Jan. 20, 2006
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at Texas A&M (14-4, 3-2)
Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006 - College Station, Texas
TIPOFF: 7:00 p.m. CST.
ARENA: Reed Arena (12,500). Opened in 1998. MU is 169-192 (.468) all-time on an opponent's home floor.
RADIO: KWWC-FM 90.5 (David Lile, play-by-play/Edith Thompson, color). Also available online at mutigers.com.
TV: None.
RANKINGS: Both schools are receiving votes in both polls.
SERIES: Mizzou leads, 7-3. Texas A&M leads in College Station, 3-1. Mizzou has won the last three games in the series, including a 61-60 win in College Station in 2004.
COACHES:
MIZZOU: Cindy Stein (Illinois '84), 126-100 at MU (eighth season) and 191-125 overall (11th season).
TEXAS A&M: Gary Blair (Texas Tech '74), 39-38 at A&M (third season) and 447-201 overall (21st season).
TIGERS OFF TO BEST CONFERENCE START SINCE 1984
The Mizzou women's basketball team (14-3, 4-1 Big 12) goes for its second Big 12 road win on Saturday at Texas A&M (14-4, 3-2). The game will pit the two biggest surprises of the Big 12 season, as Missouri and Texas A&M were picked to finish 10th and seventh, respectively, by the league's coaches before the start of the season.
The Tigers enter the game in sole possession of second place in the Big 12, and at 4-1 are off to their best start in the 10 years of the league. It is also Mizzou's best conference start overall since the 1983-84 Tigers began the Big Eight slate 12-1.
The Aggies are tied for third in the league, and their two losses have come in close affairs at Texas Tech (56-55) on Jan. 7, and at No. 8 Baylor (60-49) on Wednesday; A&M led the Lady Bears by two at the half on Wednesday. Texas A&M also has home wins over Oklahoma State and Kansas State, and a win at Kansas to its credit.
HOME SWEET HOME
Part of the Tigers' about-face this season (see note on page 2) starts with their success at home. Mizzou is a perfect 10-0 in the friendly confines of Mizzou Arena this season, one year removed from a 5-8 mark at home.
The Tigers capped a school-record-tying eight-game homestand a perfect 8-0 to begin Big 12 play. Coupled with the Nov. 22 win vs. Northwestern, Mizzou is currently 10-0 at Mizzou Arena this season.
The Tigers played five of their first six games on the road, and have fared relatively well away from Mizzou Arena this season, winning both of their neutral-site games, and posting their only losses this season on the road (2-3 overall).
It is on the road, however, where the Tigers will compete on Saturday, and they do so at a place they have won just once in four tries. That win was its most recent trip to Reed Arena in 2004, however, and ended an amazing 0-for-20 losing streak in the Lone Star State that dated back to 1990.
TIGERS EXCEED LAST YEAR'S WIN TOTAL
Of all the measures of the success of this year's team, the most compelling might be this: With the win vs. Colorado on Wednesday, Mizzou bumped its win total to 14 this season; the Tigers had 11 wins all of last year (11-18). In addition, the fourth Big 12 win of the season matched last year's entire season total (4-12).
LAST TIME OUT: MIZZOU 69, COLORADO 49
Carlynn Savant earned her second double-double of the season, and was one of four Tigers to score 14 or more points, as Missouri posted a 69-49 win over Colorado in Big 12 Conference action Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena.
NEXT HOME GAME: DOLLAR TICKETS VS. TECH
Following their scheduled mid-week bye, Mizzou's next home game will be next Saturday, Jan. 28, against Texas Tech. The Tigers and Lady Raiders will tip off at 1 p.m. at Mizzou Arena in a game that will be televised nationally by FSN. Tickets to the game are on sale for $1, and may be purchased in advance at the Mizzou Arena Box Office, or by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS (573-884-PAWS in Mid-Missouri).
TIGERS STREAKING (IN A GOOD WAY!)
As mentioned earlier, Mizzou has won 13 of its last 14 games. Mizzou's 14-3 start is the second-best in school history through 17 games; it trails only the 14-2 start by the 1982-83 Tigers.
JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
With its loss at Texas on Saturday, Mizzou dropped out of the Associated Press Top 25 this week. That came one week after the Tigers appeared in the writers' poll (at No. 24) for the first time since the 1984-85 season. The Tigers are receiving votes this week.
Close followers of the Tigers vividly recally the 2001 NCAA Sweet Sixteen squad and might wonder why that team wasn't ranked. It had more to do with the relative strength of the Big 12 - Mizzou was fifth in the league that year - and the fact that the final AP poll is released at the conclusion of the regular season, before the Tigers' deep run in the NCAA Tournament occurred. Mizzou was ranked 19th in the final coaches' poll of 2001; the Tigers received the 29th-highest total of votes on Tuesday.
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
The Aggies are off to a hot start in Head Coach Gary Blair's third season. As is the case with a Blair squad, Texas A&M is built on a frenetic, harassing defense. The Aggies are the Big 12's top defensive team, surrendering an average of just 55.6 points per game. Teams are also turning the ball over a Big 12-worst 10.1 more turnovers per game than Texas A&M. Rebounding will be key in Saturday's game; the Aggies lead the league in offensive rebounding, yet are last in defensive rebounding.
Texas A&M utilizes a deep bench; no player is averaging more than 27 minutes per game, and nine average 15 or more. Morenike Atunrase, last year's Big 12 Freshman of the Year, leads the Aggies in scoring at 12.7 points per game, and sophomore A'Quonesia Franklin leads the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.47.
SERIES VS. THE AGGIES
Mizzou leads the series, which didn't begin until the formation of the Big 12 Conference prior to the 1996-97 season, by a 7-3 margin. Texas A&M has won three of the four games in College Station, yet the Tigers won the most recent meeting, 61-60, in 2004. The Tigers have also won the last two matchups in Columbia to give the Tigers the last three wins of the series.