Jan. 26, 2009
Columbia, Mo. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Mizzou Basketball News and Notes 2008-09
University of Missouri Tigers (17-3, 4-1) vs.
Kansas State University Wildcats (12-7, 1-4)
2008-09 Regular Season Game 21 - January 28, 2009 - Manhattan, Kan.
Tip-off: 8 p.m. CST
Arena: Bramlage Coliseum - Manhattan, Kan. (12,528)
TV: MSN - (Chris Gervino play-by-play; Jon Sundvold analyst)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly play-by-play; Gary Link analyst)
Rankings: Mizzou: RV/RV, Kansas State: NR/NR in Associated Press / USA Today Coaches polls
Series: Missouri leads 114-113 overall; in Manhattan the Wildcats lead 57-44
Coaches:
Missouri: Mike Anderson (Tulsa '82); 140-72 overall (7th season); 51-31 at Mizzou (3rd)
Kansas State: Frank Martin (Florida International, '93) 33-19 overall (2nd season)
For Openers
> Missouri Basketball, winners of four consecutive in Big 12 play, hits the road to face Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan., on Wednesday ... The Tigers boast their best Big 12 start since 2001-02 and a win would push their league record to 5-1, which is the best since the Tigers opened 7-1 in 1999-2000.
> Who will be Missouri's top gun on Wednesday? The balanced Tigers have had six different players lead (or tie for the team lead) in scoring over the last seven games, dating back to Mizzou's first road win of the season at Georgia ... DeMarre Carroll has led or tied for the team lead three times during that run and Matt Lawrence has paced the club twice.
> One Tiger who has been close to leading the team in scoring recently is Keith Ramsey, who was named the Big 12's Newcomer of the Week ... Ramsey averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two wins against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, while shooting 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from the field ... He also had three assists and three steals.
> With Mizzou's current four-game Big 12 win streak, the Tigers are off to their best start (17-3) since the 1994-95 season ... A win on Wednesday would push Missouri's record to 18-3, surpassing their win total from the entire 2007-08 campaign (16-16) and equaling their 18-12 mark in Mike Anderson's first season.
> A huge key for Missouri will be the play of its bench... Missouri's second unit is averaging 33.1 points a game this season and has outscored the entire teams of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (50-41), Stetson (45-44) and SIU Edwardsville (62-57) and tied Colorado (62-62) ... The 62 tallies vs. SIUE and Colorado tied the school record.
> The Tigers rank among the nation's leaders in several statistical categories heading into Wednesday's game ... Mizzou is No. 3 nationally in scoring at 85.5 ppg, No. 2 in assists per game at 19.7, No. 2 in steals per game at 11.3, No. 2 nationally in assist/turnover ratio at 1.54 and No. 3 in scoring margin at 20.3 ... Another fun stat: Missouri is No. 6 nationally with 64.1 FG attempts per game and the Tigers have already made 180 more FGs than their opponents through 20 games thanks to the nation's No. 2-ranked turnover margin (+7.1).
> Another impressive stat regarding Missouri's defense is that the Tigers force a turnover on 26.6 percent of their defensive possessions ... That means opponents are turning it over a little more than once every four possessions vs. the Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball.
Mizzou Quick-Hitters
> Missouri Basketball looks to improve on its four-game Big 12 winning streak this Wednesday as the Tigers travel to Kansas State ... Missouri hasn't won in Manhattan since Jan. 31, 2004, but is looking for their third true road win of the season.
> Missouri is actually 4-3 in games away from Mizzou Arena this season, with those road wins at Georgia and Oklahoma State.
> Mizzou has won back-to-back Big 12 road games under Head Coach Mike Anderson's watch ... The Tigers won at No. 18 Oklahoma State and at Iowa State in 2006-07.
> The Tigers are looking for their longest Big 12 winning streak since 2003-04 ... That Tiger squad won five consecutive.
> During this current streak Missouri is averaging an incredible 94.5 points a game and is forcing 22.0 turnovers (12.8 steals).
