Wednesday, January 4
Columbia, Mo.
8 p.m. CT
University of Missouri
vs
LSU
@MizzouHoops Opens SEC Action at Home vs. LSU on Wednesday
1/3/2017 11:02:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Tigers-only matchup set for 8 p.m. CT tipoff on the SEC Network
| MIZZOU (5-7, 0-0) GAME DAY - Wednesday, Jan. 4 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPPONENT | LOCATION | DAY | TIME | MEDIA | |
|
LSU (8-4, 0-1) |
Mizzou Arena | Wednesday | 8 p.m. | ||
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Men's Basketball (5-7, 0-0) opens Southeastern Conference action for the third time at home inside Mizzou Arena when head coach Kim Anderson's squad faces LSU (8-4, 0-1) on Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 8 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.
- Mizzou is 2-2 in SEC openers, with Anderson owning a 1-1 mark to start conference play.
- The Tigers are 2-0 under Anderson in their first SEC home game. Mizzou defeated LSU, 74-67 (OT), on Jan. 8, 2015 to open league play during the 2014-15 season. For the 2015-16 campaign, the Tigers beat Auburn in Mizzou's second SEC game, 76-61, on Jan. 9, 2016.
- Mizzou was powered through its nonconference schedule by the strong play of sophomore forward Kevin Puryear. The Blue Springs, Mo., native leads the Tigers with his 12.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
- Mizzou ranks second in the SEC for overall field goal defense, holding opponents to a 38.3-percent mark from the field (246-of-653).
- The Tigers rank third in the SEC for three-point field goal defense, keeping their foes to a 29.3-percent success rate (80-of-273) from deep.
- Mizzou is once again cultivating a talented, but young roster during the 2016-17 season. According to KenPom.com, the Tigers rank 344th out of 351 NCAA Division I teams in terms of experience.
PURYEAR POSITIONS HIMSELF AS GO-TO OPTION
- Sophomore forward Kevin Puryear (Blue Springs, Mo.) leads the Tigers in scoring during his second season at Mizzou, averaging 12.5 points per game. It's familiar territory for Puryear, as the former standout at Blue Springs South High School averaged a team-best 11.5 points per game as a freshman.
- With 14 points vs. Lipscomb (Dec. 29), Puryear reached double-figures for the ninth time this season and 30th time in his career. He also snagged six rebounds, marking the 23rd time in his career (43 games) that he has posted a "10-and-5" game.
- For Puryear's career, he is averaging 11.7 points per game, along with 5.2 rebounds per game.
- Puryear has scored in double figures in more than half of his games as a Tiger, with 10 or more points in 30-of-43 career games for the Black & Gold.
- Puryear's two season-high marks of 22 points and 10 rebounds both came against No. 11 Xavier (Nov. 17) at the Tire Pros Invitational in Orlando, Fla. The effort was the second double-double of his career.
JORDANS GET STARTING NODS
- Junior forward Jordan Barnett (St. Louis, Mo.) and sophomore guard Jordan Geist (Fort Wayne, Ind.) got the first starting nods of their Mizzou careers vs. Lipscomb (Dec. 29) and did not disappoint. The duo had season-best games and combined for 33 of the Tigers' 76 points (43.4 percent).
- Geist scored a team-high 18 points (4-of-10 FG, 2-of-5 3PT, 8-of-10 FT), with the effort ranking tied for the sixth-highest individual point total of the season for the Tigers.
- Barnett secured the third double-double of Mizzou's 2016-17 season with his 15-point, 13-rebound performance vs. Lipscomb. Both totals surpassed any output Barnett had in his one-and-a-half seasons at Texas (2014-16).
- Barnett's 13 rebounds were the most by a Tiger this season and the most since the 2013-14 season when Johnathan Williams III recorded 15 boards against Texas A&M on March 14, 2014.
GETTING TO THE LINE
- Mizzou attacked the lane and drew contact on the way to the basket exceptionally well in the game vs. Lipscomb (Dec. 29), earning 41 free throw attempts - the most charity stripe shots in the Kim Anderson era.
- Two Tigers attempted 10 free throws in the game; both sophomore guard Jordan Geist (8-of-10) and sophomore forward Kevin Puryear (6-of-10).
- Mizzou's 41 free throw attempts vs. Lipscomb were the Tigers' most since the 2013-14 season when Mizzou attempted 53 foul shots in an overtime win vs. Texas A&M (91-83, March 13, 2014) at the SEC Tournament in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.
GEIST GETS GRITTY
- Sophomore guard Jordan Geist (Fort Wayne, Ind.) scored 12 points (4-of-6 FG, 0-of-1 3PT, 4-of-4 FT) and dished two assists in 17 minutes off the bench vs. Illinois (Dec. 21) in the Braggin' Rights Game, a then-season best in scoring for the junior college transfer.
- Geist has dished 12 of his 22 assists this season over the past five games, also averaging 8.4 points per game in that span.
- Over the last two games, Geist has scored 30 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field. He has dished four assists and grabbed six rebounds, as well.
BIG ON THE BOARDS
- Mizzou's current rate of 40.4 rebounds per game is significant in itself because it represents a solid improvement from last season's 35.8 boards per game.
- In back-to-back games, Mizzou reset its season-high for rebounds, first with 44 vs. Western Kentucky (Dec. 3) and then with 50 boards against Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 6.
- Being aggressive on the offensive glass has been a focus for the Tigers early in the 2016-17 season, with Mizzou averaging 11.8 offensive rebounds per game, thus far. Through its first 12 games last season, Mizzou averaged 8.3 offensive boards per game.
ODDS & ENDS FROM LIPSCOMB
- Mizzou had four players – Geist (18), Barnett (15), Puryear (14) and Woods (10) – score in double-figures vs. Lipscomb for just the third time this season. The Tigers have had at least three score in double-figures in nine of 12 games this season.
- Freshman forward Reed Nikko blocked a season-high two shots in the game, the third time this season he has recorded multiple blocks in a contest.
- As a team, Mizzou blocked a season-high five shots, led by Nikko and Puryear with two each.
- Mizzou outrebounded Lipscomb, 47-34, the seventh time in 12 contests Mizzou has outrebounded its opponent.
- Sophomore guard K.J. Walton was a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line, the first time in his career he has been perfect from the charity stripe while attempting at least five shots.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballInside Mizzou Athletics - Getting to Know New Men's Hoops Assistant Steve Wright
Friday, June 13
Mizzou Storytellers - Laurence Bowers
Tuesday, June 10
Tigers Sign Jayden Stone
Thursday, May 22
Tigers Sign Shawn Phillips Jr.
Wednesday, May 14
