Feb. 11, 2011
Columbia, Mo. -
#19 / #20 University of Missouri Tigers (18-6, 4-5 Big 12) vs.
University of Oklahoma Sooners (12-11, 4-5 Big 12)
Tip-Off: 12:47 P.M. CT
Arena: Mizzou Arena (15,061)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly - Play by Play / Gary Link - Analyst)
TV: Big 12 Network (Dave Armstrong, Jon Sundvold)
Rankings: Mizzou 19/20; Oklahoma NR/NR in AP / USA Today Coaches Poll
Series: Oklahoma leads 112-94; In Columbia MU leads 60-31
Coaches:
Missouri: Mike Anderson (Tulsa `82); 195-93 overall (9th); 106-52 at Mizzou (5th)
Oklahoma: Jeff Capel (Duke `97) 173-103 overall (9th); 94-62 at Oklahoma (5th)
For Openers...
> Missouri gets back-to-back home games at Mizzou Arena as the Tigers open the brief home stand with a Feb. 12 "Blackout" against the Oklahoma Sooners ... Fans are encouraged to wear BLACK for Saturday's contest.
> Missouri and OU enter Saturday's game tied at 4-5 in the Big 12 standings and Missouri hasn't lost at home to the Sooners since Feb. 19, 2001, a run of four consecutive home victories.
> Since March 10, 2000, Missouri and Oklahoma have met 15 times with OU holding a 9-6 series advantage ... However in those 15 games the Tigers and Sooners have played in five different locations (Columbia, Norman, Kansas City, Dallas and San Jose) and have had 13 games (including nine straight) decided by single digits ... The last win in the series by 10+ points came on Feb. 26, 2003, a 67-52 Tiger win in Columbia.
> Missouri is the last remaining Big 12 team to be undefeated at home in 2010-11 ... Missouri is an outstanding 14-0 at home and averages a 23.8 ppg margin of victory within the (not so) friendly confines of Mizzou Arena ... The Tigers have won 49 of their last 51 home games since the end of the 2007-08 campaign ... Missouri will look to run its current home winning streak to 15 games in 2010-11 ... Missouri's current 14-game home winning streak is the eighth longest in school history.
> Missouri is anticipating yet another sold out Mizzou Arena on Saturday ... The Tigers have four consecutive sellouts and only tickets for the Feb. 15 contest vs. Texas Tech remain .... In addition, the first 10,000 fans in attendance Saturday will receive a limited edition Tiger Basketball poster courtesy of Shelter Insurance ... Included on the poster are images from three eras of Missouri Basketball.
> Missouri is coming off a 103-86 loss at #2 Kansas on Monday ... Missouri had all-five starters score in double figures, including freshman Flip Pressey, who scored a career high 17 points while dishing six assists and committing only one turnover ... Those 17 tallies were the most by a Tiger freshman in Lawrence since Kareem Rush (20) on March 5, 2000.
> Pressey has started three consecutive games for Missouri in league play and is the Big 12's top freshman in assists (4.1), assist/turnover ratio (2.1) and steals (1.8) per game this year ... He is also averaging 11.1 points over his last seven outings on 48 percent shooting.
Mizzou Quick Hitters
> Missouri Basketball returns home for the annual "Blackout" game, as the Tigers host the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday afternoon.
> Missouri has won 14 consecutive games at home and 49 of its last 51 home games overall ... Mizzou's current 14 game home streak is the 13th longest in America and the longest active streak in the Big 12 Conference.
> In fact, Missouri is now the Big 12's last remaining club to be unbeaten at home in 2010-11, a streak that will come under fire with back-to-back home tilts vs. OU and Texas Tech.
> The Tigers rank #8 nationally at 83.5 points per game ... At home that figure jumps to 86.4 tallies a night and Missouri is shooting 48 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three-point range as a team.
> Perhaps the most impressive stats come on defense at Mizzou Arena ... The Tigers are holding opponents to 38 percent shooting from the floor and 28 percent shooting from three-point range in home games this season, while forcing 21.3 turnovers a night.
> Flip Pressey is a strong candidate for the Big 12's All-Freshman Team in 2011 ... The rookie point guard leads all Big 12 freshmen in assists and steals this year and his eight games with 5+ assists at Missouri ranks fourth all-time in school history ... Pressey trails only Travis Ford (11), Melvin Booker (10) and Mike Sandbothe (9) on Missouri's list of five-assist games for freshmen ... However if you dial it up a notch, Pressey is already Missouri's freshman leader in games with 7+ assists (tied with Jimmy McKinney) with four and the leader with three 8+ assist games.
