Nov. 11, 2007
Missouri Tigers (0-0)
Central Michigan Chippewas (0-0)
Regular Season Game 1 - November 12, 2007 - Columbia, Mo.
Tip-off: 7:06 p.m. CST
Arena: Mizzou Arena - Columbia, Mo. (15,061)
TV: MSN / ESPN360 (Dan MacLaughlin, play-by-play; Jon Sundvold, analyst)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly play-by-play; Gary Link analyst)
Rankings: RV - Associated Press / NR in ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll
Series: First Meeting
Coaches:
Missouri: Mike Anderson (Tulsa '82); 107-53 overall (6th season); 18-12 at Mizzou (2nd)
Central Michigan: Ernie Zeigler (Cleary College '94) 13-18 overall (2nd season) / Same at CMU
For Openers
> Mizzou opens its 102nd season of college basketball on Monday when it hosts the 2007 O'Reilly Auto Parts College Basketball Experience ... The Tigers host Central Michigan on Nov. 12 and face either Central Missouri or Fordham at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 13.
> Missouri is 1-0 all-time in regular-season openers under head coach Mike Anderson following last season's 101-80 season-opening win over North Carolina A&T ... Overall, the Tigers are 80-21 in season openers and 86-15 in home openers ... The Tigers have also won 33 of their last 34 home-openers, with that lone loss coming to Sam Houston State in 2005-06 in the opening round of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
> Along those same lines, Missouri has dominated non-conference opponents at home over the past two seasons ... The Tigers have won 18 consecutive home games vs. non-Big 12 opponents dating back to that Nov. 14, 2005, loss to Sam Houston State in the NIT.
> The Nov. 12 regular-season opener ties for the second-earliest start to a season in school history ... The Tigers opened regular-season play on Nov. 10 last season in the John Thompson Foundation Classic ... Missouri also opened its season on Nov. 12 in 1999-2000.
> Mizzou received eight votes in the initial Associated Press Top 25 poll last week ... The Tigers are ranked No. 42 nationally fueled by the return of four starters and 11 letter winners ... Overall, Missouri enjoys the return of 87.6 percent of its scoring, 80.4 percent of its rebounds, 96.1 percent of its assists and 94.3 percent of its steals from last year's 18-12 club.
> "The Show", Missouri's fast-paced, high-pressure style of play, got revved up during exhibition play as the Tigers forced a remarkable 69 turnovers and recorded 39 steals in two games vs. Missouri-St. Louis and Missouri Western ... That defensive dominance resulted in an incredible 33 more field goal makes and attempts for the Tigers as they enjoyed a 42.5 ppg. margin of victory.
> In addition to steals, a trademark of Mike Anderson-coached teams has been assist totals and the Tigers recorded "dimes" on 66.2 percent of their field goals in preseason play.
> In a weird scheduling parallel, Missouri will be facing its first Mid-American Conference opponent since defeating Eastern Michigan 77-75 in double-overtime on Dec. 5, 1987 ... That EMU squad was coached by Ben Braun, who is currently the head coach at California ... The Tigers and Golden Bears will meet this season on Dec. 1 in Berkeley as part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.
Mizzou Quick-Hitters
> Mizzou officially opens its 102nd season of college basketball on Monday when it hosts Central Michigan University in the opening round of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.
> The Tigers and Chippewas will meet for the first time in school history and Missouri is 7-2 all-time vs. the Mid-American Conference.
> The Tigers will look to improve upon their 18-game homecourt winning streak vs. non-conference foes, which dates back to the 2005-06 season opener ... In fact, Head Coach Mike Anderson has yet to lose a non-conference game at Mizzou Arena since his hiring in 2006 ... The Tigers were a perfect 11-0 last season on the friendly confines of Norm Stewart Court.
> Speaking of Mizzou Arena, ESPN's Pat Forde named Mizzou Arena the No. 1 "New School" college basketball arena in America ... Who can argue?, this place is loaded!
> Mizzou's appearance in the CBE Classic marks the third consecutive year the Tigers have hosted a preseason tournament game ... Mizzou hosted an opening round game in the 2005-06 NIT Season Tip Off and hosted the John Thompson Foundation Classic last season.