> The Tigers have also not trailed at all during the win streak, which means Mizzou has led for 160 consecutive minutes.
> Mizzou forced a season high 29 turnovers, which it turned into a season high 20 steals ... The 20 thefts are the second highest total in school history and the most ever in a league game ... The school record is 23 steals vs. Florida A&M on Dec. 3, 1991 ... Those 20 steals were also just one off the Big 12 record for a league contest ... Nebraska had 21 steals vs. Texas in 1999.
> The 29 turnovers forced were the most by a Big 12 opponent this season ... The previous high was 26, which Missouri forced against Colorado ... Consequently, Missouri's 20 steals vs. Tech also leads the Big 12 this season ... Oklahoma State had 19 steals vs. Mercer in non-conference play.
> A huge key for the Tigers continues to be the play of their bench ... On the season, Missouri's reserves are averaging 33.1 points per game.
> The catalyst for Missouri's improved scoring punch off the pine is its five player freshman class ... So far this season that group is averaging 25.0 points.
> With those great bench-scoring totals, the Tigers have had a school-record tying 11 different players reach double figures this season, surpassing the 10 players that reached double figures in 1961-62, 1974-75, 1994-95 and 2007-08.
> It's not just scoring where the Tigers are balanced ... Missouri has 10 different players averaging at least 11.2 minutes a game on the year, including five newcomers.
> Sticking with the balance theme, Missouri is on pace to have 10 different players dish out at least 20 assists this season, which would tie a school record ... The 1987-88 Tigers also had 10 players with 20 dimes on the year, which is truly an incredible stat ... Last year's Tiger team, which was one of the most “unselfish” in school history, had eight players accomplish that feat.
> Missouri has had four or more players reach double figures in the same game nine times already this season and have had six players do it three in the same game, including twice in Big 12 play vs. Colorado and Oklahoma State.
> The Tigers had four freshmen reach double figures vs. SIUE, which was a first in school history ... They almost did it again vs. Colorado ... Miguel Paul finished with eight points.
> A major reason for Mizzou's large scoring totals is because the club has taken 174 more field goal attempts than its opponents this season and has made 180 more FG's ... Mizzou made 119 more FG's than its opponents throughout the entire 2007-08 season, so 180 more FGs through just 20 games is a HUGE differential.
> With that scoring surge, Missouri has topped the 80-point plateau 14 times in 20 games this season and is 14-0 on the year when scoring at least 80 points ... Missouri has topped 80 points 38 times in the Mike Anderson era (82 games) ... To put that scoring in perspective, the Tigers topped 80 points just 37 times (in total 160 games) the five seasons before his arrival.
> One thing Tiger fans are enjoying this season is points off turnovers ... Missouri averaged 20.3 points per game off turnovers last season and forced one turnover every four possessions ... So far this season Missouri is forcing 19.9 turnovers per game and is averaging 23.9 points off those opponent miscues each night.
> Missouri is scoring an impressive 30 percent of its points this season off turnovers (23.9-of-85.5).
> Because of Missouri's limited 12.8 turnovers a game, its opposition is scoring just 13.7 points a night off turnovers.
> It's only January, but ESPN Bracketology guru Joe Lunardi has Missouri “in” the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed ... Lunardi has the Tigers facing No. 6-seeded Butler in Kansas City, Mo.
> Although the 2008-09 campaign is just getting started, Mizzou actually got an early jump on exhibition play over Labor Day weekend with a three-game exhibition tour in Niagara Falls, Ontario ... Missouri went 3-0 throughout the tour and averaged a 35.3 ppg. margin of victory.
Tiger Tidbits (Individual Notes)
> Senior forwards DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons were named Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention picks prior to the start of the 2008-09 season.
> Carroll, Lyons and Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin are the only players in the Big 12 to rank among the Top 15 in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage and in the Top 20 in steals.
> Carroll topped the 1,000-point plateau vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff and now has 1,203 career tallies at the Division I level, 460 of which came during his first two seasons at Vanderbilt ... Lyons has 959 career points and needs just 41 points to become the 38th member of Missouri's 1,000-point club ... Fellow senior Matt Lawrence is also closing in on 1,000 points and would need 163 more tallies as a senior to reach the mark.
