Jan. 4, 2006
Columbia, Mo. - -
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For Openers
Mizzou will look to extend its home court winning streak to eight games when it faces Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Conference opener for both schools ... The Tigers have been victorious in 11 of their last 12 regular-season games at home, including a string of four consecutive Big 12 home wins over Oklahoma (68-65), Baylor (60-53), Colorado (63-54) and Kansas (72-68) to close the 2004-05 regular season ... The Tigers have enjoyed recent success against Eddie Sutton and the Cowboys ... Mizzou has won three of the last five meeting with the Pokes, including a thrilling 93-92 double-overtime win on Feb. 24, 2004, when OSU was ranked No. 6 nationally ... Missouri has been solid in Big 12 openers (4-2 overall) and perfect (6-0) in Big 12 home-openers under Quin Snyder ... Mizzou's current seven-game winning streak at home is the longest in the history of Mizzou Arena and the longest for the Tigers since the club won 13 straight during the 2002-03 ledger ... Missouri is coming off a 73-44 victory over Louisiana Monroe on Jan. 2 ... The Tigers had four players reach double-figures in scoring, paced once again by Kevin Young (12 points, 13 boards), who recorded his second consecutive double-double ... Young now leads the Tigers and ranks third in the Big 12 with three double-doubles ... Thomas Gardner's 18 points led Mizzou's scoring efforts as the team earned its most lopsided victory since a 94-60 home win over UNLV on Feb. 15, 2004 ... Mizzou used two huge surges in the Monroe contest to put the game away ... The Tigers closed the opening half with an 18-0 run to turn an 18-13 lead with 6:39 remaining into a 36-13 advantage at the break ... The Tigers then built their lead to a game-high 41 points thank to a 21-0 run from 10:47 of the second period through the 4:38 (6:09 span) mark.
Tiger Trends (Team Quick-Hitters)
l Saturday's game vs. Oklahoma State will be the 208th of Quin Snyder's career ... Only three coaches, George Edwards (353), Wilbur Stalcup (374) and Norm Stewart (967) have enjoyed more games on the Mizzou sideline than Snyder.
l Snyder is 53-43 in regular-season Big 12 Conference competition and 4-2 in Big 12 openers ... In Big 12 home-openers Snyder is a perfect 6-0.
l Today's game will mark the first meeting between Missouri and Oklahoma State in a conference-opener since the 1990-91 season, when Mizzou claimed an 80-79 overtime win to initiate Big Eight Conference play.
l In fact, there are a number of strange parallels between that 1990-91 season and the 2005-06 campaign ... Both teams lost their season-openers (1990-91 squad lost to Rutgers 68-60) and that 1990-91 squad opened the year 3-4 with losses to Arkansas and Illinois ... Following that Busch Braggin' Rights loss to Illinois, however, Norm Stewart's Tigers got hot, and won seven consecutive, including that overtime win against OSU ... Snyder's Tigers have now won three straight following the Busch Braggin' Rights game and have been victorious in five of their last six overall.
l Mizzou has made at least one three-point field goal in every game under Quin Snyder (207 games) ... The Tigers have made multiple treys in 205 of those 207 games, including double-figure triples (10+) 56 times.
l The Tigers have been playing much improved defense over the last two weeks, primarily their last four outings at Mizzou Arena ... Missouri is allowing just 55.2 points over its last four home games on 39.0 percent (82-of-210) shooting from the floor.
l Included in that improved defensive stretch was a 13-point first-half scoring total by Louisiana Monroe on Jan. 2 ... The 13 points by the Indians were the fewest in the history of Mizzou Arena, while their 6-of-23 shooting (26.1 percent) in the opening period was the second lowest by a Tiger foe this year.
l Mizzou has also out-rebounded foes 38.8-to-28.0 during that same four-game stretch.
l The Tigers are one of the Big 12's top offensive rebounding clubs ... Mizzou ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 14.7 offensive caroms and have out-rebounded its foes on the offensive glass in five of its last six games.
l Missouri is 7-0 when outrebounding its opponents and have won the battle of the boards in five of its last six games ... The lone exception was a minus-five effort on the glass vs. Illinois (41-36).
