Dec. 1, 2005
Columbia, Mo. -
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Mizzou opens a two-game road swing this evening when it travels to Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark., to face the Arkansas Razorbacks ... The Tigers will be looking for their third consecutive victory following wins over Northwestern State and UMKC ... Mizzou hasn't won three consecutive non-conference games since wins over Oakland (Nov. 29), Coppin State (Dec. 2) and Indiana (Dec. 6) to open the 2003-04 season ... Mizzou is 65-38 in non-conference play under Quin Snyder and 2-2 vs. the Southeastern Conference ... Tonight's contest is the return game from last season's 62-52 Arkansas win on Dec. 7, 2004, in Mizzou Arena ... The Tigers struggled mightily from the floor in the 10-point defeat, shooting just 29.8 percent (17-of-57) from the field and 15.8 percent (3-of-19) from three-point range ... Tonight's game will be televised live on the Mizzou Sports Network with Dan McLaughlin calling the action and former Tiger sideline boss Norm Stewart providing analysis ... Norm Stewart went 8-8 in 16 meetings against Arkansas, including a 5-3 mark in Fayetteville.
Tiger Trends (Team Quick-Hitters)
l Mizzou is beginning to flex its muscles on the glass ... Over their last three halves of basketball, the Tigers have outrebounded Northwestern State (second half) and UMKC (total game) 70-46 (margin of 8.0 rebounds per half) ... Mizzou out-boarded the Demons 17-to-8 in the second half and topped UMKC 53-to-38 for the game ... The 53 rebounds vs. the Kangaroos were the most for Mizzou since Dec. 29, 2001, when they grabbed 53 in a 63-62 loss to DePaul at the United Center in Chicago.
l The Tigers are doing much of their rebounding damage on the offensive end ... Mizzou is averaging 16.3 offensive caroms per game, which ranks second in the Big 12 to Oklahoma (18.3)
l Mizzou continues to be a strong second-half club, outscoring each of its three opponents by an average of 46.7-to-37.3 (140-to-112) over the final 20 minutes ... That scoring discrepancy has increased to 45.0-to-32.0 over the last two games thanks to a 54-37 scoring surge against Northwestern State (81-72 win) and a 36-27 advantage vs. UMKC (60-42 win).
l While the Tigers tend to pick up the offensive pace in the second half, their defensive presence has been felt early and often ... So far this season Mizzou is allowing opponents to average just 27.3 points in the first half on just 36.7 percent shooting (32-of-87) from the floor.
l Mizzou's defensive effort against UMKC had numerous record book implications ... The 42 points scored by the Kangaroos were the fewest by an MU opponent since a 45-42 win over DePaul on Nov. 24, 1997, in the opening round of the Maui Invitational ... UMKC's 15 first-half points were the fewest in the two-year history of Mizzou Arena ... The 15 total field goals by the Kangaroos were also the fewest in the history of the building and was the lowest total by Tiger opposition since Arkansas-Pine Bluff netted just 11 buckets on Dec. 9, 1998.
l Mizzou is settling into its playing rotation and had eight players once again reach double figures in minutes versus UMKC ... Seven Tigers are currently averaging at least 12.0 minutes per game and junior transfer James Douglas played a career high 12 minutes during Tuesday's victory.
l Missouri continues to be tough on opponents from three-point range ... In the second half of the Tiger's 81-72 win against Northwestern State, Mizzou held the Demons to just 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) shooting from bonus distance ... On Tuesday against UMKC, the Tigers held the Kangaroos to a 3-of-23 (13.0) success rate from beyond the arc, which included a stretch of 10 consecutive misses.
Tigers Tidbits (Player Quick-Hitters)
l Kevin Young carries back-to-back double figure rebounding games into tonight's contest with the Razorbacks ... Entering the season, Young's career best effort on the boards was nine vs. Baylor (Feb. 16, 05), but the 6-foot-9, 270 pound senior now owns career best rebounding games of 13 vs. Northwestern State and 11 vs. UMKC ... Young's average of 10.3 boards ranks second in the Big 12 ... His 7.0 offensvie rebounds per game leads the Big 12.
l Marshall Brown continues to be Mizzou's most efficient player from the field ... The sophomore forward is shooting 62.5 percent from the floor overall (fourth in the Big 12) and 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from inside the three-point arc.