> Over his last 22 regular-season games Lyons has six 20-point outings and has reached double figures in 20-of-22 contests.
> Lyons has actually reached double figures in eight consecutive Big 12 regular-season games, which is the longest run of his career.
> The Kansas City, Kan., native enjoyed a season high 26 points and eight rebounds in the win over Oral Roberts and then led all Tigers with 22 points vs. Illinois.
> Carroll has reached double figures in 17 of 20 games this season and either Carroll or Lyons have led Mizzou in scoring 15 times this year.
> Carroll has topped the 20-point plateau four times this season, including 27 points vs. Texas Tech, which is the highest scoring Big 12 game of his career.
> Carroll has three double-doubles on the year following his 13-point, 11-rebound effort vs. Colorado.
> Carroll has seven other games this season with either eight or nine rebounds, so he's narrowly missed on a number of other double-doubles opportunities.
> Carroll has been especially active on the boards in Big 12 play, where he is averaging 8.6 rebounds a contest.
> The Junk Yard Dog also leads all Big 12 forwards with 36 steals thanks to a career high five thefts vs. Coppin State ... Carroll also ranks among the Big 12's leaders in scoring (9th), steals (5th), field goal percentage (3rd) and rebounding (8th).
> Matt Lawrence is starting to heat up from the perimeter and has hit multiple three-pointers in 10 of his last 15 outings.
> In fact, over his last eight games Lawrence is shooting 50 percent from bonus distance, hitting 23-of-46 treys.
> The news gets even better for Lawrence at home, where he is shooting nearly 50.0 percent (29-of-63) on the year from three-point distance and 54 percent (19-of-35) over his last seven home contests.
> The St. Louis native is already No. 4 in career three-point makes at MU with 207.
> Despite being a prolific shooter, Lawrence has 20 steals, 19 assists and just six turnovers on the season.
> Zaire Taylor was named the nation's Preseason No. 2 impact transfer in all of college basketball by Rivals.com ... DeMarre Carroll was the preseason No. 1 on that same Rivals.com list last season and didn't disappoint by winning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors.
> So far this season the Staten Island, N.Y., native has 66 assists and just 22 turnovers ... His 2.9-to-1 assist/turnover ratio ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 13 nationally.
> Since Big 12 play began, Taylor has dished 19 dimes and has just six turnovers (3.2-to-1).
> Despite being an active point guard, Taylor has a positive assist/turnover ratio in 17-of-20 games this year and has 5+ assists eight times on the season.
> Taylor scored a season high 17 points in the win over Georgia and helped lead Mizzou to the win over Iowa State by scoring 15 points and grabbing five boards.
> He continued his offensive exploits with 10 points at Oklahoma State in a win.
> Junior guard J.T. Tiller made his ESPN SportCenter Top 10 debut and it's no shock the highlight came courtesy of his defense ... Tiller's swat of Lincoln's Joe Hutchingson with just over six minutes left in the second half checked in at No. 8 on the countdown ... Coach Norm Stewart's response on the telecast after the block “I like J.T. Tiller. If you take the ball to the basket (against him), you can't bring that weak stuff. You'll need a helmet.”
> Tiller is one of Mizzou's most well-rounded players and recorded a then-career high six steals vs. Xavier ... The six thefts tied a tournament record and is No. 7 in Missouri single-game school history.
> Tiller later moved to No. 2 on that list with seven steals vs. Texas Tech, which equals Rickey Paulding for the most ever by a Tiger in a Big 12 game.
> Tiller has had multiple steals in 11-of-20 games and is fourth in the Big 12 with 2.0 steals a night.
> Of Tiller's 19 career double-figure scoring games, 10 have come either on the road or on a neutral-court site, including all-three road games this season, counting a season high 15 points and seven rebounds at Oklahoma State.
