Missouri
Central Missouri (Exhb.)
@MizzouHoops Plays Central Missouri for Exhibition Opener on Friday
11/4/2016 7:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Tigers and Mules to battle at Mizzou Arena at 7 p.m. (SEC Network +)
| GAME DAY - Friday, Nov. 4 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPPONENT | LOCATION | DAY | TIME | MEDIA | |
| Central Missouri | Mizzou Arena | Friday | 7 p.m. | ||
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Men's Basketball begins its 2016-17 home schedule with its exhibition opener vs. Central Missouri, tipping off at 7 p.m. CT at Mizzou Arena on Friday, Nov. 4. The Tigers, led by third-year head coach Kim Anderson, return five players with starting experience from a season ago, including sophomores Terrence Phillips and Kevin Puryear, who started all 31 games during the 2015-16 campaign.
Puryear, the 6-7 sophomore from Blue Springs, Mo., had a strong start for the Black & Gold in 2015-16, compiling 355 points (11.5 points per game) for the sixth-best scoring campaign by a Mizzou freshman in program history. Mizzou welcomes seven newcomers, including five freshmen, to the roster for the 2016-17 season.
Central Missouri is no stranger to Anderson, who is the program's all-time winningest head coach (274-95). Anderson led the Mules to the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship in his final season in Warrensburg (2002-14).
STEADY SOPHOMORES RETURN FOR MIZZOU
- Mizzou will be powered by its returning sophomore class, which features forward Kevin Puryear (Blue Springs, Mo.) and guard Terrence Phillips (Orange County, Calif.), who both had standout seasons a year ago. Puryear was recognized to the SEC All-Freshman Team after averaging a team-best 11.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. No other Tiger returns with a better rebound average than Puryear. His 355 points on the season rank as the sixth-most by a freshman in program history, and he is one of just eight Mizzou freshmen in total to break the 300-point barrier.
- Phillips scored 7.8 points per game and dished 3.5 assists per game, good enough to rank 15th in the SEC at season's end. The Oak Hill Academy product snagged 40 steals, which was 10th-most in the conference and fifth all-time among Mizzou freshmen. Together, Phillips and Puryear joined an exclusive list of 13 freshmen in Mizzou history to score 200 points and grab 100 rebounds.
- Fellow sophomores Cullen VanLeer (Pacific, Mo.) and K.J. Walton (Indianapolis, Ind.) look to make Mizzou's rotation of guards a strong suit for Anderson. Both earned starting experience as freshmen and showed that they had what it takes to make an impact at the highest level. VanLeer ranked second on the team in total three-pointers made a season ago. Walton was one of Mizzou's best at getting to the rim in 2015-16, ranking fourth on the squad in free throw attempts while only averaging 13.8 minutes per game.
WOODS, THE SENIOR
- Mizzou's lone senior on the roster, forward Russell Woods (Chicago, Ill.), enters the 2016-17 campaign poised to provide leadership and experience for the Tigers in the front court. Woods started six games for Anderson last season and ranked third on the team in field goal percentage at 52.4 percent (33-for-63).
- Woods made his way to Columbia after two strong seasons at John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois. Woods averaged 14.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2014-15, shooting a stout 61 percent from the field.
- Prior to his junior college run, Woods won an Illinois state title as a high school senior at Simeon Career Academy, playing alongside former No. 2 NBA Draft pick Jabari Parker. Woods previously played three seasons at Leo Catholic High School, where he earned all-state recognition as a junior.
OPPONENT - CENTRAL MISSOURI
- Mizzou's exhibition opener faces the Tigers against NCAA Division II foe, Central Missouri. The Mules climbed to the heights of their level under the direction of current Mizzou head coach, Kim Anderson. UCM claimed the 2014 Division II National Championship in Anderson's final season leading the Mules.
- Led by third-year head coach Doug Karleskint, the Mules posted a 14-15 overall record last season, the first UCM campaign below .500 since Anderson's first year in Warrensburg (13-15, 2002-03).
- Central Missouri returns junior guard Spencer Reaves, who averaged 12.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last season. Reaves helped his squad to a 70.7-points-per-game average. The Mules allowed 69.8 points per game.
- Mizzou's staff has plenty of additional UCM connections with Director of Basketball Operations Paul Rorvig and Video Coordinator Jon Gilliam both playing for Anderson. Special assistant to the Head Coach Brad Loos has spent 15 seasons on Anderson's staff.
