Mizzou Men Travel to Ames on Tuesday
2/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 5, 2007
Missouri Tigers (13-8, 2-6 Big 12) at Iowa State Cyclones (12-10, 3-5 Big 12)
Game 22 - Feb. 6, 2007 - Ames, Iowa
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FOR OPENERS
- It's been a season of near misses for Head Coach Mike Anderson's young Tigers, but Mizzou looks to bounce back from its recent two-game losing skid this Tuesday when it travels to Ames, Iowa, to face the Iowa State Cyclones.
- Overall, Mizzou is 13-8 on the season and 2-6 in the Big 12, but has dropped 6-of-8 contests this season by seven points or less … Included in that stretch is a 66-65 home loss to Iowa State on Jan. 6, 2007, in the Big 12 Conference-opener … Overall, Iowa State is going for its fifth consecutive win against Missouri, dating back to the 2004-05 campaign.
- Missouri is 45-56 all-time in Ames, Iowa, and will be looking for its first win in Hilton Coliseum since Feb. 8, 1999 … Overall, the Tigers have dropped seven consecutive games in Hilton since a 77-61 win during Norm Stewart's final season with Mizzou.
- As a team, Mizzou leads the Big 12 and ranks No. 2 nationally with 11.1 steals per game and has 233 total steals … The Tigers only had 167 total steals during the entire 2005-06 season … Missouri needs just 37 more thefts to move into the single-season Top Five and needs just 63 more steals to break the school record of 295 set in 1985-86.
- Junior guard Stefhon Hannah ranks No. 7 nationally and leads the Big 12 Conference with 2.8 steals per game … Hannah has topped five or more steals in a game six times this season … Hannah now has 59 steals on the year and already ranks ninth on Mizzou's single-season steals list … FYI, the single-season record is 76 held by Lynn Hardy in 1986-87 … The Big 12 record for steals in a season is 102 by Mexico, Mo., native Cookie Belcher (Nebraska) in 1998-99 … Hannah also needs just five more thefts to move into the Mizzou single-season Top 3.
- With its Jan. 27 win against Texas Tech, Mizzou eclipsed its win total from the entire 2005-06 campaign … The Tigers went 12-16 last season through 28 games, but needed just 19 games to surpass that win mark … Mizzou joined Oklahoma State as the first clubs in the Big 12 (Baylor excluded) to outperform last season's win total, despite the fact it returned just 37 percent of its scoring from last season's club.
MIZZOU QUICK HITTERS
- Mizzou goes searching for its first win at the Hilton Coliseum since the 1998-99 season when it travels to Ames, Iowa, on Feb. 6.
- The Tigers have dropped seven consecutive games in Ames and have lost four consecutive to the Cyclones overall, dating back to the 2004-05 season.
- Mizzou will be looking for its second road win in three games on Tuesday … Although Mizzou dropped its most-recent road contest, an 80-73 defeat at Kansas State, Mizzou did earn its first road victory of the year on Jan. 24 at Colorado (79-65).
- Mizzou's bench continues to play a key role this season and has outscored its opposition's bench in 16-of-21 games this year … The Tigers are 13-3 in those games.
- The Tigers have enjoyed 16 double-figure scoring performances from its bench this year, led by freshman Keon Lawrence, who has accomplished the feat eight times, including a career high 18 points vs. Nebraska on Saturday.
- Those 18 points were the most for a Tiger freshman guard since Kareem Rush poured in 20 at Kansas on March 5, 2000.
- Head Coach Mike Anderson was named the No. 1 Immediate Impact Coach in America by Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis
- Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl named Anderson one of his six most innovative coaches in America.
- Anderson was also listed as the leading candidate for National Coach of the Year by Mike DeCourcy and the Sporting News.
- ESPN's Jay Bilas paid equal props to Anderson, saying he was in fine shape to win Coach of the Year honors.
- With its 79-65 win at Colorado on Jan. 24, Missouri recorded its 1,400th victory as a program … Missouri is 38th all-time in NCAA Division I Basketball wins and joined Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are the only other Big 12 schools to have reached the 1,400 win plateau.
- Ole Mizzou ranks No. 2 nationally with 11.1 steals per game … So far this season the Tigers have 233 total steals, which is already more than the 167 steals Missouri recorded during the entire 2005-06 season … In case you were wondering, Virginia Military (VMI) leads the nation with 16.3 steals per game.
- Those 11.1 steals per game would shatter the Big 12 record of 10.8 steals set by Iowa State in 2004-05.
- At their current pace of 11.1 steals per game, the 2006-07 Tigers would break the school record of 295 set in 1985-86 … Missouri is on pace for 329 steals.
- Despite returning just 37.6 percent of its scoring from last season, Missouri is No. 3 in the Big 12 with 77.3 points per game … The Tigers also rank No. 2 in three-point field goals (8.2).
- Also labeled as undersized, Missouri is averaging 32.3 points per game in the paint, including a season best 50 tallies in the opener against North Carolina A&T.
