Dec. 14, 2010
Columbia, Mo. -
#12 / #13 University of Missouri Tigers (8-1, 0-0 Big 12) vs.
Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles (4-5, 2-0 Summit)
Tip-Off: 7 p.m. CT
Arena: Mizzou Arena (15,061)
TV: MSN (Chris Gervino and Jon Sundvold)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly - Play by Play / Gary Link - Analyst)
Rankings: Mizzou 13/12; Presbyterian NR/NR in AP / USA Today Coaches Poll
Series: Missouri leads 5-1; Last ORU won 60-59 in Tulsa on Dec. 9, 2009
Coaches:
Missouri: Mike Anderson (Tulsa `82); 185-88 overall (9th); 96-47 at Mizzou (5th)
Oral Roberts: Scott Sutton (Oklahoma State `95) 208-144 at ORU (12th)
For Openers...
> Mizzou Basketball continues its four-game home stand on Thursday evening as it hosts Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. inside Mizzou Arena ... The Tigers have won three consecutive games heading into Thursday, including a 70-55 win last Saturday vs. Presbyterian.
> The win allowed Mizzou to extend its non-conference home court winning streak to 52 games, which is a school record ... That run dates back to the 2005-06 campaign ... The previous school record was 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 is an excellent 8-1 to open the year ... The start is the second best under Head Coach Mike Anderson at Missouri ... The Tigers opened the 2006-07 season 9-0 and were an identical 8-1 through nine games in the Elite Eight season of 2008-09 ... A win on Thursday would equal the best start to a season under Mike Anderson.
> Marcus Denmon continues to surge in his junior campaign ... The Kansas City native has been one of the country's best players in 2010-11 and is averaging a team-best 16.4 points per game this year, boasted by an average of 19.8 points per game over his last four contests.
> The Tigers have been one of the country's winningest programs the last two (plus) seasons ... Including its 8-1 mark this year, the team has won 62 games over that stretch, the 11th most wins in all of college basketball since 2008-09.
> Mizzou has been much improved protecting the basketball over the last two games ... The Tigers are averaging just 11 turnovers in games vs. Vanderbilt and Presbyterian, while dishing out a combined 36 assists ... That's a 1.6-to-1 assist/turnover ratio as a team and both Mike Dixon and Flip Pressey lead the club with 5.0 assists per game during that stretch.
> Bench production is once again a big key for the 2010-11 Tigers ... Missouri is averaging 27.3 ppg from its reserves, highlighted by a season high 49 points vs. La Salle in the 2010 Cancun Challenge title game ... Marcus Denmon scored 21 points off the bench, while Ricardo Ratliffe added 14 points and 14 boards ... Mizzou has been led in scoring by a reserve four times already in 2010-11, including 14 points from Justin Safford on Dec. 11 vs. Presbyterian.
Mizzou Quick Hitters
> Missouri Basketball is looking for its fourth consecutive victory on Thursday as it hosts the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles at Mizzou Arena.
> Missouri and Oral Roberts meet for the third consecutive year ... ORU and Mizzou have split the first two games of the series, with each club winning on its home floor.
> Congrats to all Mizzou students who finished up their finals and congrats to all new Missouri grads!
> Missouri has been solid under Mike Anderson immediately following Finals Week ... Mizzou dispatched Arkansas-Pine Bluff 88-70 last year, Stetson, 78-44, in 2008 and McNeese State, 81-44, in 2007.
> Happy belated birthday to Head Coach Mike Anderson, which was Dec. 12.
> Missouri is finding its offensive rhythm over the last five games, shooting 49.4 percent from the floor, 41.3 percent from three-point range and 74.8 percent from the foul line over that time frame ... Balance has been the operative word for MU, with five players averaging better than 10.2 points and seven averaging 7.2 or more.
> Missouri has been the ultimate team through nine games ... The Tigers have had seven different players lead the team (or tie for the team lead) in scoring, four different players in rebounding, six in assists and five in steals.
> Missouri is looking to move to 6-0 at home on the young season ... The Tigers have five home wins and three road/neutral wins this year ... The Tigers were just 1-3 in their first four games away from home last season and 2-2 in 2008-09.
