Tigers Host K-State Saturday in Columbia
Mizzou goes for second ranked win this season
Jan. 31, 2008
Missouri Tigers (12-9, 2-4 Big 12) vs. Kansas State Wildcats (15-4, 5-0 Big 12)
Regular Season Game 22 - February 2, 2008 - Columbia, Mo.
FOR OPENERS
- Missouri will try to earn its second win over a nationally-ranked foe at Mizzou Arena on Saturday, when the Tigers host No. 22/24 Kansas State ... The Tigers topped No. 12 Texas back on Jan. 12 by a 97-84 margin.
- Topping nationally-ranked foes inside Mizzou Arena is nothing new for the Tigers ... Although Missouri began play in Mizzou Arena in 2004-05, the club is already a solid 4-3 vs. Top 25 teams in the building, including a 72-68 win over then No. 7 Kansas on March 6, 2005 ... Other Top 25 victims include No. 12 Gonzaga (63-61 - Dec. 30, 2004), No. 16 Oklahoma (70-66 - Feb. 12, 2005) and the 97-84 win over No. 12 Texas.
- Mizzou put forth a spirited effort with just eight available (six scholarship) players on Wednesday evening vs. Nebraska, but the Tigers fell 66-62 despite being tied (60-60) in the game’s final 1:51 ... Six of the seven Tigers who saw action played career highs in minutes, including junior walk-on Michael Anderson, who played 12 minutes, tied a career high with three points, dished two assists and had a steal (also career highs).
- Four of seven Tigers reached double-figures, including J.T. Tiller (14 points) and Vaidotas Volkus (12 points) who reached career highs ... DeMarre Carroll enjoyed his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 boards.
- Although Wednesday’s 66-62 defeat counts against the record of Mizzou Arena, the building certainly has been a terror dome for opponents during the Anderson era ... Missouri is an outstanding 10-2 at home this year (including the short-handed contest vs. NU), with all 10 of its home wins coming by double-figure margins ... In home games overall, the Tigers are averaging a robust 83.1 points and own a dominating +20.9 ppg. scoring margin.
- Here’s a weird twist for Saturday’s game, four of the last five meetings between K-State and Missouri have come with different head coaches ... In the first meeting of the 2005-06 season, Quin Snyder and Jim Wooldridge were head coaches for both clubs ... On Feb. 12, 2006, Interim Head Coach Melvin Watkins led Mizzou to a 74-71 win over KSU’s Interim Head Coach Jim Elgas ... Last season Mike Anderson and Bob Huggins met twice and now Anderson and new K-State sideline boss Frank Martin meet at Mizzou Arena on Feb. 2.
MIZZOU QUICK-HITTERS
- Mizzou continues its 102nd season of college basketball on Saturday when it hosts No. 22 / 24 Kansas State at Mizzou Arena.
- The Tigers are looking for their second win over a ranked opponent inside Mizzou Arena this year and will be facing a ranked Kansas State team for the first time since Feb. 8, 1993.
- Kansas State came into that game ranked a very similar No. 23 nationally, but left the Hearnes Center with a 67-51 defeat.
- Missouri is looking to snap a two-game home court losing streak ... The Tigers fell to No. 2 Kansas 76-70 on Jan. 19 and then lost in a short-handed tussle on Wednesday to Nebraska.
- Missouri played that contest without 46.9 percent of its scoring, 37.1 percent of its rebounds, 66.5 percent of its assists and 50.0 percent of its steals, but nearly managed to gut out an improbable Big 12 Conference victory.
- Despite Mizzou’s 12-9 record early on in Big 12 play the Tigers have been close in nearly every game this season and have dropped seven games by eight points or less, including two games to opponents currently ranked in the Top 10, No. 2 Kansas and No. 7/8 Michigan State.
- As is the case with many teams across the country, Mizzou has been a buzz saw at home this year ... In running their mark to 10-2 at Mizzou Arena, the Tigers have averaged a 20.9 ppg. margin of victory on Norm Stewart Court.
