Mizzou Hoops Travels to Texas A&M
1/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2011
Columbia, Mo. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
#12 / #15
#13 / #14
Tip-Off: Noon CT
Arena: Reed Arena (12,292)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly - Play by Play / Gary Link - Analyst)
TV: ESPN2 (Jon Sciambi and Fran Fraschilla)
Rankings: Mizzou 15/12;
Series:
Coaches:
Mizzou Quick Hitters
> Mizzou Basketball hits the road on Saturday as it takes on #13/14 Texas A&M in College Station on ESPN2 ... The Tigers are looking for their first road win over a Top 25 team since Feb. 4, 2009, at #16 Texas.
> The Tigers have a pair of in-conference road wins vs. Top 25 teams under Mike Anderson's watch, winning at #18
> Overall in the Mike Anderson era Missouri has wins vs. five Top 25 teams away from home, with a pair of those wins coming in the 2009 NCAA Tournament vs. #23 Marquette and #2 Memphis.
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> Missouri is looking for its first win over Texas A&M since the 2003-04 Big 12 Tournament in Dallas ... Missouri's last win in College Station was Feb. 17, 2001, by a 97-90 margin ... MU has lost six consecutive to the Aggies overall.
> Saturday's game starts an "ESPN-Heavy" stretch for MU ... The Tigers will play five consecutive games on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, including a Big Monday game vs. Kansas State just two days from Saturday at Mizzou Arena.
> Missouri is about to block its 100th shot of the year ... The Tigers have 98 swats through 17 games and need just 63 more to break the school record, which was set last season ... MU has never led the Big 12 in blocked shots, but currently pace the league at 5.8 per game ... Oh and for good measure, let's begin the campaign for Laurence Bowers as Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
> 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 the most recent home contest vs. North Alabama.
> Attendance has been up all season at Mizzou Arena, to the tune of 1,000 fans per game ... Missouri is on pace to break the Mizzou Arena-era attendance record, including a sellout Monday vs. Kansas State ... One factor that separates Mizzou is that the Tigers use actual attendance vs. tickets sold.
> Mizzou has been dominant at home over its last seven games ... The Tigers have enjoyed 20-point second-half leads in six of those contests, including a school record 40 point lead (57-17) at the half vs. Northern Illinois.
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> Mizzou is also #8 nationally in assists at 18.1 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.
> In league games overall Anderson is a solid 36-30 overall, including a mark of 23-11 the last two (plus) seasons, which is the second best record in the Big 12 behind only Kansas, who is 30-3.
> Missouri has been the ultimate team through 17 games ... The Tigers have had seven different players lead the team (or tie for the team lead) in scoring, six different players in rebounding, six in assists and eight in steals.
> Missouri has won in a variety of places this year ... The Tigers are 11-0 at home on the season ... The Tigers also have four road/neutral wins this year ... The Tigers were just 3-3 in their first six games away from home last season and 3-3 in 2008-09.
> Mizzou Arena has been a terror dome for non-league opponents during the Mike Anderson era... In running their record to 50-0 (under
> 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 56-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.
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> Last season
> The Tigers have scored 388 points off of those 327 turnovers, a number that will increase as this new collection of players becomes more familiar with each other ... So far
> 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 27.0 points over Anderson's five years in Columbia!
> The Tigers are already averaging 25.6 ppg from their bench this season, including a season high 49 points vs. La Salle on Nov. 24 and 40 vs.
> 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 120 more shots than its opponents and made 118 more buckets.
> It's early, but Missouri has been good at defending the rim though 17 games, averaging 5.8 swats a contest ... Laurence Bowers (41) and Ricardo Ratliffe (25) lead the way with a combined 66 total blocks ... Missouri had a season high nine blocks vs. UNA, just two behind the school record.
> Mizzou blocked 10 shots at
> 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
Tiger Tidbits
#1 Flip Pressey, 5-10, 168 Pounds
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> Missed four games with a fractured right finger, which was suffered Dec. 19 during practice.
> Returned to action at
> 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 (3.8) and assist/turnover ratio (2.0).
> Has dished 32 assists over his last five games (6.4 apg), including a Mizzou Freshman Record 11 dimes vs.
> Recorded his first career double-double in that game as well with a career high 15 points.
> Those 11 dimes are the most by a Big 12 player this season.
> Is the Big 12's #1 freshman in assists at 3.8 per game ... Ranked #10 in the Big 12 with 1.6 steals per game.