- Another improved area for the Tigers has come in bench production … Missouri is averaging 26.6 points per game from its bench through 21 games, including a season high 49 points vs. Lipscomb … Last season, Missouri's reserves averaged just 11.9 points per game.
- If you simply take raw scoring numbers Mizzou's bench scored 334 point through 28 games last season … So far this year, Tiger reserves have accounted for 562 points.
- Missouri is scoring nearly 30-percent of its points (20.9-of-77.3) off of opponent turnovers … The Tigers are forcing an average of 20.1 turnovers per game and scoring 20.9 points off of those opponent miscues.
- Speaking of turnovers, Mizzou forces one turnover every four possessions … Overall, Missouri has forced 422 turnovers in 1,560 total possessions for its opposition, that's a percentage of 27.5, which ranks No. 2 nationally … The Tigers also record a steal once every six-plus possessions (15.0 percent), which is No. 3 nationally.
- As a team, Missouri is No. 45 nationally at 38.3 percent shooting from three-point range (172-of-449) … The Tigers have topped double figures in three-point makes five times this season … The Tigers topped double figures in three-pointers just twice all of last year (at Davidson and at home vs. Kansas).
- Overall, the Tigers have topped 80 points in nine of 21 games and have won six of their 13 games by 20-plus points … Over the previous two seasons combined (2004-05 and 2005-06), Missouri topped 80 points in scoring just six times … Over the previous three seasons (2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06) Mizzou won just four (total) games by 20-plus point margins.
TIGER TIDBITS (Individual Notes)
- Stefhon Hannah continues to be one of the nation's top newcomers and ranks No. 7 nationally in steals per game at 2.8 per outing … He also ranks No. 4 in the Big 12 with 4.7 assists and No. 12 in scoring (15.4).
- Hannah has topped five or more steals in a game six times this season and has already joined the Mizzou single-season Top 10 … In fact, Hannah needs just seven more steals to move into the Mizzou single-season Top Three.
- Hannah and Jason Horton rank No. 9 nationally with a combined 4.3 steals per game.
- Marshall Brown has been Mizzou's top scorer in Big 12 play and ranks No. 10 in Big 12 action with 15.9 points per game.
- Brown recorded career highs in back-to-back games, initially scoring 24 points at Texas, before dropping in 28 in the first meeting with Kansas State, which is the highest scoring total by a Tiger this season.
- Brown has supplemented his scoring nicely from the free throw line since the start of Big 12 play and is 38-of-47 in league action, which ranks No. 8 in Big 12 games … Brown is scoring 4.8 of his team-leading 15.9 points per game (Big 12 scoring average) from the free throw line.
- Keon Lawrence has been one of Mizzou's top scorers over the last four contests and ranks second on the club with 12.8 points per game during that stretch.
- Lawrence is shooting 52.9 percent (18-of-34) from the floor and is a perfect 9-of-9 from the foul line during that span, while dishing out eight assists and committing just two turnovers.
- Matt Lawrence continues to be one of the nation's top three-point shooters and ranks No. 3 in the Big 12 and No. 27 nationally at 45.8 percent.
- As the numbers show, Lawrence is among the Big 12's most improved player this season and has upped his scoring average 740-percent from the 1.5 points per game he averaged as a freshman … Lawrence is second on the club with 11.1 points per game and ranks No. 3 in the Big 12 and No. 39 nationally with 2.62 treys per game.
- Lawrence leads the team with 55 three-point makes this year and has shot at least 50 percent from three-point range in 8-of-21 games this season.
- Lawrence needs just 17 more treys to move into the Mizzou single-season Top 10 … Jason Sutherland is 10th on that list with 72 treys … His .462 three-point percentage would rank No. 6 in school history.
- Lawrence was named the nation's No. 1 Surprise Impact Player by ESPN's Stephen Bardo on College Game Night.
- Jason Horton is on a run of 31 consecutive starts, which is the longest starting streak on the team this season.
- Darryl Butterfield made his first career start on Feb. 3 vs. Nebraska, and responded with 10 points, six boards and two steals in 17 minutes of action.
- Kansas City, Kan., native Leo Lyons has provided a big lift inside for the Tigers since the start of Big 12 play and is averaging 7.1 points and 4.1 boards during that stretch … Lyons is also averaging an improved 20.4 minutes per game during league action after averaging 16.5 minutes per game in non-conference competition.
- One reason for Lyons' increased playing time has been because of his defense … Over his last nine games, Lyons is averaging 1.8 steals per game, which is tops on the club … He has recorded multiple steals in seven of Missouri's last nine contests.
- Freshman J.T. Tiller has seen increased playing time since the start of Big 12 play and is averaging 4.8 points and 0.9 steals during that stretch.
WITH A MISSOURI WIN:
- Missouri would have its first victory in Ames since the 1998-99 season.
- Missouri would own two Big 12 road victories on the season after recording just one road win during the entire 2005-06 campaign.
- Missouri would improve two games on its 2005-06 win total of 12 victories.
- Anderson would also have his 14th win as head coach at Mizzou, which would be the fourth most for a first-year head coach in school history.
