Nov. 19, 2010
Columbia, Mo. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
University of Missouri Tigers (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs.
University of North Florida Ospreys (1-2, 0-0 Atlantic Sun)
Tip-Off: 3 p.m.
Arena: Mizzou Arena (15,061)
TV: Mizzou Sports Network (Beau Baehman and Jon Sundvold)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Tom Ackerman - Play by Play / Gary Link - Analyst)
Rankings: Mizzou 15/14; North Florida NR/NR in AP / USA Today Coaches Poll
Series: First Meeting
Coaches:
Missouri: Mike Anderson (Tulsa '82); 178-87 overall (9th); 89-46 at Mizzou (5th)
North Florida: Matthew Driscoll (Slippery Rock '92) 40-97 overall (6th season)
For Openers...
> Missouri gutted out a 66-61 victory over Western Illinois in its season-opener and now the Tigers jump right back into action vs. North Florida on Saturday afternoon at Mizzou Arena ... The Tigers and Ospreys are meeting for the first time in series history.
> Missouri has found a number of different ways to win under Head Coach Mike Anderson, but Thursday's victory was a first ... The Tigers had zero players reach double figures in the scoring column ... The last time Missouri failed to have a player reach double figures was March 10, 1995, in a 68-50 loss to Iowa State in the Big Eight Tournament ... The last time Missouri won a game without a double-figure scorer? Try Feb. 12, 1951, a 39-38 last-second win over Kansas.
> Of course a big reason for that win was balance as Missouri got 28 bench points and had nine out of 10 players make at least one field goal and 9-of-10 dish at least one assist ... The lone player not to score, Ricky Kreklow, dished two of the team's 12 assists.
> Mizzou Arena has been a terror dome for non-league opponents during the Mike Anderson era... In running their record to 41-0 (under Anderson), the Tigers are averaging a 26.2 ppg. margin of victory vs. non-conference foes at home, including quality wins over Arkansas, California, Davidson, Mississippi State, Murray State, Oral Roberts and Purdue.
> Overall Missouri owns a 48-game non-conference home court winning streak, which dates back to the 2005-06 campaign (pre-Mike Anderson era) ... That 48-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.
> Missouri begins the 2010-11 campaign as a ranked program ... The Tigers are rated #15 in the Associated Press and #14 USA Today polls to start the year ... The Tigers are ranked in the preseason for the first time since 2003-04 ... Missouri opened the year #5 in 2003-04, the highest preseason ranking in school history ... Mizzou of course finished the 2008-09 season ranked inside the Top 10 after its run to the NCAA Elite Eight.
> Missouri will once again have each of its games televised this season thanks to its partnership with Mizzou Sports Network, ESPN, The Big 12 Network and CBS ... All 31 regular-season games and both exhibition games will be carried on live television including nationally on ESPN FullCourt.
Mizzou Quick Hitters
> Mizzou Basketball returns to the home court on Saturday as the Tigers face North Florida in the second game of the 2010 Cancun Challenge ... Both Mizzou and UNF will depart to Mexico after the game.
> Mizzou's trip to Cancun will be the first-ever regular season games played by the Tigers outside the country … Missouri did of course play three exhibition games in Canada over Labor Day 2008.
> Saturday's game will be shown on Fox Sports Midwest's alternate channels throughout Missouri and parts of Illinois ... In Mid-Missouri the game will be shown live on KOMU and of course every Tiger game is live on ESPN FullCourt.
> Missouri is 3-0 vs. the Atlantic Sun Conference under Mike Anderson's watch ... The Tigers defeated both Stetson (66-45) and Lipscomb (89-69) in 2006-07 and beat Stetson (78-44) once again in 2008-09 ... Of course the A-Sun has a couple of great early-season wins with Kennesaw State's 80-63 win over Georgia Tech, North Florida's win at Wyoming (76-60) and Stetson's 89-79 win at Wake Forest.
> Missouri is looking to start 2-0 for the fifth consecutive year ... The last time the Tigers didn't start 2-0 was 2005-06 ... The Tigers did drop game #3 of the 2008-09 season to Xavier in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but that year ended with a 31-7 overall mark.
> Speaking of fast starts, Mike Anderson is just 11 wins shy of 100 during his time at Missouri ... Anderson has 89 wins and 41 losses in Columbia, an excellent winning percentage of .685 ... Anderson won 89 games as well at UAB and has 178 career victories.
> No Tiger stood out more during Thursday's win than hardworking big man Steve Moore ... The Kansas City native tied for the team lead with nine points, a career high, while grabbing five boards and dishing two assists in 14 minutes.
> Moore was joined in team-high scoring honors by fellow junior Laurence Bowers, who added 10 rebounds to his nine tallies ... Bowers was just one point shy of his fourth career double-double.
