Jan. 21, 2005
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Tip-off: 12:30 p.m.
Arena: Norm Stewart Court at Mizzou Arena (15,061) - 1st season
TV: ESPN+ (KMIZ in Columbia) (Fred White, play-by-play; Paul Splittorff, 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 117-84 : Last Meeting: NU, 78-62 on Feb. 7, 2004 in Lincoln, NE
Coaches:
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89) 109-71 at MU and overall (6th season).
Nebraska: Barry Collier (Butler '76) 64-69 at NU (5th season) and 260-201 overall (16th season).
Tigers Face off with Nebraska on Saturday at Mizzou Arena
The University of Missouri men's basketball team (9-8 overall, 1-3 Big 12) looks to get back on the winning track on Saturday when it welcomes the Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-6, 2-2 Big 12) to Columbia for an afternoon tilt. Time is of the essence for Mizzou as it looks to break a three-game slide that has occurred over the last eight days while the Huskers have dropped their last two, including a nail-biter to Kansas on Wednesday night in their latest contest.
The Tigers had three players in double figures in scoring and outrebounded the Red Raiders by eight boards, but it still wasn't enough on Wednesday night as TTU converted 19 Tiger turnovers into 25 points in the loss. Freshman Marshall Brown was a bright spot for Mizzou, scoring a career-best 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Sophomores Thomas Gardner and Linas Kleiza were also somewhat effective, scoring 11 and 10 points respectively and Kleiza registered his third double-double of the year and sixth of his career with 12 boards. He has led the Tigers in rebounding in each of the last four games.
Saturday's game will be aired on the Tiger Radio Network with Mike Kelly and former Tiger Gary Link calling all of the action. Fred White and Paul Splittorff will handle the broadcast duties for ESPN+ television with Bob Helmers running the show in the production truck with tip set for 12:47 pm. Mizzou is 1-1 this season on ESPN+ and is 1-0 when Mr. White is calling action. The Tigers have also thrived early in the day, as they are 5-0 in games that have tipped before 5:00 pm so far this season. Like the 80's band Loverboy, Mizzou has been `Working for the Weekend' so far this season, carrying a 5-1 mark in Saturday and Sunday contests (3-1 on Saturday and 2-0 on Sunday).
Quick Hits
Mizzou has won five of its last six games at home ... The Tigers check in with the 17th toughest schedule in the country according to CollegeRPI.com on Thursday night ... The Tigers are allowing their opponents to score only 64.9 points per game ... If they can maintain that average, it would be the lowest average a Tiger squad has allowed since 1998-99 (63.2 points per game) ... Freshman Marshall Brown is coming off of a career-best 12-point performance against Texas Tech ... Mizzou is 9-2 against Nebraska under Head Coach Quin Snyder and has not lost to the Huskers in Columbia since Feb. 2, 1995 ... Sophomore Linas Kleiza has connected on his last 17 free throw attempts ... Mizzou is 8-0 this season when leading at halftime ... Mizzou is 0-6 when allowing their opponents to score 70 or more points ... The Tigers are 9-3 at Mizzou Arena this season, but are 0-5 away from home ... After playing 12 of their first 17 games at home, the Tigers will play four of their next five games on the road ... Head coach Quin Snyder is looking for win number 110 at Mizzou ... Junior Jimmy McKinney has now started 73 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 17 games this season ... Mizzou is looking to avoid its first four-game losing streak under Coach Snyder and its first four-game slide overall since 1997-98 ... After giving up eight three-point field goals per game during the first seven contests of the season, the Tigers have allowed just 34 three pointers (3.4 threes per game) over the course of the last ten games and have held those opponents to a combined 30.1 percent from three (34-of-113).
About the Cornhuskers
The Huskers enter Saturday's contest as the best defensive team in the Big 12, limiting their opponents to only 58.8 points per contest. They have also been excellent on the boards, pulling down 41.3 rebounds per contest, which also leads the league. Aleks Maric leads the board work with a 7.5 rebounds-per-game average. Fifth-year Head Coach Barry Collier had NU out to a 2-0 start in the Big 12 with wins over Kansas State at home and at Colorado, but it has dropped each of its last two games including a nail-biter at Kansas on Wednesday, 59-57.
Freshman phenom Joe McCray leads the way for the Red Menace, averaging 15.4 points per contest while also pulling down 5.6 boards per contest. He has knocked down a team-best 44 threes (which also ties him for the top spot in the Big 12) and leads Nebraska in steals. Marcus Neal is the only other player to average in double figures in scoring, averaging 11.1 points per game. Coach Collier is 64-69 at NU and has recorded a 260-201 career mark in 16 seasons as a head coach.