> Missouri Basketball is coming off a busy, but productive summer that saw all-13 Tigers remain on campus for workouts and classes ... Some members of the squad also had internships in town, including Tiller, who spent the summer as an intern at AFLAC.
> Perhaps the biggest improvement for Missouri this year is the play of its bench and that bench is being led by a host of young players.
> Sophomore forward Justin Safford scored a career high 13 points in the win over Colorado and has reached double figures twice this season.
> Freshman guard Marcus Denmon opened his Missouri career with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the Tiger win over Prairie View A&M on Nov. 15 ... That was the highest scoring effort by a Tiger freshman in a debut since Kelly Thames scored 19 against Central Missouri State on Nov. 27, 1993.
> Denmon has been one of the team's most steady performers during this four-game winning streak and is averaging 12.5 points on 55 percent shooting from the floor and 56 percent shooting from three-point range.
> His 16 points vs. Iowa State was a career high for the KC native and he followed that up with 14 tallies in the win over Texas Tech, 11 of which came in the final 20 minutes.
> Did you know that in his first game at Mizzou Arena Denmon actually cheered AGAINST Missouri? But you can't blame him, his brother Martane Freeman was playing for the Colorado Buffaloes, so we'll let that one slide.
> Freshman newcomer Kimmie English knows Mizzou Arena just about as well as the Arena managers and operators ... English made news this summer for sleeping overnight in the team's locker room and will often shoot in the club's 24-Hour practice gym in the early-morning hours.
> The dedication is paying off for English, who scored a career high 16 points vs. California in the Tiger's big win ... English scored 14 of his 16 in the second half, including 14 straight points for the Tigers in a span of just 4:16.
> English has started the last four games and has reached double figures twice, first recording 12 points vs. Colorado, before tossing in 13 vs. Texas Tech.
> Since the start of Big 12 play, English leads Mizzou with 8-of-17 shooting (.471) from three-point range.
> In fact, English's hot streak started weeks ago ... Over his last 14 games the Baltimore native is 22-of-47 (.468) from bonus distance and has treys in 10 of those 14 games.
> Junior Keith Ramsey has played improved basketball over the past few weeks, especially on the defensive end en route to earning three consecutive starts.
> Since entering the starting line up Ramsey is averaging 9.0 points and has hit 15-of-24 shots from the floor, while blocking 1.0 shots a game.
> The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native has blocked at least one shot in nine of his last 12 games and has nine blocks in his last seven contests overall.
> Ramsey scored 10 points vs. Iowa State, which included 2-of-2 shooting from three-point range, before registering a career high 12 tallies at Oklahoma State.
> For his efforts against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, Ramsey was named the Big 12's Newcomer of the Week on Jan. 26.
> Ramsey ignited Missouri's road win at Georgia, with a pair of blocked shots, two assists, two steals and four points.
> Laurence Bowers, another of Missouri's exciting freshmen, is making steady progress and scored a career high 16 points in the win over Colorado.
> Bowers hit a Missouri season-best 7-of-8 field goals, while dishing two assists, ripping two steals and blocking a shot.
> Bowers leads Missouri in dunks this season (7), including a pair of alley-oop slams vs. Coppin State ... Bowers' second dunk was listed #1 on ESPN's Top 10 Plays of the Day on Jan. 6 ... We recommend you check it out ... Note that Bowers is right-handed, but caught the pass with his left hand and then flushed it all in the same motion.
About The Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State (12-7, 1-4 Big 12) returns home on Wednesday to host the Tigers following a 77-75 overtime win at Colorado on Saturday ... The Wildcats had four players in double figures, including Jacob Pullen, who dropped in 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting and Denis Clemente, who had 15 points and seven assists ... The Wildcats have had a tough Big 12 schedule thus far, facing Oklahoma and Baylor at home and traveling to Kansas and Nebraska before that win at CU ... Pullen leads the Wildcats with 13.6 points a night, while Clemente adds 12.8 tallies and is shooting 36 percent from three-point range on the season.