l Mizzou continues to be an improved second-half club, outscoring its opposition by an average of 40.8-to-35.6 (449-to-392) over the final 20 minutes ... The Tigers have shot better than 50 percent from the floor in the second half of four of those games, including 56.0 percent (14-of-25) in the 72-63 home win over Furman.
l The Tigers continue to excel at getting to the free throw line ... Mizzou has shot 251 free throws compared to the 177 by its opponents and have scored 34 more points at the charity stripe because of those increased attempts.
l The Tigers have been better from the foul line over the last three games and are shooting 72.3 percent (55-of-76) during that surge ... The key players in that improvement over the last three outings have been Thomas Gardner (17-of-20, .850), Marshall Brown (15-of-20, .750) and Kevin Young (9-of-11, .818).
l Like the defensive performance against Louisiana Monroe, 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 then the fewest in the two-year history of Mizzou Arena (before the 13 by Louisiana Monroe) ... 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.
Tigers Tidbits (Player Quick-Hitters)
l Kevin Young continues to be one of the Big 12's top rebounders ... Young is producing career numbers with 8.7 points and 8.9 boards and is tied for second in the league with his 8.9 caroms per game ... The Kingston, Jamaica, native also leads the Big 12 with 4.82 offensive rebounds per outing.
l Young has provided a consistent scoring presence as well and has topped double figures in points four times in 11 games... Entering the year, Young had just one career double figure scoring effort and narrowly missed another with nine points vs. Furman.
l Young also enjoyed a career high 14 rebounds (eight offensive) vs. Oakland, which translated into his second career double-double ... The senior now ranks third in the Big 12 with three double-doubles this season following the 12-point, 13-rebound night vs. Louisiana Monroe.
l In addition to his rebounding, the 6-foot-9, 270-pounder is on a career-best shot-blocking pace ... Young leads the club and ranks 12th in the Big 12 with 10 swats this season.
l Marshall Brown has reached double figures in scoring six times this season, including a current run of three straight efforts vs. Eastern Illinois (19), Oakland (14) and Monroe (10) ... Brown opened his sophomore season with a career high 20 points against Sam Houston State and nearly duplicated that feat against Eastern Illinois when he scored 19 points thanks to 9-of-13 shooting from the foul line.
l Brown finished the EIU contest with 11-rebounds, which resulted in his first career double-double.
l Over the last four games Brown has averaged 8.0 rebounds, which is second on the club.
l Thomas Gardner has reached double figures in points in 14 of his last 15 games ... Gardner has led the Tigers in scoring nine times (out of 11 games) this season and 16 times over his career.
l The Big 12's scoring leader (19.9), Gardner also leads the Big 12 with a pair of 30-point contests, including a 30-point night at Davidson on Dec. 7 ... Gardner hit eight treys vs. the Wildcats, the fourth-highest single-game total in the NCAA's this year and the third highest single-game total in school history ... He has now made at least one three-pointer in 17 consecutive games, the longest three-point streak of his tenure.
l Gardner leads the Big 12 with 3.4 three-point field goals per game, while his three-point percentage of 45.7 ranks fourth.
l If there had been one area of emphasis for Gardner it was his free throw shooting, but the 6-foot-5 junior hit a career-best 10-of-10 vs. Eastern Illinois and has now made 17-of-20 "freebees" over his last three games.
l Gardner's 12 rebounds vs. UMKC 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 Jason Horton continues to be one of the Big 12's top assist-men ... Horton is averaging 4.4 dimes a game and has a 1.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
l The Dallas native is among the League's top thieves as well, ranking third with 2.3 steals per game including a career high five vs. Furman.
l Horton has also provided a much-needed scoring boost over his last four games and is 5-of-20 (.500) from "3" during that stretch.
