Norm Stewart's induction into the CBE Hall of Fame kicks offNorm Stewart's induction into the CBE Hall of Fame kicks off
Men's Basketball

Mizzou Begins "KC Week" With CBE Classic

Nov. 18, 2007

Missouri Tigers (3-0) vs. Michigan State Spartans (2-0)
Regular Season Game 4 - November 19, 2007 - Kansas City, Mo.


TIPOFF: 8:30 p.m. CT.
ARENA: Sprint Center - Kansas City, Mo. (18,000)
TV: ESPNU (Dan Shulman play-by-play; Dick Vitale analyst)
RADIO: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly play-by-play; Gary Link analyst).
RANKINGS: MU - RV/NR;
MSU - 12/12.
SERIES: Missouri leads 4-2 all-time; first meeting since a 79-61 MSU win in 1984
COACHES:
   Mizzou: Mike Anderson (Tulsa '82); 110-53 overall (6th season); 21-12 at Mizzou (2nd).
   MSU: Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan '77) 280-121 at Michigan State (13th season).

FOR OPENERS

  • Missouri makes its first appearance in Kansas City since the 2004-05 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships when it faces No. 12 Michigan State in the semifinals of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.
  • The Tigers are huge players in the Kansas City sports landscape this week, as the induction of legendary Tiger head coach Norm Stewart into the National College Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday kicks off "Tiger Week" in KC ... Mizzou Basketball's appearance in the CBE Classic continues the exciting seven-day run, which will be capped by an epic gridiron showdown between Mizzou - Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 24 ... Not to get off basketball, but does anyone notice how the BCS standings look a lot like the Top 25 hoops standings back in the old Big Eight days of the late 80s, early 90s with Mizzou, Oklahoma and Kansas each in the Top 5?
  • First and foremost, let's start with "The Coach" ... Stewart enters the College Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday after winning 634 games in 32 historic seasons directing his alma mater ... When Stewart finished his coaching career, he was No. 7 all-time in career wins with 731 victories and led the Tigers to 11 Big Eight titles in Kansas City ... What a fitting site for Coach Stewart to be enshrined.
  • Missouri is playing its first ranked foe of the year in No. 12 Michigan State ... The Tigers were 1-4 last season vs. ranked squads and upended No. 18 Oklahoma State 75-64 in Stillwater on Feb. 17.
  • Kansas City has been Columbia-west over the years and Mizzou has played 179 games all-time in KC ... Missouri is 93-86 (.520) all-time, but is 53-29 since the 1971-72 season ... For the record, the Sprint Center is just 126 miles west of Mizzou Arena per our friends at MapQuest.
  • Two of the nation's top inside-out tandems will be on display tonight ... While the Spartans have Drew Neitzel and Raymar Morgan (combined 32.5 ppg., 17,5 rpg., 8.5 apg., 1.5 spg), Missouri will introduce a nationally-televised audience to Stefhon Hannah and the "J.Y.De.", DeMarre Carroll, who sport combined averages of 30.7 ppg., 10.6 rpg., 8.7 apg. and 3.0 spg.
  • The Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Carroll was named the MVP of the Columbia Regional and is averaging 19.0 points, 8.3 rebounds on 26-of-37 (.703) shooting from the floor.
  • The forward tandem of Carroll and Kansas City native Leo Lyons have been among the Big 12's most efficient players shooting the ball ... Combined, the "big-fellas" are averaging 30.7 points on 42-of-61 (.688) shooting from the floor.

