Nov. 7, 2006
Missouri Tigers (0-0) vs. North Carolina A&T
Game 1 - Nov. 10, 2006 - Columbia, Mo.
 |
|
|
|
For Openers
For just the 16th time in school history, the University of Missouri opens a season with a new head basketball coach ... Mike Anderson, hired March 26, 2006, makes his debut at Mizzou as the Tigers face North Carolina A&T in the opening day of competition at the John Thompson Foundation Classic ... Missouri head coaches are 14-1 all-time in their regular-season lid-lifters ... Overall, the Tigers are 79-21 in season-openers and 85-15 in home-openers ... The Tigers have also won 32 of their last 33 home-openers (lone loss to Sam Houston in 2005-06) ... This weekend's tournament will be the first hosted by Missouri since the 1988-89 season (Walsworth Publishing Classic) ... That does not include multiple games hosted as part of the Preseason NIT and Guardian's Classic ... Friday's game also begins the assault on Missouri's records books for steals and turnovers forced ... During their two exhibition games, the Tigers forced opponent miscues at a record pace, forcing 77 turnovers and recording 49 steals in wins over Missouri-Rolla (105-67) and Lithuania Academy (94-40) ... Marshall Brown led Mizzou with 21.0 points per game during the preseason, with an average of 6.5 points per game coming on dunks ... Brown has five alley-oop dunks under his belt already this season and his one-handed Tomahawk was picked No. 6 on ESPN SportCenter's Plays of the Day for Nov. 6 ... Stefhon Hannah was second on the club at 20.5 points and 7.5 assists per outing ... Matt Lawrence was third at 14.0 per game.
Mizzou Quick-Hitters (Team Notes)
- Missouri opens its second century of basketball this evening when it hosts North Carolina A&T in the opening day of action at the John Thompson Foundation Classic.
- The contest will also mark the regular-season debut of Head Coach Mike Anderson ... Overall, Tiger Basketball head coaches are 14-1 in their regular-season openers and only Quin Snyder (66-56 to Wisconsin) lost his Missouri debut.
- The Nov. 10 tip is the earliest date for a regular-season opener in school history ... The previous record was Nov. 12 in 1999-2000.
Today's game marks the first of nine consecutive regular-season contests at Mizzou Arena ... Missouri doesn't play its first road game of 2006-07 until Dec. 9 at Purdue. - The nine consecutive home games to start a season is a school record ... The previous mark was seven, set in 1909-10.
Under Mike Anderson's 40 Minutes Part II, the Tigers forced turnovers and recorded steals at a record pace during the exhibition season ... The Tigers forced 77 turnovers and recorded 49 steals in two games, including a would-be school record of 26 steals in the 94-40 win over Lithuania Academy. - The official school record for steals in a game is 23 set against Florida A&M on Dec. 3, 1991 ... Including exhibition games, the Mizzou high in 2005-06 was just 10, which was set on three occasions.
- With their 77 turnovers forced, Mizzou forced an average of one turnover for every 1:06 of playing time throughout the preseason.
- The Tigers were also adept at distributing the basketball and dished 40 assists on 81 baskets.
Missouri enjoyed a remarkable 99-17 advantage in points off turnovers and a 114-32 advantage in points in the paint ... Last season, with the services of senior center Kevin Young, the MU season high for points in the paint (including exhibition) was 45 against Sam Houston State, 19 points fewer than Mizzou's 64-point effort in the exhibition-opener.
Tiger Tidbits (Individual Notes)
- Marshall Brown led Missouri with 21.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game during the Mizzou's two exhibition triumphs.
- The back-to-back 20-point efforts for Brown was a first for the third-year forward from Austin, Texas, and the 21.0 ppg. average is the most for a Tiger in the preseason since Linas Kleiza averaged 21.0 points during 2004-05 ... For the record, Thomas Gardner averaged 20.5 in preseason play during 2005-06, the same scoring average as Missouri's #3 in 2006-07, Stefhon Hannah.
