Nov. 7, 2007

Columbia, Mo. -

Complete Release in PDF Format

Missouri Tigers (1-0 exhibition)
Missouri Western State (0-0 exhibition)
Exhibition Game 2 - November 8, 2007 - Columbia, Mo.

Tip-off: 7:06 p.m. CST
Arena: Mizzou Arena - Columbia, Mo. (15,061)
TV: MSN / (Dan MacLaughlin, play-by-play; Coach 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)
MWSU: Tom Smith (Valparaiso'67) 546-367 overall (33rd season) / 376-183 at MWSU (20th)

For Openers
> Mizzou concludes exhibition action on Thursday when it hosts Missouri Western State University at Mizzou Arena ... The Tigers are 1-0 in exhibition play following a 78-51 win against Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday afternoon.
> The Tigers are a perfect 3-0 in preseason games under the direction of second-year head coach Mike Anderson ... The Tigers have enjoyed a 39.6 ppg. margin of victory in those three contests.
> Thursday's game marks the second of four potential games vs. intrastate foes ... The Tigers opened preseason play vs. UMSL and could face Central Missouri on Nov. 13 ... Competition vs. "Show Me State" opposition concludes on Jan. 8 vs. UMKC.
> Exhibition contests excluded, Mizzou has dominated in-state foes over the years ... The Tigers are 143-56 all-time vs. opponents from the state of Missouri, but tonight's meeting vs. MWSU is the first in school history.
> While tonight's game won't count, Missouri has dominated non-conference opponents at home over the past two of seasons ... The Tigers have won 18 consecutive home games vs. non-Big 12 opponents dating back to a Nov. 14, 2005, loss to Sam Houston State in the opening round of the NIT Season Tip Off.
> 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 returning from last year's 18-12 club.
> Missouri was the Big 12's most improved scoring team last year, going from an average of 66.3 points per game in 2005-06 (No. 11 in the Big 12) to 77.6 points per game last season. The 77.6 points per game was third in the Big 12 and the Tigers improved 11.3 points per game overall in the scoring column ... That scoring average also ranked No. 27 nationally and was the 11th-highest scoring average nationally among BCS Conference schools in 2006-07.
> Missouri opens its 102nd second of college basketball on Nov. 12 vs. Central Michigan in the O'Reilly Auto Parts College Basketball Experience Classic ... Games during the two-day event are at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. each day ... Central Missouri and Fordham will meet in the first game and the winners will square-off on Nov. 13 with the right to advance to Kansas City.

Mizzou Quick-Hitters
> Mizzou continues its 102nd season of college basketball on Thursday when it concludes exhibition play against Missouri Western State University.
> Tonight's game will be the first all-time meeting between the Tigers and Griffons and marks Mizzou's fifth game vs. an in-state opponent in the last three seasons.
> This will mark the fourth exhibition game under Mike Anderson at Missouri and the Tigers are 3-0 all-time in the preseason affairs. > 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!
> Missouri is playing its second of 19 scheduled home games on Thursday ... The Tigers open the regular season on Nov. 12 against Central Michigan in the opening round of the College Basketball Experience Classic.
> The CBE Classic marks the third consecutive season 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.
> Missouri forced a remarkable 36 turnovers in the exhibition opener against Missouri-St. Louis ... The Tigers scored 40 points off of those 36 miscues and recorded an impressive 18 steals.
> Had the contest counted for records purposes, the 18 steals would have been the fifth most in school history ... Last season, Anderson's club forced 20 turnovers against Southern on Dec. 30, 2006, which ranks No. 2 in school history.
> As was the case last season, Missouri's bench was again solid in the exhibition opener, outscoring UMSL's bench 38-10 ... Last season Mizzou set a school record with 26.4 points per game from its reserves.
> Helping that bench production was Missouri's balanced playing rotation ... The Tigers had 10 players reach double-figures in minutes played and had seven players play at least 20 minutes ... No Tiger played more than 23 minutes overall.

Tiger Tidbits (Individual Notes)
> Counting the Black and Gold Game and Mizzou's Exhibition opener against UMSL, junior transfer DeMarre Carroll is averaging 22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds.
> Carroll opened with 29 points and 11 boards in the intra-squad scrimmage before dropping in 16 points and six boards in just 23 minutes against UMSL.
> Not to harp on Carroll's incredible efficiency, but in two games, the 6-foot-8 forward is shooting a combined 19-of-27 (.703) from the floor and is a solid 7-of-10 (.700) 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 responded with nine points, three boards and three steals ... In the Black & Gold contest, Tiller poured in 24 points and three more steals.
> Stefhon Hannah made his senior debut vs. UMSL and was outstanding, recording 14 points and six steals ... Had the game counted for records purposes, the six thefts would have been just one off of his career high and would have been the six-most thefts in school annals.
> Leo Lyons narrowly missed the first double-double of his career when he dumped in 11 points and nine rebounds against UMSL ... Lyons hit 5-of-7 shots from the floor and grabbed seven of his nine rebounds on the offensive end.
> Freshman Justin Safford continues to impress in the early going and is averaging 8.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in two early contest ... The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward is also a perfect 2-of-2 from three-point range.
> Senior guard Jason Horton dished a game-high eight assists in the win over UMSL ... Horton also had a pair of steals in 22 minutes.

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 Dog)
He plays the game with such passion and ferocity that just two pubic contests into his Missouri career DeMarre Carroll has earned the moniker J.Y.D. ... After scoring 29 point and grabbing 11 boards in the Black and Gold Game, Carroll had a game high 16 points, six boards and two steals in just 23 minutes in the exhibition opener against UMSL.
> The preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year scored six of MU's first-eight points of the game, while leading Mizzou's trapping defense to a remarkable 36 turnovers forced.

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 No. 2 in the MAC West), and a potential match-up 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.

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.