> Mizzou's defensive pressure may have actually picked up following last season's school record 302 steals ... In two exhibition games the Tigers forced 69 turnovers (34.5 tpg) and recorded 39 steals (19.5 spg) ... Last year Mizzou led the Big 12 with 10.1 steals and 18.9 turnovers per game.
> The Tigers did an excellent job converting off those miscues as they averaged 37.5 ppg. off of turnovers in preseason play, including 40 points off of turnovers in the win against Missouri-St. Louis.
> As was the case last season, Missouri's bench was again solid as the Tiger reserves averaged a gaudy 47.5 points per game in preseason play ... Last season Mizzou set a school record with 26.4 points per game from its second wave.
> Helping that bench production was Missouri's balanced playing rotation ... The Tigers had 11 players average at least 9.0 minutes per game in the preseason tune-ups and no Tiger averaged more than 24.0 minutes (Keon Lawrence).
Tiger Tidbits (Individual Notes)
> DeMarre Carroll led Missouri in exhibition play with 15.5 points per game on a remarkable 12-of-13 shooting from the floor (.923) ... Carroll was very efficient, recording that average in just 20.5 minutes per game.
> Carroll also ranked second on the club with 5.5 rebounds, while adding 1.5 steals per night.
> Not to harp on Carroll's incredible efficiency, but once you include Missouri's Black & Gold scrimmage, the 6-foot-8 forward is shooting a combined 24-of-32 (.750) from the floor and is a solid 12-of-18 (.667) from the foul line.
> Coaches often say some of the largest strides for a player are made between his freshman and sophomore seasons and sophomore J.T. Tiller is proving them right ... Tiller made his first career start in the exhibition opener against UMSL on Nov. 3 and averaged 8.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in exhibition action.
> Stefhon Hannah continues to be one of the nation's most dynamic point guards, averaging 12.5 points, 5.0 assists and 7.0 steals in two exhibition games.
> Hannah had eight steals in the win over Missouri Western, which would have tied the school record ... In two preseason games Hannah had 14 total thefts, which is no surprise since the 6-foot-1 senior was named the nation's ninth-best perimeter defender by Fran Fraschilla and ESPN.com.
> As you would expect, Hannah is a preseason candidate for the Bob Cousy National Point Guard of the Year Award.
> Keon Lawrence narrowly missed a triple-double in the 113-55 win over Missouri Western on Nov. 8 ... The 6-foot-2 sophomore had 15 points, a career-high tying nine rebounds and a career high nine assists ... The triple-double would have been the second in school history.
> As was documented by the Kansas City Star, there are no "off days" for Lawrence, as he makes 1,000 shots each day the team is given off by head coach Mike Anderson.
> Leo Lyons narrowly missed the first double-double of his career when he dumped in 11 points and nine rebounds against UMSL.
> Lyons then earned a start vs. Missouri Western and tallied 12 points, four rebounds and three steals ... Lyons finished exhibition play leading the Tigers with 6.5 rebounds per game.
> Freshman Justin Safford continues to impress in the early going and averaged 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in the two preseason contests.
> Safford also graced ESPN's Top 10 Plays on Nov. 8 with his alley-oop slam vs. Missouri Western ... Safford checked in at No. 6.
> Senior guard Jason Horton needs just 64 assists this year to move into the Mizzou single-season Top 5 for dimes.
> Senior forward Marshall Brown is closing in on 1,000 career points ... The Austin, Texas native currently has 740 tallies and needs 260 points to become the 38th member of the Mizzou 1,000-point club.
Breaking Down The CBE Classic
The 2007 O'Reilly Auto Parts College Basketball Experience Classic is a 16-team event broken into four regions, the Missouri Region, Michigan State Region, Maryland Region and UCLA Region ... Each site will have four games over two days and the opening-night winners advance to the region championship game, playing for the right to travel to Kansas City on Nov. 19-20 at the new Sprint Center.
> Central Missouri and Fordham will meet on Nov. 12 at 4:30 p.m. and the Mizzou-Central Michigan contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. later that evening.
