openers. MU has won eight straight Big 12 home openers dating back to the 1996-97 season.

* The Tigers improve to 9-2 at Mizzou Arena.

* Mizzou has won three straight for the first time this season. It has won five of its last six and seven of its last nine.

* The Tigers, who led 33-24 at halftime, are 8-0 when leading at the half.

* MU has held each of its last 10 opponents to less than 70 points.

Missouri Player Notes after the Iowa State Game

* All nine Tigers to see action scored for the Tigers on Saturday.

* Senior Jason Conley led Mizzou with 13 points. It is the seventh time this season and third game in a row in which he has reached double digits in points.

* Sophomore Linas Kleiza had a team-high nine rebounds. It is the seventh time he has led the team in rebounds this season. Kleiza has led MU in scoring, rebounding or both categories in 11 of MU 14 games this season.

* Freshman Glen Dandridge has knocked down a three in each of the last three games.

* Freshman Jason Horton has hit seven of his last 17 three point attempts (.411).

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 three of the most impressive games of his career at Mizzou so far. Over the course of the last three contests, Conley has averaged 13.7 points and 8.7 rebounds.

He led Mizzou to a 62-59 win over Iowa State on Saturday with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting including two three pointers. 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 seven of their last nine contests. Mizzou has given up only 59.3 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).

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.

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 (15.4 ppg.), rebounds (7.1 rpg.) and is second on the squad in assists (35).

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 27.7 percent of the Tigers points (160-of-577) and all four of them have set or equaled career highs in points during that stretch.

Horton equaled a career high with 12 points for the second straight game against Iowa State. He 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 6.4 minutes per contest.

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

109-68

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.