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Oct. 31, 2005
Tip-off: 7:05 p.m. CST
Arena: Mizzou Arena (15,061)
TV: Mizzou Sports Network. (Dan McLaughlin, play-by-play: Norm Stewart, analyst)
Radio: None
Rankings: Neither squad is ranked in the AP or ESPN/USA TODAY Coaches Poll
Series: First Meeting
Coaches:
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89) 116-80 at Mizzou (7th season)
Bemidji State: Patrick Smith (Bluefield College '71) 17-12 at Bemidji State (2nd season) and 425-271 overall (23rd season)
Tigers Host Bemidji State in Exhibition Opener
The University of Missouri opens the 2005-06 season on Wednesday (Nov. 2) when it hosts Bemidji State in the exhibition opener at 7 p.m. at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers are 12-0 in exhibition games under Head Coach Quin Snyder and are outscoring their preseason opposition by a remarkable 21.4 points per game (92.4 - 71.0). The Tigers have eclipsed the century mark four times in exhibition action, including a 100-73 win over Central Missouri State last season.
The Tigers and Texas Longhorns are the first Big 12 Conference schools to begin play this season ... Like the Tigers, the No. 3 Longhorns open competition tonight at 7 p.m. as they host St. Mary's (Texas) College at the Erwin Center.
Following tonight's game, Mizzou will return to action on Nov. 8 when it hosts Missouri Southern, before opening the regular season on Nov .14 at home vs. Sam Houston State in the opening round of the Preseason NIT.
Calling Tonight's Action
Tonight's contest will be aired this evening throughout the Midwest on the Mizzou Sports Network. Fox Sports Midwest personality Dan McLaughlin will call the action, with former Tiger sideline boss Norm Stewart providing expert analysis. Tonight's game will not be carried on the Tiger Radio Network.
Getting To Know Today's Foe
Bemidji State is under the direction of second year head coach Patrick Smith (Bluefield College '71) who led the Beavers to a 17-12 record a year ago ... The Beavers were an excellent shooting club last year, hitting 40.3 percent of their three-point attempts and averaged 77.4 points per game ... BSU returns four starters, each of which averaged in double figures last season ... Duane Fields, a 6-foot-3 wing, is the top returning scorer at 12.9 points and was one of six BSU players to average double-digits in points a year ago ... Spencer Carter is Bemidji State's top returning rebounder at 8.1 caroms per outing.
What You May Not Know About Bemidji State University
Bemidji State is located in Bemidji, Minn., which has a population of approximately 15,000 residents ... The enrollment at BSU is 5,000 and its athletic teams participate in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference ... The Beavers have been to one NCAA Division II National Tournament, losing to Nebraska-Kearney, 104-90, in the opening round.
Tigers To Play Nov. 17 On ESPN2 With NIT Win Over Sam Houston State
Officials from ESPN confirmed that a Mizzou win over Sam Houston State on Nov. 14 in the opening round of the Preseason NIT would result in a date, time and network shift for the Tiger's second round match-up vs. Drexel or Princeton ... The second round contest was originally slated for Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. on the Mizzou Sports Network, but now the Tigers will entertain a nationally-televised audience on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.
Tigers Have Tough Slate
With the release of the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll it became clear just how difficult Mizzou's 2005-06 schedule is ... The Tigers have scheduled contests against four teams currently ranked in the Top 25 (No. 3 Texas, No. 6 Oklahoma, No. 17 Illinois and No. 23 Iowa State) and could face No. 1 Duke, No. 12 Memphis, No. 14 Alabama or No. 18 UCLA in the final rounds of the Preseason NIT in Madison Square Garden in New York City ... The Tigers also have scheduled games against No. 29 Kansas, No. 31 Texas Tech, No. 35 Oklahoma State and No. 49 Texas A&M.
Returning Production Much Improved From One Year Ago
A year ago at this time, a number of question marks hovered around the Tigers as the loss of a talented senior group left Mizzou with just 39 percent of its scoring and 47 percent of its rebounding coming back ... Those numbers have flipped in favor of the Tigers at the start of the 2005-06 season however, as nearly 60 percent of Missouri's scoring (1306-of-2188) and rebounding (689-of-1148) returns for Quin Snyder's seventh season ... The Tigers also welcome back 65 percent of their steals (134-206), 67 percent of their assists (275-of-408) and 74 percent of their blocked shots (53-of-72) from last season's postseason-qualifying squad.
Televised Tigers: Every Mizzou Contest This Season On Television
The Tigers will have plenty of tube time this season as each of Mizzou's games this year will be carried live on the Mizzou Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+ and CBS ... Starting with the exhibition season, MSN will broadcast 18 Tiger contests, while ESPN (2) will carry games against Illinois (Dec. 21) and Kansas (Jan. 16) ... Mizzou could appear on ESPN2 four times this season, three of which could occur in the Preseason NIT ... The Tigers' Feb. 18 date at Kansas will be on CBS.
