March 1, 2010
Columbia, Mo. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Mizzou Basketball News and Notes 2009-10
University of Missouri Tigers (21-8, 9-5 Big 12) vs.
Iowa State University Cyclones (14-15, 3-11 Big 12)
2009-10 Regular Season Game 30 - March 2, 2010 - Ames, Iowa
Tip-off: 7 p.m. CST
Arena: Hilton Coliseum - Ames, Iowa (14,356)
TV: MSN - (Dan McLaughlin play-by-play; Scott Highmark analyst)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly play-by-play; Gary Link analyst)
Rankings: Mizzou: RV/NR, Iowa State: NR/NR in Associated Press / USA Today Coaches polls
Series: Missouri leads 144-84 all-time; last - Mizzou won 65-56 on Feb. 10, 2010 in Columbia
Coaches:
Missouri: Mike Anderson (Tulsa '82); 175-84 overall (8th season); 86-43 at Mizzou (4th)
Iowa State: Greg McDermott (N. Iowa, '88); 279-193 overall (16th season) 58-66 overall (4th)
For Openers
> Missouri hits the road for the final time during the 2009-10 regular season as the Tigers travel to Ames, Iowa, for a rare Tuesday night contest ... Missouri has won four consecutive meetings with Iowa State dating back to the 2007-08 season and hasn't won five straight vs. the Cyclones since 1993-95.
> Missouri is looking to finish its Big 12 road record at a very solid 4-4 ... The Tigers went 4-4 on the road in Big 12 games last season as well ... From 2004-2008 Missouri won just seven Big 12 road games, the same number of league road games the Tigers have won the past two seasons.
> Thanks to that great road success, Mizzou has now won 52 games over the last two seasons, the eighth most wins in Division I hoops during that stretch ... The Tigers are also 21-9 in league play during that time and only Kansas (27-3) has a better record vs. Big 12 foes ... If you include three wins in last season's Big 12 Tournament the Tigers are 24-9 in their last 33 Big 12 contests.
> Missouri is looking for its 10th league victory this season and Missouri hasn't recorded back-to-back double figure win seasons in league play since 2000 ... In fact a win in Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday would ensure the Tigers would be no worse than a #5 seed in next week's Phillip's 66 Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City's Sprint Center.
> The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball produces some incredible steal numbers and over the last two seasons Missouri has ripped away 708 total steals, the highest two-season steal total in Big 12 history ... Kansas ripped 706 steals in 2006-07 and 2007-08, however Missouri surpassed that mark last Saturday with six steals at Kansas State.
> Missouri is of course known for its pressure defense and those huge steal totals, but the Tigers have been very good defensively in the half court all season long as well ... Mizzou is allowing opponents to shoot just 40.1 percent from the floor and 30.1 percent from three-point range this season, the lowest field goal percentage defense totals since Norm Stewart patrolled the Hearnes Center sidelines in 1998-99.
> While the Tigers are advancing defensively in the half court, Missouri still leads the nation in both steals per game (11.0) and turnovers forced per game (19.9) ... Missouri has already recorded 320 steals this season (#2 in school history) and the 11.0 thefts per game are the most in Big 12 history, topping the 10.9 Nebraska recorded in 1998-99.
> A Denmon will once again roam the floor in Ames, Iowa, as Missouri sophomore Marcus Denmon will suit up for Mizzou ... Marcus' uncle, Martinez Denmon, played collegiately at Iowa State (1971-73) and was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the third round (No. 52).
Mizzou Quick Hitters
> Missouri Basketball hits the road on Tuesday as it travels to Iowa State and the always difficult Hilton Coliseum.
> Head Coach Mike Anderson has enjoyed good success in Ames, Iowa, during his Tiger tenure, going 2-1 in his first three trips.
> Mizzou is looking for back-to-back wins in Hilton for the first time 1995, that's also the last time Mizzou won five straight vs. ISU.
> Missouri is 6-2 vs. Big 12 North clubs this season... Only Kansas boasts a better record vs. the North.
> In the months of February and March the last two seasons Missouri is an impressive 18-6 overall, including six total postseason wins.
> Mizzou is an incredible 8-4 the last two seasons vs. ranked opponents, including a win at #16 Texas last year and three wins over ranked foes on neutral courts #2 Memphis, 23 Marquette and #19 USC.
> Don't get fooled by the pace Missouri plays at, the Tigers are incredibly efficient ... Missouri does lead the nation with 11.0 steals per game and ranks #1 nationally in turnovers forced (19.9), but Anderson's club also ranks #25 nationally in assists per game (15.7), #2 nationally in turnover margin (+6.7) and is among the Top 35 nationally with a 1.2 assist/turnover ratio as a team.