- Another connection for Brown and Hannah are the alley-oop dunks ... The duo combined for five alley-oops in the exhibition season and Brown led the Tigers with seven flushes overall, including a one-handed tomahawk vs. Lithuania Academy that was picked No. 6 on ESPN's Plays of the Day for Nov. 6.
- In addition to his 20.5 ppg. average in the preseason, Hannah has recorded gaudy statistical numbers in the assist and steal categories ... Hannah led the club with 7.5 assists per game, including nine in the win over Lithuania Academy ... He also tied for the team lead with 5.0 steals per game, including a high of seven thefts vs. Missouri-Rolla.
Not to be outdone, freshman J.T. Tiller recorded seven steals in 19 minutes of action against Lithuania Academy. - The seven steals by both players would have registered as the second highest total in school history and most since Rickey Paulding enjoyed seven thefts against Colorado on Feb. 10, 2004.
- Perhaps no player has improved more during the offseason than Tiger sophomore Matt Lawrence ... The Lafayette High School product out of St. Louis, Mo., averaged just 1.5 points and 0.7 rebounds as a freshman, but poured in 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in a pair of exhibition wins.
- Lawrence led the club with 7-of-13 shooting from three-point range (53.8) and hit a (would be) career-best 4-of-7 treys en route to a 16-point night against Lithuania Academy.
Over the summer Lawrence averaged nearly 400 shots per day in preparation for his sophomore season under Mike Anderson. - Junior Jason Horton was one of Mizzou's more complete players in exhibition play and averaged a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (tied for first on the team) and was third on the club with 3.5 steals per game, including five in the opener vs. Rolla.
- Vaidotas Volkus finished with a strong preseason, tying for the team lead in rebounding at 7.0 boards per game.
- Volkus lead Mizzou in rebounding vs. Lithuania Academy (eight boards) and averaged 8.0 points per game to rank sixth overall.
- Marcus Watkins' 11 points vs. Missouri-Rolla would have tied his career high in a Tiger uniform ... His career high is 13 which he set during his sophomore season at Texas A&M. Mizzou got a solid effort from its touted crop of newcomers in the preseason, as the collection of Michael Anderson, Darryl Butterfield, Stefhon Hannah, J.T. Tiller and Vaidotas Volkus combined to average 38 points, 16.5 rebounds, 14 assists and 14 steals per game.
Getting To Know Today's Foe
North Carolina A&T, Army and Stetson each play their first games of the 2006-07 season this weekend at the John Thompson Foundation Classic in Columbia, Mo. ... Missouri's first foe, North Carolina A&T, is coming off a 6-23 season in 2005-06, but have a pair of preseason All-MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) players leading this year's group ... Junior forward Jason Wills, who averaged team-leading totals of 14.8 points and 7.1 rebounds as a sophomore was a preseason first team All-MEAC section after scoring a career high 31 points vs. Hampton and topping 20 points six times ... Junior guard Sean Booker returns to the program after sitting out the 2005-06 season ... Booker led the MEAC in scoring in 2004-05 with 16.1 points per game and needs just 125 points to reach 1,000 for his career.
This will be the first meeting all-time between Mizzou and Army ... Last season the Black Knights were 5-22 overall and 1-13 in the Patriot League, but do return junior guard Jarrell Brown, who averaged a team-leading 14.3 points per game as a sophomore, which ranked fourth overall in the Patriot League ... The Black Knights are coached by Jim Crews, who was a member of Indiana's 1976 undefeated NCAA National Championship club and spent 17 successful seasons at Evansville (Mizzou's Dec. 3 opponent), taking the Purple Aces to four NCAA Tournaments and two NIT's.
