SEC Schedule Starts at Mizzou Arena with Auburn

Saturday, January 9

Columbia, Mo.

8:00 PM

University of Missouri

Auburn

1/8/2016 12:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball

@MizzouHoops vs. Auburn tips off at 8 p.m., Saturday on ESPN2

Opponent	Location	Day/Time	Media
Auburn Buy Tickets	Mizzou Arena	Saturday, Jan. 9 8 p.m.	TV: ESPN2 Radio: Tiger Network Online: WatchESPN \| Live Audio \| Live Stats Game Notes

#ZOUNotes

Mizzou Men's Basketball (7-7) hosts its first Southeastern Conference game of 2016 vs. Auburn (7-6) on Saturday, Jan. 9, with an 8 p.m. tipoff televised nationally on ESPN2 from Mizzou Arena.
Head coach Kim Anderson's squad dropped its SEC opener on the road at Georgia (Jan. 6), yielding a 77-59 result to the Bulldogs.
Mizzou was powered by freshman forward Kevin Puryear's 19 points in the setback, his 10th game in double figures this season.
Sophomore guard Namon Wright leads Mizzou with his 4.9 rebounds per game, while freshman Terrence Phillips leads the Tigers with his 3.4 assists per game.
The Tigers rolled to a +84 point differential to close out its nonconference schedule, defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 78-25, on Dec. 29 before beating Savannah State, 81-50, on Jan. 2.
Mizzou is 2-1 in SEC home openers over the last three seasons, including the 2014-15 defeat of LSU (74-67 OT, Jan. 8, 2015).
Mizzou has the 13th-youngest roster in Division I basketball, according to Ken Pomeroy.

Last Time Out

Freshman forward Kevin Puryear led the Tigers in scoring with 19 points, but Mizzou Men's Basketball (7-7) dropped its Southeastern Conference opener at Georgia (8-4) on Wednesday, Jan. 6. It was the 10th time in 14 games Puryear has scored in double digits.
Junior guard Wes Clark had 13 points for the fourth consecutive game he has scored in double-digits.
For the third-straight game, Mizzou shot better than 75 percent from the free throw line, connecting on 18-of-23 attempts for 78.3 percent.
Puryear was aggressive in drawing fouls throughout the game, setting season highs with his nine free throw makes and 10 free throw attempts.

Hot Dishes Served By Phillips

Freshman guard Terrence Phillips became the first Tiger since the 2013-14 season to have five or more assists in three-straight games. He joined current Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson with that distinction with his five-assist game at Georgia (Jan. 6).
Phillips, who has started every game of his first collegiate season, leads the Tigers with his 47 assists.

Freshmen Can Find the Line

Both K.J. Walton and Kevin Puryear have posted 9-of-10 games from the free throw line this season, both marks that tie for game highs for Mizzou this season.
Puryear hit on 9-of-10 from the charity stripe in recent action at Georgia (Jan. 6), while Walton accomplished the feat vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore (Nov. 15).

Puryear Putting Up Points

Freshman forward Kevin Puryear leads Mizzou with his 12.4 points per game average, which also ranks fourth in the SEC among freshmen.
Puryear's hot free throw shooting clip of 80.6 percent (50-of-62) also ranks ninth overall in the conference.

National Championship-Caliber Coaching

Mizzou head coach Kim Anderson led Central Missouri to the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship two seasons ago in his final campaign in Warrensburg, Mo., ending an impressive run of success with the Mules. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, before head coaching stints at UW-Milwaukee, Tennessee and Auburn, was the head coach at Division II Southern Indiana and won the 1995 Division II title.
Both coaches have NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) recognition in their pasts. Anderson and Pearl earned Division II National Coach of the Year honors after their respective national title runs at both Central Missouri and Southern Indiana.

Last Time vs. Auburn

It was Senior Night for Mizzou vs. Auburn on March 3, 2015, and senior guard Keith Shamburger hit the go-ahead jumper with 10.9 seconds remaining to lift head coach Kim Anderson's squad to a 63-61 win. Shamburger finished with a team-best 21 points to lead the Tigers.
Mizzou was dominant on the boards, outrebounding Auburn 34-25. Senior forward Keanau Post was big in the defensive effort, recording two blocks and one steal.
Then-freshman guard Namon Wright scored 10 points on 4-of-10 field goal shooting and pulled down five rebounds.

More About Auburn

Auburn (7-6) opened Southeastern Conference action with an 83-77 win at home vs. Tennessee (Jan. 2) before falling to No. 22 South Carolina by a score of 81-69 at home (Jan. 5).
Both Mizzou and Auburn played road contests at Xavier which ended in defeats. Mizzou dropped a 78-66 result on Nov. 17, while Auburn fell by a score of 85-61 on Dec. 19.
Head coach Bruce Pearl's group is led in scoring by transfer guard Kareem Canty (formerly of Marshall), who averages 19.5 points per game. Canty also averages 5.9 assists per game.