> The bench production from Moore and the Tiger reserves is nothing new under Mike Anderson ... The Tigers ranked #2 nationally in bench scoring a season ago at 31.6 points per game and have averaged 29.2 ppg from its reserves the last two seasons!
> Missouri has typically played some tough schedules over the years and that trend will continue in 2010-11 ... With the preseason polls being released, Mizzou will have 12 games against teams ranked / receiving votes in the preseason Top 25 ... Included in that list are some impressive non-conference games vs. Old Dominion and Vanderbilt at home, neutral site games vs. #13 Illinois, #21 Georgetown, Wyoming and Providence/La Salle and a road game at Oregon.
> Missouri got some love in the preseason polls this year, checking in at #15 in both Top 25 ledgers ... Mizzou was #32 in the ESPN / USA Today Coaches Poll and #45 in the Associated Press Poll last season at this time.
> FoxSports.com's Jeff Goodman gave the Tigers some preseason hype as well, picking Anderson's club #9 in his preseason poll.
> Goodman also put the Tigers in his Final Four in his early season projections.
> Sports Illustrated thought highly of Missouri's backcourt depth and pegged the MU guards #13 nationally as a position group.
Tiger Tidbits
#1 Phil Pressey, 5-10, 168 Pounds
> Phil Pressey enters the Missouri program has the highest-ranked recruit of the Mike Anderson era, rated as high as #16 nationally by 2K Sports.
> The quick, explosive guard is a true point for the Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball and brings a team-oriented approach to the lineup.
> The rookie some key plays late in Missouri's opening win vs. Western Illinois, including a two huge defensive stops.
> Made two free throws with just 1:26 remaining and the Tigers up just 58-57 after forcing a WIU turnover.
> Finished the game with nine points and four rebounds.
> His older brother Matt Pressey is a junior on this year's club and his father, Paul Pressey, is currently an assistant coach for Byron Scott and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
#2 Ricky Kreklow, 6-6, 195 Pounds
> Ricky Kreklow became the third consecutive Mr. Basketball in the state of Missouri to ink with the Tigers.
> Kreklow made an impressive exhibition debut vs. Harris-Stowe, scoring nine points on a trio of three-pointers, while dishing two dimes and ripping a game high four steals.
> The talented newcomer is the son of current Missouri Volleyball head coach Wayne Kreklow and is a local product that grew up watching the Tigers.
> He was named the MVP of the Demetrius Johnson All-Star game in St. Louis this June after scoring 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting.
#3 Matt Pressey, 6-2, 185 Pounds
> The “Elmers Glue” of this year's club and is out of the same mold as a J.T. Tiller and Zaire Taylor with his blue-collar mentality.
> Scored four points in his collegiate debut vs. Western Illinois in 11 minutes.
> Was a junior college All-American at Navarro College last year, joining fellow Tiger Ricardo Ratliffe on that first team squad.
> His younger brother Phil Pressey is a freshman on this year's club and his father, Paul Pressey, is currently an assistant coach for Byron Scott and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
#10 Ricardo Ratliffe, 6-8, 240 Pounds
> Highly-coveted big man out of Central Florida College, that was twice named a first team NJCAA All-American.
> Scored six points and grabbed two boards in his collegiate debut vs. Western Illinois.
> One of only 13 players in NJCAA history to be named back-to-back first team All-American.
> Named the Big 12's Preseason Newcomer of the Year by the league coaches.
> Broke the Central Florida school record with 1,653 points over two seasons.
> Had his junior college jersey (#20) retired at the school's season-opener this year.
> Made a huge splash in his Black & Gold debut, scoring 32 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
#11 Michael Dixon, 6-1, 180 Pounds
> Made the start in the season-opener and hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final :15 seconds to close out the win.
> Hit 7-of-9 shots and 4-of-5 three-pointers vs. Arkansas-Fort Smith en route to 19 tallies in the preseason finale ... Added four assists and four steals.
> Returning sophomore that made eight starts as a rookie last year.
> Scoring point guard that ranked among Big 12 freshmen leaders with 7.5 points per game.
> Top returning assist man from last season with 55 dimes and just 32 turnovers.
> Played huge in some big games for Mizzou, scoring a career high 16 points in the win over Illinois, 13 vs. Texas and 15 vs. West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
#12 Marcus Denmon, 6-3, 185 Pounds
> Lone Tiger to shoot it well in the opener, hitting 3-of-6 shots, including a pair of three-pointers for nine points.
> Has 104 career three-pointers in his tenure, just 42 outside the Missouri all-time Top 10.
> Returning Academic All-Big 12.
> Big 12 All-Reserve Team last year as a sophomore.
