Dec. 25, 2009
Columbia, Mo. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Mizzou Basketball News and Notes 2009-10
University of Missouri Tigers (8-3) vs.
Austin Peay State University Governors (8-5)
2009-10 Regular Season Game 12 - December 27, 2009 - Columbia, Mo.
Tip-off: 2 p.m. CST
Arena: Mizzou Arena - Columbia, Mo. (15,061)
TV: MSN - (Dan McLaughlin play-by-play; Scott Highmark analyst)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Chris Gervino play-by-play; Gary Link analyst)
Rankings: Mizzou: NV/NV, Austin Peay: NV/NV in Associated Press / USA Today Coaches polls
Series: Missouri leads 8-0 all-time; last - Missouri won 81-46 on Nov. 30, 2002
Coaches:
Missouri: Mike Anderson (Tulsa '82); 162-79 overall (8th season); 73-38 at Mizzou (4th)
APSU: Dave Loos (Memphis, '70); 404-319 overall (24th season); 322-266 at Austin Peay (20th)
For Openers
> Missouri Basketball returns to action on Sunday afternoon as the Tigers take on a talented Austin Peay club that is ranked in the Top 70 of the current RPI index ... The Tigers are beginning a five game home stand that will take them into the 2010 Big 12-opener against Kansas State ... The five consecutive home games for Mizzou will be a season high.
> Dave Loos is the head coach at Austin Peay, but he is assisted by former Missouri Tiger Scott Combs ... Combs played two seasons at MU (1994-96) and helped Missouri to the 1995 NCAA Tournament.
> The Tigers are looking to equal their season high winning streak on Sunday ... Missouri won four consecutive games to open the 2009-10 campaign and have now won three straight vs. Fairleigh Dickinson, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Illinois.
> Of course you can't talk winning streaks without mentioning Missouri's 25-game streak inside Mizzou Arena, which dates back to the home finale of the 2007-08 campaign against Iowa State … The Tigers rank #4 nationally with regards to home court winning streaks, just one game behind #3 Dayton who has won 26 consecutive ... Pittsburgh is #2 with 28 straight and Kansas leads the country in consecutive home wins with 49 ... Missouri needs four more home wins to move into a tie for second place for the longest home winning streak (29) in school history.
> The Tigers also own a 43-game non-conference home court winning streak, which dates back to the 2005-06 campaign ... That 43-game run is a school record, topping the 29 consecutive non-conference home wins from 1979-83 ... That streak ended with an overtime loss to Marquette ... Missouri's last non-conference loss at home came against Sam Houston State in the 2005-06 season opener.
> Mizzou has one of the nation's youngest teams this year with 11-of-13 players in their first or second season playing for Mike Anderson ... The Tigers are getting more than half of their 82.2 points per game from the sophomore class alone ... The second-year Tigers are logging 44.2 points per game ... If you add the freshman class, Mizzou is getting 68 percent of its scoring (56.2 ppg) and 54 percent of its assists (10.0 apg) from underclassmen this season.
> One of the youngest Tigers, freshman guard Michael Dixon, continues to play outstanding basketball for Anderson's club ... Dixon turned in a career effort Wednesday night in the Busch Braggin' Rights Game vs. Illinois, scoring a career high 16 points, while dishing five assists and ripping away three steals ... Dixon has now reached double figures in five of his last six contests and is averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 assists and just 0.7 turnovers during that six-game run.
Mizzou Quick Hitters
> Missouri looks to remain undefeated at home on Sunday as the Tigers face Austin Peay at 2 p.m. inside Mizzou Arena.
> Tiger fans just a reminder that you can receive complementary parking in Lot M during Holiday Break games ... This offer is limited to the first 250 spots, so come early and bring a friend!
> Another reminder to ticket holders, the game time on your game ticket has been changed from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. for television purposes.
> Missouri is facing its second opponent from the Ohio Valley Conference and fourth opponent from the state of Tennessee.
> Mizzou topped OVC foe Tennessee-Martin (83-68) in the season-opener and has wins over Martin and Chattanooga (99-56) and fell at Vanderbilt (89-83) on Dec. 2.
> Missouri has been downright inhospitable at home this year ... Missouri is 6-0 with a +36.7 ppg scoring margin inside Mizzou Arena ... The Tigers are also shooting 51 percent from the floor, 44 percent from three-point range and are turning teams over 23.3 times a game.