> Mizzou Basketball has 72 victories over its last three seasons ... The MU record for wins in a three-year stretch is 75 from 1988-91.
> Missouri has already blocked 133 shots this season and needs just one more swat to move into the single-season top five ... The school record for blocks is 160, which was set last season ... MU has never led the Big 12 in blocked shots, but currently paces the league at 5.5 per game.
> Balanced scoring has been key for the Tigers this year ... In fact Missouri has had seven players reach double figures in a game twice this year, including a home contest vs. North Alabama.
> With that great balance Missouri has used nine different starting lineups this season ... Of course it doesn't really matter who starts, it's about who finishes!
> Attendance has been up all season at Mizzou Arena, to the tune of 1,600 fans per game ... Missouri is on pace to break the Mizzou Arena-era attendance record, including three consecutive sellouts ... One factor that separates Mizzou is that the Tigers use actual attendance vs. tickets sold.
> Mizzou has been dominant at home over its last nine games ... The Tigers have enjoyed 15-point second-half leads in each of those contests, including a school record 40-point lead (57-17) at the half vs. Northern Illinois.
> Missouri is once again one of the nation's highest scoring clubs, ranking #8 nationally at 83.5 points per game ... At home that number is up to 86.4 ppg.
> Mizzou is also #13 nationally in assists at 17.0 per game, so not only can the Tigers score in bunches, but they do it with great efficiency, recording dimes on 60 percent of their hoops.
> Mizzou has been very good in non-conference games under Anderson ... The Tigers are 54-14 (.794), including four NCAA Tournament wins, since his arrival before the 2006-07 season.
> Missouri has been the ultimate team through 24 games ... The Tigers have had eight different players lead the team (or tie for the team lead) in scoring, seven different players in rebounding, six in assists and eight in steals.
> Mizzou Arena has been a terror dome for non-league opponents during the Mike Anderson era... In running their record to 50-0 (under Anderson), the Tigers are averaging a 26.8 ppg. margin of victory vs. non-conference foes at home, including quality wins over Arkansas, California, Davidson, Mississippi State, Murray State, Old Dominion, Oral Roberts, Oregon, Purdue and Vanderbilt.
> Overall Missouri owns a 57-game non-conference home court winning streak, which dates back to the 2005-06 campaign (pre-Mike Anderson era) ... That 57-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 a turnover on nearly 25 percent of its opponent possessions this year (440 opponent turnovers compared to 1387 opponent FG attempts).
> The Tigers have scored 507 points off of those 440 turnovers ... So far Missouri is averaging 21.1 ppg off of turnovers, including 41 points off turnovers vs. Central Arkansas.
> 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 27.1 points over Anderson's five years in Columbia!
> The Tigers are already averaging 25.8 ppg from their bench this season, including a season high 49 points vs. La Salle on Nov. 24 and 40 vs. North Alabama.
> 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 163 more shots than its opponents and made 138 more buckets.
> Missouri has been good at defending the rim though 24 games, averaging 5.5 swats a contest ... Laurence Bowers (50) and Ricardo Ratliffe (37) lead the way with a combined 87 total blocks.
> Mizzou blocked 10 shots at Colorado on Jan. 8, the most since the 1998-99 season for a Tiger team ... Laurence Bowers led the way with a school record tying eight total swats.
> Missouri has typically played some tough schedules over the years and that trend will continue in 2010-11 ... 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.
> 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.
> His 4.1 assists per game are the most for a Tiger freshman in school history.
> Big 12's top freshman for assists (4.1), steals (1.8) and assist/turnover ratio (2.1).
> Assist totals are up to 5.4 per game over his last 11 outings.
> Averaging 11.1 points with five double-figure scoring games over his last seven outings.
> Scored a career high 17 points to go with six assists and just one turnover at Kansas.
> Ripped away five steals in the win over Colorado and hounded senior guard Cory Higgins into eight turnovers ... Had 13 points, three dimes, five steals and just one turnover in the start.
> Needs just two more steals to move into the Top 4 among Missouri freshmen for single-season thefts ... Also needs just 21 more assists to move into the freshman Top 5.
> Missed four games with a fractured right finger, which was suffered Dec. 19 during practice.