l Also, has there been a more improved perimeter defender in the Big 12 than Horton thus far? The sophomore held UMKC's Quinton Day (Southern Cal transfer) 20.5 points below his season average of 27.5 points in Mizzou's 60-42 win on Nov. 29 and held Arkansas point guards Eric Ferguson (1-of-5), Dontell Jefferson (1-of-1) and Sean McCurdy (0-of-0) to a combined 2-of-6 shooting and six total points ... In addition to his five steals vs. Furman, Horton held point guard Tony Carter to two points on 0-of-4 shooting and played a key role in holding Oakland's Calvin Wooten (22.8 ppg.) to just nine points on 3-of-14 shooting.
l Freshman Matt Lawrence has been impressive from three-point range this season ... The St. Louis native is 5-of-12 from bonus distance, including a 2-of-2 effort in front of 17,427 screaming fans at Arkansas en route of a career high six points ... Lawrence made his first career trey vs. UMKC and added a fourth at Davidson.
l It's not just shooting where the 6-foot-7 freshman has been near flawless ... Lawrence has added 13 boards (seven offensive) and ranks fifth on the squad with five steals in 8.2 minutes per game.
l Senior Jimmy McKinney is finding his consistency offensively over the past seven games and has reached double figures five times during the stretch ... McKinney opened the run with 16 points at Davidson, before scoring a season high 19 vs. Texas A&M-CC on a career best 12-of-14 foul shooting ... Most recently the St. Louis native scored 14 points against Oakland.
l While the Tigers have struggled from the line as a team, McKinney sure hasn't ... The senior ranks eighth in the Big 12 in free throw shooting at 76.2 percent (32-of-42).
l Nicknamed "Rock" by his teammates, the former Vashon High School standout missed his first game as a Tiger because of a fractured frontal sinus, but has been a "Rock" for Mizzou ever since, failing to miss a game.
l McKinney's hit his 100th career three-pointer vs. Texas A&M-CC ... Only 15 Tigers have more than 100 career triples, including teammate Gardner (122).
l Junior forward Marcus Watkins has made three consecutive starts vs. Eastern Illinois, Oakland and Louisiana Monroe ... His appearance in the "starting five" vs. EIU was the first of his career at the collegiate level.
l Freshman Leo Lyons narrowly missed his first career double-double after recording eight points and eight boards vs. Furman ... Lyons also added a career high two blocked shots in the win.
l Lyons enjoyed his first career double figure scoring effort vs. Louisiana Monroe with 12 points and seven boards coming in 16 minutes.
l Sophomore center Kalen Grimes has provided a consistent presence inside over his last four games ... After opening the run with five points and a career best seven boards vs. Illinois, Grimes followed with a season high eight points (6-of-7 FT) and four rebounds in the win over Louisiana Monroe.
l Grimes also recorded the first assist of his career vs. Eastern Illinois on a pitch-back to Thomas Gardner at the 17:00 mark of the second half ... Prior to the assist, Grimes had played 386 career minutes without a "dime".
There's No Place Like Home
Mizzou has dominated the home court in Quin Snyder's seven seasons and the Tigers' 7-1 home record this year has reinforced that fact ... Snyder has helped Mizzou build an 80-18 (.816) home court mark in his seven seasons, including an 21-5 ledger since the team moved into Mizzou Arena at the start of the 2004-05 campaign.
Year Record Pct.
2005-06 7-1 .875
2004-05 14-4 .778
2003-04 10-4 .714
2002-03 14-0 1.000
2001-02 12-3 .800
2000-01 13-1 .929
1999-00 10-5 .667
Total 80-18 .816
The Jamaican Sensation
Simply put, Kevin Young is having a sensational senior season and is averaging career high numbers in points (8.7 ppg.), rebounds (8.9 rpg.) and blocked shots (0.9 bpg.) through 11 games.
l Entering his final campaign, Young had just one career double figure scoring effort, but has already accomplished the feat four times in 11 outings, thanks to a career high 17 points vs. Northwestern State, 13 at Arkansas, 12 vs. Oakland and 12 vs. Louisiana Monroe.
l At the same time, Young had never recorded a double-double, but now ranks third in the Big 12 Conference this season with three, including back-to-back double dips vs. Oakland (12 points, career high 14 boards) and Louisiana Monroe (12 points and 13 caroms).
l In addition to ranking second in the Big 12 in rebounding, the 6-foot-9, 270-pounder leads the Conference in offensive boards (4.82) with 53 of his 98 total rebounds leading to Mizzou second-chance opportunities.
