Jan. 8, 2006
Columbia, Mo. -
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Missouri will look to build on its season-best four-game winning streak Tuesday (Jan. 10) when it travels to Norman, Okla., to face the nationally-ranked Oklahoma Sooners ... Winners in six of their last seven games, Mizzou hasn't won five consecutive since the 2003-04 season, when it won six-in-a row ... A victory would also give Mizzou its first 2-0 start in Big 12 play under Quin Snyder ... The last time Missouri started 2-0 in league action was during 1998-99 season, Norm Stewart's final campaign ... That club opened Big 12 play 3-0 ... The Tigers will actually be looking for back-to-back wins in Norman, Okla. ... Missouri won 79-75 (OT) in its last trip to OU on Jan. 17, 2004, and hasn't won consecutive road games in the series since a 60-55 win on Feb. 18, 1982, and a 84-79 overtime win on Feb. 12, 1983 ... Speaking of the 1982-83 season, that's the last time Mizzou defeated Oklahoma State and Oklahoma in consecutive games ... Both games were played in Columbia however ... Snyder and the Tigers have enjoyed recent success against Oklahoma ... The Tigers have won three of the last five meetings, including three consecutive regular-season match-ups ... Oklahoma's two wins over the previous five contests have both come in the Big 12 Tournament ... Missouri is coming off a 69-61 win over Oklahoma State on Jan. 7 ... Jimmy McKinney (23) and Thomas Gardner (23) combined for 46 points to lift the Tigers to the win ... McKinney opened the contest by scoring nine of Missouri's first-11 points and closed with eight of the team's final 14 to seal the team's fourth win over OSU in six opportunities ... Gardner scored 10 points down the stretch to reach 23 for the game and push his season average to 20.2 ... Gardner is the Big 12's top scorer and the only player averaging better than 20 ppg.
Rare Air
The Tigers will be playing just their third game outside the state of Missouri on Tuesday when they travel to Norman, Okla., to face the Oklahoma Sooners ... Mizzou has had just two "true" road tests this season, a Dec. 2 contest at Arkansas (66-63 defeat) and a Dec. 7 game at Davidson (82-73 defeat) ... The Tigers also traveled down I-70 for the annual Busch Braggin' Rights Game in St. Louis, Mo., vs. Illinois on Dec. 21 (82-50 defeat).
McKinney, Gardner A Catch 23 For Foes
The 23 point efforts by Jimmy McKinney (career high) and Thomas Gardner in the Big 12-opener against Oklahoma State marked the second time this season that the Tigers have had two players pour in 20-plus points in the same game ... Gardner (23) and Marshall Brown (20) also accomplished the feat in the season-opener against Sam Houston State.
l The 23-point nights vs. OSU wasn't the first time the duo has each recorded 20-point games on the same day ... Gardner (23) and McKinney (21) accomplished the feat in Mizzou's 72-68 home win over No. 7 Kansas last season.
The Jamaican Sensation
Simply put, Kevin Young is having a sensational senior season and is averaging career high numbers in points (8.3 ppg.), rebounds (8.4 rpg.) and blocked shots (0.83 bpg.) through 12 games.
l Entering his final campaign, Young had just one career double figure scoring effort, but has already accomplished the feat four times this season, 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 (4.5) with 54 of his 101 total rebounds leading to Mizzou second-chance opportunities.
Better Late Than Never ... Gardner Delivers
With seven of 12 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 8.2 of his league-leading 20.2 points in the final 13:09 of Missouri's 12 games and has scored 10+ points on six 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, Eastern Illinois and Oklahoma State.
Getting To Know Today's Foe
Oklahoma enters today's contest 9-3 overall and 0-1 in Big 12 Conference play following a 59-58 road defeat at Nebraska on Jan. 7 ... OU owns one of the Big 12's more balanced scoring attacks, led by All-Conference pick Taj Gray, who averages a team-best 15.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game ... Front court mate Kevin Bookout is chipping in 13.2 points and 7.3 boards, while Michael Neal (10.7) and Terrell Everett (10.4) round out the double-figure scorers ... Oklahoma has been outstanding at home this season and is a perfect 7-0 at the Lloyd Noble Center ... Prior to Saturday's loss in Lincoln, the Sooners only defeats came at No. 3 Villanova and against West Virginia in Oklahoma City ... Oklahoma is also no strangers to close ball games ... OU has had six of 12 games decided by 10 points or less, including back-to-back contests at SMU (50-47) and Nebraska (59-58).
Mizzou Series With The Sooners
Tuesday's game marks the 202nd all-time meeting between Missouri and Oklahoma, with the Sooners holding a 110-91 series advantage ... Oklahoma leads the series 63-19 in Norman, but the Tigers did escape the Lloyd Noble Center victorious on Jan. 17, 2004, with a 79-75 overtime triumph ... That win in Norman was Mizzou's first since Feb. 5, 1994, and Mizzou hasn't won back-to-back games at OU since Feb. 18, 1982 and Feb. 12, 1983 ... Quin Snyder and the Tigers have won three of the last five vs. Kelvin Sampson and the Sooners and have actually won three consecutive during regular-season action ... Included in that trend is last season's thrilling 68-65 overtime win vs. the 16th-ranked Sooners on Feb. 12, 2005, at Mizzou Arena ... Preceding that contest, Mizzou grabbed the 79-75 overtime win in Norman and a 67-52 win on Feb. 26, 2003, in Columbia ... Oklahoma's two wins during the stretch came at the Big 12 Tournament in 2003 and 2005 ... Overall, Snyder is 3-8 vs. Oklahoma, but is 3-2 since dropping the first-six meetings.
Tigers Winning with "Paint Ball"
Head Coach Quin Snyder calls Mizzou's emphasis of driving to the bucket and winning the offensive glass "Paint Ball" and during the team's four-game winning streak it's those "Paint Ball" numbers which seem to be deciding the final outcome.
l Over the last four outings, Mizzou has outscored its opposition 118-90 in the paint and owns a 62-29 bulge in second-chance tallies.
l The Tigers have outscored each of those four opponents in the lane and in second-chance points thanks in large part to their improving presence on the boards.
l Mizzou has outrebouned each of their foes during this winning streak, aided by a 55-36 advantage on the offensive glass.
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 continued his strong play with six points and five rebounds in just 11 minutes of action against Oklahoma State in his Big 12 debut ... The rookie was a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor and is now 8-of-10 (.800) from the field over his last two outing to push his field goal percentage to a team-best 55.3 percent.