> Scored a career high 16 points at Texas A&M and hit a career-best 4-of-4 treys in the contest.
> Scored 12 points, dished five dimes and had three steals at Texas, all team highs.
> Dropped in 13 points, three dimes and four steals vs. #24 Kansas State.
> Enters the Missouri program as the highest-ranked recruit of the Mike Anderson era, rated as high as #16 nationally by 2K Sports.
> Recorded his first career double-double in that game as well with 15 points.
> Is the first Missouri freshman to record 7+ assists in three consecutive games and is the first Tiger to accomplish the feat since Anthony Peeler back in 1989-90.
> 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 Missouri Player of the Year to ink with the Tigers.
> Played 14 minutes at Kansas on Monday, his second highest minute output of Big 12 play ... Brings very good defensive energy to the court for Mizzou.
> Recorded his first career double-double in 20 minutes vs. North Alabama, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 boards ... Added two steals and an assist.
> Scored a career high 11 points on 4-4 FGs and 3-3 treys vs. Central Arkansas on Dec. 18.
> Outstanding energy player off the pine and had a career high four steals vs. Nebraska.
> Hit 3-of-4 three-pointers in wins over Wyoming and La Salle, including a then 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
> Has made back-to-back starts due to his defensive energy.
> Has started nine games this season.
> Averaging 9.7 points and 1.7 assists over his last two games, including 15 points at Oklahoma State and 11 points at Kansas.
> Big 12 Rookie of the Week for Jan. 3 after averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in a pair of Tiger wins.
> Scored a career high 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting vs. Northern Illinois en route to that honor ... Added five boards, three assists and a pair of dunks in the rout.
> Chipped in 15 points and five boards in the win over Old Dominion.
> Narrowly missed a double-double vs. Iowa State with nine points and eight boards.
> 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.
> Is 57-of-119 from the floor over his last 19 games (.479).
> 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.
> Has reached double figures in eight of nine Big 12 games this season, averaging 12.3 points on 66 percent shooting in league action.
> Leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage in league-only games (.662), including 5-of-5 shooting at Kansas ... Also hit a pair of treys in the contest.
> Just missed a double-double vs. Colorado with 14 points (6-7 FGs) and nine boards.
> Was a warrior at Texas A&M scoring 19 points on 9-of-11 FGs to go with a game high nine rebounds before fouling out.
> Oddly it was the first time Ratliffe has led or tied for the team lead in scoring this year ... He also added six offensive boards.
> Leads the club in rebounding (6.6) and double-doubles (3).
> His 14 boards vs. La Salle are the most since DeMarre Carroll grabbed 14 vs. Kansas State on Feb. 25, 2009.
> Second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage overall (.598) ... Second on the squad in scoring (11.8).
> Fifth in the league in blocked shots at 1.5 swats per game and blocked four vs. Nebraska on Jan. 12.
> 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
> Quietly vying for Top Big 12 point guard honors, ranking #5 in the league in steals per game (1.9) and is third in assist/turnover ratio (2.1) ... Ranks #7 in dimes (4.0) and #7 in free throw percentage (.795).
> Had 55 dimes all of last season, but has 88 in 22 games played in 2010-11.
> Led Mizzou in scoring vs. Iowa State with 15 points and a career high eight boards in just 18 minutes.
> Scored a career high 18 points in the win over Old Dominion thanks to 5-of-7 shooting, 3-of-3 treys and 5-of-5 free throws.
> Great all-around effort 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.
> Ripped a career high five steals vs. North Florida on Nov. 20.
> 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.
> Enjoyed his highest scoring Big 12 game with 27 points, 8-14 FGs and 5-7 treys vs. Nebraska ... Tied a career high in scoring.
> One of the Big 12's more underrated defensive players, ranking #2 in the Big 12 with 2.0 steals per game, including four rips at Oklahoma State.
> Named by ESPN as one of the country's Most Improved Players for 2010-11.
> Named a Mid-Season 2nd Team All-American by Rivals.com.
> Mid-Season Co-Big 12 Player of the Year from ESPN.com.
> Mid-Season Wooden Award member.
> Ranked #11 nationally in three-point percentage.
> Twice named Big 12 Player of the Week.
> Reached double figures in 20 of his last 21 games.
> Has 159 career three-pointers in his tenure, which is ninth all-time.
> Leads the team in scoring (16.5) and three-point field goal percentage (.452) ... Is #2 in the Big 12 Conference with his three-point accuracy.