> Mizzou has been very good in non-conference games under Mike Anderson ... The Tigers are 42-12 (.778) since his arrival before the 2006-07 season.
> Missouri has 143 total thefts on the year and rank #2 nationally with 13.0 steals per game, trailing only Syracuse (13.4 spg) ... Last season through 11 games Missouri had 122 steals ... If you recall, MU broke the Big 12 Conference record with 388 total steals in 2008-09 and this year's club is in position to break that total again in 2010.
> Did you know, the Tigers actually turn their opponent over 29.4 percent of the time during a game, meaning nearly one out of every three defensive possessions ends in a turnover ... Only Army has a higher percentage this season ... Army turns its opponent over 29.9 percent of the time on defense.
> 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 22.0 turnovers per game and is averaging 29.5 points off those opponent miscues.
> 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 18.0 dimes a contest this year ... MU has nine players with double-figure assist totals and as a team MU is registering dimes on 61 percent of its hoops (198 assists on 326 baskets).
> Missouri has topped 20 assists four times, including 28 dimes in the 106-69 win against Oregon.
> It's certainly early, but the Tigers sport excellent depth on their roster ... Nine different players have reached double figures in scoring and 10 different Tigers are averaging at least 10.6 minutes per game ... In addition, that depth fuels Missouri's pressure and has allowed the Tigers to reach double figures in steals in 9-of-11 contests, including a school record 24 thefts vs. Chattanooga on Nov. 24.
> Missouri continues to be outstanding at the free throw line this season ... The Tigers are hitting at a 74.3 percent clip on the year, compared to 67.2 percent shooting last season.
> It's hard to argue with the production of Missouri's bench ... The Tigers are getting 35.1 of their 82.2 points per game from the reserves ... Missouri's bench has actually outscored their starters three times this season and are outscoring their opposition's bench 35.1-to-13.7.
> Mizzou has had a double-figure scorer off the pine in eight games this season, including a season high three players in the win against Oregon.
> One thing about Mike Anderson's clubs, they are built for the long haul ... Over his tenure “Coach A's” teams have averaged 26.5 points per game off the bench... That's over 111 career games.
> It's nothing new to have the reserves outscore the starters either ... Including three games this season, the reserves have dropped in more tallies than the “initial five” 15 times (in 110 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!
> With the Tigers' improved backcourt depth the team is averaging 13.0 steals per game on the season, including a school-record total (24 steals) vs. Chattanooga on Nov. 24.
> Missouri has typically played some tough schedules over the years and that trend will continue in 2009-10 ... Mizzou has 14 games against teams that have been ranked / receiving votes in the Top 25 this season ... Included in that list are some impressive non-conference games (all away from home) against, Illinois, Old Dominion and Richmond.
> Don't sleep on Austin Peay either, the Governors have a Top 70 RPI and will be the highest-ranked RPI club to enter Mizzou Arena thus far in 2009-10.
> In fact, of the potential 14 games vs. those highly-touted clubs only five will come at Mizzou Arena.
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 been hobbled by a bone bruise in his left foot, but has still reached double figures in 6-of-8 games played.
> Tiller has twice notched seven assists in a game, including seven dimes at Vanderbilt and seven in a win against Old Dominion ... He recently dished five assists and scored 12 points in the win against Illinois.
> The Marietta, Ga., native has 256 career assists and needs just 74 dimes this year to move into the career Top 10.
> He also owns 125 career steals and 26 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 1.2 already ranks in Mizzou's career Top 10.
> Zaire Taylor has been one of America's top defensive players so far in 2009-10 and leads the Big 12 and ranks #16 nationally with 2.5 steals per game this season.
> Taylor battled through flu-like symptoms to play four minutes against Illinois ... His time was incredibly effective, as he grabbed an offensive board, played solid defense and dished two assists.
> Taylor ripped a career high seven steals vs. Fairleigh Dickinson in just 18 minutes of action ... Taylor was in the game for 31 defensive possessions and stopped FDU 26 percent of the time with either a steal or a blocked shot.
> The seven steals are tops in the Big 12 this year, tied the Mizzou Arena record and are the second most in school history ... Had he played all 40 minutes vs. the Knights he was on pace to record 15.6 steals in the game.