- In fact, Mizzou has enjoyed double-figure wins in all-10 home victories this year, with six coming by 30+ points ... Included in that impressive run is a 97-84 win over then-No. 12 Texas.
- Another area of improvement for Mizzou has been in the rebounding column ... Missouri has out-rebounded its foes in 11-of-21 games this season ... Last season the Tigers won the battle of the boards just 13 times in 30 tries, including just six times in Big 12 play.
- Although the Tigers are clicking offensively, the team’s defensive pressure is keeping pace ... The Tigers have forced 386 turnovers (194 steals) in 21 games this season ... Last year, Mizzou led the Big 12 with 10.1 steals and 18.9 turnovers per game and are averaging 9.2 steals and 18.4 turnovers forced per game this year, including the 23 turnovers forced vs. 2007 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Maryland and Arkansas.
- Conversely, the Tigers are turning the ball over just 13.8 times per game.
- Mizzou has done an excellent job converting off those miscues and are averaging 22.1 points per game off turnovers ... When you break down the numbers, Missouri is scoring 30 percent of its points off of turnovers (22.1-of-79.8 ppg).
- Overall, the Tigers are forcing a turnover once every six possessions, which allows them to average 7.9 more shots per game than their opponents.
- In addition to steals, a trademark of Mike Anderson-coached teams has been assist totals and the Tigers are recording assists on 60.5 percent of their buckets this season (373 assists on 617 FG’s).
- When you take Missouri’s 59 “put-back” buckets out of the equation, the Tigers are averaging assists on 69.7 percent of their field goals.
- Overall, Missouri’s 17.8 assists per game rank No. 17 nationally and has the club on pace to finish third all-time with 574 assists.
- Missouri has flashed a balanced playing rotation, as nine Tigers (eight active) are averaging at least 13.0 minutes per game and no active player is averaging more than 27.0 minutes.
- Missouri has topped double figures in three-point makes four times this year, including a season high 12 vs. Texas ... The Tigers also hit 11 three-pointer vs. McNeese State and 10 three-pointer vs. Michigan State and Southern.
- ESPN’s Pat Forde named Mizzou Arena the No. 1 “New School” college basketball arena in America ... Who can argue?, the place is loaded!
TIGER TIDBITS (Individual Notes)
- The Junk Yard Dog has had a major impact in just his first season ... DeMarre Carroll, also known as J.Y.De, has reached double figures in 17-of-21 games this season to rank first on the team in double-figure scoring contests this year.
- Carroll has also been the team’s most consistent rebounder, and is averaging 9.8 rebounds per game in Big 12 play, including 13 boards at Iowa State and 12 vs. Kansas and Nebraska.
- Carroll has actually been close to producing double-double efforts in 14 games this year and is averaging 14.0 points and 7.7 boards to rank among team leaders in both categories.
- Carroll has been at his best at home, where he is averaging 15.3 points and 8.3 boards and 2.0 steals on 59.8 percent shooting from the floor.
- The Big 12 Newcomer of the Year front-runner also ranks fifth in the Big 12 Conference in field goal percentage (.552), while ranking among the Top 12 in scoring (12th) and rebounding (6th).
- Even more incredible is that he is producing those numbers in just 25.6 minutes per game.
- Despite his size and position, Carroll ranks among the Big 12’s leaders (15th) with 1.5 steals per game.
- Carroll always seems to find a way to impact the game for Missouri and while he was saddled with foul trouble vs. Purdue, the junior forward blocked a career high three shots in the final 4:11 to help lead Missouri to the come-from-behind win ... Carroll actually scored three points, had three blocks, two assists and a steal in the final 7:35 of the MU win vs. Purdue ... The Birmingham native also added a career-high tying four steals vs. McNeese State and UMKC, showing another way he has impacted a Tiger win.
- Carroll was recently named one of Seth Davis’ (Sports Illustrated) Key Faces in New Places for 2007-08.
- ESPN’s Andy Katz also said “there may not be a harder working interior player -- outside of Tyler Hansbrough -- than DeMarre Carroll.”