> The 2009-10 Tigers are looking to join the Mizzou records book in a number of statistical categories ... The 320 steals is already #2 all-time ... Missouri's 38.6 percent shooting from three-point range is #5 all-time, while the 72.7 percent free throw shooting is #7.
> Missouri is being led in scoring by THREE underclassmen, Kim English (14.4), Marcus Denmon (11.1) and Laurence Bowers (10.2) ... The last time that happed was during the 1999-2000 campaign when Keyon Dooling (15.3), Kareem Rush (14.7) and Clarence Gilbert (13.7) paced the Tigers in scoring.
> Kim English recorded his ninth 20-point game of the year on Feb. 6, scoring 21 points at Colorado on Feb. 6 ... That's the most 20-point games by a sophomore since Linas Kleiza accomplished the feat (also nine times) in 2004-05 ... In case you were wondering, Kareem Rush scored 20+ as a sophomore 16 times in 2000-01, Anthony Peeler did it eight times, Derrick Chievous 15 times and Ricky Frazier 12 times.
> Missouri has had a school record five different players hit four (or more) treys in a game this year ... Kim English, Marcus Denmon, Zaire Taylor, Miguel Paul and Michael Dixon have all hit 4+ triples in a game this season ... Don't forget that four of those five players are underclassmen!
> The previous mark was four set during the 2000-01 season by Brian Grawer, Kareem Rush, Clarence Gilbert and Wesley Stokes.
> Missouri ranks #25 nationally with 15.7 assists per game … The perfect illustration for the Tigers' unselfishness is that Mizzou has ZERO players ranked among the Top 250 nationally in assists … No one player dominates that basketball and that fuels Missouri's quick-strike offense … However nine different Tigers have 34 or more assists this season, led by J.T. Tiller (84), Zaire Taylor (73), freshman Michael Dixon (50) and sophomore Miguel Paul (48) ... And as a reminder, Missouri led the nation in assists last season with 18.4 dimes per contest.
> Missouri has topped 20 assists eight times, including 28 dimes in the 106-69 win against Oregon and 25 vs. Georgia.
> Conversely the Tigers lead the nation in steals per game (11.0) and are led defensively by Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year candidate, J.T. Tiller ... It's not the steal total to watch with Tiller, it's the deflections and overall havoc the senior causes on the floor.
> Missouri is #2 nationally in turnover margin at +6.7 … With that great turnover margin and assist/turnover ratio (+1.2) the Tigers have taken 182 more shots then their opponents this year … That statistic certainly helps to offset rebounding margin … In a crazy stat that speaks to great ball-security, the Tigers already have 140 more steals this season than their opponents through 29 games.
> Did you know the Tigers actually turn their opponent over a nation-leading 30 percent of the time during a game and score 30 percent of their points off turnovers?
> With that great turnover percentage Missouri is forcing 19.9 turnovers a game and is averaging 23.3 points per game off of those turnovers.
> 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 9.9 minutes per game ... In addition, that depth fuels Missouri's pressure and has allowed the Tigers to reach double figures in steals in 20-of-29 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 72.7 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 34.1 of their 79.2 points per game from the reserves ... Missouri's bench has actually outscored (or tied) their starters seven times this season and are outscoring their opposition's bench 34.0-to-18.2.
> That bench scoring total leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks #2 among the national leaders.
> Mizzou has had a double-figure scorer off the pine in 24 games this season, including a season high three players in the wins against Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Oregon and UMKC.
> One thing about Mike Anderson's clubs, they are built for the long haul ... Over his tenure “Coach A's” teams have averaged 27.3 points per game off the bench... That's over 129 career games.
> It's nothing new to have the reserves outscore the starters either ... Including seven games this season, the reserves have dropped in more tallies than the “initial five” 19 times (in 129 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!
> To help illustrate that point even further, Missouri has had eight different starting lineups this year.
> Missouri has typically played some tough schedules over the years and that trend will continue in 2009-10 ... Mizzou has 15 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 against, Illinois, Old Dominion, Vanderbilt, Oregon, Georgia and Richmond.
Tiger Tidbits
J.T. Tiller, 6-4, 200 Pounds
> J.T. Tiller (aka the Tasmanian Devil) 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 played excellent basketball for Missouri in the second half of Big 12 play and is averaging 8.6 points, 3.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals in his last eight games.
> During that stretch Tiller scored a season high 17 points vs. Iowa State and dished a career high nine dimes and grabbed a season high seven boards vs. Colorado.