MIZZOU QUICK-HITTERS

  • Mizzou continues its 102nd season of college basketball on Monday when it faces Michigan State at the new Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., in the semifinals of the CBE Classic.
  • The Tigers and Spartans will meet for the seventh time in school history, with MU holding a 4-2 series lead ... This is the first neutral-court meeting for the schools.
  • This will mark the first of two trips to the Sprint Center for the Tigers ... The Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships will be held at the Sprint Center on March 13-16.
  • Missouri will look to run its November record to 12-0 under Mike Anderson ... The Tigers were a perfect 8-0 in the season's first month last year and are already off to a 3-0 start in 2007-08.
  • Mizzou starts a stretch where it will spend much more time away from home ... Missouri will play six of its next 12 games away from Mizzou Arena ... In fact, Mizzou has just one home game, Nov. 25 vs. Western Illinois, before a Dec. 8 contest with Purdue.
  • Speaking of Mizzou Arena, ESPN's Pat Forde named Mizzou Arena the No. 1 "New School" college basketball arena in America ... Who can argue?, the place is loaded!
  • Mizzou's defensive pressure may actually be picking up following last season's school record 302 steals ... The Tigers have forced 60 turnovers (33 steals) in three games this season ... Last year, Mizzou led the Big 12 with 10.1 steals and 18.9 turnovers per game and are averaging 11.0 steals and 20.0 turnovers forced per game this year.
  • Conversely, the Tigers are turning the ball over just 9.6 times per game.
  • The Tigers have done an excellent job converting off those miscues and are averaging 26.7 points per game off turnovers ... When you break down the numbers, Missouri is scoring 31 percent of its points off of turnovers (26.7-of-87.0 ppg).
  • In addition to steals, a trademark of Mike Anderson-coached teams has been assist totals and the Tigers are recording assists on 64.4 percent of their buckets this season (67 assists on 104 FG's).
  • When you take Missouri's 12 "put-back" buckets out of the equation, the Tigers are averaging assists on 73 percent of their field goals.
  • Helping this total was the 28 assists on 40 buckets vs. Southern on Nov. 16.
  • Missouri has flashed a balanced playing rotation, as nine Tigers are averaging at least 13.3 minutes per game and no player is averaging more than 27.0 minutes.
  • Missouri has been an efficient club shooting the ball inside the three-point line this season ... The Tigers are hitting 56 percent (84-of-150) of their field goals inside the arc.

TIGER TIDBITS (Individual Notes)

  • The Junk Yard Dog has arrived ... DeMarre Carroll dominated the Columbia Regional of the CBE Classic and continued in the 45-point win over Southern and has led Mizzou in scoring and rebounding in all three games this year.
  • In his first game in over a year (sat out due to transfer rules), Carroll dropped in a career high 23 points, eight rebounds and three assists in just 21 minutes of action.
  • Carroll has nearly recorded double-doubles in each of the first three games and is averaging 19.0 points and 8.3 boards per game.
  • Even more incredible is that he is producing those numbers in just 23.0 minutes per game.
  • If you pro-rated his averages over 40 minutes, he'd be averaging 33.0 ppg and 14.5 rpg.
  • Carroll was recently named one of Seth Davis' (Sports Illustrated) Key Faces in New Places for 2007-08.
  • In case you were wondering, Carroll dominates the classroom too and needs seven hours in the spring semester to finish his degree and begin his Masters work in Administration.
  • Stefhon Hannah continues to be one of the nation's most dynamic point guards and reached double figures for the 11th time in 12 games with 10 tallies against Southern ... The consistent lead guard has reached double figures in 29-of-33 career games for MU.
  • The Chicago native also has 16 assists and six steals and just three turnovers on the year ... For his short career, Hannah has had five or more dimes 16 times (including all three games this year) and multiple steals 19 times, 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.
  • Not to be outdone, Keon Lawrence has reached double figures in 10 of his last 11 games, including a season high 14-points, four assists and five steals vs. Southern.
  • Despite being just 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, Lawrence is second on the club at 5.3 rebounds per game.
  • 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.
  • Lawrence also played excellent defense on Preseason MAC Player of the Year Giordan Watson, holding him to seven points on just 2-of-6 field goal shooting ... Watson averaged 18.8 points last season, including 22 ppg. over the final six games of 2006-07.
  • 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 has been strong thus far and poured in a career high 13 points in the win over Fordham.
  • Noted more for his defense as a freshman, Tiller has nearly doubled his scoring average from last season and is averaging 8.3 points after averaging 4.2 points as a rookie.
  • Leo Lyons tied a career high with 18 points in the opener vs. Central Michigan ... Lyons also dropped in 18 tallies vs. Davidson last season.
  • Ironically, Lyons hit 8-of-9 field goals for the second consecutive season-opener ... The Kansas City native hit 8-of-9 shots last season vs. North Carolina A&T en route to 16 points.
  • Lyons is making his first appearance in his hometown of Kansas City in a Tiger uniform.
  • He just goes about his business quietly, but senior guard Jason Horton has dished out 12 assists compared to just three turnovers this season.
  • Horton now has 331 career dimes, which is No. 9 all-time in school history and the Dallas native needs just 51 more assists to move into the MU career top five.
  • Senior forward Marshall Brown is closing in on 1,000 career points ... The Austin, Texas native currently has 751 tallies and needs 249 points to become the 38th member of the Mizzou 1,000-point club.
  • Matt Lawrence is starting to warm up from three-point range and needs just six more treys to top 100 for his career.
  • Freshman Justin Safford graced ESPN's Top 10 Plays on Nov. 8 with his alley-oop slam vs. Missouri Western ... Safford checked in at No. 6.
  • Safford scored his first career points against Fordham on Nov. 13, scoring five points and grabbing five boards in nine minutes.