Better Late Than Never ... Gardner Delivers
With six of 11 games decided by nine points or less, Missouri has had a "crunch time" in nearly every outing this season and the Big 12's leading scorer, Thomas Gardner, has stepped up to the challenge ... Gardner is averaging 8.0 of his league-leading 19.9 points in the final 13:09 of Missouri's 11 games and has scored 10+ points on five occasions during that span.
l Gardner's best late-game effort came against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi when he poured in 17 of his career-high tying 30 points in the game's final 11:27 to lead Mizzou to the come-from-behind win.
l The Portland, Ore., native also added 14 points in the final 11:54 at Davidson and scored 10 points down the stretch vs. Sam Houston State, Northwestern State and Eastern Illinois.
Getting To Know Today's Foe
Oklahoma State (No. 32 in most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll with 14 votes) enters Saturday's Big 12 opener 10-4 overall following an impressive 69-49 road victory at Pepperdine on Wednesday (Jan. 3) ... The Big 12's top shooting club at 51.6 percent (No. 5 nationally), OSU took control of the game early on with its defense, holding the Waves to just 16 first-half points on 4-of-22 shooting (18.2 percent) from the floor ... Conversely, Oklahoma State shot 48.3 percent and raced to a 37-16 advantage at the break, before cruising to the 20-point win ... Torre Johnson led the Pokes with 20 points and 11 boards off the bench, while Mario Boggan (11), Jamaal Brown (11) and JamesOn Curry each reached double figures ... A junior college transfer and former Florida Gator, Boggan leads Oklahoma State in scoring at 14.1 points per game, while his 5.1 rebounds ranks second on the club ... Preseason All-Big 12 pick JamesOn Curry is averaging 13.6 points and 4.8 assists, while the former JUCO All-American (Garden City [Kan.]) Johnson ranks third on the team with 11.7 points and is tops with 5.9 rebounds ... OSU and Mizzou do share one common foe this season ... The Tigers and Cowboys both faced Northwestern State at home, with Mizzou claiming an 81-72 win on Nov. 20 and Oklahoma State falling to the Demons 68-64 on Dec. 5.
Mizzou Series With The Cowboys
Saturday's game marks the 109th all-time meeting between Missouri and Oklahoma State with the Tigers holding a 70-38 series advantage ... Mizzou has won three of the last five meetings, including back-to-back games in Columbia and a 60-58 win in the Big 12 Tournament in Dallas, Texas ... The Tigers won 21 of the final 23 meetings at the Hearnes Center (run dates back to the 1978-79 campaign), with Saturday's tilt marking OSU's first-ever visit to Mizzou Arena ... Missouri is 42-6 all-time vs. the Cowboys at home and Quin Snyder is 3-4 during his tenure, which includes a pair of wins over nationally-ranked OSU teams in 2003 and 2004.
Entering 2006 Like A Lyon
Freshman Leo Lyons entered the second half of the 2005-06 season like a lion when he poured in a career high 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting vs. Louisiana Monroe on Jan. 2 ... Lyons opened the game 5-of-5 from the floor, hit a pair of free throws and grabbed seven boards in the 29-point victory.
l A native of Kansas City, Kan., Lyons' previous best game came Dec. 18 against Furman, when he scored eight points (4-of-5 FG) and grabbed a career high eight rebounds in 18 minutes.
l Second on the team with seven dunks, the rookie is also second with eight blocked shots and second with a 51.4 field goal percentage.
Three Tigers Double Their Pleasure
With his 19-point, 11-rebound double-double vs. Eastern Illinois on Dec. 28, Marshall Brown became the third Tiger to record a point-rebound double-double this season ... Brown joined Kevin Young (three double-doubles) and Thomas Gardner (one) in accomplishing the feat and Missouri now ranks second among Big 12 schools with three players recording at least one double-double ... Texas leads the Big 12 with four players registering at least one double-dip, while Missouri, Iowa State, Nebraska and Oklahoma State each have three.