Nov. 25, 2009
Columbia, Mo. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Mizzou Basketball News and Notes 2009-10
University of Missouri Tigers (3-0) vs.
Old Dominion University Monarchs (4-0)
2009-10 Regular Season Game 4 - November 27, 2009 - South Padre Island, Texas
Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. CST
Arena: South Padre Island Convention Center - South Padre Island, Texas (2,000)
TV: Fox College Sports Atlantic - (Kevin Eschenfelder play-by-play; Reid Gettys analyst)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Tom Ackerman play-by-play; Gary Link analyst)
Rankings: Mizzou: RV/RV, Old Dominion: RV/NV in Associated Press / USA Today Coaches polls
Series: Missouri leads 2-0; last 88-75 win on Dec. 9, 1989 in Norfolk, Va.
Coaches:
Missouri: Mike Anderson (Tulsa '82); 157-76 overall (8th season); 66-35 at Mizzou (4th)
ODU: Blaine Taylor (Montana, '81) 306-159 (15th sesaon) 164-94 at ODU (9th)
For Openers
> Missouri Basketball looks to improve on its 3-0 start when a battle of unbeatens collide in the semifinals of the 2009 South Padre Island Invitational on Friday ... The two clubs are a combined 7-0 on the young season and each are receiving votes for the Associated Press Top 25.
> Missouri will be hitting the road for the first time this season and play three consecutive games away from Mizzou Arena, including a trip to #24 Vanderbilt following this weekend's event.
> The Tigers have been very good in recent history in tournament formats ... Last season Missouri was an excellent 9-2 in tournaments, including three wins in both the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments.
> It's certainly early, but the Tigers sport excellent depth on their roster through three games ... Seven different players have reached double figures in scoring and 10 different Tigers are averaging at 14.7 minutes per game ... In addition, that depth allowed Mizzou to break the school record in steals on Tuesday vs. Chattanooga (24 thefts) and set the Mizzou Arena record with 18 three-points makes ... The 18 triples were just two shy of the all-time school mark.
> Thanks to that depth, Missouri's bench is averaging an incredible 50.3 points per game this season ... The reserves are shooting a combined 55.1 percent from the floor, 48.8 percent from three-point range and have outscored their opponent's bench 50.3-to-15.7 in the three wins thus far ... MU has also enjoyed a combined six double-figure scorers off the bench in just three games.
> Coach Anderson is into his second “100” in Columbia ... Anderson coaches his 104th career game as a Tiger on Friday and is now 68-35 during his MU tenure, making him the winningest coach at Mizzou during that first 103-game stretch ... Don't forget where Anderson has brought the Tigers from ... In just one season before his arrival in Columbia, Mizzou was 12-16 and finished 11th in the Big 12 Conference.
> Missouri continues to be one of the country's most efficient teams in 2009-10 ... One year after leading the nation in assists per game (18.4), the Tigers are dishing 22.3 dimes a contest this year ... MU already has four players with double-figure assist totals and as a team, MU is registering dimes on 63 percent of its hoops (67 assists on 106 baskets) ... Included in that mark is a 20 combined assists from the team's post players.
> One thing Tiger fans are enjoying this season is points off turnovers ... Missouri averaged 21.2 points per game off turnovers last season and forced one turnover every four possessions ... So far this season Missouri is forcing 24.7 turnovers per game and is averaging 35.3 points off those opponent miscues each night.
> Missouri is scoring an impressive 31 percent of its points this season off turnovers (35.3-of-94.0).Mizzou Quick Hitters
> Missouri basketball faces its toughest task of 2009-10 on Friday, as the Tigers face Old Dominion in the semifinals of the 2009 South Padre Island Invitational (S.P.I.).
> ODU (seven votes) is receiving just one less vote in the Associated Press Top 25 poll than the Tigers (eight votes).
> Missouri is leaving the friendly confines of Mizzou Arena for the first time this season, while ODU has played a road game at Liberty (73-41 win).
> Although this is the first road trip for the Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball, the Tigers have certainly been playing well at home ... The Tigers have enjoyed three double-figure wins so far and have won their first two games of the S.P.I. by a combined 49.5 ppg.
