Dec. 13, 2007

Missouri Tigers (6-3) vs. McNeese State Cowboys (4-3)
Regular Season Game 10 - December 15, 2007 - Columbia, Mo.

	GAME CENTRAL: $10 Tickets available Game Notes  (419 kb) Mizzou All-Access   Yahoo!
	TIPOFF: 7 p.m. CST. ARENA: Mizzou Arena - Columbia, Mo. (15,061). TV: MSN (Chris Gervino play-by-play; Jon Sundvold analyst). RADIO: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly play-by-play; Gary Link analyst). RANKINGS:    Mizzou: NR/NR    MSU: NR/NR SERIES: First Meeting. COACHES:    Mizzou: Mike Anderson (Tulsa '82); 113-56 overall (6th season); 24-15 at Mizzou (2nd).    MSU: Dave Simmons (La. Tech '81); 46-50 overall (4th season); 19-20 at McNeese (2nd).

FOR OPENERS

• Missouri looks to keep its home court record perfect on Saturday when it hosts McNeese State in Mizzou Arena at 7 p.m. ... Saturday's game is the first meeting between the two schools.
• So far this season the Tigers are a perfect 5-0 at home and will look to continue their home court dominance in non-conference play during the Mike Anderson era ... Missouri is 16-0 at home in non-conference action under Anderson ... Overall, Missouri sports a 23-game non-conference home court winning streak dating back to the 2005-06 campaign, which is the longest non-conference winning streak since the Tigers won 27 consecutive from 1987-1990 ... Mizzou's last non-conference loss at home came against Sam Houston State in the 2005-06 season opener ... Coincidentally, Sam Houston State is a member of the Southland Conference, along with McNeese State.
• Mizzou Arena has been a terror dome for non-league opponents during the Anderson era ... In running their record to 16-0, the Tigers are averaging a 25.9 ppg. margin of victory vs. non-conference foes at home, including quality wins over Arkansas, Davidson, Mississippi State and Purdue.
• Mizzou has played just one game over the past two weeks due to a natural break in the schedule and then finals week, which was just completed on the MU campus ... The Tigers will now play three games in seven days, first vs. McNeese State and then Dec. 17 vs. North Carolina A&T, before traveling to St. Louis for the annual Busch Braggin' Rights contest with Illinois on Dec. 22.
• Mizzou is coming off an exciting 73-63 win against Purdue last Saturday, in which the Tigers rallied from a 59-49 deficit with just 7:36 remaining to get the 10-point win ... Leo Lyons' seven points and DeMarre Carroll's three blocked shots sparked a 24-4 run to close out the Boilermakers.
• Lyons recorded his second career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds ... The Kansas City native also enjoyed a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double in the win over Maryland ... The 6-foot-9, 240-pounder has now reached double-figures in back-to-back games for the second time in his career ... Lyons did it to close out the 2006-07 season against Texas A&M and then vs. Baylor in the opening round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.
• Despite the tough schedule, two of Missouri's losses have come by a combined six points to two programs that opened the year ranked in the Top 25 (Michigan State and Arkansas) and return all-five starers from their 2006-07 clubs that qualified for NCAA Tournament play last season.