> Is the first
> Pressey showed some moxie in the season-opener against
> 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.
> Recorded his first career double-double in 20 minutes vs.
> Scored a career high 11 points on 4-4 FGs and 3-3 treys vs.
> Outstanding energy player off the pine and had a career high four steals vs.
> Hit 3-of-4 three-pointers in wins over
> 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
#3 Matt Pressey, 6-2, 185 Pounds
> 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.
> Has reached double figures in three of his last five games and is averaging 10.6 points, 4.0 rebounds on 54 percent shooting during that time.
> Scored a career high 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting vs.
> Chipped in 15 points and five boards in the win over Old Dominion.
> 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 seven games this season.
> Is 39-of-77 from the floor over his last 12 games as well (.506).
> Came off the bench to score nine points and dish three assists vs.
> Was a junior college All-American at
> 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
> Has been named Big 12 Rookie of the Week twice this season.
> Leads the club in rebounding (7.0) and double-doubles (3).
> His 14 boards vs. La Salle are the most since DeMarre Carroll grabbed 14 vs.
> Fourth in the Big 12 in field goal percentage (.566) ... Third on the squad in scoring (11.4).
> Fifth in the league in blocked shots at 1.5 swats per game and blocked four vs.
> 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
> Had his junior college jersey (#20) retired at the school's season-opener this year.
#11 Michael
> Quietly vying for Top Big 12 point guard honors, leading the league in steals per game (2.3) and is second in assist/turnover ratio (2.6) ... Ranks #4 in dimes (4.8) and #5 in free throw percentage (.850).
> Had 55 dimes all of last season, but has 72 in just 15 games played in 2010-11 and is averaging 4.8 assists in his last 12 contest.
> Ranked #25 nationally in steals per game and #24 in assist/turnover ratio.
> 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
> Ripped a career high five steals vs.
> 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.
> Coming off his highest scoring Big 12 game with 27 points, 8-14 FGs and 5-7 treys vs.
> 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.
> Mid-Season Big 12 Player of the Year and All-American Candidate.
> Ranked #7 nationally in three-point percentage.
> Highest scoring Tiger guard through 17 games since Thomas Gardner (19.9) in 2005-06, but has taken 64 fewer shots than
> Twice named Big 12 Player of the Week.
> Reached double figures in 14 consecutive games.
> Has 151 career three-pointers in his tenure, ... Needs two more treys to move into #9, passing Mark Atkins (152).
> Leads the team in scoring (17.6) and three-point field goal percentage (.505) ... Is second in the Big 12 Conference with his three-point accuracy (.505).
> Has hit 35 of his last 64 treys over the last 12 games and is 78-of-150 from the floor overall.
> Initially scored a career high 27 points on Nov. 30 vs.
> 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.
> Has 10 career 20-point efforts and
> 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
> Averaging 14.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots over his last eight games.
> Is shooting 61 percent from the floor (46-of-75) and 75 percent from the foul line (21-of-28) during that stretch.
> Leads the Big 12 in shot-blocking at 2.4 per game, including a school-record tying eight blocks at
> Had a terrific all-around game at CU with 15 points, seven boards and those eight blocks.
> Would rank #5 in the Big 12 with 55.0 percent field goal shooting with enough attempts.
> Scored a season high 20 points on 8-of-9 FGs in the win over
> Outstanding game vs. Oral Roberts with 17 points, 6 boards and five blocks.
> Has reached double figures in scoring 12 times.
> Has two double-doubles this season and five for his career, including 16 points and 11 boards vs.
> Sixth in school history with 102 career blocked shots and needs 15 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.
> Incredible run of nine consecutive
> Narrowly missed a double-double vs.
> 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.
> Is the club's lone senior and enters his fourth year with the program, which includes 85 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 11 times this season and in nine of his last 13 games.
> Scored 20 first-half points vs.
> Terrific all-around game vs.
> Scoring numbers are slightly down, but has become more well-rounded in his junior season, a focus of his off-season workouts ... His assist totals and shooting percentages are up in 2010-11 ... Has 41 dimes in 2010-11 after having just 39 assists all of last season.
> Has 41 assists and 34 turnovers this year after having 39 assists and 71 turnovers last year.
> 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.
> Has 141 career three-pointers and needs six more treys to join the Mizzou career Top 11.
> 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
> Career game in the season-opener vs.
> Scored seven points and blocked three shots vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
> Grabbed a career high seven rebounds vs.