> MU nearly registered back-to-back 100-point efforts ... The Tigers scored 100 vs. Texas-Pan American and then unloaded 99 tallies against Chattanooga ... Regardless, the Tigers have gotten off to quick starts in all three games, topping 50 points in the first half of all three contests ... In fact, Missouri is averaging 53.0 points in the first half of games this year.
> Missouri set a school record with 24 steals in the win against Chattanooga on Tuesday and broke the Mizzou Arena record with 18 three-point makes ... Those 18 triples were just two off the school record mark set in 2002 at Colorado.
> It's hard to argue with the production of Missouri's bench this season ... The Tigers got 45 bench points in the season opener against Tennessee-Martin and dropped in 57 more against Pan American on Sunday ... Not to be overlooked is the 49 bench points in the win against Chattanooga.
> Mizzou has enjoyed six double-figure scorers off the bench this season and have had two double-figure scorers off the bench in each game this season.
> Kim English has actually recorded back-to-back career highs off the pine in his last two games, with 25 and 26-point games respectively.
> One thing about Mike Anderson's clubs, they are built for the long haul ... Over his tenure “Coach A's” teams have averaged 26.4 points per game off the bench... That's over 103 career games.
> It's nothing new to have the reserves outscore the starters either ... Including the first two games this season, the reserves have dropped in more tallies than the “initial five” 14 times (in 103 games) in Anderson's tenure ... It just goes to show you, when the man says he has eight or nine starters, it means he has eight or nine starters!
> That total nearly increased on Tuesday, as Missouri's starters scored 50 of 99 points, while the reserves chipped in 49.
> With the Tigers' improved backcourt depth the team is averaging 18.3 steals per game on the young season, including that school-record total (24 steals) vs. Chattanooga.
> The Tigers haven't had fewer than 14 steals in any game this season.
> While the Tigers are ball-hocks on defense, they show the holiday spirit of giving to each other ... Missouri has dished 20+ assists in back-to-back games, including 28 dimes vs. Texas-Pan American.
> One more thing about Mizzou's balance, the Tigers have 10 players averaging at least 14.7 minutes per game, which includes J.T. Tiller, who has played just one game due to a left foot injury.
> Missouri has typically played some tough schedules over the years and that trend will continue in 2009-10, starting on Friday ... Mizzou could have 12 games against teams ranked / receiving votes in the preseason Top 25 ... Included in that list are some impressive non-conference games (all away from home) against Mississippi State, #20 Illinois, #24 Vanderbilt and #43 Old Dominion ... While Oral Roberts isn't getting Top 25 votes yet, the Golden Eagles enjoyed an 83-81 win at Stanford on Nov. 19.
> In fact, of the potential 13 games vs. those highly-touted clubs only five will come at Mizzou Arena.
> Missouri also got some love in the preseason polls, checking in at #44 in the ESPN / USA Today Coaches Poll and #42 in the Associated Press Poll.
> ESPN The Magazine also showed Missouri some respect, ranking the club #14 nationally in its college basketball preseason issue.
Tiger Tidbits
> J.T. Tiller has earned mention on virtually every preseason All-Defensive Team in 2009-10 … Tiller is of course the reigning Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the Big 12 Conference and was named to All-Defensive Teams by Sports Illustrated and ESPN prior to the start of his senior season.
> Tiller has missed Missouri's last two games with a bone bruise in his left foot, but played in the first 101 games of his MU career.
> The Marietta, Ga., native has 233 career assists entering his senior season and needs just 97 dimes this year to move into the career Top 10.
> He also owns 118 career steals and 33 more thefts would push him into the Top 10 in that category as well, surpassing former teammate Jason Horton (2004-08), who had 150 … In fact his career steals per game average of 1.3 already ranks in Mizzou's career Top 10.
> Zaire Taylor will be asked to score more in 2010, but is known for his excellent ball protection ... The Staten Island native was one of America's top point guards a season ago and ranked among the Top 5 nationally with a 3-to-1 assist/turnover ratio.
> Taylor has wasted little time picking up his assist totals this year and has dished 11 dimes while committing just one turnover in his last two games.