- Mizzou would be just two wins shy of securing its first winning record since the 2003-04 season … The Tigers currently have 30 games on their schedule, counting the Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City.
- The Tigers would snap a two-game losing skid and improve to 3-6 in Big 12 play.
- Mizzou would head into back-to-back home games with a victory … Mizzou next two contests come at Mizzou Arena against Kansas (Feb. 10) and Baylor (Feb. 14).
MORE ABOUT THE CYCLONES
Iowa State enters Tuesday's game 12-10 overall and 3-5 in Big 12 play following a 71-58 home win over Baylor on Feb. 3 … The Cyclones shot an amazing 61.1 percent in the second half to earn the 13-point win and Mike Taylor led the Cyclones with 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting … The victory snapped a five-game skid for the Cyclones, who opened Big 12 play with wins over the Tigers and Nebraska … Taylor leads ISU in scoring and assists with 16.6 points and 4.4 dimes per night … Freshman Wesley Johnson is second with 12.4 points and paces the club with 9.0 rebounds per contest.
SERIES WITH IOWA STATE
Mizzou leads the all-time series with Iowa State 140-82 following a 66-65 ISU win in Columbia on Jan. 6 … The Cyclones hold a 56-45 series lead in Ames, and have won seven consecutive in the Hilton Coliseum dating back to a 77-61 Mizzou win on Feb. 8, 1999 … Overall, Iowa State has won six of the last eight meetings, including four consecutive … Mizzou's last win over ISU came Jan. 8, 2005, by a 62-59 margin in Mizzou Arena.
TALENTED TEAMMATES NOW FOES
There will be few surprises when Mizzou's Stefhon Hannah and Iowa State's Mike Taylor square off on Tuesday … Despite meeting for just the second time at the Division I level, Hannah and Taylor were teammates while at Chipola Community College and led the Indians to a 27-3 overall record and a No. 1 NJCAA national ranking for most of the season.
- So far this season, Hannah and Taylor each lead their respective teams in scoring and assists, while Hannah ranks among the nation's leaders with 2.8 steals per game.
- In the first meeting of the season, Hannah paced Mizzou with 17 points and three assists, while Taylor added 17 points and four rebounds for the Cyclones.
- Another connection between Hannah and Taylor came on Nov. 27, when the Big 12 Conference honored both players as their Co-Newcomer of the Week … Hannah went on to win the award the following week as well.
IF YOU BUILD IT …
Fan support is picking up for 2006-07 Mizzou Basketball and the Tigers have played in front of back-to-back sellouts at Mizzou Arena … The Tigers enjoyed crowds of 15,061 in games vs. Texas Tech and Nebraska and will enjoy a third consecutive sellout Feb. 10 when arch-rival Kansas comes calling to Mizzou Arena.
- Missouri enjoyed just two sellouts combined during its first two seasons at Mizzou Arena, the 2005 meeting with Kansas and the 2006 contest against the Jayhawks … With the three sellouts this season, the Tigers have already surpassed that total.
- One final note about sellouts at Mizzou Arena, Mizzou is 3-1 in those contests, including a 72-68 win over Kansas in 2005 and 89-86 in OT in 2006.
LET'S KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE
There have been a number of outstanding coaching jobs in the Big 12 Conference this season and Head Coach Mike Anderson has already helped Mizzou top its win total from the entire 2005-06 season … With its 71-58 win over Texas Tech on Jan. 27, Mizzou earned its 13th win of the year, surpassing the 12-16 overall mark the Tigers had last season.
- While Anderson isn't the lone first-year coach in the Big 12 to eclipse his program's win total from last season, his accomplishment could be considered more impressive than most … Consider this, Missouri returned just 37 percent of its scoring from last season, while, Kansas State, returns 79 percent and Oklahoma State returns 76 percent … Oklahoma returns 45 percent, while Nebraska returns 42 percent and Iowa State returns 35 percent.
MIZZOU'S EMERGING "GO-2" GUY
Freshman guard Keon Lawrence has been surging offensively over his last four games and is averaging 12.8 points on 53.9 percent shooting from the floor (18-of-44) during that stretch.
- Lawrence has also dished out eight assists and committed just two turnovers to become one of the Tiger's top "Go-2" (he wears No. 2) performers.
- In his previous four Big 12 games, Lawrence averaged just 3.0 points on 20.8 percent shooting from the floor, including an 0-of-10 start to Big 12 play from beyond the arc.
- Lawrence has since taken his game to another level over his last two outings against K-State and Nebraska, and is tied for the team-lead with 16.5 points on 55.0 (11-of-20) percent shooting from the floor … Against K-State, Lawrence scored 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, before pouring in a career high 18 points vs. the Huskers on Feb. 3.
- The 18 points were the most for a Mizzou freshman guard since Kareem Rush tallied 20 against Kansas on March 5, 2000.
- On the season, Lawrence is averaging 8.1 points per game, which is the most by a Mizzou freshman guard since Jimmy McKinney averaged 8.6 points per game in 2002-03.
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