- In case you were wondering, Carroll dominates the classroom too and needs seven hours in the spring semester to finish his degree and begin his Masters work in Administration.
- Stefhon Hannah will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a fractured jaw that was suffered on Jan. 27 ... Prior to the injury Hannah had reached double figures in 24 of his last 27 games, including a four 20-point efforts this season.
- Hannah seemed to step up his game in Big 12 play and has reached double figures in 19-of-22 career league games, including a run of 10 consecutive Big 12 contests dating back to last season.
- Prior to the injury, Hannah’s scoring numbers were up dramatically in Big 12 action and the senior led the team with 16.8 points per outing ... In non-conference play Hannah averaged 13.9 points per game, marking a 2.9 ppg. improvement.
- Hannah has also improved his assist numbers this year and ranked No. 2 in the Big 12 with 5.3 dimes per game.
- Included in that improved assist average was a season high 11 dimes vs. UMKC, helping the senior record his second career point-assist double-double.
- Hannah flashed his toughness vs. Maryland on Nov. 20 when he played with the flu and still managed 14 points and five dimes ... The Chicago native wasn’t able to eat all day and spent the early portion of the second half in the locker room, but returned to score eight second-half points, leading MU to the win.
- Hannah broke out of an early offensive slump with 20 points vs. No. 11 Michigan State on Nov. 20 ... The consistent lead guard has reached double figures in 36-of-43 career games for MU.
- For his efforts, Hannah was named to the CBE Classic All-Tournament Team in Kansas City.
- Hannah scored a career high 28 points at Arkansas, marking the 10th 20-point effort of his career.
- In addition to his scoring numbers, Hannah’s assist totals were on the rise ... When you factor in his 5.3 assists per game this year, the senior guard is actually accounting for 26.9 of Mizzou’s 80.8 points per game (including assists on three-point field goals).
- Hannah’s 5.3 assists are the second most in school history, behind the 5.8 dimes per game dished out by Anthony Peeler (1989-90).
- Hannah also has 105 assists and 38 steals on the year ... For his short career, Hannah has had five or more dimes 28 times (including 14-of-20 games this year) and multiple steals 30 times, which is no surprise since the 6-foot-1 senior was named the nation’s ninth-best perimeter defender by Fran Fraschilla and ESPN.com.
- As you would expect, Hannah is a preseason candidate for the Bob Cousy National Point Guard of the Year Award.
- Not to be outdone, Keon Lawrence has reached double figures in 19 of his last 28 games, including a career-high tying 24 point at Texas Tech.
- Lawrence became the fifth Tiger to reach the 20-point plateau this season and continued his strong play vs. the Big 12 South ... In nine career games vs. “The South”, Lawrence has reached double figures six times, including 24 points vs. Baylor, 18 points at Oklahoma State and the game-winning jumper vs. Oklahoma last season.
- Lawrence also dumped in 18 points in the win over No. 12/13 Texas ... At one point, Lawrence scored 10 consecutive points in the first half for the Tigers setting the stage for the upset win.
- The dynamic guard is also second on the team with 14 blocks.
- As was documented by the Kansas City Star, there are no “off days” for Lawrence, as he makes 1,000 shots each day the team is given off by head coach Mike Anderson.
- J.T. Tiller continues to be the team’s top perimeter defender and ranks second on the team with 71 deflections this season.
- Tiller was outstanding in his second career start on Wednesday vs. Nebraska, recording career highs of 14 points and eight boards in a career long 35 minutes.
- Tiller played all 20-minutes of the second half vs. Nebraska, as did Keon Lawrence and DeMarre Carroll.
- The Georgia native earned his first career start vs. Coppin State and responded with 10 points, three assists and two steals in 25 minutes.
- Tiller also reached double-figures vs. Illinois on Dec. 22, scoring 10 points in a career high 28 minutes.
- While his scoring totals are up, Tiller played some key defensive minutes late vs. Purdue, helping to hold the Boilermakers to just one field goal in the final 7:47 of the game en route to Mizzou’s game-winning 24-4 run.