> Not only do Taylor and Tiller form one of America's best backcourts, but the pair is incredibly visible in the community and volunteered with the Children's Miracle Network Radiothon, which supports the University of Missouri Children's Hospital ... The duo answered phones on the phonebank and made special visits to patients.
> Laurence Bowers has been a force off the bench for Missouri so far, reaching double figures twice in scoring.
> Bowers tied a career high with 16 points in the opener and is second on the team in scoring (13.0), but tops in field goal percentage (.739), rebounding (6.0), blocked shots (2.3) and second in steals (2.7), while ranking fifth in minutes per game (20.7).
> Don't be surprised by Bowers' efficency ... That's part of his game ... The Memphis native maximizes his minutes played ... Last season as a freshman he was the team's most efficient rebounder and shot-blocker in just 6.9 minutes a game.
> Kim English has enjoyed back-to-back career high scoring games ... English dropped in 25 points in the win against Texas-Pan American, before torching Chattanooga for 26 points.
> English scored 21 of his 26 in the first half against the Mocs ... He's the first Tiger to drop in 20+ in the first half since Thomas Gardner scored 40 against Kansas in an overtime win in 2006.
> English has used great shot-selection to lift his scoring total ... The Baltimore native has hit 10-of-17 treys (.588) since coming off the bench and has connected on 19-of-29 (.655) field goals overall in that two game stretch (25.5 ppg).
> Marcus Denmon is nearly full strength after off-season knee surgery and has reached double figures in all three games this year.
> Denmon scored a career high 17 points vs. Chattanooga on Tuesday, while contributing six rebounds, three assists, three steals and just one turnover.
> Denmon has twice tied his career high in rebounding this year and is third on the team in rebounds (5.0) and second in three-point makes (7).
> Fans will notice a slimmed down version of Steve Moore this year … Since his arrival Moore had dropped 40 pounds and has now began to regain the weight in the form of muscle … Moore credits Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning David Deets with adjusting his eating habits, allowing the “Extreme Makeover”.
> Moore turned that weight loss into production, as he logged a career high eight points in the win against Tennessee-Martin.
> Michael Dixon made the first shot of his collegiate career in the season opener, swishing home a three-pointer at the 9:54 mark of the first half vs. Tennessee-Martin.
> Dixon enjoyed another “first” vs. Texas-Pan American, his first start, as he scored nine points, dished seven assists and committed just one turnover.
> Dixon is another Tiger enjoying an impressive assist/turnover ratio, as the Kansas City native has 12 assists compared to just four miscues.
> Not to be outdone, fellow backcourt mate Miguel Paul is tops on the team with 14 assists this year ... Paul has unloaded 11 dimes in his last two games, while scoring a career high 14 points in the win against Chattanooga on Tuesday.
> Paul used a career high 4-of-6 three-point shooting to achieve his 14 points.
Series with Old Dominion
Missouri and Old Dominion meet for just the third time in series history … The Tigers are 2-0 vs. the Monarchs, with the last meeting coming on Dec. 9, 1989, in Norfolk, Va., by an 88-75 margin … Missouri and ODU also met on Jan. 14, 1987, in Columbia, a game the Tigers won 78-66.
Mike Anderson vs. ODU
Head Coach Mike Anderson is no stranger to facing the Monarchs … Anderson and the UAB Blazers defeated ODU 85-57 on Dec. 22, 2005, in Birmingham in what was to be Anderson's final season at UAB.
About Old Dominion
Old Dominion will be Missouri's stiffest test to date, as the Monarchs are receiving seven votes in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll, just one vote fewer than the Tigers … The preseason favorites in the Colonial Athletic Association return all-five starters from last season's 25-10 club and have raced through Bethune-Cookman, Longwood, Liberty and Marshall by a 27.5 ppg average margin of victory … ODU hasn't played since a 70-62 victory over Marshall on Nov. 21 … Gerald Lee is ODU's top scorer at 13.3 points per game, but the balanced (and deep) club has 10 players averaging at least 11.0 minutes per game and has six players averaging better than 7.0 points a night.
Texas 4-Step
Missouri will be playing two of its four games in the Lone Star State this weekend vs. Old Dominion and then either Mississippi State or Richmond … Mizzou will make returns to Texas on Jan. 13 at Texas Tech and Feb. 13 at Baylor.