> Has hit 43 of his last 93 treys over the last 19 games and is 114-of-230 from the floor overall.
> Initially 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.
> Poured in 24 points in just 24 minutes vs. Northern Illinois ... Hit 9-of-11 shots and 5-of-7 treys vs. the Huskies.
> Has 10 career 20-point efforts and Missouri is 9-1 in those games.
> Cancun Challenge MVP after averaging 15.0 points on 8-of-16 treys in two wins.
> Classroom Champion in the Big 12.
> Big 12 All-Reserve Team last year as a sophomore.
> 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
> Is finding multiple ways to help his club and ranks among Big 12 leaders in rebounding and blocked shots.
> Showed great toughness and leadership playing at Oklahoma State after missing most of the Texas contest with a head injury ... Played 15 minutes, but had seven points, five boards and two blocks.
> Had one of his best offensive nights at #2 Kansas, hitting 8-of-11 FGs en route to a team high 19 points ... Also ripped down five boards.
> Second in the Big 12 in shot-blocking at 2.1 per game, including a school-record tying eight blocks at Colorado ... The eight swats were the most ever for a Tiger in a league game.
> Had a terrific all-around game at CU with 15 points, seven boards and those eight blocks.
> Scored a season high 20 points on 8-of-9 FGs in the win over Central Arkansas.
> Outstanding game vs. Oral Roberts with 17 points, six boards and five blocks.
> Has reached double figures in scoring 14 times.
> Has two double-doubles this season and five for his career, including 16 points and 11 boards vs. North Alabama.
> Sixth in school history with 111 career blocked shots and needs six more to pass Jevon Crudup (1991-94) who had 116 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.
> Tied a career high with 11 rebounds at Texas on Jan. 29.
> Incredible run of nine consecutive Missouri points vs. Illinois on Dec. 22 ... Finished the game with 11 points, three boards and two assists in 16 minutes.
> Narrowly missed a double-double vs. North Alabama with 16 points, eight boards and three assists.
> 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 88 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 16 times this season and in 14 of his last 20 games.
> Came off the bench vs. Colorado and dropped in a season high 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting in 24 minutes ... Had six boards as well.
> Scoring numbers are slightly down overall, but has become more well-rounded in his junior season, a focus of his off-season workouts ... His assist totals are up in 2010-11 ... Has 50 dimes in 2010-11 after having just 39 assists all of last season.
> Has 50 assists and 48 turnovers this year after having 39 assists and 71 turnovers last year.
> Scored 20 first-half points vs. North Alabama on 6-of-7 three-point shooting ... Took just three shots in the second half with the game in hand.
> 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.
> Has 153 career three-pointers, 10th all-time in school history.
> 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.
> 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.
> 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.
> Statistics don't tell the impact of Big Steve ... Is the team's resident "trash man", grabbing offensive boards, dishing assists and playing solid post defense with very little fanfare.
> Played 13 minutes at Okie State and tied for the team lead with five boards ... Also had two blocks and two steals and hit his lone field goal attempt.
> Solid game at Texas A&M, hitting 4-of-4 FTs to go with two rebounds in 13 minutes.
> Scored four points, grabbed four boards, blocked a shot and dished an assist vs. Iowa State.
> 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.
> Grabbed a career high seven rebounds vs. North Alabama to go with four points.
> Third on the squad with 18 blocked shots this season.
> Spent a portion of the summer playing with Global Sports Academy in Europe.
About Oklahoma
Oklahoma enters Saturday's game tied with Missouri in the Big 12 standings at 4-5 and is led by sophomore forward Andrew Fitzgerald ... Fitzgerald paces OU with 13.8 points and 5.3 rebounds this year and helped OU to four consecutive Big 12 Conference wins before back-to-back setbacks at Oklahoma State and at home to Texas ... OU does boast a road win in league play, an 82-76 win at Iowa State back on Jan. 29 ... Other top performers for Oklahoma this season include senior Cade Davis ... Davis leads OU with 35.2 minutes per game and is averaging 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds, while sophomore Steven Pledger logs 31.3 minutes and averages 12.3 points and has hit a team-best 50 treys ... OU plays six to seven players per game and has four Sooners averaging better than 30 minutes a contest.
List Of Home Unbeaten Falling
Mike Dixon and Flip Pressey are the top underclassmen assist tandem among "High Major" programs in the country this season ... The duo has combined for 169 dimes this year, despite the fact that each has missed multiple games in 2010-11.
