Feb. 24, 2005
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Tip-off: 12:00 p.m. CST
Arena: Frank Erwin Center (16,755)
TV: ABC (Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Fran Fraschilla, analyst)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, play-by-play: Gary Link, analyst)
Rankings: UT was receiving votes in both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Poll. Missouri was not ranked in either poll.
Series: Series tied, 8-8 : Last Meeting: UT, 75-69 in OT on Jan. 20, 2004
Coaches:
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89) 114-76 at MU and overall (6th season).
UT: Rick Barnes (Lenoir-Rhyne '77) 159-66 at UT (7th season) and 361-200 overall (18th season).
Tigers Look For Fifth Straight Win on Saturday
The University of Missouri men's basketball squad looks to win its fifth straight game on Saturday when it travels to Austin, TX, to take on the Texas Longhorns (18-8, 7-6 Big 12). The Tigers have managed to move into a tie for seventh place in the Big 12 Conference with Texas A&M over the course of the last two weeks with their four straight wins and carry a 14-13 overall record and a 6-7 mark in the Big 12 into Saturday's contest at the Frank Erwin Center.
One of the keys to Mizzou's success over the course of the last four games has been an improved effort on the defensive end. The Tigers have held their last four opponents to just 56.2 points per game and 40.3 percent (23.9 percent from three) field goal shooting. They have also been strong on the boards, outrebounding their opponents by an average of 4.8 boards per contest during the streak.
Freshman Jason Horton, who is a native of Dallas, is coming off of one of the best shooting performances of his career as he scored a game-high 14 points including three 3-pointers against Colorado, all of which came in the second half. Sophomore Linas Kleiza has also been extremely effective with two double-doubles in the Tigers last four games, giving him seven double-doubles on the season.
Saturday's contest, which is set to tip at 12 noon, will be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network with Mike Kelly, `The Voice of the Tigers' handling the play-by-play duties and former Tiger great Gary Link handling the analyst duties. The game will also be aired regionally by ABC television with play-by-play guru Ron Franklin on the call and Fran Fraschilla providing expert analysis. Westwood One Radio will also be broadcasting the contest nation-wide with Chuck Cooperstein and Bill Freider on the call.
The Tigers are 1-0 this season when the game is being carried by ABC, 7-0 in games played during the day and have won two straight games over teams from the Big 12 South.
Quick Hits
Mizzou is 18-5 during the month of February at home under Head Coach Quin Snyder during his six years at the helm and 27-16 overall during the second month of the year under his tutelage ... The series is tied between MU and UT, 8-8 ... Mizzou is 13-4 at home, 0-3 in neutral court contests and 1-6 on the road ... Mizzou is 0-6 against Texas under Coach Snyder ... Expect to see some 3-pointers taken as these two squads rank No. 1 (Texas, 211) and No. 3 (Missouri, 179) in 3-point field goals made ... The Tigers are 6-2 at Mizzou Arena in 2005 ... The Tigers have won four in a row for the first time since Feb. 10-28 of last season when they won six straight ... Head Coach Quin Snyder is looking for win number 115 at Mizzou ... Sophomore Linas Kleiza has led Mizzou in either scoring, rebounding or in both categories in 20 of the Tigers' 27 games so far this season ... Kleiza had 14 points and five rebounds against Texas last season in Columbia ... Senior Jason Conley has scored in double figures in five of the Tigers' last seven games ... The Tigers have two members of their squad from the State of Texas including freshmen Jason Horton (Dallas) and Marshall Brown (Austin) ... Horton had a team-high 14 points against Colorado on Tuesday, all of which came in the second half ... He recorded 10 assists and only three turnovers against OU; that is the most assists in a game by a Tiger since Wesley Stokes handed out 11 dimes against Coppin State in January of 2002 ... Horton also had a great game against Baylor, scoring a team-high 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field ... Horton had one of the best games of his high school career at the Frank Erwin Center his senior year of high school as he scored 31 points for Cedar Hill High School in the Texas State Tournament Championship game against Houston Milby ... Brown was also a stand out in Austin for LB Johnson High School where he earned First Team All-State honors his junior and senior seasons ... The Tigers are 1-0 this season on ABC, 7-0 in games that are played during the day (Saturday's contest is a 12 noon tip) and 2-3 against teams from the Big 12 South.
About the Longhorns
Texas enters Saturday's contest with an 18-8 overall record and a 7-6 mark in the Big 12. It has won three of their last four contests despite a loss to Texas Tech, 79-75 in its game on Tuesday. The Longhorns are one of the most explosive teams in the Big 12, averaging 79.3 points per contest, and lead the league in 3-point field goals with 211 on the year.
Offensively, they are one of the most balanced teams in the country with five active players that average better than 9.9 points per contest. Freshman Daniel Gibson has been extremely effective since his arrival in Austin averaging a team-best 14.7 points per game. He also leads the squad in assists (105) and three point field goals (65). He has hit 44 percent of his shots on the year and has grabbed a team-best 47 steals.