Raise Your Hand If You Remember
Sure it's just one game that occurred 96 years ago, but that single contest is the difference between a 114-113 series lead for the Tigers (which Missouri claims) and a 114-113 series lead for the Wildcats (which Kansas State claims) ... The game took place on Feb. 12, 1913, in Manhattan, but oddly enough, both school's have box scores that support their historical claims ... Missouri calls it a 25-24 Tiger triumph, while K-State calls it a 26-25 Wildcat “W”.
Tigers Looking To Go Streaking In Big 12
Missouri is looking for its fifth consecutive Big 12 Conference win on Wednesday, which would be the longest Big 12 winning streak for MU since 2003-04, when that Tiger squad also won five consecutive ... Missouri won seven consecutive Big 12 games in 1999-2000 and this current four-game streak is the best under Head Coach Mike Anderson.
Noting Mizzou's Four-Game Surge
Below are a list of facts regarding Missouri's four-game winning streak in Big 12 play, which has the Tigers 4-1 in league action and 17-3 overall. The 17 wins already eclipse Mizzou's win total from the entire 2007-08 season (16-16) and Mike Anderson's club is among the nation's Top 5 in steals (11.3), assists (19.7) and points (85.4) per game this year as he looks to lead the Tiger back to NCAA Tournament play for the first time since the 2002-03 season.
> Missouri is averaging 94.5 points per game during this winning streak and is averaging an impressive 22.3 ppg margin of victory.
> The Tigers have not trailed at all during this winning streak, which means Mizzou has led for 160 consecutive minutes (thanks for the note Gabe DeArmond).
> Missouri is shooting 52 percent from the floor and 44 percent from three-point range and is even shooting an improved 69 percent from the foul line.
> The Tigers have a +9.3 turnover margin and are averaging 12.8 steals a contest.
> Missouri's bench has played exceptionally well and is averaging 42.0 points per game during the run.
> The club has also topped 90 points in back-to-back Big 12 games for the first time since 1989-90. That 1989-90 team actually did it three times in a row in two wins against Colorado and a win at Iowa State.
Stealing Away The Wins
Missouri is forcing an incredible 22.0 turnovers per game during its recent four-game winning streak and is averaging an improved 12.8 steals a night during that stretch ... The Tigers forced a season high 29 turnovers in the win against Texas Tech on Saturday and produced a season-best 20 steals en route to the 97-86 win ... The 20 steals were the second most in school history and J.T. Tiller's seven steals vs. the Red Raiders were the second highest single-game total in school annals.
> Those 20 thefts followed 12 steals efforts vs. both Colorado and Oklahoma State, with the Buffaloes committing 26 turnovers themselves in a 107-62 defeat to the Tigers.
Mizzou's J.Y.D Ruling The Lane
He plays the game with such passion and ferocity that Missouri senior forward DeMarre Carroll has earned the moniker Junk Yard Dog ... Considered by some to be undersized in the rough-and-tumble Big 12, Carroll has starred in the league due to his blue-collar style of play and earned the League's Newcomer of the Year title in 2008 ... Carroll appears to be shooting for more in 2009, as he is averaging 16.3 points and 7.1 rebounds.
> The Birmingham, Ala., native has reached double figures in 17-of-20 games this season, including a career high 29 points and 11 rebounds vs. No. 19 USC and 27 points in a recent Big 12 win over Texas Tech.
> J.Y.D. also ranks ninth in the Big 12 with three double-doubles, including a 13-point, 11-rebound effort vs. Colorado.
> Carroll is also one of the Big 12's most well-rounded players, ranking No. 9 in scoring, No. 8 in rebounding, No. 3 in field goal percentage (.583), No. 5 in steals (1.8) and No. 7 in offensive rebounding (2.6) ... Carroll is the only player in the Big 12 to rank among the Top 10 in scoring, boards and steals in the Big 12.
Tiller Has A History of Great Road Performances
J.T. Tiller has a knack for great performances away from home and on Wednesday, the Marietta, Ga., native leads his Tigers into Manhattan for a match-up with the Kansas State Wildcats.