> Not only is Taylor excellent at swiping the basketball, he is one of the country's best at protecting the rock as well ... Last year he 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 33 dimes while committing just 11 turnovers in his last 10 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 is one of Missouri's most efficient players this season and is fourth on the team in scoring (9.7), second in rebounding (5.6) and tops in blocked shots (1.6) in 19.4 minutes a game.
> Bowers has reached double figures five times this season and continues to be one of the team's most efficient players shooting 58 percent from the floor, while hitting two of three three-point field goal attempts ... The Memphis native is also a perfect 15-of-15 at the foul line.
> Bowers was a rebounding menace in the South Padre Island Invitational and was named to the All-Tournament Team for his production.
> Bowers tied a career high with 16 points in the season-opener and has set career highs in rebounding, steals and blocked shots already this season.
> Don't be surprised by Bowers' efficiency ... 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 leads Missouri with nine double figure scoring games this season, including five 20-point efforts.
> English has scored 20+ in two of his last three games, including 24 tallies in the win against Illinois.
> He also grabbed a career high six rebounds and ripped two steals ... English has at least one steal in 10-of-11 games this season, including nine steals in his last three games.
> English is averaging 20.7 points over his last three games on 12-of-24 (.500) three-point shooting and 21-of-43 (.488) shooting from the floor.
> Marcus Denmon is nearly full strength after off-season knee surgery and has reached double figures five times this year.
> Denmon has been one of Mizzou's most consistent scorers with those five double-figure efforts and has been the team's top rebounding guard at 3.7 per game this year.
> In fact Denmon is coming off a career high nine rebounds vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
> Denmon has tied his career high (17 points) three times this season, including back-to-back games vs. Oregon and Oral Roberts.
> 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 has recorded career highs in virtually every statistical category this season.
> Michael Dixon has been one of the Big 12's top freshmen this season and is averaging 8.9 points on 46 percent shooting this year.
> Dixon owns a remarkable 3-to-1 assist/turnover ratio (33 assists, 11 turnovers) this season and has 15 assists compared to just three turnovers over his last five games.
> The Kansas City native's offensive numbers have flourished over his last three games as well, as he is averaging 13.0 points on 52-percent shooting during that stretch.
> The rookie's 13 dimes over those last three games leads all Tigers and his six steals ranks third.
About The Austin Peay Governors
Austin Peay (#67 in ESPN's Daily RPI) comes into Sunday's game following a 71-68 win against an improved Evansville squad at home on Dec. 22 ... The Governors are an up-tempo club that average 72.2 points per game and are shooting a very good 37 percent from three-point range on the year ... Wes Channels and Anthony Campbell each average 14.4 points per game and the pair is a combined 53-of-119 (.445) from three-point range on the year ... John Fraley gives Austin Peay some muscle underneath and averages 9.6 points to go with his team-leading 6.4 rebounds a game.
The Series With Austin Peay
Missouri and Austin Peay meet for the ninth time in series history (Mizzou leads 8-0) and the Tigers own a 7-0 mark in those games in Columbia ... The first meeting occurred in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 2, 1974, with the Tigers claiming an 88-86 win ... The teams then met seven consecutive times in Columbia ... The last contest was Nov. 30, 2002, which concluded with a 81-46 Tiger victory at the Hearnes Center.
Tigers In The National Rankings
Missouri is again ranking among the national leaders in several statistical categories ... Below is a quick rundown of how the Tigers rank.
Category Avg / Ntl Rk Leader / Avg
Assists 18.0 / #9 Syracuse / 22.5
Scoring Mgn 20.4 / #8 Kansas / 30.5
Steals 13.0 / #2 Syracuse / 13.5
T/O Margin 8.0 / #2 Houston / 10.6
3FGs Per 9.3 / #14 VMI / 13.4
3FG % 41.0 / #21 Columbia / 47.4
Blocks 5.6 / #21 UConn / 9.6
Scoring 82.2 / #23 VMI / 94.0
The Future Is Bright For Mizzou
Missouri's freshmen and sophomores are scoring 56.2 points per game for the Tigers this season, which accounts for 68 percent of the team's 82.2 total points per outing.
> Those 56.2 points ranks second in the Big 12 this year and becomes incredibly promising since MU is welcoming the nation's #7 overall recruiting class in 2010-11.