> Tiller suffered a fracture in his nose in the road win at Colorado and wore a protective mask for about 30 seconds in the win against Iowa State ... Tossing the mask aside proved to be a good idea, as the senior scored a season high 17 points, grabbed four boards, dished three assists and ripped two steals in the win.
> The Marietta, Ga., native has 315 career assists and needs 15 more dimes to move into the career Top 10.
> Once he gets those 15 assists Tiller will be the only player in Mizzou history to rank among the Top 10 in games played, assists and steals for a career.
> He also owns 152 career steals and is #10 all-time in that category in school history.
> Tiller is just the seventh player in school history with 300 dimes and 150 thefts over his career.
Zaire Taylor, 6-4, 189 Pounds
> Zaire Taylor has been one of America's top defensive players so far in 2009-10 and is #1 in the Big 12 and ranked among the Top 100 nationally with 1.8 steals per game this season.
> Taylor ripped away four steals in the win at Colorado, his highest total in a Big 12 game this season and followed that up with two more vs. Iowa State.
> 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 ... This season he is #68 nationally with a 2.0-to-1 ratio (73 dimes, 37 turnovers).
> Taylor has wasted little time picking up his assist totals this year and has dished 73 dimes while committing just 34 turnovers in his last 28 games, including a career-best eight assists and zero turnovers at Oklahoma.
> The Staten Island native is coming off a season high 18 points in the win at Nebraska and has reached double figures in each of his last three road games (14.3 ppg).
> Of course its hard to talk about Taylor and not mention his “Big Shot” moniker ... Taylor hit game-winners last year vs. #16 Kansas and at #16 Texas and then broke a 66-66 tie vs. #10 K-State on Jan. 9 with a deep triple with just 33 seconds remaining ... All three of those game-winners were vs. ranked teams.
> Taylor has done an excellent job supplementing his scoring at the foul line in Big 12 play and has made 41-of-48 charity shots in league action (.854).
> 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.
Keith Ramsey, 6-9, 217 Pounds
>Keith Ramsey continues to surge for Missouri as he concludes his collegiate career and has reached double figures in scoring in three of his last four games.
> Ramsey has hit 16-of-26 shots (.615) during that stretch and is a very solid 7-of-10 from the foul line.
> Ramsey has also been solid on the glass over that same time frame, averaging 8.3 rebounds, while blocking 1.3 shots and ripping away 1.3 steals a game.
Laurence Bowers, 6-8, 205 Pounds
> Laurence Bowers is one of Missouri's most efficient players this season and is third on the team in scoring (10.2), tops in rebounding (5.6) and tops in blocked shots (1.3) in just 20.9 minutes a game.
> Bowers is tops on the club in double-doubles with three ... He recently logged 10 points and a career high 12 rebounds vs. Iowa State in the first meeting.
> In fact Bowers' rebounding average is up to 5.9 rpg in league play thus far.
> Bowers scored a career high 23 points in the Jan. 2 win against Georgia, hitting 11-of-14 FGs for his first career 20-point night and has now reached double figures in eight of his last 12 games, including 13 points and eight boards vs. K-State and 16 points and three steals vs. Oklahoma State.
> 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.
> The Memphis native has blocked at least one shot in 22-of-29 games this season, including a career high four swats in the wins against Austin Peay and Tech.
Kim English, 6-6, 200 Pounds
> Kim English was named one of the nation's Top 5 Most Improved Players by Dick Vitale in USA Today.
> English leads Missouri with 19 double figure scoring games this season, including nine 20-point efforts.
> English has scored 20+ in six of his last 21 games, including 20 against Oklahoma State and 21 at Colorado.
> Although he scored just nine points against Iowa State due to foul trouble, the Baltimore native drilled the game-cinching three-pointer vs. Iowa State with 1:44 remaining and the Tigers ahead just 56-53.
> He also scored nine consecutive points in the second half of Mizzou's win against Texas (18 for the game) to help the Tigers pull away and earn the win.
> English grabbed a career high 10 boards for his first double-double at Texas Tech.
> He also grabbed a six rebounds and ripped two steals vs. the Fighting Illini ... English has at least one steal in 25-of-29 games this season, including 29 steals in his last 18 contests.
> English was named the Big 12's Player of the Week on Dec. 28 after leading the team to wins against Illinois (24 points) and Austin Peay (23 points).
Marcus Denmon, 6-3, 185 Pounds
> Marcus Denmon is full strength after off-season knee surgery and has reached double figures 15 times this year.