> Although he is known as a defensive stalwart, the junior guard has reached double figures 18 times in his career, with 10 of those games coming away from Mizzou Arena ... The 6-foot-3 guard has six double-figure scoring games this season and five have come away from home.
> Tiller has reached double figures in three consecutive road games, including a season high 15 points in the win at Oklahoma State last week.
Ramsey Flourishing For Mizzou
Since joining the starting line-up Keith Ramsey has flashed incredible versatility for the Tigers, including an improved offensive punch in his last three outings.
> Already considered one of the club's best defenders and the team-leader in blocked shots (18), Ramsey produced back-to-back double-figure scoring nights vs. Iowa State (10 points) and Oklahoma State (12 points), before scoring nine points and tying a season high with seven boards vs. Texas Tech.
> Since joining the starting line-up Ramsey is averaging 9.0 points and is shooting 62.5 percent from the floor, which includes hitting 3-of-5 three-pointers, dishing four assists and blocking four shots in 19.8 minutes a game.
Tigers Earning Record-Setting Wins
Missouri enjoyed a pair of impressive wins to open Big 12 play, as the Tigers topped Colorado 107-62 in the home-opener and beat Iowa State 77-46 just three days later.
> The combined 76-point margin of victory vs. CU and ISU is the largest in school history in back-to-back conference games and are the top two margins of victory for Missouri since joining the Big 12.
Biggest Big 12 Wins For Mizzou
Date Opponent Score Margin
1-14-09 Colorado 107-62 45
1-17-09 Iowa State 77-46 31
1-29-00 Texas A&M 93-62 31
2-13-99 Colorado 87-56 31
2-28-98 Kansas State 89-59 30
Tigers Boast Home Winning Streak
Missouri has won a Mizzou Arena-record tying 14 consecutive home games dating back to the 2007-08 regular-season finale vs. Iowa State ... The 14 wins are the seventh longest streak in school history ... Details of Missouri's home winning streaks can be found on page 113 of the 2008-09 Media Guide.
1. 34 1988-90 6. 17 1993-94
2. 29 1980-82 7. 14 2002-03
3. 23 1974-76 14 1995-96
4. 22 1919-21 14 1976-77
5. 21 1987-88 14 2008-09
Freshman Impact
Despite having a great group of senior scorers, Missouri has received great production from its freshmen scorers in league play.
> Rookie forward Laurence Bowers led Missouri with 16 points vs. Colorado and Marcus Denmon poured in a career high 16 tallies vs. Iowa State.
> It's been nearly 30 years since the Tigers were led in scoring by freshmen in back-to-back league games ... Steve Stipanovich scored 20 points in a win over Oklahoma, while Jon Sundvold followed with 17 points in a win at Kansas State.
> Most recently, the Tiger freshmen duo of Marcus Denmon (14) and Kim English (13) combined for 27 tallies in the Tiger win over Texas Tech.
Mizzou Arena - House of Horrors
Mizzou Arena has been a house of horrors for opponents this season as the Tigers have run their record to 13-0 and average 29.4 ppg margin of victory.
> The Tigers have won 12-of-13 games by double figure margins, 10-of-13 by 20+ points and have three wins by 45 points or more.
> The Tigers also have a huge quality win at home this year, stopping California by 27 (93-66) back on Dec. 7.
Balance Is Leading Tigers To Huge Scores
Missouri has had six players reach double figures in a game three times this season, a feat that hasn't been accomplished three times in the same year since 1988-89.
> DeMarre Carroll (21), Miguel Paul (12), Marcus Denmon (11), Leo Lyons (11), Laurence Bowers (10) and Kim English (10) accomplished the feat vs. SIU Edwardsville.
> Bowers (16), Carroll (13), Justin Safford (13), Denmon (13), J.T. Tiller (13), and English (12) also did it vs. Colorado.
> Missouri most recently accomplished the feat at Oklahoma State with Carroll (19), Lawrence (19), Tiller (15), Ramsey (12), Lyons (10) and Taylor (10) all reaching double figures.
> In fact, Missouri leads the Big 12 Conference and has a school record with 11 different players having reached double figures in at least two game this season.