> Mizzou has always been very good in November and December under Mike Anderson since the 2006-07 campaign ... MU is 27-5 in November and 21-8 in December, which includes wins over Old Dominion, #19 USC, Maryland, Arkansas, Davidson (with Stephen Curry), Purdue, Illinois, Oregon and Oral Roberts ... MU is a combined 48-13 (.787) before Jan. 1 under Anderson.
> Mike Anderson is just four wins shy of 100 during his time at Missouri ... Anderson has 96 wins and 47 losses in Columbia, an excellent winning percentage of .671 ... Anderson won 89 games as well at UAB and has 185 career victories.
> Mizzou Arena has been a terror dome for non-league opponents during the Mike Anderson era... In running their record to 45-0 (under Anderson), the Tigers are averaging a 25.6 ppg. margin of victory vs. non-conference foes at home, including quality wins over Arkansas, California, Davidson, Mississippi State, Murray State, Oral Roberts, Oregon and Purdue.
> Overall Missouri owns a 52-game non-conference home court winning streak, which dates back to the 2005-06 campaign (pre-Mike Anderson era) ... That 52-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 is forcing one turnover for nearly every three opponent possessions this year (184 opponent turnovers compared to 492 opponent FG attempts).
> Last season Missouri led the nation by forcing turnovers on 30 percent of its opponent possessions.
> The Tigers have scored 194 points off of those 184 turnovers, a number that will increase as this new collection of players becomes more familiar with each other ... So far Missouri is averaging 21.6 ppg off of turnovers, including 29 points off turnovers vs. Georgetown on Nov. 30.
> Bench production from 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 27.4 points over Anderson's five years in Columbia!
> The Tigers are already averaging 27.3 ppg from their bench this season, including a season high 49 points vs. La Salle on Nov. 24.
> Another critical stat for Missouri is field goal opportunities ... Missouri thrives on its defensive pressure creating extra scoring chances and so far this season Missouri has taken 97 more shots than its opponents and made 47 more buckets ... Couple that with excellent offensive rebounding and you can see why the Tigers are becoming more and more dangerous as they gel ... Missouri has 33 more offensive boards than its opponents this year, thanks in large part to 22 offensive boards in the win over La Salle on Nov. 24 and 21 more vs. an excellent rebounding team from Vanderbilt on Dec. 8.
> It's early, but Missouri has been good at defending the rim though nine games, averaging 5.1 swats a contest ... Laurence Bowers (17) and Steve Moore (13) lead the way with a combined 30 total blocks.
> 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 13 games against teams ranked / receiving votes in the Top 25 ... Included in that list are some impressive non-conference games vs. Old Dominion and Vanderbilt at home, neutral site games vs. #19 Illinois, #14 Georgetown, Wyoming and 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 Flip Pressey, 5-10, 168 Pounds
> Nicknamed "Flip", but first name is Phil.
> Flip Pressey enters the Missouri program as 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.
> Ranked among Big 12 leaders in both assists per game (3.0) and assist/turnover ratio (1.6).
> Dished a career high nine dimes vs. Presbyterian without committing a turnover ... Has 16 assists and just five turnovers over his last six games.
> Is the Big 12's #2 freshman in assists this season, just one dime behind Texas' Cory Joseph.
> Pressey showed some moxie in the season-opener against Western Illinois, sinking two free throws with just 1:26 remaining and the Tigers up just 58-57 after forcing a WIU turnover.
> 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.
> Hit 3-of-4 three-pointers in wins over Wyoming and La Salle, including a career-best 2-of-3 treys vs. La Salle in the first half.
> 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.
> Has started two games at the guard position, but has been a key reserve over his last four games.
> Has hit at least one trey in six of his last seven games and is shooting 47 percent (7-of-15) from beyond the arc in those seven games.
> Is 17-of-31 from the floor over his last six games as well (.548).
> Beginning to improve defensively with more game action and is moving the ball well as he begins to fit into that "Tiller / Taylor" mold.
> Made his first career start in the win over La Salle on Nov. 24 and produced career-best numbers of nine points and four assists in 36 minutes.
> Came off the bench to score nine points and dish three assists vs. Georgetown and his first career double-figure scoring night came at Oregon on Dec. 2 with 10 points and two assists in 22 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.
> Has been named Big 12 Rookie of the Week twice this season.
> Leads the club in rebounding (7.8) and double-doubles (3) ... Was on a run of four consecutive double-figure rebounding games before being held to seven boards vs. Georgetown.