Mizzou and Stetson will meet for the second time in series history, with Missouri holding a 1-0 series lead following an 89-64 win on Dec. 30, 2000 in Columbia ... The Hatters will look to build on an great finish to the 2005-06 season, which saw the program win 12-of-13 games down the stretch, including a run of nine consecutive wins (six consecutive on the road) to finish the month of February with a 9-1 overall mark ... Leading Stetson into the 2006-07 season is returner Gabe McMillen ... McMillen averaged 10.3 points over his final 15 games as a junior ... A prolific scorer as a prep, the 6-foot-0 McMillen is third all-time in Florida high school basketball history in scoring and is a sharp-shooter from beyond the three-point line at 49.7 percent in 2005-06.
|
MIZZOU COACHING DEBUTS |
|||
| Date | Coach | Opponent | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
12/12/1907 |
A.M. Ebright | Joplin YMCA | W, 42-21 | |
1/12/1909 |
I. Anderson | C. Methodist | W, 65-5 | |
12/18/1909 |
Guy Lowman | C. Missouri | W, 38-16 | |
1/13/1911 |
C. Brewer | Iowa State | W, 40-22 | |
1/10/1912 |
O. Field | Washburn | W, 26-17 | |
1/16/1915 |
E. Van Gent | Tarkio | W, 29-11 | |
1/6/1917 |
J. Miller | C. Methodist | W, 47-21 | |
12/20/1917 |
W. Meanwell | Tulsa | W, 52-12 | |
1/7/1921 |
C. Ruby | Iowa State | W, 30-11 | |
1/1/1923 |
G. Bond | Texas | W, 37-18 | |
1/5/1927 |
G. Edwards | NE Missouri | W, 40-20 | |
12/3/1946 |
W. Stalcup | Drake | W, 49-41 | |
12/1/1962 |
B. Vanatta | Washington (Mo.) | W, 79-70 | |
12/2/1967 |
N. Stewart | Arkansas | W, 74-58 | |
11/12/1999 |
Q. Snyder | Wisconsin | L, 66-56 | |
11/10/2006 |
M. Anderson | N.Carolina A&T | TBA | |
Gentlemen Start Your Engines
Mizzou Men's Basketball Head Coach are 14-1 all-time in their regular season Black & Gold debut's ... At right is a list of Missouri's 15 games under a new head coach:
Game Time Already?
When Mizzou opens regular-season action on Nov. 10 against North Carolina, it will be earliest regular-season start in school history ... In fact, the Tigers will have three games under their belt by Nov. 12, which was the previous mark for the earliest start in school history.
Mizzou opened the 1999-2000 season on Nov. 12 against Wisconsin in the NABC Classic in Syracuse, N.Y. ... That contest was also the first for former Head Coach, Quin Snyder ... Mizzou lost that game 66-56, which is the only time in school history a Mizzou Head Coach lost his debut.
The Good Tigers Giveth ...
Looking for two under-valued statistics that often translate into "W's", look no further than assists and steals.
In Mizzou's two exhibition wins, the Tigers dished 40 assists, with the backcourt tandem of Jason Horton (nine) and Stefhon Hannah (15) combining for 24 of those helpers ... Sophomore newcomer Michael Anderson chipped in six assists, while fellow newcomer J.T. Tiller added a three.
... And Taketh Away
Mizzou's record number of thefts stole the statistical headlines in the preseason with a school-record 26 rips coming against Lithuania Academy on Nov. 6.
Newcomers Hannah and Tiller each recorded 10 steals apiece in the preseason, with Hannah enjoying seven steals in the 105-67 win over Missouri-Rolla and Tiller recording seven in just 19 minutes of action against Lithuania Academy ... Had those steals counted in Mizzou's records books, both Hannah and Tiller would be currently tied for second all-time in single-game steals.
Over their two games, Missouri has enjoyed a record 49 steals and forced a remarkable 77 turnovers in 80 minutes of game time.
Records Are Made To Be Broken
As we begin the Mike Anderson Era at Mizzou and played witness to his team's incredible 49-steal effort in two exhibition wins against Missouri-Rolla (23) and Lithuania Academy (26), let's go ahead and begin tracking the slow death of Mizzou's single-game and single-season steals records ... Below is a list of Missouri's Team and Individual single-season steals marks over the previous 100 years of intercollegiate basketball.
Family Affair
Mizzou Basketball is a family affair ... Head Coach Mike Anderson has three relatives on this season's squad ... His son, Michael Anderson, Jr., is a sophomore for Missouri after transferring from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, while his nephew, DeMarre Carroll, is redshirting for the Tigers after two stellar seasons at Vanderbilt ... Another of Anderson's nephews, T.J. Cleveland, is an assistant coach for the Tigers and spent his playing days under Anderson and Nolan Richardson at the University of Arkansas.
