Mizzou Hosts Iowa State Saturday
1/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 21, 2011
Columbia, Mo. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
#13 / #14
Tip-Off: 8 P.M. CT
Arena: Mizzou Arena (15,061)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly - Play by Play / Gary Link - Analyst)
TV: ESPNU (Dan McLaughlin and Sean Farnham)
Rankings: Mizzou 13/14;
Series:
Coaches:
For Openers...
> Missouri Basketball returns to action on Saturday as it hosts
> Kudos to Tiger fans for their outstanding response this season ... Mizzou's next three home games (Iowa State, Colorado and Oklahoma) are all sold out ... Only a few tickets remain for the Feb. 15 contest against Texas Tech and extremely limited numbers are available for Feb. 23 vs. Baylor ... Mizzou Arena is on pace to set an attendance record in 2010-11.
> Both Missouri and Iowa State sport excellent scoring depth with five players averaging in double figures, but Missouri's second wave has really come to life the last three games with Laurence Bowers' addition to that second unit ... Bowers has made ESPN Top 10 Plays twice during those three games with thunderous dunks and the junior is shooting 61 percent from the floor during that stretch ... Missouri's bench is averaging 30.0 points in its last two games, with 33 points at Texas A&M and 27 in the win over Kansas State.
> Has there been a more improved player nationally then
> The junior guard has reached double figures 16 consecutive games and his scoring average has increased to 18.5 points in Big 12 play, while shooting 49 percent ... Over his last 14 games Denmon is averaging 19.0 points on 52 percent shooting from the floor and 49 percent shooting from three-point range ... He also boasts six 20-points games and has had more than 15 field goal attempts just three times during that stretch! ... Oh and for good measure he has 30 dimes, just 13 turnovers and is averaging 4.6 boards from his guard position.
> Missouri has always been one of the country's better passing teams under Mike Anderson and that trend is continuing once again in 2010-11 ... Mizzou is #6 nationally with 18.0 dimes a game ... In addition, the Tigers have taken excellent care of the basketball over their last 10 games vs. Division I foes ... In those contests Missouri is averaging just 11.2 turnovers and own a 1.7-to-1 assist/turnover ratio as a team.
Mizzou Quick Hitters
> Missouri Basketball meets
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> Missouri will look to move above .500 in league action ... The Tigers are coming off a 75-59 home win over #24 Kansas State on Monday and have won five consecutive meetings with Iowa State overall.
> Of course the last time these two clubs met Zaire Taylor put on a miraculous display hitting three huge shots in the final seconds of regulation and overtime to help MU to the 69-67 win ...
> Missouri and Iowa State have a connection both on and off the court ... Marcus Denmon's uncle, Martinez Denmon, played collegiately at Iowa State and was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the third round (No. 52 overall).
> Mizzou Basketball is one win shy of its 71st victory over the last three seasons ... The MU record for wins in a three-year stretch is 75 from 1988-91.
> The Tigers continue an "ESPN-Heavy" stretch ... MU is playing five consecutive games on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, including next Saturday's game at
> Missouri has already blocked 108 shots this season and needs just 24 more swats 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 pace the league at 5.7 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
> 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 pair of sellouts this week vs. K-State and Iowa 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 eight games ... The Tigers have enjoyed 15-point second-half leads in seven 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 #6 nationally in assists at 18.0 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 19 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.
> 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 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.
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> Last season
> The Tigers have scored 424 points off of those 360 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 27.1 points over Anderson's five years in Columbia!
> The Tigers are already averaging 26.1 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 136 more shots than its opponents and made 130 more buckets.
> It's early, but
> 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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> His 3.7 assists per game are the most for a Tiger freshman in school history.
> Missed four games with a fractured right finger, which was suffered Dec. 19 during practice.
> Averaging 14.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals over his last two games, while hitting 7-of-9 treys.
> Scored a career high 16 points at Texas A&M and hit a career-best 4-of-4 treys in the contest.
> Dropped in 13 points, three dimes and four steals vs. #24
> Enters the Missouri program as the highest-ranked recruit of the Mike Anderson era, rated as high as #16 nationally by 2K Sports.
> Ranked among Big 12 leaders in both assists per game (3.7) and assist/turnover ratio (1.9).
> Has dished 37 assists over his last seven games, including a Mizzou Freshman Record 11 dimes vs.
> Recorded his first career double-double in that game as well with 15 points.
> Those 11 dimes are tied for the most by a Big 12 player this season.
> Is the Big 12's #1 freshman in assists at 3.7 per game ... Ranked #6 in the Big 12 overall with 1.7 steals per game.