> The winning teams from Monday will square-off on Tuesday ... Regardless of the outcome, Missouri will play at 7 p.m. on Nov. 13 due to a television right agreement with the Mizzou Sports Network.
> The winner of the Missouri Region is paired with the winner of the Michigan State Region and game times at the semifinals and finals of the CBE Classic are slated for 6 and 8:30 p.m. ... The Missouri Region portion of the bracket is slated to play in the 8:30 p.m. contest on ESPNU ... Game times on the 20th are set for 6:45 and 9 p.m.
About Central Michigan
Central Michigan comes into Monday's contest following a perfect 2-0 record in exhibition play ... The Chippewas were 13-18 last season, but return the bulk of their 2006-07 squad and are picked to win the Mid-American Conference by The Sporting News with the return of four starters and a number of key reserves and newcomers ... Mid-American Conference Preseason Player of the Year Giordan Watson leads CMU ... Watson averaged 18.8 points a game last year and dumped in 22 points in his exhibition opener against Hillsdale ... Purdue transfer Nate Minnoy adds to CMU's versatility ... The 6-foot-3, 260-pounder reached double figures in both Chippewa exhibition games, including a team-high tying 22 tallies vs. Hillsdale ... CMU is coached by second year sideline boss Ernie Zeigler ... Zeigler came to CMU from UCLA where he was an assistant for Ben Howland ... Zeigler also spent time in the Big 12 under former K-State Head Coach Tom Asbury ... Speaking of Central Michigan and Kansas State, bruising Wildcat forward David Hoskins started his career at Central Michigan, as did NBA players "Thunder" Dan Majerle and Chris Kaman, who was a lottery pick (No. 6 overall) of the Clippers in 2003.
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 47 assists, compared to just 29 turnovers, with the backcourt trio of Keon Lawrence (10), Jason Horton (10) and Stefhon Hannah (10) leading the way.
... And Taketh Away
Mizzou's record number of thefts stole the statistical headlines in the preseason with a combined 39 steals coming in games against Missouri-St. Louis and Missouri Western.
> Hannah and sophomore J.T. Tiller led Mizzou, as Hannah ripped away 14 steals in two games, including eight in the win over Missouri Western ... Tiller added six and nine total Tigers had at least two steals in the two preseason contests.
> Over their two games, Missouri enjoyed 49 steals and forced a remarkable 69 turnovers in 80 minutes of game time.
Tigers Earn Preseason Love / AP Top 25 Consideration
Head Coach Mike Anderson has done a remarkable job rebuilding the Mizzou Basketball program in just over a season and for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign, the Tigers received preseason consideration for the Associated Press' Top 25 poll ... The Tigers received eight votes from the writers, placing them 42nd nationally.
> The preseason love has been nothing new for the 2007-08 version of the Tigers, as Missouri was picked advance to NCAA Tournament action by both Lindy's and Athlons College Basketball annuals ... Missouri's last Top 25 national ranking came early in the 2003-04 season.
> In the league voting, Missouri was picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 by the conference coaches, a stark contrast from the last-place prediction many publications pegged for the Tigers just one year ago.
J.Y.De (As in Junk Yard DeMarre)
He plays the game with such passion and ferocity that just two exhibition contests into his Missouri career DeMarre Carroll has earned the moniker J.Y.De. ... Carroll led the Tigers with 15.5 points per game and shot an incredible 12-of-13 from the floor in just 20.5 minutes per game.
> The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward opened with 16 points, six boards and two steals in just 23 minutes against UMSL, before chipping in a team-high tying 15 points, five boards and a steal vs. Missouri Western in just 18 minutes.
> The Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year also led Mizzou's trapping defense to an incredible 69 forced turnovers in two contests.
Now That Schedule Is Tiger Tough
It's a schedule that would make Jeff Sagarin and Joe Lunardi scream "Uncle!". Missouri's 2007-08 schedule is loaded with great competition and those tough contests begin with the opening round of the CBE Classic in Columbia.
> From the season opener against Central Michigan (Preseason MAC favorite by The Sporting News), and a potential matchup with Fordham (ranked No. 63 by Rivals.com), to 13 games against teams currently ranked or receiving votes in the Associated Press's Top 25, Missouri's schedule ranks among the nation's toughest.