These Guys Have Seen It All
Head Coach Quin Snyder has assembled one of the Big 12's more veteran coaching staffs, as he, associate head coach Melvin Watkins and assistant coach Jeff Meyer have a combined 30 years of experience as head coaches at the collegiate level ... Snyder is entering his seventh season on the sidelines at Mizzou, while Watkins spent a combined eight years at North Carolina-Charlotte (1996-98) and Texas A&M (1998-04) ... Meyer is the most seasoned Mizzou coach having enjoyed 16 years as head coach at Liberty (1981-97).
Snyder Adds Big 12 Veteran Lance Irvin To Coaching Staff
There couldn't have been a more natural fit to join Quin Snyder's coaching staff than former Texas A&M and Iowa State assistant coach Lance Irvin ... Already a veteran of the Big 12 coaching scene, the 36-year-old Irvin spent the 2001-02 season at Iowa State, before joining Melvin Watkins' staff at Texas A&M from 2002-03 ... Irvin also sports strong ties to Mizzou, as his brother, Byron Irvin, played for the Tigers from 1987-89 and was a first round draft choice of the Portland Trailblazers.
Tigers Picked Eighth In Preseason Big 12 Coaches Poll
The Texas Longhorns were the near unanimous favorite to win the Big 12 Conference title, conference coaches announced on Oct. 12 ... The Longhorns got 10-of-12 first-place votes, with Oklahoma securing the other two ... Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech rounded out the top five, while Iowa State, who opened the year No. 23 in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Polls was slotted sixth ... The Tigers, led by returning starters Jimmy McKinney, Kevin Young and Jason Horton and super-sub Thomas Gardner were picked eighth.
Big 12 Conference Coaches Poll Pl. Team (First place votes) Points 1. Texas (10) 120 2. Oklahoma (2) 112 3. Kansas 89 4. Oklahoma State 84 5. Texas Tech 80 6. Iowa State 70 7. Texas A&M 68 8. Missouri 48 9. Colorado 43 10. Nebraska 40 11. Kansas State 25 12. Baylor 13
Big 12 Youth Movement In Effect There's a youth movement sweeping the Big 12 Conference this season and Mizzou is one of eight programs with more than 70 percent of its roster in its first or second season with the program ... Just three Tigers, Jimmy McKinney, Kevin Young and Thomas Gardner have been at Mizzou more than two seasons, as nine of Quin Snyder's 12 rostered players are relative newcomers to the program.
Here is a list of Big 12 schools and their percentage of players in the first or second season with their respective programs:
1st or 2nd Team year players Pct. of Roster Baylor 12-of-13 92.3 percent Oklahoma St. 12-of-14 85.7 percent Oklahoma 10-of-12 83.3 percent Kansas 11-of-14 78.6 percent Texas A&M 15-of-18 83.3 percent Missouri 9-of-12 75.0 percent Iowa State 12-of-17 70.6 percent Kansas State 12-of-17 70.6 percent Nebraska 11-of-16 68.8 percent Texas Tech 10-of-15 66.7 percent Texas 7-of-11 63.6 percent Colorado 11-of-18 61.1 percent
The Bemidji State Litmus Test
Bemidji State plays its first of three consecutive exhibition games vs. Division I opposition this evening ... Following tonight's season-opener, the Beavers return to action on Nov. 11 for an exhibition contest at No. 23 Iowa State, before playing at Drake on Nov. 12 ... The Beavers faced the Cyclones in exhibition play last season as well, falling 80-57 despite a 16-point effort by Derrick Beechum.
Tiger Talk With Head Coach Quin Snyder
Beginning Dec. 5 and continuing through NCAA Tournament action, Head Coach Quin Snyder and the Voice of the Tigers, Mike Kelly, will gather at Harpo's in downtown Columbia to recap previous games and preview upcoming contests ... Fans are encouraged to attend every Monday from 7-8 p.m. to meet the coach and ask questions about the 2005-06 Tigers.
Quin Snyder Television Show
Starting the weekend of Jan. 2 and concluding March 31, Tiger fans can join Head Coach Quin Snyder for 13 weekends of exciting Tiger basketball on the Quin Snyder Television Show ... Beginning with rugged Big 12 Conference play and continuing through the NCAA Tournament, Snyder will provide analysis of each Mizzou contest and provide insight on upcoming opponents.
Affiliates that air the Quin Snyder Show:
Midwest Region / St. Louis Fox Sports Net Midwest Fridays at 7 p.m. Kansas City Metro Sports Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. Columbia KOMU Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Springfield KY3-UPN Saturdays at 11 a.m. Medicom Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Joplin Pax TV 44 Saturdays at 4:30 Oklahoma City KSBI Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Tulsa Cox Cable Channels 3 & 7 Sundays at 11 p.m. Mondays at 11 p.m.