Fastest 40 Minutes Is Even Faster in First 20
The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball is known for taking its toll on clubs as the game wears on, but Mike Anderson's fourth club in Columbia has added quick offensive starts to its repertoire ... Missouri is averaging 53.0 points per game in the first half of contests this year and is shooting 56.9 percent from the floor, .477 from three-point range and is logging 10.0 steals in the first 20 minutes alone.
Sounds Like A Broken Record
The season is just a couple weeks old, but Missouri is once again taking aim on several single-game records ... Here are a few the Tigers have broken already this season.
> Broke the single-game record for steals with 24 against Chattanooga.
> Broke the Mizzou Arena record for three-point makes in a game (18) vs. Chattanooga ... The Tigers actually tied the Arena record the game before with 13 against Texas-Pan American.
> Tied the Mizzou Arena record for blocked shots in games against Tennessee-Martin and Chattanooga with eight.
> Broke the Mizzou Arena record for most points in back-to-back games at 199.
Share The Wealth
Mike Anderson teams have always passed the ball well and since his arrival in Columbia, Mizzou has turned in some of its greatest assist seasons in school history, including leading the country in dimes in 2008-09 ... Missouri has picked up where it left off already this year, as the Tigers dished 28 assists in a 100-44 win against Texas-Pan American and doled out 25 more dimes against Chattanooga.
> Missouri has dished 20 or more assists in 28-of-103 games during Anderson's tenure and the Tigers are an incredible 27-1 in those contests ... Missouri's lone loss with 20+ assists came in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament a year ago (21 vs. UConn) and the Tigers are 4-1 when dishing 20 dimes vs. ranked teams.
Fresh(men) Faces
Michael Dixon became just the third freshman in the Mike Anderson era to start a basketball game and was the earliest to accomplish the feat as he started in just his second career contest ... Dixon responded well filling in for banged up senior J.T. Tiller, scoring nine points and dishing seven assists in 23 minutes of action vs. Texas-Pan American.
> Dixon has been great all season for the Tigers and is averaging 8.3 points and 4.0 assists so far this year.
> Other Tigers to earn stars for Anderson as freshmen were Kim English, who earned 13 starts for Missouri a season ago and former Tiger Keon Lawrence started eight games in 2006-07.
Well-Rounded Ramsey
In just three games this season, senior forward Keith Ramsey has set career highs in three different categories for MU ... Ramsey opened the year with a career high 15 points in the win against Tennessee-Martin, before doling out career highs of five assists and four steals in the win against Texas-Pan American.
> The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native leads MU with 3.0 steals per game on the year and ranks second in rebounds (5.3) and field goal percentage (.688), and is fourth in assists (3.3).
Sophomore Sensations
Mizzou's large sophomore class of Laurence Bowers, Marcus Denmon, Kim English, Steve Moore and Miguel Paul are having a huge impact early this season... The quintet is averaging a combined 55.3 points, 18.3 rebounds and 9.4 assists for the 3-0 Tigers, with Bowers, Denmon, English and Paul all reaching double figures a combined eight times.
> While English (19.0), Bowers (13.0) and Denmon lead the team in scoring, Paul is tops on the club with 4.7 assists per game and Moore has enjoyed career highs already in a number of categories, including minutes played.
Tourney Success Under Anderson
Mizzou has been very good during in-season tournaments under Mike Anderson and were excellent in postseason tourneys last year as well, winning the Big 12 Championship and advancing to the Elite Eight of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
> MU is an impressive 10-2 during in-season tournaments under Anderson, including two wins in the opening round of the South Padre Island Invitational against Texas-Pan American and Chattanooga.
> Missouri finished fourth in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in 2008, which included a win over #19 USC.
> In 2007 the Tiger finished third in the CBE Classic, dropping a three-point decision to #10 Michigan State (86-83) before toppling Maryland 84-70 in the Sprint Center in Kansas City.
> The Tigers also claimed the John Thompson Foundation Classic title during Anderson's first year.
Top Recruiting Haul
Missouri's recruiting class in the early signing period was rated #1 in the Big 12 Conference by virtually every recruiting service and was rated #7 nationally by USA Today.