l Brown has also reached double figures in scoring twice this season, including a career high 20 points in the season-opener against Sam Houston State ... In addition to a 12-point night vs. UMKC, the Austin, Texas, native narrowly missed a third double-digit night vs. Northwestern State, when he finished with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting.
l Despite having a season low one assist vs. UMKC, Jason Horton continues to be one of the Big 12's top three assist-men ... Horton is averaging 5.7 dimes a game and has a 1.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio ... The Dallas native also ranks fourth among Big 12 performers with 2.67 steals per game.
l Thomas Gardner's game-high 17 points against UMKC once again led all players in scoring ... Gardner, who ranks second in the Big 12 with a 21.7 ppg. scoring average, has led Mizzou's scoring efforts in all three games this season and has now paced the club in scoring 10 times over his career.
l Gardner's 12 rebounds vs. the Kangaroos tied a career high ... His 17-point, 12-rebound double-double was also the second of his career ... His first was a 19-point, 12-board effort against Brown in the 2004-05 season-opener.
l Gardner's second half tomahawk dunk against UMKC was selected No. 2 on ESPN Sport Center's Top 10 Play's of the Day for Nov. 29 ... Gardner now lead the team with six dunks on the season, followed by Marshall Brown's four.
l Freshman Matt Lawrence has yet to miss a three-pointer as a collegian ... Lawrence made his first career trey on Nov. 29 vs. UMKC, after going a perfect 3-of-3 from bonus distance in the preseason.
l Senior Jimmy McKinney will be playing his 99th consecutive game this evening ... McKinney missed his first game as a Tiger because of a fractured frontal sinus, but has been a "Rock" for Mizzou since, failing to miss a game.
l McKinney's next three-pointer will also mark the 100th of his career ... Only 14 Tigers have more than 100 career triples.
Getting To Know Today's Foe
Arkansas enters today's contest following a 77-35 over former Iowa State head coach Larry Eustachy and Southern Mississippi ... Arkansas has already faced one of the nation's toughest schedules, dropping games to No. 3 UConn (77-68) and No. 23 Maryland (75-62), while securing a win over Kansas (65-64) at the Maui Invitational (Nov. 21-23) ... Preseason SEC Player of the Year Ronnie Brewer leads the Hawgs with a 20.5 ppg. scoring average ... The 6-foot-7 junior is one of the nation's more versatile performers and leads the club in both three-point shooting (14-of-33, 42.4 percent) and free throw opportunities (25-of-35, 71.4 percent) ... Brewer is joined in double figures by 6-foot-5 guard Jonathon Modica (14.0) and Darian Townes (10.5) ... Townes also leads the Razorbacks in rebounding with 5.8 caroms per game ... One critical statistic for Arkansas, is points off turnovers ... The Hawgs are scoring 19.8 of their 75.7 points per game off of opponent miscues, including 28 in Wednesday's game vs. Southern Miss.
A Glance At The Mizzou - Arkansas Series
Tonight's game marks the 35th all-time meeting between Arkansas and Mizzou ... This is Missouri's third-most frequented non-conference series amongst Division I opposition ... The Tigers have only faced Saint Louis (40 meetings) and Illinois (36th meeting on Dec. 21) on more occasions ... The series is currently tied at 17-17 following the Razorback's 62-52 win on Dec. 7, 2004, in Columbia, Mo. ... Prior to that game, the two clubs hadn't met since the 1997-98 season ... Arkansas has won six consecutive games in the series, tied for the longest such streak for either club ... Mizzou also won six consecutive from 1966-71 ... The last Tiger win came on Dec. 7, 1991, in Fayetteville (Anthony Peeler was team captain) ... Actually, the Tigers have felt right at home in Fayetteville and have won eight of 16 meetings ... Mizzou owns a slight 9-8 series lead in Columbia, and Arkansas won the lone neutral site contest, 81-73, at the Great Alaska Shootout on Nov. 28, 1980 ... Overall, the two clubs have had 23 of 34 games decided by 10 points or less, including 11 games decided by one possession (3 points or less).
Tigers Enjoying Second-Half Surge
The Mizzou offense has excelled throughout the second half of its three games this season as the Tigers are averaging 46.7 points on 47.3 percent (43-of-91) shooting ... Missouri has topped the 50-point plateau in the second half in two-of-three contests this year, including a 54-point surge in the come-from-behind win over Northwestern State on Nov. 20 ... The 54 points were the most scored by the Tigers in a half since a Nov. 19, 2004, game vs. Davidson ... Mizzou also scored 54 second-half points in that game as well.