Another family connection not to be forgotten is that Associate Head Coach Melvin Watkins is the father of senior forward Marcus Watkins.
Two-Sport Standouts
From his first day at Mizzou, Head Coach Mike Anderson said "40 Minutes Part II" would allow his players to utilize their natural, athletic abilities and Anderson has recruited players who's abilities transcend those simply needed for the hardwood ... Three of Anderson's newcomers have multi-sport experience, with those sports ranging from track and field - to football - to baseball.
Freshman guard J.T. Tiller originally signed with Anderson at UAB after earning all-state honors as a guard at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga. ... Despite all of Tiller's accolades on the hardwood, however, his premier sport could be the triple jump, as the 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard finished second in the Georgia State Championships as a senior and boasted a nationally-ranked leap of 47-02.25".
JUCO forward Darryl Butterfield began his prep career as a high school quarterback at Miami's Carol City Senior High School and teamed with former Miami Hurricane standout and current New York Giant wide out Sinorice Moss ... Butterfield played two seasons on the gridiron before injuries sidetracked his football career.
Fellow junior college transfer Stefhon Hannah enjoyed a solid pitching career at Hyde Park High School in Chicago's Public League ... If you ask Hannah, his best pitch was his fastball ... Judging by the speed of a few of his no-look passes, we won't disagree.
Dandridge, K. Lawrence Sidelined
October and November is supposed to be the cold & flu season, not the broken foot season, but for the Missouri Tigers, broken bones seem to be going around the club like the winter-time virus ... Junior forward Glen Dandridge will be sidelined during the early part of November after suffering a broken bone in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot on Oct. 15 ... Two weeks later, freshman Keon Lawrence suffered a stress fracture in the fourth metatarsal of his left foot forcing him to miss four-to-six weeks ... Lawrence suffered his injury on Oct. 30.
Plenty of New Faces
Roster additions like this are typically reserved for free agency in the professional game, but this season Missouri welcomes five transfers and two high school standouts to Columbia, with two of those transfers coming from the Division I ranks and three more from junior college ... Although Vanderbilt transfer DeMarre Carroll will sit out the 2006-07 campaign, Mike Anderson, Jr., (UAB transfer) will be available along with former JUCO standouts Darryl Butterfield (Mineral Area CC), Stefhon Hannah (Chipola CC) and Vaidotas Voluks (Redlands CC) ... Also entering the program are two of the nation's more highly-touted high school standouts, Keon Lawrence (Newark, N.J.) and J.T. Tiller (Marietta, Ga.) ... The seven newcomers represent one of the larger influxes of new faces in school history and is the most since 1990-91 when Norm Stewart's Tigers opened the doors to seven new players that included Jevon Crudup and Melvin Booker.
No Place Like Home
The seven new Tigers on this season's roster will have plenty of opportunities to get acclimated to their new home in November, as Mizzou plays a record 10 home games throughout the first month of the season ... Including exhibition games vs. Missouri-Rolla and the Lithuania Academy, Mizzou will host nearly half of its school record 21 homes during November.
Conversely, Mizzou has just four total games in the month of December ... Due to finals week and the holiday break, the Tigers go 27 days in between home dates with Evansville on Dec. 3 and Southern on Dec. 30.
First Impressions
As Mizzou enters its second century of intercollegiate basketball, the Tigers also welcome their 16th head coach into the program, Mike Anderson ... Overall, first year head coaches at Mizzou are 185-115, which is a winning percentage of .617 ... The school record for winning percentage in a coach's first season is shared by Walter Meanwell (1917-18) and Craig Ruby (1920-21) who each went 17-1 (.944) during their first campaign ... The record for wins by a first-year head coach is 18 (18-13 overall) by Quin Snyder in 1999-2000 ... Ironically, the Tiger coach with the lowest winning percentage in his first season is legendary sideline boss Norm Stewart, who went 10-16 during his initial year in Columbia, rebuilding a Tiger program that went just 3-22 the year prior.