> Anderson added four members to his squad for next season, as Phil Pressey, Tony Mitchell, Rick Kreklow and Kadeem Green inked with Mizzou.
Novembers To Remember
Missouri has been darn good in November under Mike Anderson, as the Tigers have racked up a 21-4 overall mark in the season's first month ... The Tigers are also flawless at home in November as well, enjoying a 18-0 ledger within the friendly confines of Mizzou Arena.
Mizzou in November Under Mike Anderson
Year Overall Home
2006-07 8-0 8-0
2007-08 5-3 4-0
2008-09 5-1 3-0
2009-10 3-0 3-0
Total 21-4 18-0
Welcome to the Family
Mizzou Basketball enjoyed a Top 10 recruiting haul during the early signing period as Kadeem Green (Charlotte, N.C./United Faith), Rick Kreklow (Columbia, Mo. / Rock Bridge), Tony Mitchell (Dallas, Texas / Pinkston) and Phil Pressey (Dallas, Texas / Episcopal) inked to play for the Tigers beginning with the 2010-11 campaign.
> Green (6-9, 210 pounds) is an athletic forward that runs the floor extremely well ... He's originally from Ontario, Canada, and is the owner of a 7-foot-1 wingspan.
> Kreklow (6-foot-5, 185 pounds) is the son of Mizzou Volleyball coaches Wayne and Susan Kreklow ... He is a tough, athletic guard who is known for his shooting and passing abilities ... His father was an All-American at Drake and played for the World Champion Boston Celtics.
> Mitchell (6-foot-8, 220 pounds) is considered a Five Star recruit by Rivals.com and the #15 overall player for the class of 2010 ... He averaged better than 17 points and eight rebounds as a junior in Miami, Fla., but has been one of the country's quickest risers up the recruiting rankings.
> Pressey (5-foot-10, 160 pounds) is one of America's top point guards and is ranked inside the Top 30 by numerous recruiting services, including Dime Magazine and ESPN ... The athletic guard is one of the best floor generals in the country and will be a menace running the Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball for years to come ... Pressey is the son of former NBA Great and New Orleans Hornets coach Paul Pressey.
Mizzou Arena - Home Sweet Home
Mike Anderson is a perfect 33-0 all-time in non-conference home games at Missouri ... Not only have the Tigers won 33 consecutive in non-league action, but they have done so in dominating fashion, sporting a 25.8 ppg margin of victory.
> The Tigers have played some impressive foes during Anderson's run as well, and own quality wins over Arkansas, California, Davidson, Purdue, Murray State, Mississippi State, Oral Roberts and others during that 30-game stretch.
> Missouri recently enjoyed a 56-point win against Texas-Pan American (100-44), which is the largest margin of victory in the history of Mizzou Arena and then topped Chattanooga by 43 (99-56).
Year Record Margin of Victory
2006-07 11-0 18.7 ppg
2007-08 9-0 27.5 ppg
2008-09 10-0 29.5 ppg
2009-10 3-0 38.0 ppg
Total 33-0 25.8 ppg.
Tigers Ranked #14 By ESPN The Magazine
Although the Big 12 Coaches predicted Missouri #7 in the league's preseason rankings, ESPN The Magazine thought more highly of the Tigers as the publication ranked Mizzou #14 nationally ... Kansas was the #1 club in the publication.
The Pine Is Fine
Missouri is known for having deep squads and the trend is continuing in 2009-10, as the Tiger reserves are averaging 50.3 points per game this season.
> Missouri enjoyed 45 bench points in the season-opening win before getting 57 points in the 100-44 triumph on Sunday ... Not to be outdone, the second wave dropped in 49 vs. Chattanooga.
> The Tiger reserves are outscoring the starters 151-131 through three games and six Tigers have reached double figures off the bench, headlined by Laurence Bowers and Kim English who have each done it twice.
> In his 103 games on the Tiger sidelines, the reserves have outscored Missouri's starters 14 times in Anderson's tenure.
> Mizzou set a school record for bench production last season, averaging 27.0 ppg from its reserves ... The Tigers also broke the school record with 62 bench points in home wins against SIU-Edwardsville and Colorado last season.