- Forming Mizzou’s kamikaze line along with Tiller is senior forward Darryl Butterfield ... Butterfield leads the team with 15 charges drawn this year, while adding 16 steals in just 15.6 minutes per game.
- The Miami native has drawn multiple charges four times this season, including four vs. Maryland.
- Matt Lawrence poured in a career high 28 points on Dec. 30 at Mississippi State ... The 6-foot-7 guard hit 6-of-11 treys and tied a season high with six rebounds.
- Over his last 16 games, Lawrence has hit multiple treys in 12 of those contests.
- In fact, the St. Louis native has been at his best on the road throughout his career and his shooting 44.1 percent from beyond the arc (48-of-109) from three-point range away from Mizzou Arena.
- Leo Lyons has played much-improved basketball this season and has reached double-figures in 10 of his last 13 contests.
- Lyons’ has already reached double figures 12 times this season, surpassing the nine double figure games he enjoyed his first-two seasons combined.
- Lyons led Mizzou to its 66-62 win at Colorado on Jan. 26, scoring 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting ... Lyons scored 16 of his points and dished all-three of his assists in the second half.
- Lyons recorded his first of three 20-point games in his hometown return to Kansas City and scored a career high 23 points and grabbed 11 boards vs. Maryland.
- Lyons earned Player of the Game honors from Dick Vitale and Co. as he hit 8-of-11 shots and 7-of-11 free throws en route to his first career double-double.
- Lyons also torched UMKC for 22 points on a career-best 10-of-12 shooing from the floor.
- Lyons recorded his second double-double of the year in the win over Purdue, chipping in 13 points and 10 rebounds.
- Lyons flashed his versatility vs. Western Illinois when the 6-foot-9, 240-pounder dished a career high six assists and recorded two steals ... Lyons has 31 assists, which is tops among Tiger post players.
- He just goes about his business quietly, but senior guard Jason Horton has dished out 58 assists compared to just 27 turnovers this season, to rank No. 3 in the Big 12 in assist-turnover ratio at 2.2-to-1.
- Horton now has 378 career dimes, which is No. 7 all-time in school history and the Dallas native needs just five more assists to move into the MU career top five.
- Horton needs just four more assists to pass Mike Sandbothe (380) for sixth all-time.
- Horton is also closing in on the career top 10 in steals and needs 10 more thefts to pass Melvin Booker for No. 10 with 147.
- Although he’s been known more for his defense and passing ability, Horton is averaging 11.3 points on 10-of-13 shooting (.769) in his last three home games, including a season high 16 points vs. Texas on Jan. 12, which was his highest scoring output since his freshman season.
- Senior forward Marshall Brown is closing in on 1,000 career points ... The Austin, Texas native currently has 838 tallies and needs 152 points to become the 38th member of the Mizzou 1,000-point club.
- The selfless senior was named team captain in December by teammates and coaches.
- The Texas product then earned his first start of the year vs. Coppin State and later scored a season high 14 points vs. his hometown Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 opener.
- Freshman Justin Safford graced ESPN’s Top 10 Plays on Nov. 8 with his alley-oop slam vs. Missouri Western ... Safford checked in at No. 6.
- Safford enjoyed his most complete game at Mississippi State on Dec. 30, scoring four points and grabbing four boards in nine second-half minutes vs. the Bulldogs.
- The Bloomington, Ill., native played a career-long 18 minutes vs. Nebraska on Wednesday and grabbed four rebounds.
- Senior forward Vaidotas Volkus earned his first career start vs. Kansas and recorded then-career highs of eight points and two assists ... Volkus also hit 4-of-5 shots from the floor vs. the Jayhawks.
- The Lithuania native returned to the starting rotation vs. Nebraska on Jan. 30 and scored a career high 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while grabbing four rebounds in a career-best 26 minutes of action.
