Jan. 23, 2006
Columbia, Mo. -
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Missouri (10-6, 3-2 Big 12) will look to rebound from a 79-64 loss at Kansas State last Saturday, when it hosts the Iowa State Cyclones at Mizzou Arena on Wednesday ... Senior guard Jimmy McKinney needs just five points to become the 35th Tiger in school history to top 1,000 for his career ... McKinney can become the first Tiger to accomplish the feat since Rickey Paulding and Arthur Johnson during the 2002-03 season ... Following the 1,000-point accomplishment, McKinney will need just 26 rebounds to become the fifth player in school history with 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 300 assists ... He has currently dished out 325 dimes ... The Tigers have been outstanding at home this year (9-2) and will look for their 10th home victory in their last 11 tries ... Of Missouri's 11 games at home this season, seven have been decided by nine points or less, including each of the last three Big 12 games ... As you would expect from those numbers, Missouri has been a much-improved offensive club at Mizzou Arena and is averaging 74.2 points at home (46.3 FG %) as opposed to 64.2 points away from its friendly confines (41.1 FG%) ... Missouri has won five consecutive at home vs. ISU, including a remarking 62-59 win last season when the Tigers trailed by 12 with 4:34 remaining in the contest ... A win against Iowa State would help the Tigers equal their second best start in Big 12 history (4-2) ... Missouri has had 15 teams start Conference play with a 4-2 record (or better) since 1974-75 and 14 have qualified for NCAA Tournament play ... Thomas Gardner continues to lead the Big 12 Conference in scoring (21.6) and three-point field goals (3.5) ... Gardner once again paced Mizzou at K-State with 21 points ... Although Gardner had an off shooting night, the junior still managed a career high 11 free throw attempts (10 makes) to reach the 20-point plateau for the fifth consecutive game ... The last Tiger to open Conference play with five consecutive 20-point efforts was Derrick Chievous (1986-87) ... The raw numbers would point to a sixth consecutive 20-point effort for Gardner as he is averaging 23.4 points at Mizzou Arena this season (averaging 17.8 points away from home), thanks to a career high 40 points against Kansas in Missouri's last home game.
Gardner Validating Non-Conference Exploits
With his career high 40 points against Kansas, 23 points against Oklahoma State, 22 points vs. Colorado and 21 points at No. 22 Oklahoma and at Kansas State, Thomas Gardner became just the third Tiger since 1973-74 to record five consecutive 20-point games to open Conference play ... Gardner joined Willie Smith (six consecutive - 1975-76) and Derrick Chievous (five consecutive - 1986-87) as the only Mizzou players to score 20-plus in five consecutive Conference games to open the year ... His current Big 12 average of 25.4 points bests both of those performers through five games.
Getting To Know Today's Foe
Iowa State (12-6, 2-3 Big 12) enters today's game following an 86-81 home loss to Texas A&M on Saturday ... The Cyclones have dropped three of their last four games (all in the Big 12), including their last two games at Hilton Coliseum ... Iowa State does have a home win over Kansas State (72-70) and won 88-75 in Lincoln, Neb., against the Nebraska Cornhuskers ... Iowa State is led by one of the League's top back courts, Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock ... Stinson ranks fourth in the Conference with 18.7 points per game, while leading in steals (2.72) and ranking third in assists (5.22) ... Blalock is 12th in scoring (14.7), but also paces the Conference in dimes (6.56) and ranks sixth in steals (2.06) ... Rahshon Clark is the Cyclones leading rebounder (5.1) and ranks third on the team and 15th in the Big 12 with 13.5 points per game ... The Queens N.Y., native is also a Top-10 shot-blocker at 1.33 rejections per night ... Iowa State enters tonight's game as one of the top scoring clubs in the Big 12 ... Led by the trio of Stinson, Blalock and Clark, ISU is averaging 77.6 points per game ... The Cyclones are also one of the Big 12's top teams at protecting and taking away the basketball ... ISU has a +5.5 turnover margin (second in the Big 12) and leads the Big 12 with 10.33 steals per game.
Mizzou Series With The Iowa State
Wednesday's game marks the 220th all-time meeting between Missouri and Iowa State ... The Tigers lead the series 140-79 (.639) and are 79-19 (.806) vs. the Cyclones in Columbia ... Missouri has won five consecutive vs. ISU at home, including a 62-59 win at Mizzou Arena on Jan. 8, 2005 ... The last road win in the series came during Quin Snyder's initial season at Mizzou (1999-2000) when ISU won at the Hearnes Center 72-62 ... The Cyclones finished as Big 12 Champions that season with a 14-2 Conference record ... The initial meeting between the two clubs was played Jan. 9, 1909, with Missouri earning a 53-14 home win ... Since that series-opener in 1909, the Tigers and Cyclones have hooked up on the hardwood every year but two, 1915 and 1927.