Feb. 8, 2005
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MISSOURI (7-13, 1-8 Big 12) at Colorado (8-12, 1-8)
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2005 - Boulder, Colo.
TIPOFF: 7:00 p.m. MST (8:00 p.m. CST).
ARENA: Coors Events/Conference Center (11,064). Opened in 1979. Missouri is 165-187 (.469) all-time on the road, including 17-26 against unranked Big 12 opponents.
RADIO: KWWC-FM 90.5 (David Lile, play-by-play/Kerensa Barr, color). Also available through Yahoo! audio at www.mutigers.com.
TV: None in Missouri; FSN Rocky Mountain in Colorado. Keith Bleyer, play-by-play; Charles Johnson, color; Tavis Strand, producer.
SERIES: Colorado leads, 34-22, including 18-5 in Boulder. CU has won the last four overall, and Mizzou has not won in Boulder since 1990. Cindy Stein is 4-11 against the Buffs, including 0-6 in Boulder.
RANKINGS: Neither team is receiving votes in either poll.
COACHES:
Missouri: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 108-92 at MU (seventh season) and 173-117 overall (10th season).
Colorado: Ceal Barry (Kentucky '77), 426-235 at CU (22nd season) and 509-277 overall (26th season).
TIGERS LOOKING FOR "ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH" WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT COLORADO
The Missouri women's basketball team (7-13, 1-8 Big 12) heads west to Boulder, Colo., looking to avenge the only loss a Colorado team has handed out this Big 12 season. The two teams tip off at 7 p.m. MST (8 p.m. CST) Wednesday in a game that will be televised regionally by FSN Rocky Mountain.
THE COLORADO SERIES
The date was Wednesday, Feb. 7, 1990. The Cosby Show, Roseanne and Cheers were dueling it out for the title of America's favorite TV show. Rod Stewart's "Downtown Train" was the top song on the charts, and the Mizzou women won a 58-55 battle against Colorado. As longtime Tiger fans are painfully aware, Missouri hasn't won in Boulder since that night. For non-math majors, that's a 14-game Colorado winning streak at the Coors Events/Conference Center. CU's average margin of victory over the streak is 15.1 points per game.
Since the start of the streak, Missouri's lost every possible way: by a little (three points in 1991 to start the current streak, six points the following year, and back-to-back eight-point losses in 2000 and 2001); by a lot (31 points in 2002, and 20+ points four other times); by scoring (MU scored 90 points in 2001 but gave up 98) and not (47 points in 2002).
Last year, Evan Unrau posted her seventh double-double just past the midway point of the season, but it wasn't enough in a 71-54 setback.
SCOUTING THE BUFFALOES
CU's only Big 12 win came in Columbia on Jan. 18; the Buffs are the only conference team that have yet to win a league game at home. Colorado is coming off a 10-point loss on Saturday at Texas A&M, and a 103-76 loss at Iowa State last Wednesday.
In Big 12 play, Jasmina Ilic is CU's lone scorer in double figures at 12.1 ppg, yet three other Buffs - Kara Richards (9.9 ppg), Jackie McFarland (9.0 ppg) and Veronica Johns-Richardson (8.9 ppg) are all adding significant scoring punch. In its nine league games, CU is giving up a Big 12-worst 77.2 points per game - 8.2 points a game more than the 11th-place team.
LAST TIME OUT: KANSAS 60, MIZZOU 42
Near-50-percent shooting from the field in the last 26 minutes of play weren't enough to dig the Missouri women out of a 23-point deficit at the outset, as Kansas registered a 60-42 win in Big 12 Conference action Saturday afternoon at Mizzou Arena. With the win, the Jayhawks sweep the season series and earn 1.5 points for KU in the annual Midwest Ford Dealers Border Showdown.
WALKING WOUNDED FIGHTING THROUGH INJURIES
Nagging injuries have taken their toll on what started out as a relatively deep Missouri rotation. Junior F and leading scorer Tiffany Brooks was hobbled with an ankle sprain three weeks ago; junior C Christelle N'Garsanet recovered from a foot injury; and sophomore F EeTisha Riddle (foot) and freshman G Kassie Drew (leg) are both recovering from stress fractures. Brooks, N'Garsanet and Riddle are nearly fully healed, while Drew continues to see limited floor action.
BOLDLY GOING WHERE NO ONE HAS GONE BEFORE?
Mizzou's eight-game losing streak is the program's longest since a 10-game skid during the 1990-91 season. The eight-game conference losing streak is the team's longest since the Tigers started the 1991 Big Eight season 0-8.