ABOUT K-STATE
No. 22/24 Kansas State (15-4, 5-0 Big 12) comes to Columbia following an 84-75 win against No. 2 Kansas on Wednesday ... The Wildcats currently lead the Big 12 Conference and have won six consecutive games dating back to a 103-77 loss at Xavier on Dec. 31 ... The Wildcats are 2-0 on the road in Big 12 action, including an 84-82 win at Oklahoma to open league play ... Freshman Michael Beasley leads Kansas State in both scoring and rebounding with 25.3 points and 12.4 boards ... The rookie is a front-runner for Big 12 and National Player of the Year awards ... Joining Beasley is freshman Bill Walker ... The forward has rebounded nicely from last season’s knee injury and is chipping in 16.1 points and 6.5 boards per game.
THE SERIES WITH THE WILDCATS
Wednesday’s meeting marks the 226th all-time affair between Kansas State and Mizzou with the Tigers holding a 113-112 series lead ... K-State has won two consecutive vs. the Tigers, following a season sweep last season ... In Columbia, Missouri leads the series 61-41 ... Over the last 10 meetings, the series is tied 5-5, but Kansas State has won five of the last six contests.
RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU REMEMBER
Sure it’s just one game that occurred 95 years ago, but that single contest is the difference between a 113-112 series lead for the Tigers (which Missouri claims) and a 113-112 series lead for the Wildcats (which Kansas State claims) ... The game took place on Feb. 12, 1913, in Manhattan, but oddly enough, both schools have box scores that support their historical claims ... Missouri calls it a 25-24 Tiger triumph, while K-State calls it a 26-25 Wildcat “W”.
WITH A TIGER WIN:
- Missouri would push its Big 12 Conference record to 3-4 and improve to 13-9 on the year.
- The Tigers would earn their fifth win all-time vs. a ranked foe inside Mizzou Arena ... The Top 25 win would also be their second of the season following Jan. 12’s 97-84 win over Texas.
- Mizzou would improve to 11-2 at home this season and move to 2-2 at home in Big 12 play.
- The Tigers would stop a two-game skid to Kansas State.
- Head Coach Mike Anderson would earn his first Big 12 win over Kansas State.
- Overall, Anderson would improve to 120-62 in his six seasons as a head coach.
- Missouri would earn its 13th win of the year, moving within five victories of last season’s 18-win mark.
- The Tigers would move to 31-20 all-time under Mike Anderson.
GRADUATING TIGERS
October through March are typically the busy months throughout college basketball playing circles, but as head coach Mike Anderson pointed out, May could be the busiest month of all for Missouri Basketball ... The Tigers anticipate having seven current or former student-athletes walk the stage this particular spring to receive their diplomas as seniors Marshall Brown, Darryl Butterfield, Kalen Grimes, Jason Horton and Vaidotas Volkus and juniors Michael Anderson, Jr., and DeMarre Carroll are scheduled to graduate from school this year.
TILLER THE THRILLER STEPPING UP
J.T. Tiller turned in a career effort Wednesday vs. Nebraska ... The sophomore guard registered career highs of 14 points and eight rebounds, while recording three assists and two steals in a career-high 35 minutes ... Tiller’s career game was indicative of his sophomore campaign as a whole ... The hard-working guard is averaging 16.8 minutes per contest this year after logging 13.6 minutes per game as a rookie ... In addition, his averages of 6.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists per game are well up from his freshman year norms.
HANNAH SIDELINED WITH INJURY
Senior guard Stefhon Hannah will miss 4-6 weeks after suffering a fractured jaw on Jan. 27 ... Prior to the injury, Hannah was leading the Tigers with 14.7 points per game and was No. 2 in the Big 12 with 5.3 assists per outing.
DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN
Missouri’s win at Colorado may have given the Tigers a sense of déjà vu ... Last year Mizzou had lost 11 consecutive road games heading into Boulder, Colo., before leaving with a 79-65 win ... On Saturday, the Tigers had lost six straight on the road, but earned a 66-62 Rocky-Mountain win to halt that skid as well.
Another carryover Missouri is hoping will repeat itself is their ensuing road success after that win last season ... Including last season’s win at CU, the Tigers proceeded to win three of their next four road games, including a win at No. 18 Oklahoma State.
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