Jan. 13, 2005
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Tip-off: 7:00 p.m.
Arena: Bramlage Coliseum (13,500)
TV: Mizzou Sports Network (KOMU in Columbia) (Chris Gervino, play-by-play; Norm Stewart, analyst)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, play-by-play: Gary Link, analyst)
Rankings: Neither team was ranked or receiving votes in the last poll
Series: MU leads 112-107 : Last Meeting: MU, 79-69 in Manhattan, KS, on Feb. 28, 2004
Coaches:
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89) 109-69 at MU and overall (6th season).
KSU: Jim Wooldridge (Louisiana Tech '77) 61-68 at KSU (5th season) and 290-215 overall (18th season).
Tigers Tangle With Wildcats on Saturday in Manhattan
The University of Missouri looks to make it eight straight wins over the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday when the two face off in a Big 12 battle. The Tigers have won 12 of the last 16 meeting between the two schools and hold a 112-107 advantage in the all-time series. Mizzou enters the contest at 9-6 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12 after dropping a tough contest to No. 6 Oklahoma State, 78-68 in Stillwater, OK. The Wildcats have lost their opening two games of Big 12 play falling to Nebraska in double overtime and losing to Texas Tech on a last-second three point shot on Wednesday. They are 10-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12 so far.
The Tigers hung with the No. 6 Cowboys throughout the contest and had what would turn out to be their final lead of the contest with 11:22 left in the game at 52-51. Linas Kleiza reached the 20-point plateau for the fourth time this season with 24 points including 13 free throws on 13 attempts in the back-and-forth battle that featured six ties and eight lead changes. The contest marks the end of a stretch in which Mizzou has played three top 15 teams (No. 1 Illinois, No. 12 Gonzaga and at No. 6 Oklahoma State) over the course of the last six games. As of right now, the next ranked team Mizzou faces will be a Jan. 31 at No. 2 Kansas on ESPN's Big Monday.
Following their appearance in Manhattan, Mizzou will head back to Mizzou Arena (where they are 9-2 on the season) for a mini two-game home stand against Texas Tech and Nebraska before playing four of their next five contests away from Columbia.
The contest will be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network with Mike Kelly and former Tiger great Gary Link on the call. Chris Gervino and former Tiger coaching legend Norm Stewart will be anchoring the Mizzou Sport Network's television coverage of Saturday evening's game (with tip set for 7 pm). The Tigers are 3-0 this season when Gervino is calling the action and 7-2 overall on the Mizzou Sports Network.
Quick Hits
Mizzou has won seven straight over KSU and nine of the last 10 over the Wildcats ... The Tigers have won seven of their last 10 games overall ... Coach Quin Snyder is 9-1 against Kansas State in his six years at Mizzou ... The Tigers are 9-2 at Mizzou Arena this season, but are 0-4 away from home ... After playing 11 of their first 15 games at home, the Tigers will play five of their next eight games on the road ... Mizzou is 3-0 when playing on Saturday this season ... In fact, the Tigers are very fond of the weekend as they are a combined 5-0 on Saturday and Sunday ... Head coach Quin Snyder is looking for win number 110 at Mizzou ... Junior Jimmy McKinney has now started 71 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 15 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 28 three pointers over the course of the last eight games and have held those opponents to a combined 29.7 percent from three (28-of-94).
About the Wildcats
The Wildcats enter Saturday's contest having dropped their last two contests, but are 10-3 overall. They have gone 9-2 at Bramlage Coliseum so far this season and are shooting 46.0 percent from the field, including 43.8 percent from three. In their latest outing, the Wildcats used the long-ball make their run against Texas Tech, knocking down 13-of-19 threes on the night before falling to the Red Raiders on a last second three, 79-76. Five KSU players broke into double figures against TTU with junior Jeremiah Massey and sophomore Fred Peete tying for team-high honors with 15 points each. Massey leads KSU in scoring for the year, averaging 16.2 points and also paces the Wildcats in rebounding pulling down 6.3 boards per contest. The Wildcats have been strong on the glass so far this season, outrebounding their opponents by an average of 5.8 rebounds per contest with four KSU players averaging better than 5.2 rebounds per contest. The Wildcats are coached by Jim Wooldridge, who is in his fifth year as head coach at KSU. He has registered a 61-68 mark at KSU and a 290-215 mark in his 18 years as a head coach.
Series - Mizzou leads, 112-107- Last Meeting: MU, 79-69 in Manhattan, KS, on Feb. 28, 2004
A Look Back ... Mizzou vs. Oklahoma State
Sophomore Linas Kleiza scored 24 points and the Tigers knocked down 18-of-20 free throws (90.0 percent, their best performance of the year) but it wasn't enough to keep pace with the No. 6 Cowboys. Despite the loss, the Tigers have still won two of the last three contests against OSU. Here are a couple other notes of note following the game ...
Missouri Team Notes after the Oklahoma State Game
· The Tigers fall to 9-6 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12 Conference.
· The contest was tied six times and there were eight lead changes.