> Denmon has been one of Mizzou's most consistent scorers with those 15 double-figure efforts and has topped 20 points in two of his last three games.
> He recently scored a career high 24 points at Nebraska thanks to 8-of-12 shooting from the floor and 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range and followed that with 21 points in the win against Colorado for the first back-to-back 20-point games of his career.
> The team-leader in three-point field goals, Denmon is shooting 46 percent from three over his last 22 games, hitting 52-of-114 triples, including 16-of-22 games with multiple three-point makes.
> Denmon has been very good late in games recently ... The Kansas City native is coming off a 14-point effort against #10 Kansas State where he scored eight of his team-high tying 14 points in span of 3:43 late in the second half to hand the Tigers the victory ... The Tigers were down 55-49 at the 5:37 mark when Denmon nailed back-to-back treys and then hit a baseline runner off glass.
> During the win at Texas Tech Denmon scored five points in overtime, including the first bucket of the extra frame and a 24-foot trey to break an 85-85 tie.
> Denmon currently ranks among the Big 12 leaders in three-point field goals per game (2.2 - eighth) and three-point percentage (.439 - second).
Justin Safford, 6-8, 230 Pounds
> Justin Safford is out with a torn ACL in his left knee ... Safford will be continually monitored throughout the season.
> Safford suffered the injury vs. Colorado and actually opened the game with a flurry, scoring eight points in the first seven minutes.
> The Bloomington, Ill., native was enjoying a career year and was averaging 10.2 tallies per game, with seven double-figure scoring contests over his last 12 games.
Miguel Paul, 6-1, 172 Pounds
> Miguel Paul scored a career high 15 points to lead Mizzou in the win against Nebraska back in Columbia ... Paul hit two treys and 5-of-6 total field goals in 16 minutes.
> Paul owns an excellent assist/turnover ratio this season with 48 dimes and just 22 turnovers (2.2-to-1).
> The sophomore is also shooting and excellent 42 percent from three point range this season, including a pair of treys in back-to-back games vs. Colorado and at Kansas State.
Steve Moore, 6-9, 264 Pounds
> 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.
> Moore recently blocked a career high five shots at Kansas State and those five swats were the most by any Tiger this season.
> The Kansas City native enjoyed a tremendous outing at Colorado, scoring four points and grabbing three boards in the first half vs. the Buffaloes.
> Moore then played a career high 21 minutes in the return game vs. CU at Mizzou Arena, scoring two points, grabbing three boards, blocking two shots and ripping two steals.
Michael Dixon, 6-1, 175 Pounds
> Michael Dixon has been one of the Big 12's top freshmen this season and is averaging 7.2 points on 46 percent shooting this year.
> Dixon has reached double figures in 10 of his last 24 games and was excellent in “high major” non-conference games, averaging 11.2 in contests against Illinois, Oregon, Georgia and Vanderbilt.
> The rookie showed his moxie in Missouri's road win at Texas Tech, hitting four free throws in the final :17 seconds of OT for the triumph.
> The Kansas City native leads Mizzou in FT percentage at 85.4 percent.
> Dixon hit a career high 4-of-4 treys against Oklahoma State, while adding two assists, two steals and zero turnovers.
> He also reached double figures in the win against Texas, scoring 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting with a pair of steals.
> Dixon was named the Big 12's Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 28, the first league honor of his young career.
About The Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State (14-15, 3-11 Big 12) comes into Tuesday's game following a near-miss at Colorado, falling 75-72 to the Buffaloes in Boulder ... Iowa State boasts one of the Big 12's most talented front lines and gets a combined 31.5 points and 15.5 rebounds from junior Craig Brackins (16.6 ppg., 8.4 rpg.) and senior transfer Marquis Gilstrap (14.9 ppg., 9.1 rpg) ... The Cyclones also return junior guard Diante Garrett who has enjoyed some big games against Missouri in his career and is averaging 5.0 assists per night this season ... Scott Christopherson is an excellent three-point threat and has hit 37 treys and is shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc.
The Series With Iowa State
Missouri and Iowa State meet for the 229th time on Tuesday and the Tigers own a 144-84 series lead ... Mizzou has won four consecutive in the series and five of the last six overall, including and 82-68 win last year in Ames ... ISU is 59-45 all-time in Ames and Head Coach Mike Anderson is 5-2 vs. ISU over his career.
College Basketball's Wins Over Last Two Years
Guess who is among college basketball's winningest programs the last two seasons? ... It's the Missouri Tigers ... Mizzou has won 52 games the last two seasons, the eighth highest win total in college hoops since the start of the 2008-09 campaign.