> His 14 boards vs. La Salle are the most since DeMarre Carroll grabbed 14 vs. Kansas State on Feb. 25, 2009.
> Leads the team in field goal percentage (.557) and is second in scoring (11.9).
> Named to the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament team after averaging 11.0 points and 13.0 rebounds.
> One of only 13 players in NJCAA history to be named back-to-back first team All-American, which includes former UNLV standout Larry Johnson.
> 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.
#11 Michael Dixon, 6-1, 180 Pounds
> Career game in his return home to Kansas City vs. Georgetown, scoring a career-high tying 17 points to go with four assists and four steals.
> Father (Mike Sr.) left San Jose State as the school's all-time assist leader.
> Leads Missouri in both assists (39) and steals (22) this season, which includes 34 assists in his last seven games ... Also ranks #2 in the Big 12 in steals at 2.4 per game.
> Owns a 2.6-to-1 assists turnover ratio with 39 dimes and just 15 turnovers.
> Initially scored a career high 17 points, grabbed a career high six boards and dished six assists in the win vs. Wyoming on Nov. 23.
> Ripped a career high five steals vs. North Florida on Nov. 20.
> Returning sophomore that made eight starts as a rookie last year.
> Top returning assist man from last season with 55 dimes and just 32 turnovers.
#12 Marcus Denmon, 6-3, 185 Pounds
> Tough, gritty guard that was a football standout in high school as a wide out and defensive back.
> Won his first career Big 12 Player of the Week honor on Dec. 6.
> Leads the team in scoring (16.4) and three-point field goal percentage (.510) ... Is second in the Big 12 Conference with his three-point percentage.
> Has hit 12 of his last 18 treys over the last four games and is 22-of-43 from the floor overall.
> Scored a career high 27 points on Nov. 30 vs. Georgetown on an efficient 10-of-12 shooting from the floor ... Hit 5-of-7 treys and 5-of-5 shots inside the arc ... Added six boards and two steals as well.
> Scored 19 second-half / overtime points in the win vs. Vanderbilt, including the game-winner with five seconds remaining.
> Scored 21 points in the win over La Salle on Nov. 24 thanks to 5-of-9 three-point shooting.
> Has seven career 20-point efforts and Missouri is 6-1 in those games.
> Cancun Challenge MVP after averaging 15.0 points on 8-of-16 three-point shooting in two wins.
> Has 126 career three-pointers in his tenure, just 20 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.
> 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
> Scored a season high 18 points on 6-of-10 FGs in the win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 28.
> Has reached double figures in scoring five times.
> Recorded his fourth career double-double vs. North Florida with 12 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes.
> Second in rebounding (6.2) and tops in blocked shots (1.9 bpg).
> Eighth in school history with 78 career blocked shots and needs 12 more to pass Chris Heller (1990-94) who had 89 in his career.
> 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.
> Enjoyed an efficient day vs. Presbyterian, scoring a season-high 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 19 minutes ... Added six boards and a trey.
> Scored 11 points in the win vs. La Salle, including nine of the team's first 10 points ... Finished with six rebounds as well.
> Is the club's lone senior and enters his fourth year with the program, which includes 78 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
> Has reached double figures seven times this season, including a terrific all-around game vs. Wyoming with 11 points, seven boards and a career-high tying five assists.
> Was very unselfish in the Georgetown contest ... Scored 11 points on 5-of-12 FGs, but dished four assists and had three steals ... Three of his four assists came to backcourt running mate Marcus Denmon.
> Came off the bench vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff to score a season high 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
> Hit 3-of-5 treys (12 points) and grabbed six boards vs. Vanderbilt.
> Starting to heat up from beyond the arc with 7-of-14 three-point shooting over his last two games, including 4-of-9 treys vs. Presbyterian.
> Has 122 career three-pointers and needs 24 more treys to join the Mizzou career Top 10.
> 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
> A native of Kansas City and played at nearby Truman High School.
> Career game in the season-opener vs. Western Illinois, scoring a career high nine points, while tying a career high with five boards.
> Scored seven points and blocked three shots vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
> Has made 2-of-3 treys this season and was a good three-point shooter in high school.
> Leads Missouri with 11 blocked shots this season... And finished his sophomore season with 17 blocks in his final eight games.
> Tied for the team lead with eight blocked shots so far in 2010-11.
