March 3, 2005
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Tip-off: 1:00 p.m. CST
Arena: Mizzou Arena (15,061)
TV: CBS (Kevin Harlan, play-by-play; Dan Bonner, analyst; Craig Silver, producer)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, play-by-play: Gary Link, analyst)
Rankings: Kansas is currently No. 7 in both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Poll. Missouri is not ranked in either poll.
Series: KU leads, 161-91 : Last Meeting: KU, 73-61 in Lawrence, KS, on Jan. 31, 2005
Coaches:
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89) 114-78 at MU and overall (6th season).
KU: Bill Self (Oklahoma State '85) 46-13 at KU (2nd season) and 253-118 overall (12th season).
MU vs. KU - Need We Say More?
The University of Missouri men's basketball squad wraps up its regular season on Sunday when it faces off with No. 7 Kansas at Mizzou Arena for the Midwest Ford Dealers Border Showdown. The Tigers have gone 13-4 at home this season and are 2-0 against ranked opponents when playing in Columbia with wins over No. 16 Oklahoma and No. 12 Gonzaga. Mizzou has won three straight at home heading into the contest with Kansas and is search of its first win over the Jayhawks since March of 2003 in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament.
Leading the Tiger charge on Sunday will be senior Jason Conley, who is coming off of his third double-double (14 points, 13 rebounds) of the season at Iowa State. He and senior guard Brian Dailey, will be playing in their final home game as Tigers. Conley comes in averaging 10.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
The 253rd meeting between the two bitter rivals will tip at 1:00 p.m., and will be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network with Mike Kelly and former Tiger great Gary Link on the call. CBS will also make their first appearance ever at Mizzou Arena with Kevin Harlan handling the play-by-play duties and Dan Bonner offering the analysis. The Tigers are 7-1 this season in day games and are a perfect 2-0 in games played on Sunday.
The Tigers are still battling for position in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament next week and will more than likely be the No. 9 or No. 10 seed in the tourney.
Quick Hits
Kansas leads the all-time series between the two schools, 161-91 ... The Tigers dropped their last contest with the Jayhawks in Columbia, 84-82 on Mar. 7, 2004 in the final game Mizzou played at the Hearnes Center ... The Tigers have dropped four straight to the Jayhawks and have not defeated them in Columbia since Jan. 29, 2001, a 75-66 win in the Hearnes Center ... The last time the Tigers beat the Jayhawks was on Mar. 15, 2003 in the semifinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament and that was also the last time the Tigers defeated KU when KU was ranked and the Tigers were not ranked ... The Jayhawks hold a 53-61 advantage in games played in Columbia ... The last six regular season contests between the two bitter rivals have been decided by an average of only 6.5 points per contest and the three games in that sample that have been played in Columbia have been decided by an average of only 3.3 points per contest ... Mizzou is 13-4 at home, 0-3 in neutral court contests and 1-8 on the road this season ... The Tigers are 2-0 this season at home against ranked teams ... They defeated No. 12 Gonzaga at Mizzou Arena on Dec. 30 and then topped No. 16 Oklahoma in overtime on Feb. 12 at Mizzou Arena ... Mizzou will be playing its 20th home game of the season (including exhibition games), which is a new school record ... The Tigers are 7-0 in day games at home and are 2-0 on Sundays this season ... The Tigers are 6-2 at Mizzou Arena in 2005 and have won three straight at home ... Coach Snyder is looking for win number 115 at Mizzou ... Sophomore Linas Kleiza has led Mizzou in either scoring, rebounding or in both categories in 21 of the Tigers' 29 games so far this season ... Kleiza has led the Tigers in scoring and rebounding at home this season, averaging 15.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game ... Seniors Jason Conley and Brian Dailey will be playing their final regular season games for the Tigers ... Conley has scored in double figures in seven of the Tigers' last nine games ... This is the Tigers first appearance on CBS this season ... They are 4-5 on the year against teams from the Big 12 North.
About the Jayhawks
The No. 7 Jayhawks enter Sunday's contest in search of at least a piece of their fifth Big 12 Conference Championship. They carry a 22-4 overall mark and a 12-3 record in the Big 12 Conference following their 72-65 win over Kansas State in Lawrence on Wednesday night. Prior to that contest, the senior class of Wayne Simien, Keith Langford, Aaron Miles and Michael Lee was recognized for their outstanding four-year careers in which the program has recorded a 54-9 mark in conference play .
Simien has had the best year of his career this season as he leads the league in scoring (19.5 points per game) and rebounding (11.2 boards per contest). The Leavenworth, KS, native has scored 57 total points in the Jayhawks last two contests and has pulled down 32 boards in those two games.
Langford and sophomore J.R. Giddens also average in double figures for KU. Langford has long been known for his plays in the clutch and is averaging 15.1 points per contest. Miles is fourth in the country in assists per game, handing out 7.4 dimes per contest and leads KU in steals with 46.
Bill Self is in his second year as head coach at KU and has gone 46-13 during that stretch.
Series - KU leads, 161-91 - Last Meeting: KU, 73-61 on Jan. 31, 2005
A Look Back ... Mizzou at Iowa State
Mizzou outrebounded the Cyclones, 41-31, and its bench outscored ISU's subs, but the Tigers turned the ball over a season-high 22 times and scored a season-low 49 points as they dropped their final road game of the season in Ames. Below are a couple other notes of note from the contest ...