Series - Mizzou leads, 117-84- Last Meeting: NU, 78-62 in Lincoln on Feb. 7, 2004
A Look Back ... Mizzou vs. Texas Tech
Mizzou outrebounded the Red Raiders, 36-28, and had three players in double figures, but it wasn't enough to stop a blazing TTU squad that shot 51.7 percent from the field. Despite 10 points and 12 rebounds from Linas Kleiza, the Tigers dropped their third straight Big 12 contest on Wednesday night. Below are some other notes of note from the contest.
Missouri Team Notes after the Texas Tech
* Missouri had its five-game home winning streak snapped with the loss to Texas Tech on Wednesday. The Tigers are now 9-3 at Mizzou Arena.
* The Tigers have dropped two straight to Texas Tech.
* The Tigers are now 4-3 against the Red Raiders under Head Coach Quin Snyder and 2-1 in Columbia against TTU.
* The Tigers outrebounded TTU, 36-28 and were a solid 14-of-18 from the free throw line.
* The Tigers' bench outscored TTU's bench, 31-2 on the night.
* Mizzou committed 19 turnovers, its third highest total of the season.
* The Tigers fall to 4-8 in night games (that tip later than 5 p.m.) and 0-3 on Wednesdays.
Missouri Player Notes after the Texas Tech
* Freshman Marshall Brown recorded a career-best 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field.
* Junior Jimmy McKinney has now started 73 straight regular season games, dating back to Dec. 30th, 2002 against Valpraiso.
* Junior Jimmy McKinney and junior Kevin Young are the only Tigers to have started all 17 games this season for the Tigers.
* Freshman Jason Horton had a career-high seven assists on Wednesday against TTU.
* Sophomore Linas Kleiza had a double-double for the third time this season. He finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds. It was the 14th time he has reached double-digits in points this season and the third game in which he recorded double digits in rebounds.
* Kleiza has led Mizzou in rebounding in four straight games and in 10 of its 17 games so far this season.
* Sophomore Thomas Gardner connected on a career-best 7-of-8 free throws on the night.
What Can Brown Do for You? (The Remix)
I guess we could have gone with `there's a new Marshall in town,' or something Clarence Gilbert-esque like that, but we will stick with what has worked so far in the notes this season. Much like UPS, who uses the slogan of `What can brown do for you?,' freshman Marshall Brown continues to deliver for Mizzou.
The super-athletic forward scored a career-best 12 points in 22 minutes of action to lead Mizzou in scoring for the first time in his career against Texas Tech. Brown has scored seven or more points in six of the Tigers' last 10 games and has connected on a team-best 42.9 percent (12-of-28) three point attempts on the season.
Bench Marks
The Tigers who have come off of the bench for Mizzou have played a key role this season. When the Tigers' bench has outscored the opponent's bench, they are 7-4. Mizzou's bench has averaged 20.5 points per contest compared its opponent's mark of 15.1 points per game. In the loss to Texas Tech, Mizzou's bench scored 31 of the Tigers' 62 points.
Thomas Gardner has come off of the bench in 12 of the Tigers' games and leads the way averaging 9.3 points per game. He broke into double figures for the first time in four games against Texas Tech, scoring 11 points while hitting 7-of-8 free throw attempts.
Tigers Set School Record for Team GPA in Fall Semester
The University of Missouri men's basketball team continues to achieve both on and off the court this season
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.
At the Line with Linas
At the risk of totally jinxing the progress the Tigers made from the free throw line of late, 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 has made a living at the free throw line this season, getting to the charity stripe 105 times already. Kleiza has hit 75 of those attempts, good for 71.4 percent accuracy. He has been particularly impressive the past eight games, knocking down 49-of-61 attempts (80.3 percent) and has averaged just under eight trips to the line per game during that stretch.
Doing it with Defense
The Tigers have held 10 of their last 11 opponents below their season scoring average after allowing Kansas State to score 74 points (they had averaged 73.1 points per game coming 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.
Despite four turnovers against Texas Tech, Kleiza was able to record his third double-double of the season against the Red Raiders, scoring 10 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.
After struggling to just four points in the first half against Kansas State, Kleiza scored 10 of his team-high 14 points while also pulling down eight rebounds against KSU. 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 (15.5 ppg.), rebounds (7.4 rpg.) and is third on the squad in assists (36).
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 ten games, Marshall Brown, Kalen Grimes, Jason Horton and Glen Dandridge have combined to score 28.8 percent of the Tigers points (219-of-761) and all four of them have set or equaled career highs in points during that stretch.
Brown scored a career-best 12 points in the Tigers loss to Texas Tech. He knocked down two threes and was also 2-of-2 from the free throw line. 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.
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
109-71
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.