· Mizzou equaled a season high with 18 free throws made and knocked a season-best 90 percent from the stripe. Sophomore Linas Kleiza led the way, knocking down 13-of-13 from the free throw line.
· Mizzou's bench outscored the OSU bench, 22-16
· The Cowboys were the third top 15 opponent Mizzou has faced in the past six games. The Tigers are 1-2 against ranked teams so far this season.
· The contest was the Tigers first road contest of the year after playing their first 14 games in the state of Missouri (2 neutral court contests in Kansas City and one neutral court game in St. Louis). Mizzou is 0-4 away from Mizzou Arena and 9-2 at home.
· Head Coach Quin Snyder is now 3-4 against OSU Coach Eddie Sutton and 109-69 in his six years at Mizzou.
· The loss breaks the Tigers two game winning streak over the Cowboys and marks the fifth straight contest Mizzou has lost to the Cowboys in Stillwater.
· Despite the loss, Mizzou has still won seven of its last 10 contests.
· The Tigers gave up more than 70 points to an opponent for the first time since they gave up 78 points to Creighton (a span of 12 games). The 78 points given up equals the second biggest total Mizzou has given up all season.
· MU has now held nine straight opponents under their season scoring average coming into the respective game. OSU was averaging almost 82 points per contest and had won their first six home game of the season by an average of 33.6 points per game.
· The Tigers will play five of their next eight contests on the road.
Missouri Player Notes after the Oklahoma State Game
· Sophomore Linas Kleiza recorded his fourth game of the season with 20 points or more with his team-high 24-point effort. He has reached double figures in scoring 12 times this season and has led Mizzou in scoring in eight games.
· Kleiza also led Mizzou in rebounding, marking the eighth time he has accomplished that feat as well.
· Kleiza was only 5-of-13 from the field, but knocked down a career-best 13-of-13 free throws.
· Junior Jimmy McKinney started his 71st straight contest.
· Sophomore Thomas Gardner equaled a season best knocking down three three-pointers. Mizzou finished the game going 8-of-21 from behind the arc.
· With his five-rebound performance, senior Jason Conley has grabbed five or more rebounds in five of the Tiger's last six contests.
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 four contests, Conley has averaged 10.8 points and 7.8 rebounds. He has reached double figures in scoring in three of those four contests and has recorded double-doubles in two games.
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 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.
At the Line with Linas
At the risk of totally jinxing the progress the Tigers made from the free throw line on Tuesday night against Oklahoma State, we offer this intriguing analysis of the Tigers' free throw shooting, in particular in regard to sophomore Linas Kleiza. The Tigers knocked down a season-high 90.0 percent (18-of-20) from the free throw line against OSU after entering the contest shooting just 64.1 percent on the season.
They were spurred by Kleiza's remarkable 13-for-13 shooting from the stripe, setting a new career best for free throws made in a game. Linas had made a living at the free throw line this season, getting to the charity stripe 101 times already, which is tops in the Big 12 by 13 attempts over OSU's Joey Graham. Kleiza has hit 71 of those attempts (which ranks second in the league behind Graham's 74 makes), good for 70.3 percent accuracy which ranks 13th in the Big 12. He has been particularly impressive the past six games, knocking down 45-of-58 attempts (77.6 percent) and has averaged just under 10 trips to the line per game during that stretch.
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 10 contests. Mizzou has given up only 61.2 points per contest during that stretch. The Tigers have held their last nine opponents under their season scoring average heading into the contest.
Mizzou limited American to just 51 points (a season low for the Eagles) and 34.5 percent shooting from the floor..
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 second 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.
The offensive juggernaut reached the 20-point plateau for the fourth time this season against Oklahoma State when he dumped in 24 points while going a perfect 13-of-13 from the free throw line. 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 nine games, Marshall Brown, Kalen Grimes, Jason Horton and Glen Dandridge have combined to score 28.0 percent of the Tigers points (181-of-645) 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 6.2 minutes per contest.
Tigers Set School Record for Team GPA in Fall Semester
The University of Missouri men's basketball team is starting to heat up on the court, as evidenced by its strong play over the last couple of weeks. What might not draw as much attention - but is just as impressive nonetheless - are the achievements in the classroom by the program lately.
With final grades now set for the 2004 fall semester at Mizzou, the reports show that the men's basketball team has established a record for its team grade point average. Bryan Maggard, MU's Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services, says that the Tiger men's team came in with a cumulative team GPA of 2.91 this past fall - which was the highest single semester mark in recorded history for an MU men's basketball squad.
According to Maggard, four Tiger cagers had GPAs of over 3.0 on the standard 4.0 scale, and two will earn a place on the coveted Dean's List.
The achievement comes on the heels of the 2004 NCAA Graduation Report, which shows that the Missouri men's basketball team led the Big 12 Conference in graduation rates, at 67%. The next-best rate in the league belonged to Colorado (40%), followed by Texas Tech and Kansas (33%) and Nebraska (20%). The rates represent students who enrolled in 1997-98 and graduated within six years.
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
109-69
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.