> Is the first
> 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.
> 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 44-of-86 from the floor over his last 14 games as well (.512).
> 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.
> Has reached double figures in each Big 12 game this season, averaging 13.0 points on 64 percent shooting.
> 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 its 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 (7.0) and double-doubles (3).
> His 14 boards vs. La Salle are the most since DeMarre Carroll grabbed 14 vs.
> Second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage (.579) ... Third on the squad in scoring (11.7).
> Fifth in the league in blocked shots at 1.4 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, ranking #2 in the league in steals per game (2.1) and is third in assist/turnover ratio (2.4) ... Ranks #4 in dimes (4.7) and #6 in free throw percentage (.828).
> Had 55 dimes all of last season, but has 80 in just 17 games played in 2010-11.
> 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.
> Averaging 20.0 points over his last three games ... Shooting 49 percent from the floor and 53 percent (8-of-15) from three-point range during that stretch.
> 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 19 games since Thomas Gardner (20.7) in 2005-06, but has taken 75 fewer shots than
> Twice named Big 12 Player of the Week.
> Reached double figures in 16 consecutive games.
> Has 154 career three-pointers in his tenure, which is ninth all-time.
> Leads the team in scoring (17.5) and three-point field goal percentage (.495) ... Is third in the Big 12 Conference with his three-point accuracy (.495).
> Has hit 38 of his last 72 treys over the last 14 games and is 89-of-175 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 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots over his last 10 games.
> Is shooting 61 percent from the floor (52-of-85) and 74 percent from the foul line (26-of-35) during that stretch.
> Leads the Big 12 in shot-blocking at 2.3 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 #6 in the Big 12 with 54.7 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 13 times.
> Has two double-doubles this season and five for his career, including 16 points and 11 boards vs.
> Sixth in school history with 104 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.
> Has made back-to-back starts in league play.
> 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 86 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 13 times this season and in 11 of his last 15 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 45 dimes in 2010-11 after having just 39 assists all of last season.
> Has 45 assists and 40 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 145 career three-pointers and needs two 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
> 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.
> Solid game at Texas A&M, hitting 4-of-4 FTs to go with two rebounds in 13 minutes.
> 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
Iowa State comes to Columbia following a 96-87 heart-breaking overtime loss at Oklahoma State on Wednesday ... The Cyclones led the contest throughout, but a furious OSU rally allowed the Cowboys to escape in overtime ... ISU has been close to breaking through on the road ... ISU led late at Nebraska as well before falling, 63-62, and battled Kansas to an 84-79 decision in Ames ... Fred Hoiberg's team is a solid 14-5 on the year and do own a 72-57 home win over once Top 10 team Baylor ... Diante Garrett leads a balanced Iowa State team in scoring ... The senior averages 17.9 points and has already dished 115 assists ... He is one of five Cyclones in double figures, joining Scott Christopherson (14.0), Jamie Vanderbeken (12.2), freshman Melvin Ejim (11.5) and Northern Illinois transfer Jake Anderson (11.5) ... Missouri and Iowa State are one of just four clubs to have five double-figure scorers.
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
Tiger Year PPG APG TPG A/T
Flip Pressey 10-11 5.9 3.7 1.9 1.9
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
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).
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 70 swats in just 19 games and need 33 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/Keith Ramsey 86 09-10
Arthur Johnson/Kareem Rush 86 00-01
Steve Stipanovich/Greg Cavener 83 82-83
Doug Smith/Chris Heller 73 90-91
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 17.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.0 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 16-3 15-4 16-3
PPG 84.9 81.6 84.8
RPG 37.1 37.3 39.1
APG 18.0 16.7 19.8
SPG 9.9 12.1 10.8
FG% .477 .456 .489
3FG% .385 .382 .374
FT% .709 .727 .641
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 16-3 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 923 career tallies in 90 career games, while Denmon boasts 914 points in 90 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 104-49 all-time at Mizzou, needs just seven 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 704 of 1,613 points in the paint this season compared to 568 a season ago ... The 704 "paint points" (through 19 games) is the second most during Anderson's time at Mizzou, just behind the 720 tallies scored by DeMarre Carroll, Leo Lyons and Co. through 19 games in 2008-09.
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Tigers In The National Rankings
Category Avg / Ntl Rk Leader / Avg
Assists 18.0 / #8 Pitt / 20.4
Steals 9.9 / #6 NW State / 11.1
Scoring 85.9 / #5 VMI / 91.7
Ast/TO Ratio 1.4 / #14
Scor. Margin 15.6 /
T/O Margin +6.0 /
FG% .477 / #34
Blocks 5.7 / #15