> Spent a portion of the summer playing with Global Sports Academy in Europe.
Flip The Switch
Flip Pressey enjoyed a career afternoon in the win against Presbyterian on Dec. 11, dishing a career high nine assists without committing a turnover in the 70-55 victory ... Pressey threw alley-oop passes to both Laurence Bowers and Justin Safford, with his half-court lob to Safford being picked as the #5 Play of the Day on ESPN.
> Pressey ranks #2 in the Big 12 among freshmen with 3.0 assists per game and his 1.6-to-1 assist/turnover ratio ranks #7 in the league overall ... His nine assists is also the fourth highest total in the league this season.
Trey-Mendous Start For Denmon
Marcus Denmon has been shooting the basketball extremely well to open his junior campaign and the Kansas City native is among Missouri's all-time leaders for three-point makes through nine games ... Denmon has hit 26-of-51 triples so far, an accuracy rate of better than 51 percent.
> Denmon is seventh all-time at Mizzou for three-point makes though nine contests, trailing a list that includes former standouts Thomas Gardner (31), Paul O'Liney (30) and Matt Lawrence (29).
Tiger 3FG-A Pct. Year
Thomas Gardner 31-69 .450 05-06
Paul O'Liney 30-68 .441 94-95
Matt Lawrence 29-56 .518 06-07
Ricky Clemons 31-65 .477 02-03
Marcus Denmon 26-51 .510 10-11
Kareem Rush 27-57 .474 01-02
Clarence Gilbert 28-69 .406 01-02
Crunchtime Hoops From Denmon
- With the game tied and Vanderbilt running out the clock for a final shot in overtime, Denmon steals a pass from Brad Tinsley, scores the winning bucket (while being fouled) and completes the three-point play for an 85-82 win.
- On Jan. 9, 2010, with Missouri trailing Kansas State 55-52 and just 5:37 remaining, Denmon scores nine of the game's final 22 points to lift MU to a 74-68 upset win ... Denmon hit back-to-back treys, a running bank shot off the glass and a free throw off his own steal.
- Missouri and Texas Tech were tied 82-82 with 3:06 remaining in overtime in Lubbock when Denmon came off a screen and buried a 24-footer in front of the Missouri bench to give the Tigers a lead they wouldn't relinquish, resulting in a 94-89 OT win.
- Of course for good measure we need to pay homage to the 60-footer in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament vs. #2 Memphis on March 26, 2009, in Glendale, Ariz.
A Point Guard Family
Michael Dixon Jr. is distributing the rock like his "pops" (Michael Dixon Sr.) ... A sophomore starter for Mizzou, Dixon is among the Big 12 leaders in a number of categories this season, including assists (4th at 4.3 apg), steals (2nd at 2.4) and assist/turnover ratio (1st at 2.6) ... Those numbers mirror the collegiate success his father had at San Jose State (1982-85) when the elder Dixon ranked #1 in school history with 477 assists and #6 with 106 career steals.
> However the younger Dixon has unleashed a consistent offensive game as well this year and has hit for double figures in scoring in six of his last nine contests, highlighted by a career high 17 points in games vs. Wyoming and Georgetown ... Dixon also helped lead Mizzou to a win over Vanderbilt with 15 points, four assists and three steals.
Non-Conference Home Streak #2 In Big 12
Missouri has won 52 consecutive non-conference games at home since 2005-06, which ranks very well amongst the rest of the league ... Here are the top win streaks in the conference:
Team Streak
Texas A&M 57
Missouri 52
Kansas 40
Kansas State 28
Oklahoma State 29
Texas 25
Oklahoma 23
Tigers Claim Another Title
Missouri has been good at claiming trophies under Mike Anderson's watch and The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball claimed the 2010 Cancun Challenge crown last week with wins over Wyoming (72-62) and La Salle (83-71).
> Mizzou of course won the 2009 Big 12 Tournament crown in Oklahoma City en route to an NCAA Elite Eight berth and also won the 2006 John Thompson Foundation Classic.
> Missouri also currently holds the Busch Braggin' Rights trophy for last season's win over Illinois.
Balanced Across The Board
Missouri continues to be one of the nation's most balanced programs in 2010-11 ... The Tigers have had nine different players score nine or more points in a game this year (through just nine games) and seven of those Tigers have reached double figures ... In fact the Tigers have five players averaging double figures in scoring currently ... In addition, six different Tigers have grabbed six or more rebounds, five different players have dished three or more assists and four different Tigers have had three or more steals ... Kim English and Mike Dixon have reached those totals in all four categories so far this season for Mizzou.