Junior Brad Buckman has also been impressive this season. He recorded his fifth double-double in his last six contests with 16 points and 13 boards in Teusday's loss to Texas Tech. Buckman averages 12.6 points and a team-best 8.6 rebounds per game on the year while leading the team in blocks with 45.
Texas Coach Rick Barnes is in his seventh year at the helm and has registered a 159-66 mark at UT while leading them to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last six seasons.
Series - Series tied, 8-8 - Last Meeting: UT, 75-69 in OT in Columbia, MO.
A Look Back ... Mizzou at Colorado
The Tigers exploded for 45 points in the second half after trailing 24-16 at half time to the Buffaloes. Four Mizzou players broke into double figures including freshman Jason Horton, who scored all 14 of his points in the second half. Below are a couple other notes of note from the CU game ...
Missouri Team Notes after the Colorado Game
- Missouri now holds a 90-50 lead in the all-time series.
- Colorado took the first matchup between these two teams this season, winning 64-62 in Boulder on January 26.
- Mizzou avoided being swept by Colorado in a regular season series for the first time since the 1997 season, when the Buffaloes earned 87-78 and 84-75 wins.
- Mizzou is now 18-5 at home in the month of February under head coach Quin Snyder, and owns a 9-0 mark over CU in Snyder's six years.
- The Tigers improved their record to 13-4 this season at Mizzou Arena.
- Mizzou's four straight wins constitute a season-long winning streak, and also their longest span without a loss since winning six consecutive outings from February 10-28, 2004.
- The Tigers' first five field goal attempts, and the team's first two field goals made, came from behind the 3-point line. Mizzou didn't attempt a 2-point field goal until the 15:08 mark of the first half and didn't connect from inside the arc until the clock showed 8:59.
- The Tigers improved their record to 10-6 this season when they out rebounded the opposing team. Mizzou pulled down 40 boards, while only allowing the Buffaloes to collect 35.
Missouri Player Notes after the Colorado Game
- Sophomore forward Linas Kleiza pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds against CU. Kleiza has now led Mizzou in scoring, rebounding or both in 20 of the Tigers' 27 games this season.
- Senior guard Brian Dailey set a career high in minutes, playing seven against the Buffaloes to eclipse the mark of four he set in last season's win over UNLV. Dailey came off the bench in the first half, and opened the second stanza on the floor.
- Sophomore guard Thomas Gardner had a career-high five assists against CU, and is averaging 4.3 assists per game over his last three outings. He entered the game averaging only 1.7 helpers per game on the year.
- Junior guard Jimmy McKinney's 3-point field goal at the 15:04 mark of the second half gave Mizzou its first lead, at 29-27, since they led 9-8 at the 14:07 point of the first half.
- Freshman guard Jason Horton paced Mizzou with 14 points, marking the third time in his career, and second in the last three MU games, that he has led the Tigers in scoring. Horton is averaging 11.7 ppg over his last three games.
A Look at the Last Four
The Tigers have managed to put together a four-game winning streak including three wins at home and their first road win of the season at Nebraska. The four-game run is Tigers' longest winning streak of the season and is their longest such streak since last February. While Mizzou hasn't exactly exploded offensively during the streak (61.8 ppg.), it has used solid defense, inspired second-half play and has attacked the rim and the paint to kick start this late-season run. Below are a couple other notes of interest during the mini-streak.
- Mizzou has outscored its last four opponents 143-108 in the second half and has shot 50 percent from the field (49-98) during the seconds stanza of the last four games.
- Four Tigers have averaged better than 9.8 points per game.
* Linas Kleiza leads with 13.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
- Mizzou has shot 45.3 percent (91-201) from the field compared to just 41.1 percent for the season.
* They have shot 54.9 percent (67-122) inside the three-point arc.
- The Tigers have held their opponents to just 56.2 points per game and 40.3 percent shooting from the field.
- Mizzou has outrebounded its opponents by an average of 4.8 boards per contest (35.5-30.8).
* Kleiza leads the way with a 8.3 boards per game average, but is trailed closely by senior Jason Conley, who has pulled down 6.5 rebounds per game during the streak.
Horton Has The Hot Hand
The development of freshman point guard Jason Horton has certainly been an encouraging sign for the Tigers during the course of the 2004-05 season. He led Mizzou in scoring for the second time in the last three games against Colorado, scorning 14 points on a scorching 4-of-4 shooting to run the Tigers' winning streak to four in row.
Horton hit a huge running jump shot with just 1:15 left in the game to give Mizzou a three point lead in its win over Nebraska. He just missed a career high on against Baylor when he scored a team-best 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting. It marked the second time in the last four games that he has led the Tigers in scoring this season. In those two contests (the other being the Texas A&M game where he scored 17 points), the talented freshman was 10-of-13 from the field (76.9 percent) including 7-of-9 from three-point land (77.8 percent).