> Kansas leads the Big 12 in underclassmen scoring at 57.6 points per game, while the Oklahoma Sooners rank third with 55.7 tallies a night.
With A Tiger Win ...
> Missouri would improve to 9-3 on the season and move to 74-38 all-time under Mike Anderson.
> Overall, Anderson would improve to 163-79 in his eight seasons as a head coach.
> The Tigers would tie their season high with a four game winning streak.
> Mizzou would improve to 43-12 vs. non-conference foes under Anderson, which would include wins over Illinois, USC, California, Purdue, Maryland, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Davidson, Oregon, Memphis, Marquette and Old Dominion.
> Would push their home court winning streak to 26 games and their non-conference home winning streak to 44.
Congrats To Mizzou's Graduate, Zaire Taylor
Congratulations are in order for senior guard Zaire Taylor … The Staten Island, N.Y., native graduated Dec. 19 the same day the Tigers took on Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Mizzou Arena … In fact Missouri Basketball pushed up its normal shoot-around time allowing Taylor to walk across the stage to receive his diploma in Sociology.
Sweet English
Kimmie English has been much more than a scorer for Missouri over the Tigers' current three-game winning streak ... While he is averaging a team-best 20.3 ppg during the run, he has also provided improved rebounding and defense.
> Defensively, English has multiple steals in each of the last three games, including a career high four rips in the win against Fairleigh Dickinson.
> He has also been an improved rebounder, highlighted by his career high six boards in the win against Illinois.
> Offensively English credits improved shot selection for his elevated scoring totals, as he is shooting 12-of-24 from three-point range and 21-of-43 (.488) from the floor.
Rip City
Mike Anderson has his youngest team as a head coach with 11-of-13 players in just their first or second year of competition, but he also may have his fastest club at Mizzou yet to date … The Tigers are averaging an outstanding 13.0 steals per game this season, which ranks #2 nationally behind only Syracuse (13.4) … Those 13.0 “Rips” per game are the most ever at MU through 11 contests.
Year Steals SPG
2006-07 126 11.4
2007-08 119 10.8
2008-09 122 11.1
2009-10 143 13.0
The Good Tigers Giveth ...
As a basketball team, Missouri is about as unselfish as it comes ... The Tigers are averaging an impressive 18.0 assists per game, which is No. 9 nationally and have a 1.3-to-1 assist/turnover ratio as a team.
... And Taketh Away
Missouri has no issues creating turnovers once again this season as they produce 22.0 turnovers a night and average 13.0 steals (No. 2 nationally) ... Missouri is averaging 29.5 points a game off turnovers and scores 36 percent of its points off opposition throwaways ... In fact Missouri forces a turnover on 30 percent of its defensive possessions.
Trey-Mendous Shooting
With an array of improving young guards Missouri has one of its best perimeter shooting teams in school history (with all due respect to the teams playing before the implementation of the three-point line) … The Tigers are shooting 41.0 percent from three-point land this year (#21 nationally), including a remarkable 43.9 percent as a team within the friendly confines of Mizzou Arena.
> Mizzou has made double-figure treys in five games this year, with a season high of 18 coming in the 99-56 win against Chattanooga … The 18 treys were a Mizzou Arena record and the second most in school history, just behind the 20 three-pointers Mizzou hit at Colorado on Feb. 23, 2002.
> Mizzou recently connected on 10 treys against Illinois at the annual Braggin' Rights Game in St. Louis, with sophomores Kim English (5) and Marcus Denmon (2) combining for seven of those makes.
Denmon Delivering
Marcus Denmon has continued to be one of the club's most improved players and is one of the Big 12's hottest shooters hitting 14-of-31 treys over his last five contests.
> Denmon tied his career high with 17 points vs. Oregon and Oral Roberts, and then hit 3-of-6 treys in just 18 minutes in the win against Fairleigh Dickinson.
> Denmon is now second on the team in scoring at 10.1 points per game and ranks ninth in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage (.418) and seventh in three-point makes per game (2.1).
> Over his last five outings the Kansas City native is shooting 20-of-47 from the floor, 14-of-31 from three-point range, tops all Tiger guards over the last five contests.