> Third on the squad with 17 blocked shots this season... And finished his sophomore season with 17 blocks in his final eight games.
> Spent a portion of the summer playing with
About
Not many clubs are hotter than Texas A&M ... The Aggies are 15-1 on the season, the second best overall record in the Big 12 and are a perfect 2-0 in league action following a dominant 71-48 win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday ... The Aggies have won 12 consecutive games and are a perfect 10-0 at home this season ... A&M is a balanced club once again this season, led by Khris Middleton's 15.0 ppg scoring average ... Middleton also averages 4.6 rebounds and is third on the club with 46 assists ... David Loubeau is second with 11.4 points and 5.1 rebounds, while Nathan Walkup does a little bit of everything for the Aggies, averaging 10.3 points, a team-best 6.1 boards and has 23 dimes and 16 three-point makes ... A&M has quality wins over Temple, Washington and Oklahoma State so far en route to this 15-1 record and a gritty OT win vs. Arkansas on a neutral court.
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).
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.
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 17.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.9 steals for the Tigers this season ... He is also one of six Big 12 players named to the list.
Comparing The Last Three Seasons
Category 10-11 09-10 08-09
Record 15-2 14-3 14-3
PPG 85.2 83.5 84.6
RPG 37.6 37.6 38.8
APG 18.1 17.4 19.8
SPG 10.2 12.6 11.0
FG% .476 .465 .488
3FG% .382 .398 .365
FT% .728 .720 .644
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 15-2 heading into Saturday.
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
12-30-89 Neb-Kearney 7 119-98
12-02-95
12-18-10
01-05-11
Milestone Watch
Junior guards Marcus Denmon and Kim English are each rapidly approaching 1,000 career points as Missouri Tigers ... English has 903 career tallies in 88 career games, while Denmon boasts 881 points in 88 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.
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 103-48 all-time at Mizzou, needs just eight 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 646 of 1,449 points in the paint this season compared to 546 a season ago ... The 646 "paint points" (through 17 games) is the most during Anderson's time at Mizzou, just ahead of the 642 tallies scored by DeMarre Carroll, Leo Lyons and Co. through 17 games in 2008-09.
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Tigers In The National Rankings
Category Avg / Ntl Rk Leader / Avg
Assists 18.1 / #8 Pitt / 20.4
Steals 10.2 / #6 NW State / 11.1
Scoring 85.2 / #5 VMI / 91.7
Ast/TO Ratio 1.4 / #14
Scor. Margin 16.6 /
T/O Margin +6.2 /
FG% .476 / #34
Blocks 5.8 / #15
The Freedom To Score
Coach Anderson loves an offense that shares the basketball, however the coach doesn't mind his Tigers getting greedy at the foul line and Mizzou has done just that this season, hitting 72.8 percent of its charity shots for the year and 75.1 percent over its last 15 games ... In fact after two sub-par nights at the line to open the year Mizzou has dipped below 70 percent as a team just three times over the last 15 outings.
Crunch Time Hoops From Denmon
- Missouri trailed #21 Illinois 57-56 with just over two minutes remaining, but Denmon hit a 17-footer with Jereme Richmond's hand in his face to give the Tigers a lead they wouldn't give up ... Denmon scored six points in the final 2:23, including a steal / assist on an Illinois in-bounds pass to seal the late-game surge.
- 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 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
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 4.8 apg), steals (1st at 2.3) and assist/turnover ratio (2nd 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 10 of his last 15 contests, highlighted by a career high 18 points vs. Old Dominion on Dec. 30 as well as 17 tallies vs. Wyoming, Georgetown and at Colorado ... Dixon also helped lead Mizzou to a win over Vanderbilt with 15 points, four assists and three steals.
Flip The Switch
Flip Pressey is finding his comfort zone, despite suffering a hand injury during practice ... The explosive pass-first guard fueled Missouri's offense during the three games before his injury, dishing out 27 assists while committing just seven turnovers in wins vs. Presbyterian, Oral Roberts and Central Arkansas ... The Dallas native dished a career high 11 assists in the 116-63 win over UCA, equaling the Missouri freshman record ... The 11 dimes are also the most by a Big 12 player this season.
> Pressey returned to the lineup for Big 12 play in a big way, ripping three steals in just nine minutes at
> He is ranked #1 among league freshmen with 3.8 assists and is #4 in the league overall with a 1.9-to-1 assist/turnover ratio.