> Led the club in three-point shooting percentage last season at 40.7 percent with 68 makes.
> Ranked second on the team in scoring at 10.4 points per game and will give the Tigers another big guard to replace Zaire Taylor and J.T. Tiller.
> Is back to full strength after suffering a knee injury as a freshman ... He fought through soreness in that knee for much of his sophomore campaign.
#21 Laurence Bowers, 6-8, 210 Pounds
> Led Missouri in both scoring (24.5) and rebounding (10.0) in preseason play.
> Scored 49 points in just 42 minutes this preseason.
> Narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds in the opener ... Also blocked a career-high tying four shots.
> Needs just four more blocked shots to join the Missouri career Top 10, tying former teammate Keith Ramsey (69).
> Named to the Big 12's All-Reserve Team, but finished his sophomore year with six consecutive starts.
> Tore ligaments in his left wrist down the home stretch of the 2009-10 campaign, but is fully healthy ... He will wrap his wrist however as a precaution.
> Named Academic All-Big 12 last year, as well as All-Reserve.
> Was one of the Big 12's most improved players going from 3.2 ppg as a freshman to 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds as a sophomore.
#23 Justin Safford, 6-9, 230 Pounds
> Is healthy after undergoing off-season ACL surgery ... Injured his knee on Feb. 24 vs. Colorado, but worked incredibly hard throughout his rehabilitation and is back to near full strength.
> Made the start in the season-opener and finished with seven points.
> Is the club's lone senior and enters this third year with the program, which includes 70 wins during that stretch.
> Averaged 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds as a junior, but averaged 9.9 points in Big 12 play before his injury.
> Made a return to live action in the Black & Gold Game where he recorded a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double on 7-of-11 shooting.
#24 Kim English, 6-6, 200 Pounds
> Was incredibly efficient in the exhibition opener, scoring 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting in 20 minutes … Connected on 4-of-6 three-pointers.
> Honorable mention preseason All-American by Sports Illustrated.
> Returning all-Big 12 Third Team from last year after pacing the club in scoring and tying for the team lead with 68 three-point makes.
> Was the first sophomore to earn all-Big 12 for the Tigers since Kareem Rush.
> Named to the Preseason Top 50 for the John Wooden Player of the Year Award.
> Named to the Preseason Top 50 for the James Naismith Player of the Year Award.
> Named one of college basketball's top shooters by FoxSports.com's Jeff Goodman.
> Named one of college basketball's Top 15 wing players by CBS's Gary Parrish.
> Named honorable mention all-Big 12 this preseason by the league coaches ... The league just announces a first team on the preseason ballot.
> Is of course known for his tireless work ethic and wears #24 because he is thinking about the game of basketball 24 hours a day.
> Often sleeps in the locker room during the season, which allows him to workout during off-hours.
#32 Steve Moore, 6-9, 270 Pounds
> Career game in the season-opener vs. Western Illinois, scoring a career high nine points, while tying a career high with five boards.
> Hit his first career three-pointer to end the first half, while dishing two assists.
> Gives Missouri a great defensive presence in the low post and finished his sophomore season with 17 blocks in his final eight games.
> Closed the year with at least one block in each of his last eight games.
> Spent a portion of the summer playing with Global Sports Academy in Europe.
English Named To Naismith List
Junior guard Kim English earned another preseason honor as he was named to the James Naismith preseason watch list on Nov. 16.
> English is one of four Big 12 players named to the list and is one of just 50 players nationally, including incoming freshmen.
> English led the club in scoring (14.0) and three-point makes (68) last year en route to guiding the Tigers to a 23-11 overall mark.
If You Build It, They Will Come...
Missouri had a great season-opening crowd on Thursday, as 8,558 fans saw the Tigers take down Western Illinois ... The 8,558 fans were the most for an opener in the history of Mizzou Arena, topping the previous mark of 6,986 set last season.
> Even the 2004-05 building-opening crown of 6,981 couldn't top Thursday's fan effort and kudos to the Missouri students who once again showed up in force in support of The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball.
Season Attendance Opponent
2004-05 6,981 Brown
2005-06 6,304 Sam Houston St.
2006-07 6,230 N.C. A&T
2007-08 5,042 Central Michigan
2008-09 5,463 Prairie View A&M
2009-10 6,986 UT-Martin
2010-11 8,558 W. Illinois
Thank You For Your Patience
Missouri Basketball was the last team in America to play a regular-season game this year, joining Arkansas and Fairleigh-Dickinson as the final two clubs to get started on Nov. 18 ... Both the Tigers and Razorbacks opened play at 7 p.m. CT, while Fairleigh-Dickinson, a 2009-10 Tiger opponent, opened at 6 p.m. CT.