55 Wins
Duke and Syracuse
54 Wins
Kansas and Memphis
53 Wins
Villanova, Michigan State and Butler
**52 Wins**
Mizzou, Gonzaga and Pittsburgh
51 Wins
Purdue
50 Wins
Louisville
48 Wins
Connecticut
Tiger Trapping The Top 25
Missouri has played Top 25 foes tough under Head Coach Mike Anderson's tenure as the Tigers have enjoyed a very respectable 8-4 mark the last two seasons vs. ranked foes.
> The Tigers went 6-2 vs. Top 25 teams during the 2008-09 campaign and are now 2-2 this season including an 82-77 win against #15 Texas on Feb. 17.
Opponent W/L Score Date
#6 Kansas State L 63-53 02-24-10
#15 Texas W 82-77 02-17-10
at #2 Kansas L 84-65 01-25-10
#10 Kansas State W 74-68 01-09-10
vs. #5 Connecticut L 82-75 03-28-09
vs. #2 Memphis W 102-91 03-26-09
vs. #23 Marquette W 83-79 03-22-09
#4 Oklahoma W 73-64 03-04-09
at #16 Kansas L 90-65 03-01-09
#16 Kansas W 62-60 02-09-09
at #16 Texas W 69-65 02-04-09
vs. #19 USC W 83-72 11-23-09
Mizzou Defense Among School's Best
It's easy to get enamored by Missouri's tremendous turnover and steal totals, but the Tigers have been very good with their half court defense this season, holding foes to just 40.1 percent shooting from the field and 30.1 percent from beyond three-point range.
> The 40.1 percent field goal defense is the best at Mizzou since 1998-99 season, when the Tigers held teams to just 39.3 percent shooting for the year.
> The 30.1 percent three-point field goal defense is the lowest in school history and the previous low was 30.2 percent set by last season's squad.
> And last but not least, Missouri is holding opponents to just 65.1 points per game this year, the lowest at Mizzou since 1998-99 when the Tigers allowed just 62.2 ppg.
If You Build It ...
Missouri will set a Mizzou Arena record for attendance this season, as the Tigers are averaging 10,072 fans per game this year, the highest average attendance since Mizzou Arena was opened in 2004-05 ... The previous mark was set last season as MU averaged 9,807 fans during its 18-game home slate.
> Mizzou has one home game remaining on March 6 vs. Kansas and that contest is already a sellout.
> During Big 12 games only Missouri is averaging a Mizzou Arena record 13,690 fans this season.
Year Attend. Record
2004-05 9,543 16-17
2005-06 8,369 12-16
2006-07 8,243 18-12
2007-08 8,060 16-16
2008-09 9,807 31-7
2009-10 10,072 21-8
Tiger Bench the Best in the Big 12
Missouri leads the Big 12 in bench scoring this year at 34.0 points per game, a figure that will eventually break the school record of 27.0 (2008-09) ... Missouri is #2 nationally in that category, trailing only Virginia Military:
Rk. Team Scoring
1 Virginia Military 40.0
2 Missouri 34.1
3 Texas 32.1
4 Western Carolina 32.0
5 Cal State Northridge 31.5
20-Something Sophomores
Missouri has had three different sophomores top the 20-point plateau this season, as Kim English, Marcus Denmon and Laurence Bowers have topped 20 points in a game a combined 14 times ... English has accomplished the feat a team-best nine times, while Denmon (4) and Bowers (1) have done it as well.
> Denmon actually leads Mizzou with four 20-point games in Big 12 play, while English has done it three times ... The pair each dropped in 20+ in road wins at Texas Tech and Colorado earlier this season and Denmon has topped 20+ in back-to-back games at Nebraska (24) and in the home game vs. CU (21).
> The point totals have been a good indicator of success as well since Missouri is 11-1 in games where Bowers, Denmon or English hit for at least 20 points.
Mizzou In A Special Two-Year Stretch
Missouri has played a special stretch of basketball over the last two seasons, going 52-15 during that time ... The 52 wins over two seasons is the third most in school history and the school record is 55 wins over two seasons set by the 1988-89 team (29 wins) and the 1989-90 club (26 wins).
Top Two-Year Stretches at Mizzou
Years Win Totals
1988-90 55 Wins
1981-83 53 Wins
2008-10 52 Wins
1980-82 49 Wins
1993-95 48 Wins
2007-09 47 Wins
1992-94 47 Wins
1979-80 47 Wins
1975-77 47 Wins
2001-03 46 Wins
1989-91 46 Wins