> Only one other tandem of underclassmen teammates appear in the assist Top 10 of their respective conferences, that's South Carolina's Bruce Ellington (3.4 apg) and Lakeem Jackson (2.9 apg) ... That duo has combined for 133 assists in 22 games.
List Of Home Unbeaten Falling
Missouri is one of 11 "High Major" programs still undefeated at home this season ... The Tigers are the lone unbeaten Big 12 team at home and are members of an impressive list of schools that have seen their home marks remain unblemished as we enter the home stretch of the 2010-11 campaign.
Team Home Record
Missouri 14-0
Alabama 12-0
Arizona 13-0
Duke 14-0
Kentucky 10-0
North Carolina 11-0
Notre Dame 15-0
Ohio State 16-0
Purdue 12-0
Washington 11-0
Wisconsin 13-0
Don't Deny Denmon's Defense
Marcus Denmon makes headlines with his clutch offensive play, but the junior guard currently ranks #2 in the Big 12 with 2.0 steals per game.
> The Kansas City native has had 10 games this season with three (or more) thefts, ranking #8 in school history for three-steal games in a single season ... Denmon is currently tied with former teammate Zaire Taylor and just passed another KC native (Anthony Peeler) on that exclusive list.
> The school record for three-steal games in one season is held by Lynn Hardy, who did it 15 times in 1986-87 ... Hardy also did it 14 times in 1985-86.
Pressey Among MU's Top Frosh Point Guards
Flip Pressey has made a huge splash for Mizzou early in his Tiger career and below is a quick look at how the Dallas native compares to some other great Tiger point guards during their rookie campaigns, including teammate Mike Dixon.
Tiger Year PPG APG TPG A/T
Flip Pressey 10-11 6.9 4.1 2.0 2.0
Michael Dixon 09-10 7.5 1.6 0.9 1.8
Keyon Dooling 98-99 8.7 3.0 2.0 1.5
Melvin Booker 90-91 8.3 3.5 2.7 1.3
Travis Ford 89-90 6.4 3.5 1.8 1.9
Lee Coward 86-87 6.5 1.7 1.4 1.3
Prince Bridges 81-82 6.8 3.3 2.2 1.5
Jon Sundvold 79-80 6.3 2.1 1.9 1.1
Larry Drew 76-77 6.9 2.8 N/A N/A
Block Party
Laurence Bowers blocked a school-record tying eight shots at Colorado on Jan. 8, the most ever for a Missouri player in a league game and he tied Arthur Johnson's eight blocks in a Dec. 30, 2000, win over Stetson ... The previous Missouri high in a league game with six by Travon Bryant at Kansas in 2004 ... Johnson also had six in games vs. Texas (2004) and Iowa State (2002) ... Recently Ricardo Ratliffe joined that impressive list with six swats against the Cyclones on Jan. 22.
English Patience
Kim English came to Missouri known for his shooting prowess, but this season the junior has shown improved all-around play, while focusing less on scoring totals ... Last season the Baltimore native led the Tigers with 14.0 points per game, but also committed a team-leading 71 turnovers ... This year English is averaging 10.6 points per game, including double-figure scoring games in five of his last seven contests, while ranking among team leaders in assists (50) and steals (32) ... The 50 assists are a career high and he owns a positive assist/turnover ratio (50-to-48) on the year.
> English continues to be a potent shooter however and recently scored a season high 21 points vs. Colorado off the bench thanks to 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and 6-of-6 success at the foul line ... Over his last 15 games English is shooting 88.9 percent (32-of-36) at the foul line.
Denmon Named Mid-Season All-American
Marcus Denmon was named a mid-season Rivals.com Second Team All-American on Jan. 13 ... The Kansas City native has been one of the country's most efficient players this season and leads the Tigers in scoring and three-point percentage, while ranking among national leaders in both categories as well ... He was also named the country's Most Improved Player by ESPN and was Big 12 Co-Player of the Year by Jay Bilas of ESPN.
Top Shot-Blocking Tandems at Mizzou
Laurence Bowers and Ricardo Ratliffe are quickly becoming one of the top shot-blocking tandems in school history ... The pair have combined for 87 swats in 24 games and need 16 more blocks combined this season to become tops in school history.