Balancing Act
Mike Anderson calls Missouri the “Ultimate Team” and MU's incredible balance perfectly illustrates his point.
> The Tigers have had nine different players tie or share for the team lead in assists this season.
> MU has had seven different players tie or share the team lead in steals.
> Five different players have led the club in rebounding and four different players have led the club in scoring.
> And last but not least the Tigers have enjoyed incredible balance in playing time, which will pay huge dividends with experience down the road, as eight different players average at least 19.0 minutes per game.
Mizzou Arena - Now A Home Court
With Missouri Basketball unleashing the Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball and the Tiger crowds responding, Mizzou Arena is now one of the nation's toughest homecourt venues ... Missouri ranks #4 nationally with its active 25-game homecourt win streak, one game behind Dayton for third place for consecutive home wins.
> Kansas leads the nation with 50 consecutive home wins, while Pittsburgh (28) ranks #2.
> The MU record for homecourt wins is 34, which was set during the 1988-90 seasons ... The 1980-82 teams won 29 consecutive, while the 1974-76 teams won 23 in a row.
All-Time Mizzou Basketball Homecourt Winning Streaks
1. 1988-90 34
2. 1980-82 29
3. 2007-09 25
4. 1974-76 23
5. 1919-21 22
6. 1987-88 21
Here Come The Men In Block
It's early, but Missouri's front line of Keith Ramsey, Justin Safford, Laurence Bowers and Steve Moore are blocking shots and a pretty high rate ... MU already boasts 61 blocked shots through 11 games and can begin looking towards the school record books for most blocks in a single season ... Since Mike Anderson's arrival at MU the high for swats in a year is 140, set in 2008-09 ... The school record is 154 set during the 2001-02 campaign.
> Missouri is currently blocking 5.6 shots a night (fourth in the Big 12) and Bowers' 1.5 swats per game is seventh in the league ... Ramsey (1.2) ranks 11th overall, while Steve Moore is 15th (1.0).
> Missouri had just 43 blocked shots last season through 11 games, so the 61 swats is well above that pace from last season.
Free Is Good
The season is only 11 games deep, but the Tigers appear much improved at the free throw line as the team is shooting 74.3 percent at the stripe.
> The 74-percent “free throwing” is the best since Mike Anderson's arrival in Columbia and would actually be the third highest percentage in school history.
> Missouri has shot better than 70 percent in 8-of-11 games this year and you would have to go back to 2003-04 (.709) to find the last Tiger team to top 70 percent at the line in a single season.
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 35.1 points per game this season.
> Missouri enjoyed 45 bench points in the season-opening win before getting 57 points in the 100-44 triumph vs. Texas-Pan American ... Not to be outdone, the second wave dropped in 49 vs. Chattanooga and reached 50 points in the 106-69 win against Oregon.
> Tiger reserves have scored 386 of the team's 904 points this year and 10 different Tigers have reached double figures, highlighted by the three double figure scorers off the pine vs. Oregon.
> In his 111 games on the Tiger sidelines, the reserves have outscored Missouri's starters 15 times in Anderson's tenure, including three times already this season.
> 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.
Mizzou Arena - Home Sweet Home
Mike Anderson is a perfect 36-0 all-time in non-conference home games at Missouri ... Not only have the Tigers won 36 consecutive in non-league action, but they have done so in dominating fashion, sporting a 26.7 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, Oregon, Purdue, Murray State, Mississippi State, Oral Roberts and others during that 36-game stretch.
> Missouri has actually been more dominant at home than normal this year, owning a 36.7 ppg margin of victory, including a 56-point win against Texas-Pan American (100-44), which is the largest margin of victory in the history of Mizzou Arena, a 51-point win over Fairleigh Dickinson (87-36), a 43-point triumph against Chattanooga (99-56) and a 37-point win against Oregon (106-69).
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 6-0 36.7 ppg
Total 36-0 26.7 ppg.
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 continued that trend this season as the Tigers are averaging 18.0 assists per game, which is #9 nationally.
> The Tigers have topped 20 assists four times this year, including 28 assists in a 100-44 win against Texas-Pan American, 28 dimes against Oregon (106-69), 25 more assists against Chattanooga and 23 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson.
> Missouri has dished 20 or more assists in 30-of-111 games during Anderson's tenure and the Tigers are an incredible 29-1 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.