Tigers Playing Paint Ball
Mizzou is averaging 32.0 points per game in the paint this season and has outscored its opposition 96-76 in the lane through three outings ... Marshall Brown leads Mizzou's scoring punch in the middle with an average of 7.3 points per game coming in the lane, while Thomas Gardner averages 6.7 ... Center Kevin Young is adding 6.0 while Jimmy McKinney pours in 4.2.
Young & The Relentless (On the Glass)
Kevin Young continues to be the Big 12's top offensive rebounder ... The 6-foot-9, 270-pounder is averaging 7.0 offensive caroms per game, including a career high nine in the win over Northwestern State ... Young added seven offensive boards vs. UMKC, six of which came in the second half ... Of his nine field goals this season, six have come following offensive rebounds and seven of his 12 free throw attempts have come after fouls on offensive-putback attempts.
Old Tiger Plays Young Again, Has Career Game, Double-Double Vs. NW State
Senior center Kevin Young had the best game of his Mizzou career in the win over Northwestern State, as the 6-9, 270-pounder poured in career highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds in the nine-point (81-72) victory ... Young lead all players with the 13 caroms and his nine offensive boards were the most of his career ... After opening the game as a reserve, Young responded valiantly, scoring 12 points in the second half on 4-of-8 shooting ... He also hit 5-of-6 free throws, which was his most efficient outing at the charity stripe during his collegiate tenure.
T-For-3
Thomas Gardner is off to a hot start from three-point range this season as the junior leads the club with 9-of-21 shooting (42.9 percent) from bonus distance.
l Against Northwestern State, Gardner made treys in the first minute of each half to get the Tigers off to quick starts, while his two remaining triples immediately answered NSU three-pointers to keep Mizzou within striking distance in the come-from-behind win ... The four three-pointers tied a career high for Gardner as he finished with a career high 25 points on the afternoon.
l Against Sam Houston State, the Portland, Ore., native rebounded nicely from an 0-of-3 start to hit back-to-back treys in the final 0:56 seconds to give Mizzou a last-second shot at forcing overtime.
l Thanks to his improved perimeter shooting, Gardner ranks second in the league with a 21.7 ppg. scoring average and is second in three-point field goal makes (3.0).
Tigers Celebrate Century Of Basketball
The 2005-06 campaign marks the 100th season of intercollegiate basketball at Mizzou and the program will be celebrating its rich tradition by honoring a 30-member All-Century Team ... Missouri's 20 All-Americans have already been named to the squad, meaning fans will have the opportunity to vote in their favorite players for the remaining 10 All-Century slots ... Voting can occur either at Mizzou Arena or by mail ... Ballots will appear in Tiger Courtside game programs or can be printed off Mizzou's official website, mutigers.com, and mailed into the Mizzou Athletics Media Relations Office ...Voting runs through Dec. 31, 2005, and the team will be announced Jan. 16, 2006 during the Mizzou-Kansas basketball game at Mizzou Arena ... The team will then be honored in person at the Feb. 12 home game vs. Kansas State.
Mizzou Vs. The Southeastern Conference
Tonight's game is the 55th all-time meeting between the Tigers and a current member of the Southeastern Conference ... Mizzou is 25-30 all-time, with 17 of those 25 wins coming against Arkansas ... Mizzou is 1-4 vs. Alabama, 1-0 vs. Georgia, 0-4 vs. Kentucky, 0-1 vs. LSU, 1-0 vs. Mississippi State, 4-2 vs. Tennessee and 1-2 vs. Vanderbilt.
Tigers Trading Threes For Frees
Once again, it's way too early to talk about trends but Mizzou's shot selection with regards to three-pointers, is hard to deny.
l Through three games this season, Mizzou has attempted 49 three-pointers, including a season high 23 vs. UMKC on Tuesday ... Last season after three games, the Tigers had already released a remarkable 79 treys.
l Taking the place of Mizzou's long-range bombing has been the emphasis of driving the ball to the bucket ... The result? How about a considerable increase in free throw opportunities ... So far this season Mizzou has reached the free throw line 89 times in three games, an average of 29.6 attempts per contest ... Last season, Mizzou averaged 22.0 free-throw attempts after three outings, an increase of 7.6 attempts per game.
l Mizzou has also made more free throws (55-of-89) than its opponents have attempted (32-of-42) and that differential of 23 "free" points at the line loom large as the Tigers own a season scoring advantage of 218-194 (24 points).