> To illustrate how important balance is to Missouri Basketball, the Tigers had eight players top nine or more points in a game all of last season and then had a school record 11 do it in 2008-09.
Double R = Double-Digit Rebounding
Ricardo Ratliffe has played nine collegiate games in NCAA Division I, but the newcomer has already produced three double-doubles, was named to the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament team and is twice the Big 12's Rookie of the Week.
> Ratliffe led the Cancun tournament with 26 rebounds in two games, including 14 points and a career high 14 boards in the win vs. La Salle ... Ratliffe dominated the glass vs. highly-touted La Salle forward Aaric Murray and helped Mizzou win the battle of the boards 42-to-37.
> The transfer needs eight more double-doubles to move into the Missouri single-season top 10 ... Jevon Crudup is 10th with 11 double-dips during the 1993-94 season.
> Ratliffe has shown an ability to score the rock as well ... The Hampton, Va., native has reached double figures in five of his last six games and six times overall in nine tries this season, including a career high 22 points vs. Georgetown on 9-of-16 FGs on Nov. 30.
Denmon, Ratliffe Sweep League Awards
Marcus Denmon and Ricardo Ratliffe swept the Big 12 weekly awards on Dec. 6 as Denmon was named the league's Player of the Week for the first time in his career, while Ratliffe won Rookie of the Week honors for the second consecutive time.
> A product of Hogan Prep High School in Kansas City, Denmon averaged 23.0 points in games vs. #14 Georgetown and at Oregon ... He shot an incredible 78.9 percent from the floor and 72.7 percent from three-point range ... The 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard hit 15-of-19 shots overall and 8-of-11 threes, highlighted by a career high 27 points vs. the Hoyas in his hometown of Kansas City. Denmon hit 10-of-12 shots vs. Georgetown, while grabbing six boards and recording two steals.
> Ratliffe earned his second consecutive Rookie of the Week honor after averaging 16.5 points and 5.0 rebounds vs. Georgetown and Oregon ... He opened the week with a career high 22 points vs. the Hoyas on 9-of-16 shooting ... He also grabbed seven rebounds in the overtime decision.
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.
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 Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts enters Mizzou Arena with a 4-5 record following a 73-60 defeat at Oklahoma on Dec. 11 ... The Golden Eagles had been playing improved basketball, especially with the return of Michael Craion, but fell to the Sooners late after jumping out to a big early lead ... ORU is led by Dominique Morrison out of Kansas City ... The former AAU teammate of Marcus Denmon, Michael Dixon and Steve Moore is averaging 17.3 points and 5.3 rebounds this year ... He is much more of a slasher and has hit 49 of his 58 total field goals inside the arc ... He also averages five trips to the foul line a game ... Warren Niles is second on the club with 14.9 points per game and has hit a team-best 20 treys, while Steven Roundtree (12.0) and Damen Bell-Holter (10.4) round out the double-figure scorers for Head Coach Scott Sutton's club ... ORU is 3-4 on the road this year, with a win at Utah and narrow losses at Texas Tech and OU.
Quick Starts For Anderson
Missouri is searching for its second 9-1 start under Mike Anderson ... The Tigers were 9-1 through 10 games in his first season of 2006-07, but fell to 9-2 following losses to Purdue and Illinois after a 9-0 start.
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 have showed a propensity to distribute the rock once again this year ... Mizzou has dished 20 assists three times already this year and have topped 20 dimes 37 times (36-1) under Anderson.
> Missouri is currently averaging 17.4 assists through eight games in 2010-11.
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 is once again among the national leaders in both turnovers forced and steals this year, forcing 20.4 turnovers per game, including a school record 34 turnovers vs. North Florida ... The Tigers also average 10.4 steals a night, including 14 thefts vs. Georgetown.
Mizzou Arena - Home Sweet Home
Mike Anderson is a perfect 45-0 all-time in non-conference home games at Missouri ... Not only have the Tigers won 45 consecutive in non-league action, but they have done so in dominating fashion, sporting a 25.6 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 45-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 4-0 17.8 ppg
Total 45-0 25.6 ppg.