MIZZOU QUICK HITTERS

• Mizzou continues its 102nd season of college basketball on Saturday when it hosts the McNeese State Cowboys at Mizzou Arena.
• It was actually announced on Wednesday of this week that the Tiger football team will face McNeese State on Sept. 11, 2010, in Columbia.
• On the hardwood, Saturday's game is the first-ever meeting between Mizzou and McNeese State.
• The Tigers will look to improve upon their 23-game home court 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 are a perfect 16-0 under Anderson on the friendly confines of Norm Stewart Court.
• Currently, Missouri is a perfect 5-0 at home this season and is averaging 85.0 points per game in those contests ... The Tigers also have a 25.8 ppg. scoring margin and have won each contest by double-figures, including the thrilling 73-63 win over Purdue last Saturday.
• For the season, Missouri ranks third in the Big 12 and No. 15 nationally with 83.9 points per game.
• 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!
• Missouri has been downright offensive in the first half this year ... The Tigers are averaging 46.7 points through the first 20 minutes and are outscoring opponents 46.7-34.6 during that span.
• A major reason for that scoring surge in the first period is Missouri's 53.4 percent field goal shooting and a remarkable 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Overall the Tigers are shooting 48.4 percent from the floor, which ranks fourth in the Big 12 and No. 45 nationally.
• Missouri has already topped 50 points in the first half four times this season after accomplishing that feat just twice over the last three years combined.
• Mizzou's defensive pressure may actually be picking up following last season's school record 302 steals ... The Tigers have forced 178 turnovers (91 steals) in nine games this season ... Last year, Mizzou led the Big 12 with 10.1 steals and 18.9 turnovers per game and are averaging 10.1 steals and 19.8 turnovers forced per game this year, including the 23 turnovers forced vs. 2007 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Maryland and Arkansas.
• Conversely, the Tigers are turning the ball over just 12.6 times per game.
• The Tigers have done an excellent job converting off those miscues and are averaging 25.4 points per game off turnovers ... When you break down the numbers, Missouri is scoring 30.3 percent of its points off of turnovers (25.4-of-83.9 ppg).
• In addition to steals, a trademark of Mike Anderson-coached teams has been assist totals and the Tigers are recording assists on 60.4 percent of their buckets this season (168 assists on 281 FG's).
• When you take Missouri's 30 "put-back" buckets out of the equation, the Tigers are averaging assists on 66.9 percent of their field goals.
• Overall, Missouri's 18.7 assists per game rank No. 13 nationally.
• Even with the club's fast-paced style of play, Missouri boasts a 1.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio on the season, which leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks No. 8 nationally.
• To put Missouri's assist/turnover numbers in perspective, through nine games last season (vs. a much lighter strength of schedule), Missouri had 168 assists and 143 turnovers and had just a 1.17 assist-to-turnover ratio as a team.
• This year Missouri has 168 assists, 113 turnovers and that 1.5-to-1 assist to turnover ratio.
• The Tigers boast a +7.2 turnover margin on the year, which ranks among the best in America, due in large part to the fact their 12.5 turnovers committed per game rank No. 24 nationally.
• Missouri has flashed a balanced playing rotation, as eight Tigers are averaging at least 13.9 minutes per game and no player is averaging more than 28.2 minutes.
• Missouri hit 10 three-pointer vs. Michigan State, which tied a season high ... The Tigers have hit 10 treys in a game twice this season, including 10 triples vs. Southern.

TIGER TIDBITS (Individual Notes)