Tandem Blks Year
Arthur Johnson/Travon Bryant 102 02-03
Arthur Johnson/Travon Bryant 93 03-04
Arthur Johnson/Kareem Rush 93 01-02
Laurence Bowers/Ricardo Ratliffe 87 10-11
Laurence Bowers/Keith Ramsey 86 09-10
Arthur Johnson/Kareem Rush 86 00-01
Steve Stipanovich/Greg Cavener 83 82-83
Denmon Named To Wooden Top 30 List
Marcus Denmon has played his way onto All-America lists throughout the country and on Jan. 6 he was named to the John Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 list ... Denmon has been one of the country's most efficient players and is averaging 16.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.0 steals for the Tigers this season ... He is also one of six Big 12 players named to the list.
Comparing The Last Three Seasons
Missouri is in the midst of the best three-year run in school history, but it is incredible how clear Mike Anderson's formula to success is when you compare the vital statistical numbers.
Category 10-11 09-10 08-09
Record 18-6 18-6 20-4
PPG 83.5 80.6 84.2
RPG 36.9 36.2 37.8
APG 17.0 16.3 19.5
SPG 9.8 11.7 10.7
FG% .468 .448 .485
3FG% .376 .382 .372
FT% .725 .727 .657
Five In Double Figures = Great Seasons
Missouri has five players averaging double-figures in scoring this season, a rarity in school history ... In fact just three teams at Mizzou have had five players finish the year averaging double-figures: 1964-65, 1988-89 and 1989-90 ... Not surprisingly the 1988-90 teams recorded a combined 55 wins over those two seasons and this year's Tiger team is a staunch 18-5 heading into Saturday's game vs. Oklahoma.
Lucky #7
Missouri's depth has led to unprecedented scoring balance this year, as the Tigers have had seven players reach double figures in the same game twice this year ... Mizzou had seven players score 10+ vs. both Central Arkansas and North Alabama ... The last time Mizzou had seven or more in double figures was a Dec. 2, 1995, win vs. Chicago State ... Below is a list of seven-double figure scoring games in school history.
Date Opponent 10+ Score
12-30-87 Alabama State 8 129-64
12-30-89 Neb-Kearney 7 119-98
12-02-95 Chicago State 7 117-45
12-18-10 Central Arkansas 7 116-63
01-05-11 North Alabama 7 98-58
Milestone Watch
Junior guards Marcus Denmon and Kim English are each rapidly approaching 1,000 career points as Missouri Tigers ... English has 976 career tallies in 95 career games, while Denmon boasts 977 points in 95 contests as well ... The last pair of Tiger juniors to top 1,000 career points in the same season were Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding in 2002-03 ... English and Denmon will become the 41st and 42nd players in school history to top 1,000 points.
Top Non-Conference Seasons at Mizzou
Missouri finished up non-conference play tied for the most wins in school history, while also boasting the best winning percentage through non-league action (.933) ... Missouri's 14 non-league wins this season tied the mark of the 1989-90 (14-2) and 1988-89 (14-3) squads.
A Hundred Ways To Break It Down
Mike Anderson won his 100th game at Mizzou on Dec. 27, making him the fastest Tiger to reach that feat ... The 147 games it took Anderson to reach 100 topped the previous mark held by Quin Snyder, who won game #100 in 158 tries on Feb. 28, 2004 at Kansas State ... Norm Stewart won game #100 on Dec. 8, 1973, vs. UTEP in his 160th contest.
> Anderson, who is now 106-52 all-time at Mizzou, needs just five more wins to top 200 for his career, which includes the 89 wins he racked up at UAB.
> Last but not least, Anderson became just the second coach in Missouri Basketball history to be 50 games over .500 for his career following an 81-62 win vs. Oral Roberts on Dec. 16 ... Anderson joins Norm Stewart (631-333 in 32 seasons) as the only other Tiger coach on that exclusive list.
Paint It Black & Gold
The addition of Ricardo Ratliffe and growth of Missouri's returners in the post have led to much more balance in Mizzou's offense ... The Tigers have scored 850 of 2,003 points in the paint this season compared to 710 a season ago ... The 850 "paint points" (through 24 games) is the second most during Anderson's time at Mizzou, just behind the 884 tallies scored by DeMarre Carroll, Leo Lyons and Co. through 24 games in 2008-09.
> Missouri has been outscored in the paint just six times this season (Wyoming, at Colorado, at Texas A&M, vs. Kansas State, at Texas and at Kansas) and has topped 30 points 17 times and is averaging 35.4 points in the paint per game this season.