Missouri Team Notes after the Iowa State Game
- The Tigers fall to 14-15 overall and 6-9 in the Big 12.
- Mizzou is 13-4 at home, 1-8 on the road and 0-3 in neutral court games.
- The 49-point output is the lowest point total the Tigers have registered this season and is their lowest total since they scored 47 points in the 2003 Big 12 Tournament Championship game in Dallas, TX.
- The Tigers have now lost two in a row after winning four straight between Feb. 12 and Feb. 22.
- Tiger Head Coach Quin Snyder falls to 114-78 during his six years at Mizzou and 6-7 vs. the Cyclones.
- Mizzou shot 39.2 percent (20-of-51) from the field but only 18.2 percent (4-of-22) from three. The Tigers were 16-of-29 (55.2 percent) from inside the 3-point arc on the night.
- While Mizzou outrebounded the Cyclones 41-31, ISU outscored the Tigers in the paint, 40-28.
- Four Tigers recorded five or more boards on the night including senior Jason Conley, who equaled a career best with 13 rebounds.
- Four Tigers scored eight points or more but only one (Jason Conley, 14 points) broke into double-figures on the evening.
- Mizzou committed a season-high 22 turnovers which led to 30 ISU points.
- The Tigers never led in the contest. After trailing by 10 at halftime, 29-19, the Tigers would claw as close as nine points down with 18:18 left in the second half after a free throw by Linas Kleiza.
Missouri Player Notes after the Iowa State Game
- Senior Jason Conley recorded the third double-double of the season and of his career with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
- The 13-board effort equaled a career best for Conley that he recorded earlier this season at home against Gonzaga.
- Conley was the only Tiger to break into double figures in scoring on the night. He also handed out five assists and ripped off three steals on the night.
- Freshman Marshall Brown was 4-of-6 from the field on his way to nine points; that is his best outing since he scored 11 points at Texas A&M on Feb. 5.
Catching Up With Coop
Since scoring a team-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting at Kansas in the Tigers final game of January, senior Jason Conley (his teammates call him Coop due to his striking resemblance to the main character in the 90's TV show `Hanging with Mr. Cooper') has been the Tigers most consistent player. He has reached double figures in scoring in seven of the nine games since that point and has knocked down shots at a 47.5 percent (35-of-80) clip. Conley has also been crashing the boards as he has averaged 6.4 boards per contest and has also grabbed a team-high 18 steals during that stretch. On the season, Conley has recorded three double-doubles and has pulled down five or more rebounds in 19 of the Tigers 29 games.
Last Time Out against the Jayhawks
The Tigers came out roaring and led the Jayhawks by eight at halftime on the strength of 51.7 percent shooting (15-of-29) from the field. However, after seeing the Tigers extend the lead to as many as 11 on a Jason Conley dunk with 19:36 left in the half, the Jayhawks would clamp down and outscore Mizzou 43-20 the rest of the contest to take the game, 73-61 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Senior Jason Conley led the Tigers with 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field including two threes and 6-of-6 shooting from the free throw line. His 20-point effort marked the second time he had eclipsed the 20-point barrier in his two year career at Mizzou. Linas Kleiza also broke into double digits with 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field.
McKinney Named to Academic All-Big 12 First Team
The Big 12 Conference released the Academic All Big 12 men's basketball team last Wednesday afternoon. Making his first appearance on the first team was junior guard Jimmy McKinney (St. Louis, MO - Vashon HS).
McKinney, who is a general studies major at Mizzou, joined 11 other players from Big 12 schools on the first team. The Tiger co-captain is averaging 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in eight games this season and has started in 26 of the Tigers' 28 games so far this season.
Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the men's basketball academic all-league squad consisted of 12 first team members combined with five on the second team. First team members include those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.
To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of his team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.
Horton Has The Hot Hand
The development of freshman point guard Jason Horton has been an ongoing process during the course of the 2004-05 season. He led Mizzou in scoring for the third time against Colorado, scoring 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. In the three contests Horton has led the Tigers in scoring (Texas A&M, Baylor and Colorado), the talented freshman has gone 14-of-20 (.700) from the field and leads the team in minutes played at 33.0 per game. He has averaged 15.3 points per game in those contests and has knocked down 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) three point attempts.
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 99 assists in 29 games played and surpassed last season's assist leader, Jimmy McKinney, who had 97 assists on the year. The last time a freshman led the Tigers in assists was during the 1999-2000 season when then-freshman Keyon Dooling handed out 113 helpers to lead the Tigers in head coach Quin Snyder's first year at Mizzou
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
The Tigers' roller coaster play was never more evident than in their loss at Texas. After holding UT to only 18.8 percent shooting in the opening stanza, Texas went off in the second half scoring 39 points on 70.6 percent shooting while holding the Tigers to just 26 points as Mizzou dropped its seventh road game of the season.
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.
Kleiza registered the 11th double-double of his career against Texas with 12 points and 10 rebounds. 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. 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 (14.9 ppg.), rebounds (7.3 rpg.) and is fourth on the squad in assists (48).
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 22 games, Marshall Brown, Kalen Grimes, Jason Horton and Glen Dandridge have combined to score 26.5 percent of the Tigers points (398-of-1498) 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.
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
114-78
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.