> Mizzou opened its 2009-10 season later as well, facing Prairie View A&M on Nov. 17 ... Before that the latest start came in 2003-04 when Mizzou opened at Oakland on Nov. 29.
Traveling Tigers - Seven Games In 14 Days
Missouri Basketball is doing some heavy traveling the next two weeks as the club is in the midst of a seven-game stretch in 14 days … Missouri is playing those seven games in four different venues (Mizzou Arena, Aventura Palace, Sprint Center and McArthur Court), in two different countries (U.S. and Mexico) and in two states (Missouri and Oregon) … Total travel distance for the Black & Gold will be 7,308 miles.
> The Tigers open this stretch with back-to-back home games before leaving Sunday morning (Nov. 21) for a flight from St. Louis to Dallas and then on to Cancun, Mexico ... The team will then drive from Cancun to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, the location of this year's Cancun Challenge.
> The Tigers then return on Thanksgiving Day and host a Nov. 28 contest vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff … Missouri will then drive the next day to Kansas City and face the Georgetown Hoyas on Nov. 30.
> After brief overnight stay in KC the Tigers fly from Kansas City to Eugene, Ore., to meet the Oregon Ducks in the Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series before flying back home to Columbia.
Detailed Travel Distance For The Tigers
Travel Mileage
Columbia to St. Louis 120
St. Louis to Dallas 543
Dallas to Cancun 1,008
Cancun to Playa del Carmen 42
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Playa del Carmen to Cancun 42
Cancun to Dallas 1,008
Dallas to St. Louis 543
St. Louis to Columbia 120
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Columbia to Kansas City 131
Kansas City to Eugene, Ore. 1,811
Eugene to Columbia 1,940
Total 7,308
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Brother tandems aren't necessarily rare at Mizzou, but very few brother tandems have played at the same time for the Black & Gold … Many Missouri fans remember the days of Slim & Slam (aka Sammie and Simeon Haley) and then there were Mike and Jerry Kirksey who played together one season (1957-58) and thanks to Gary Link for reminding us about the Minx twins, Beau and Charles, who played for MU in 1944, but now the Tigers have a new tandem of brothers, Matt and Phil Pressey.
> The Pressey brothers will get two seasons of play on the hardwood at Missouri and Matt enters the program after earning first team Junior College All-America honors at Navarro College in Texas, while Phil was one of the elite national recruits at the point guard position.
> To this point the most successful tandem (stats-wise) are the Haley Twins who each stood over 7-feet tall and played during the 1994-96 seasons … The duo combined to score 819 points, grab 541 rebounds and block 120 shots during their two seasons playing together.
> During 1957-58 the Kirksey brothers of Buffalo, Mo., combined to score 125 points, led by Mike, who averaged 5.4 points per night.
About North Florida
North Florida and Missouri meet for the first time in series history on Saturday ... The Ospreys are led by former Baylor assistant coach Matthew Driscoll ... UNF is coming off a big road win at Wyoming on Thursday... The Ospreys trailed 34-32 at the half, but scored 44 second-half tallies and held Wyoming to 26 points to earn the 16-point win ... Andres Diaz, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound sophomore from Miami, leads UNF with 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds a night ... Parker Smith is second in scoring at 11.3 ppg and plays nearly 26 minutes a game off the bench ... UNF has played three consecutive road games to open the year, losing 75-55 at Florida State and 95-49 at #5 Pitt back on Nov. 13.
The Good Tigers Giveth...
Missouri will always be one of the country's more unselfish programs under former point guard Mike Anderson and the Tigers showed a propensity to distribute the rock in preseason play once again this year ... Mizzou dished 19.0 assists in two preseason wins and had a 38-to-27 assist/turnover ratio.
> Missouri opened regular season play with 12 assists on 23 buckets, a number that will certainly improve as the Tigers get more comfortable working in four new regulars into the playing rotation.
And Taketh Away...
If it's the Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball then opponents know waves of defensive pressure will be in store ... Missouri has ranked among the nation's leaders in steals each year under Anderson's watch, including a national best 10.9 steals per game in 2009-10 ... The Tigers also led the country by forcing 19.4 turnovers a game last season.
> Missouri forced Western Illinois into 16 turnovers in the season-opener and scored 13 points off of those extra opportunities.
Mizzou Arena - Home Sweet Home
Mike Anderson is a perfect 41-0 all-time in non-conference home games at Missouri ... Not only have the Tigers won 41 consecutive in non-league action, but they have done so in dominating fashion, sporting a 26.2 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, Georgia, Oregon, Purdue, Murray State, Mississippi State and others during that 40-game stretch.
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 10-0 32.6 ppg
2010-11 1-0 5.0 ppg
Total 41-0 26.2 ppg.