> The Tigers could face up to seven opponents from BCS Conferences during non-league play, which would be the most in the regular-season since the 1985-86 campaign when the Tigers faced eight "BCS" squads.
> In fact, Missouri could face a team from each BCS league minus the Big East ... Missouri has games vs. Mississippi State and Arkansas from the SEC, Purdue and Illinois from the Big Ten, California from the Pac-10 and could face Maryland from the ACC.
> Mizzou could face up to five NCAA Tournament teams in non-league action ... The Tigers are guaranteed games against 2006-07 NCAA participants Arkansas, Illinois and Purdue and could enjoy two games versus UCLA, Michigan State and Maryland at the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic in Kansas City, Mo. In addition to those contests, the Tigers have a game at Mississippi State, a program that advanced to Madison Square Garden for the semifinals of the Postseason NIT last season.
The Pine Is Just Fine
Mike Anderson says he has nine starters and the numbers prove it ... In his first year at Mizzou the club set a school record with 26.4 points per game coming from its reserves and 2007-08 appears to be no different.
> Through two exhibition games Missouri averaged 47.5 points per game from its bench, including an incredible 63 bench points in the 113-55 win over Missouri Western ... Overall, the Tigers had four double-figure scorers come off the pine, including sophomore Keon Lawrence, who narrowly missed a triple-double vs. MWSU with 15 points, nine rebounds and nine dimes.
Carroll Earning Numerous Preseason Awards
DeMarre Carroll continues to rack up the preseason accolades ... A 6-foot-8, 225-pound transfer from Vanderbilt, Carroll was named the Big 12 Conference's Preseason Newcomer of the Year by the league coaches, while being ranked among the nation's top transfers by rivals.com, Street & Smith and Lindy's College Basketball annuals.
> The 6-foot-8, 225-pounder resumes his collegiate playing career after sitting out the 2006-07 campaign as a transfer from Vandy ... A two-year performer for the Commodores, Carroll averaged 10.9 points and 6.4 rebounds as a sophomore in 2005-06, playing in 29 games and making 15 starts.
> The Birmingham, Ala., native played his best basketball in Southeastern Conference action, seeing his statistical averages jump to 12.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game ... The 7.4 boards led Vandy and ranked No. 9 in the SEC, while his 12.1 points ranked second on the club and No. 18 in the league.
> Carroll was also named the nation's No. 3 Impact Transfer by both Rivals.com and ESPN college basketball expert Pat Forde.
Hannah Named To Cousy Award List
Stefhon Hannah was named a preseason candidate for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate point guard ... The Chicago, Ill., native is one of four Big 12 point guards recognized on this year's preseason list, joining D.J. Augustin (Texas), Curtis Jerrells (Baylor) and Russell Robinson (Kansas).
> The Bob Cousy Award recognizes the top collegiate point guard in NCAA Division I, II and III and the selection committee is comprised of college basketball experts, including members of the media, along with former coaches and players.
Year No. 2 Has Been One Of Big Improvement For Head Coach Mike Anderson
Named the nation's No. 1 Immediate Impact Coach by Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis last season may have just been the tip of the iceberg ... After all, Head Coach Mike Anderson typically makes his most significant strides in year No. 2 ... From his playing days at both Jefferson State Community College (NJCAA National Runner-up in second year) and Tulsa (NCAA Tournament in second season) to his coaching tenures at Arkansas and UAB, Anderson has helped his clubs make large improvements in year No. 2.
> Overall, Anderson's teams have averaged a startling 5.3 win improvement during that second season, which becomes even more impressive since his first-year clubs at Tulsa, Arkansas, UAB and Missouri averaged a solid 17.5 wins per year.
> Each time in year No. 2, Anderson's clubs found their way to post-season play, including his 2003-04 UAB club that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen and claimed a share of Conference USA's National Division ... In his second season at Tulsa, Anderson helped the Golden Hurricane to NCAA Tournament action, while in his second season at Arkansas, the Razorbacks rebounded from a 12-win campaign to go 19-14 and advance to the second round of the NIT.