Nov. 3, 2005
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Exhibition: Mizzou Tigers vs. Missouri Southern Lions
Saturday, Nov. 5, 2004 - Columbia, Mo.
TIPOFF: 1:00 p.m. CST
ARENA: Mizzou Arena (15,061). Opened in 2004. MU is 280-102 (.733) alltime at home.
RADIO: None.
TV: None.
SERIES: The two teams have never played an official game.
RANKINGS: Both teams are unranked.
COACHES:
MIZZOU: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 112-97 at MU (eighth season) and 177-122 overall (11th season).
MISSOURI SOUTHERN: Maryann Mitts (Rockhurst '92), 68-46 at MSSU (fifth season) and 151-103 overall (10th season).
TIGERS SET TO OPEN 2005-06 SEASON
The Mizzou women's basketball team, which returns all five starters and nine letterwinners from a year ago, opens its 32nd year of intercollegiate competition on Saturday with an exhibition game against Missouri Southern. This is the second straight year that the Tigers have played just one official exhibition before starting their season. Mizzou has used its other preseason contest the last two years as a controlled intercollegiate scrimmage, which by NCAA rule cannot be publicized.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Missouri Southern, a Division II school and member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, and coached by fifth-year mentor Maryann Mitts. The Lions return a pair of starters and three letterwinners from last season's 17-11 squad, including senior Dacie Reutlinger. The 6-foot forward was third on the team in scoring (8.4 points per game), and Missouri Southern's second-leading rebounder (6.2 rpg).
NOTE TIME CHANGE FOR NEXT FRIDAY
Mizzou's 32nd season-opener will take place in the first round of the WBCA Classic next Friday, Nov. 11, against Clemson at 6:00 p.m. MST (7 p.m. CST). Please note that some early versions of the Tigers' schedule may have this game incorrectly listed to start at 9:30 p.m.; organizers of the tournament switched the first-round start time to accommodate television broadcast of the Arizona State/Vanderbilt game that evening.
WOMEN PICKED TO FINISH 10th IN BIG 12 COACHES POLL
The Missouri women's basketball team has been picked to finish 10th in the Big 12 Conference in a polling of the league's coaches, Big 12 officials announced on Oct. 13.
Mizzou, which returns all five starters from last season's 11-18 squad, accumulated 37 voting points from the 11 other coaches - coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams - in being picked between ninth-place Iowa State and 11th-place Oklahoma State.
The preseason poll has traditionally underestimated the Tigers' success, as MU has finished at or above its selected position in all but one of the eight previous polls (no poll was conducted in 1996-97, the first year of the league); that came last year, when an eighth-place prediction ended in a tie for ninth place on the court. Five of the eight times have resulted in the Tigers improving upon their predicted finish.
"Obviously, I would prefer for us to be in a position with the target on our backs. If everyone wants to believe the polls, which have only been correct a couple times, so be it," said Head Coach Cindy Stein. "I can promise our fans that the Missouri women's basketball team will be very competitive in our league and will be an exciting team to watch. You don't want to miss out watching us this year - that, I can promise."
Defending NCAA champion Baylor was picked to win its second consecutive Big 12 Conference women's basketball title in the 2005-06 preseason poll voted on by the league's head coaches. The Lady Bears received six first place votes and totaled 113 points to edge out second place Texas with two first place nods and 110 points.
Texas Tech was a close third with the four remaining first place votes and 108 points. Oklahoma (91 points), Nebraska (70 points), Kansas (66 points), Texas A&M (59 points), Kansas State (56 points), Iowa State (45 points), Missouri (37 points), Oklahoma State (23 points) and Colorado (14 points) round out the poll.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM CLEANS UP MIZZOU ARENA
The women's basketball team took time out from their strength and conditioning testing and workouts on Aug. 31, to help spruce up the grounds surrounding Mizzou Arena.
Done in conjunction with the women's basketball's 2005-06 theme of "TEAM MIZZOU", the team pulled weeds and trimmed the sidewalks of Mizzou Arena -- their year-old basketball mecca -- as a show of pride.
At the conclusion of the afternoon, a small tree was planted on the northwest corner of the grounds.
NEW ASSISTANTS JOIN TIGER FAMILY
Matt Daniel and Kerensa Barr are Mizzou's new assistant women's basketball coaches, and Evan Unrau is the program's new graduate assistant.
A former assistant at Colorado under legendary former head coach Ceal Barry, Daniel will work with the Tiger post players during practice, and will oversee scheduling, game preparation and scouting, while assisting with recruiting.
One of the best guards in Mizzou history, Barr will work with the Tiger guards during practice. Her promotion comes after serving as a graduate assistant with the team last year.
Barr finished a stellar four-year career in 2003 as the Tigers' all-time leader in assists (489) and free-throw percentage (.812). She also finished in Mizzou's career top 10 in steals (242, second) and 3-pointers (109, third - she is currently fourth), and is currently 17th all-time in scoring with 1,161 points. Barr is also listed in the season top-10 charts 11 times in five different categories, including posting the top two free-throw-shooting seasons in Mizzou history; she made 88.5 percent of her charity tosses in 2001-02. She was a two-time honorable mention All-Big 12 player.
Unrau, who returned from a successful professional stint in Europe this past winter, will assist the coaching staff with video editing, film exchange, as well as camps and clinics. She earned Honorable Mention All-America honors in 2004 after back-to-back First Team All-Big 12 nods - MU's first back-to-back all-conference performer since MU Hall of Famer Renee Kelly in 1985-86. Unrau's name appears in Mizzou's career and season record books no fewer than 15 times.