Horton also sandwiched in a 10-assist, three-turnover game against No. 16 Oklahoma as he led the Tigers to the exciting overtime victory in Columbia. On the season, Horton has handed out 93 assists in 26 games played, just four shy of eclipsing the Tigers' assists leader from last season (Jimmy McKinney - 97 assists in 30 games).
Over the Table and Dreaming
The University of Missouri marketing staff, headed up by marketing guru Frank Cuervo, is kicking around the idea of a new promotion for Tiger men's basketball games. Besides the `Nothing-but-Noodles Kiss Cam' and the Chevy's Fresh Mex `Tiger Trivia' promotion which are both wildly popular, there has been some thought to a promotion that the winner gets to have Tiger senior guard Jason Conley land in their lap after one of his patented leaps over Tiger Row.
Conley ended up amongst the people twice during the Oklahoma contest, running headlong over the table while attempting to create another Sooner turnover. The Tiger faithful were very appreciative of the effort put forth by Conley as he earned a standing ovation both times he sacrificed life and limb.
So keep your eye out for `Crashing into Coop' brought to you by the Missouri Basketball Team.
A Tale of Two Halves - the Bizzarro Edition
Mizzou continued its up and down play from half to half against Colorado. After scoring just 18 points and shooting just 27.3 percent in the first half, Mizzou was on fire in the second half knocking down 13-of-25 (52.0 percent) including five three pointers while outscoring the Buffaloes 45-30 to win the contest 63-54.
After shooting just 41 percent in the first half against Nebraska, the Tigers trailed at halftime, 27-21. However, Mizzou was able to turn the switch on once again, shooting 54.2 percent in the second half as they outscored the Huskers 35-26 in the second stanza to grab its first road win of the season.
The Tigers reversed a trend and then reversed their fortunes against Oklahoma. After leading each of their previous three games and then dropping all three, Mizzou trailed by 11 points at half time before mounting an amazing second half comeback to take down the Sooners. After trailing by as many as 15 points, Mizzou used excellent second half defense, holding OU to just 36.8 percent shooting (7-of-19) from the floor while outrebounding Oklahoma by 13 boards. The Tiger's used staunch interior defense in the second stanza, holding OU's Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout to just eight points and three rebounds between the two of them in the second half and overtime periods.
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 et 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.
Shouldering the Load
Linas Kleiza has recovered fully from a shoulder separation he experienced half way through last season and he has shouldered 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.
He moved into third on the Big 12 double-doubles list against Colorado when he scored 10 points and pulled down 10 rebounds against the Buffs. The native of Kaunas, Lithuania continued to have his way with Nebraska, scoring a game-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Kleiza also had a huge day against No. 16 Oklahoma, tying Thomas Gardner for team-high honors with 18 points while also pulling down 13 boards in the win.
He returned to the Tiger starting lineup after a three-game hiatus against UNLV. He scored a game-high 24 points and also pulled down eight rebounds against the Rebels and knocked down 9-of-17 shots.
He registered his fifth double-double of the season against Kansas State in Columbia, scoring 11 points and pulling down 11 rebounds on the night .
Kleiza put together an amazing effort against Nebraska in Columbia, scoring a career-best 31 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field. He also knocked down 15-of-17 free throws against the Huskers on his way to his fourth double-double of the season.
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 one the best offensive game of his career against Montana, scoring a then career-best 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. 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 (15.3 ppg.), rebounds (7.3 rpg.) and is fourth on the squad in assists (45).
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 20 games, Marshall Brown, Kalen Grimes, Jason Horton and Glen Dandridge have combined to score 27.0 percent of the Tigers points (378-of-1398) and all four of them have set or equaled career highs in points during that stretch.
Horton was amazing in the second half against Colorado. He knocked down three straight three-point field goals and scored 14 points in the second half as the Tigers took the game over. Horton and Brown combined to score 12 of their 14 points against Nebraska in the second half. Horton was clutch in the Tigers' contest against Baylor as he poured in 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting while Grimes registered six points in 11 minutes in the Mizzou win. Horton had the best floor game of his career against No. 16 Oklahoma, handing out 10 assists while committing only three turnovers in 42 minutes of playing time. He was also amazing at Texas A&M, knocking down 5-of-6 three point shots on his way to 17 points against the Aggies.
Brown and Dandridge both started their second straight games at Kansas and combined to score 12 points on the night. Dandridge made his first career start in the Tigers' home contest against Kansas State. He knocked down a three and equaled a career best by playing 16 minutes in the contest.
Brown was outstanding against Colorado, knocking down 3-of-3 three point attempts and pulling down eight rebounds against the Buffs. He 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 then 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
114-76
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.