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE
   Michigan State enters Monday's game ranked No. 12 nationally following wins over Chicago State (86-53) and Louisiana Monroe (83-65) in the East Lansing Regional of the CBE Classic ... Sophomore forward Raymar Morgan dominated the Regional, earning MVP honors after averaging 19.0 points and 14.5 boards in the two games ... All-American Drew Neitzel also starred, pouring in 13.5 points and 6.5 assists in the two victories ... Last season the young Spartans went 23-12 overall and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, led by Neitzel, who poured in 18.1 points and 4.3 assists per game ... Morgan also excelled as a freshman, averaging 11.7 points and 5.2 caroms.

THE SERIES WITH MICHIGAN STATE
   Missouri and Michigan State will lock up for the seventh time in series history on Monday and for the first time since Dec. 15, 1974, a 79-61 MSU win in East Lansing, Mich. ... The Tigers lead the all-time series 4-2 and are 3-0 in Columbia and 1-2 at East Lansing ... Michigan State won the first game in the series back in 1934, but the Tigers promptly won four consecutive, including a 79-66 win at the Hearnes Center on Dec. 22, 1983.

WITH A TIGER WIN...

  • Missouri would improve to 4-0 on the season and earn its second win over a ranked opponent in the Mike Anderson era ... The Tigers won at No. 18 Oklahoma State last season by a 75-64 margin.
  • Missouri would improve to 22-12 all-time under Mike Anderson.
  • The Tigers would be 12-0 in the Month of November under Mike Anderson, including an 8-0 mark last season.
  • Missouri would face either Maryland or UCLA in the championship game of the CBE Classic.
  • The Tigers would be just one win away from their 14th all-time title in KC: one Big Seven crown, 11 Big Eight titles and the 2001 Guardian's Classic title.
  • Missouri would improve to 94-86 all-time in games played in Kansas City.
  • The Tigers would earn their first win in Kansas City since the 2004-05 Big 12 Championships.
NOVEMBER DOMINANCE
Date Team Score Margin  
11/10/2006 N.C. A&T 101-80 21
11/12/2006 Stetson 66-45 21
11/16/2006 Lipscomb 89-69 20
11/25/2006 S. F. Austin 85-56 29
11/27/2006 Coppin St. 98-77 21
11/30/2006 Arkansas 86-64 22
11/13/2007 Fordham 79-55 24
11/16/2007 Southern 95-50 45

NOVEMBER PAIN
   November has been a big month for the Tigers under Mike Anderson and the program looks to improve to 12-0 in the season's first month under the second year sideline boss.

  • Looking for a 4-0 start to November vs. Michigan State, Missouri has made a habit of producing big early-season victories, as eight of their 12 wins have come by 20 or more points.
  • The Tigers won six games by 20-plus points in November last year, including an 86-64 win over Arkansas.
  • This year, Mizzou is 3-0 in November, including a 79-55 triumph over a Fordham team that went 18-12 last season and returns all-five starters and their top 10 scorers from last year's team and a 95-50 win over Southern, the largest win in the history of Mizzou Arena.

CHARGE IT!
   It's actually better than a steal ... you get the ball, plus you draw a foul and through three games, the Tigers have 12 of them ... Don't know what we're talking about? Charges!

BREAKING DOWN THE CBE CLASSIC
   Following Missouri's wins over Central Michigan (87-76) and Fordham (79-55), the Tigers have advanced to championship-round play at the 2007 O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic and will face No. 12 Michigan State at 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

  • Games in the championship rounds of the CBE Classic will be held in the new Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City.
  • In the other half of the bracket, No. 2 UCLA faces Maryland.
  • Game times for the consolation and finals on Nov. 20 are set for 6:45 (ESPNU) and 9 p.m (ESPN2).

WE'RE GOING TO KANSAS CITY
   Kansas City has been Tigertown USA over the years and Mizzou will be making its first appearance in the City of Fountains since playing in the 2005 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.

  • Missouri has played 179 games all-time in Kansas City and are 93-86 (.520) in those contests ... While that number is close to .500, the Tigers are actually 53-29 in K.C. since the 1971-72 season, which was the fifth year of Hall of Fame inductee Norm Stewart's tenure at Mizzou.
  • The Tigers have also played championship basketball in KC, winning the Big Seven Conference title in 1955, 11 Big Eight titles in 1971-76, 81, 87, 89, 90 and 93 as well as the 2001 Guardian's Classic crown ... KC is Columbia-West.

STEWART STORMS INTO CBE HALL OF FAME
   Legendary Mizzou sideline boss Norm Stewart is a Hall of Famer, yet again ... Following 32 historic seasons directing the University of Missouri basketball program to a 634-333 overall mark, Stewart will lead an 11-member class into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on Nov. 18, 2007 in Kansas City ... Stewart's Hall of Fame induction will coincide with Mizzou games in the semifinals and final of the CBE Classic in Kansas City on Nov. 19-20.