• The Junk Yard Dog has arrived ... DeMarre Carroll dominated the Columbia Regional of the CBE Classic en route to MVP honors and has reached double figures in each game this season, including a pair of 20-point efforts and his first double-double as a Tiger, a 20-point, 13-rebound night vs. Western Illinois on Nov. 25.
• Carroll has actually been close to producing double-double efforts in six games this year and is averaging 14.9 points and 6.3 boards to rank among team leaders in both categories.
• Even more incredible is that he is producing those numbers in just 24.0 minutes per game.
• Carroll always seems to find a way to impact the game for Missouri and while he was saddled with foul trouble vs. Purdue, the junior forward blocked a career high three shots in the final 4:11 to help lead Missouri to the come-from-behind win ... Carroll actually scored three points, had three blocks, two assists and a steal in the final 7:35 of the MU win vs. Purdue.
• Carroll was recently named one of Seth Davis' (Sports Illustrated) Key Faces in New Places for 2007-08.
• ESPN's Andy Katz also said "there may not be a harder working interior player -- outside of Tyler Hansbrough -- than DeMarre Carroll."
• 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 has reached double figures in 15 of his last 17 games, including a three 20-point efforts over his last six games.
• One of those non-20 point nights came vs. Maryland on Nov. 20 when he played with the flu and still managed 14 points and five dimes ... The Chicago native wasn't able to eat all day and spent the early portion of the second half in the locker room, but returned to score eight second-half points, leading MU to the win.
• Hannah opened his scoring surge with 20 points vs. No. 11 Michigan State on Nov. 20 ... The consistent lead guard has reached double figures in 33-of-37 career games for MU.
• Hannah scored a career high 28 points at Arkansas, marking the 10th 20-point effort of his career.
• In addition to his scoring numbers, Hannah's assist totals are on the rise ... When you factor in Hannah's 5.0 assists per game this year, the senior guard is actually accounting for 27.3 of Mizzou's 83.9 points per game (including assists on three-point field goals).
• Hannah also has 45 assists, 20 steals and just 24 turnovers on the year ... For his short career, Hannah has had five or more dimes 20 times (including seven of nine games this year) and multiple steals 23 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.
• A key factor in Hannah's play has been improved free throw shooting and Hannah is 22-of-24 (.917) over his last six games ... In the last five minutes of a game Hannah is 13-of-14 from the charity stripe (.933).
• 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 16 of his last 17 games, including a season high 17-points and eight rebounds at Arkansas.
• Lawrence has been an outstanding mid-range jump shooter this year and is shooting 55.0 percent from inside the arc (33-of-60).
• Despite being just 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, Lawrence is second on the club at 5.0 rebounds per game, including five games of six or more boards.
• The dynamic guard is also third on the team with five blocks.
• 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.
• While fellow sophomore J.T. Tiller is known more for his defensive production, the Marietta, Ga., native reached double figures for the second time this season with 12 points and four boards in 21 minutes vs. Purdue.
• Tiller also played some key minutes late vs. the Boilermakers, helping to hold Purdue to just one field goal in the final 7:47 of the game en route to Mizzou's game-winning 24-4 run.
• Matt Lawrence is starting to heat up from three-point range and is shooting 48.3 percent (14-of-29) from beyond the arc over his last four outings.
• Lawrence opened the run with a 3-of-6 effort vs. Western Illinois on Nov. 25, before hitting 4-of-7 treys at Arkansas and 5-of-11 at Cal.
• The Big 12's No. 2 ranked three-point shooter at 44.3 percent last season, Lawrence opened the year just 7-of-25 (.280) from beyond the arc, but is now up to 39 percent on the year.
• Despite the tough start, Lawrence has shot 50 percent or better from bonus distance in five of his last seven games.
• The St. Louis native has been at his best on the road throughout his career and his shooting 43.8 percent from beyond the arc (35-of-80) from three-point range.
• Lawrence also has 10 steals over his last five games, including a season high four thefts at Arkansas.
• Leo Lyons made his hometown return to Kansas City a special one, as he poured in career highs of 23 points and 11 boards in the 14-point Tiger win over Maryland.
• Lyons earned Player of the Game honors from Dick Vitale and Co. as he hit 8-of-11 shots and 7-of-11 free throws en route to his first career double-double.
• The 23 points made him the third different Tiger to top the 20-point plateau this year.
• Lyons recorded his second double-double of the year in the win over Purdue, chipping in 13 points and 10 rebounds ... Lyons now ranks fifth in the Big 12 with those two double-doubles.
• Lyons flashed his versatility vs. Western Illinois when the 6-foot-9, 240-pounder dished a career high six assists and recorded two steals ... Lyons has 21 assists compared to just 12 turnovers, which is tops among Tiger post players.
• He just goes about his business quietly, but senior guard Jason Horton has dished out 26 assists compared to just 11 turnovers this season.
• Horton now has 345 career dimes, which is No. 9 all-time in school history and the Dallas native needs just 35 more assists to move into the MU career top five.
• Horton needs just four more assists to pass former teammate Jimmy McKinney for eighth all-time.
• Senior forward Marshall Brown is closing in on 1,000 career points ... The Austin, Texas native currently has 770 tallies and needs 230 points to become the 38th member of the Mizzou 1,000-point club.
• The selfless senior was named team captain in December by teammates and coaches.
• Brown broke out of an offensive slump vs. Michigan State and scored a season high 12 points and grabbed a season high eight boards in the near upset of the No. 11 Spartans.
• 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.
• Senior forward Vaidotas Volkus gave the Tigers a great first-half lift off the bench vs. Purdue, scoring five points and grabbing three boards in seven minutes ... For the game, Volkus played 11 minutes, which was his third-highest output this year.

ABOUT McNEESE STATE
   McNeese State is currently 4-3 on the season, but will travel to Louisiana-Lafayette (Dec. 13) before facing Missouri ... The Cowboys have won three of their last four games, with that lone loss coming at a very good Lipscomb program (65-47) on Nov. 29 ... One of McNeese State's narrow losses this season came in Baton Rouge, La., to LSU ... The Cowboys shot 52 percent from beyond the arc and were tied 32-32 at the half before the Tigers pulled out the 78-74 win at home ... Jarvis Bradley (12.3 ppg) and John Ford (11.3) lead the McNeese State scoring efforts ... Bradley also leads the team in rebounding (6.0), while Ford is shooting a remarkable 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from three-point range ... Kleon Penn gives McNeese a strong defensive presence in the middle and ranks among the nation's leading shot blockers with 29 on the year.

WITH A TIGER WIN:

• Missouri would improve to 7-3 on the young season and move to 25-15 all-time under Mike Anderson.
• Mike Anderson would improve to 113-56 in his six seasons as a head coach.
• Mizzou would run its non-conference home court winning streak to 24 games, which is the longest non-conference winning streak since the Tigers won 27 consecutive from 1987-1990.
• The Tigers would have a two-game winning streak heading into a Dec. 17 contest with North Carolina A&T.
• Mizzou would improve to 21-4 at home under Anderson and 17-0 at home vs. non-conference opposition.