  • The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame is located inside the College Basketball Experience, which is adjacent to the newly-constructed Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City.
  • Stewart spent 38 seasons overall as a head coach at the collegiate level, including six years at the University of Northern Iowa ... A winner of 731 career games, Stewart ranked No. 7 on college basketball's all-time wins list at the time of his retirement in 1999 and only two coaches had coached in more career games than the 1,106 Stewart directed during his coaching tenure.

J.Y.De (Junk Yard DeMarre)
   He plays the game with such passion and ferocity that just one season into his Tiger career DeMarre Carroll has earned the moniker J.Y.De. ... Carroll has led Missouri in scoring and rebounding in each of the first three games and has even led the team in assists with a season high five dimes against Southern.

  • Carroll made his Tiger debut by scoring a career high 23 points vs. Central Michigan on 10-of-12 shooting and narrowly missed a double-double with eight boards.
  • That opening night by the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward turned into a career night, as he eclipsed the 22 points he poured in on Kentucky as a Vanderbilt sophomore on Feb. 11, 2006.
  • The Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, continued his hot start with 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals vs. Fordham to earn CBE Columbia Regional MVP honors.
TOP TIGER DEBUTS
Tiger Date Opponent Pts.
Ricky Clemons 11/22/2002 American 25
Willie Smith 11/30/1974 UW-Oshkosh 24
DeMarre Carroll 11/12/2007 Central Michigan 23
Steve Stipanovich 11/30/1980 SW Texas St. 23
Jevon Crudup 11/27/1990 Rutgers 22
Charles Henke 12/3/1958 Arkansas 20
Al Eberhard 12/1/1971 Michigan State 20

DIAGRAMMING DEMARRE'S DYNAMIC DEBUT
   DeMarre Carroll wasted little time making an impact at Mizzou, as the Vanderbilt transfer dropped in a career high 23 points in his regular-season debut against Central Michigan on Nov. 12 ... The 23 tallies tied for the third most by a Tiger in his debut, equaling the 23 points scored by Steve Stipanovich on Nov. 30 vs. Southwest Texas State on Nov. 30, 1979.

  • Carroll hit 10-of-12 shots in just 21 minutes and narrowly missed recording his first double-double as a Tiger, contributing eight boards, before playing just four minutes in the second half because of foul trouble.
  • With his 23 points, the Birmingham, Ala., native became the seventh Tiger to top the 20-point plateau in his MU opener and first to do it since Rickey Clemons in 2003.

ENTERING NOVEMBER LIKE A LYON
   Leo Lyons has earned praise from the Tiger coaching staff throughout the preseason and got his junior campaign off to a quick start with a career-high tying 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting vs. Central Michigan.

  • The 18 points by the Kansas City, Kan., native equaled his output last season vs. Davidson (Nov. 19), as 12 of his 18 tallies came in the final 20 minutes with junior forward DeMarre Carroll on the pine in foul trouble.
  • Lyons has continued his strong play and seven assists and four blocked shots compared to just two turnovers on the year.

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 that tough slate began with the opening rounds of the CBE Classic in Columbia.

  • From the season opener against Central Michigan 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 will 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, Michigan State, Purdue and Illinois from the Big Ten, California and possibly No. 2 UCLA from the Pac-10 and could face Maryland from the ACC.
  • Mizzou will face up to five NCAA Tournament teams in non-league action ... The Tigers have games against 2006-07 NCAA participants Arkansas, Illinois, Purdue and Michigan State and will face either UCLA or 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.

TIGERS EARN PRESEASON LOVE
   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.

THE GOOD TIGERS GIVETH ...
   Looking for two under-valued statistics that often translate into "W's"?... look no further than assists and steals.

  • So far this season Missouri is averaging 22.3 assists per game, led by the talented trio of guards: Keon Lawrence (3.3 apg), Jason Horton (4.0 apg) and Stefhon Hannah (5.3 apg).
  • The Tigers are producing assists on better than 64 percent of their buckets and Hannah's 5.3 dimes per game rank among the Big 12's best thus far.

... AND TAKETH AWAY
   The Tigers are also doing an outstanding job wreaking havoc on defense and have forced teams into an average of 20.0 miscues per night ... Mizzou forced a guard-heavy Central Michigan squad into 18 turnovers, while a senior-laden Fordham group (five senior starters) turned the ball over 22 times.

  • With that high turnover total, Missouri is averaging 26.7 points per game off of turnovers and lead their opponents 40-2 in fast break tallies.