Dec. 1, 2008
Columbia, Mo. -
Mizzou Basketball Game Notes in PDF Format 
Mizzou Basketball News and Notes 2008-09
University of Missouri Tigers (5-1) vs.
University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff Lions (0-5)
2008-09 Regular Season Game 7 - December 2, 2008 - Columbia, Mo.
Tip-off: 7 p.m. CST
Arena: Mizzou Arena - Columbia, Mo. (15,061)
TV: Mizzou Sports Network (Dan McLaughlin play-by-play; Jon Sundvold analyst)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly play-by-play; Gary Link analyst)
Rankings: Mizzou: RV/NR, UAPB: NR/NR in Associated Press / USA Today Coaches polls
Series: Missouri leads Arkansas-Pine Bluff 1-0 all-time
Tickets: Call 1-800-CAT-PAWS
Coaches:
Missouri: Mike Anderson (Tulsa ’82); 128-70 overall (7th season); 39-29 at Mizzou (3rd)
Ark.-Pine Bluff: George Ivory (Mississippi Valley State ’88); 0-5 overall (1st season)
For Openers
> Missouri Basketball plays its second game in three days on Tuesday when it hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Mizzou Arena ... The Tigers are 5-1 on the young season and are receiving Top 25 consideration from the Associated Press poll for the second consecutive week (six votes).
> A couple of key storylines lead Missouri into this evening’s game ... The Tigers are averaging 87.0 points per game this season, which ranks No. 9 nationally ... Missouri’s 20.5 assists per game rank No. 2 nationally and No. 1 among “high” majors, while the club’s 11.0 turnovers per game ranks No. 7 nationally.
> Speaking of those assist and turnover numbers for Missouri, the Tigers have a 1.9-to-1 assist to turnover ratio as a team in 2008-09, which leads the Big 12 Conference.
> Senior forward DeMarre Carroll needs just six points on Tuesday to reach the 1,000-point plateau for his Division I career ... Although not all of his points have come at Missouri, Carroll did play in the rugged Southeastern Conference (scoring 460 career points at Vanderbilt) and will have 1,000 points as a “high” major Division I basketball player, an outstanding accomplishment.
> Carroll and fellow senior forward Leo Lyons are off to tremendous starts this season and are the No. 1 forward scoring tandem in Missouri history ... Carroll and Lyons are combining for 38.2 points a night, just ahead of the 38.0 points per game the outstanding duo of John Brown and Al Eberhard averaged in 1972-73.
> Missouri will look to continue its 30-game non-conference home court winning streak intact, which dates back to the 2005-06 campaign ... That 30-game mark 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.
> Mizzou Arena has been a terror dome for non-league opponents during the Anderson era... In running their record to 23-0, the Tigers are averaging a 21.1 ppg. margin of victory vs. non-conference foes at home, including quality wins over Arkansas, Davidson, Mississippi State, Oral Roberts and Purdue.
> Missouri returns to action on Sunday against California in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series ... Missouri fell at Cal last season and Sunday’s game is the return game in the event ... Missouri is already 1-0 vs. the Pac-10 in 2008-09, knocking off then-No. 19 USC (83-72) in San Juan, P.R.
Mizzou Quick-Hitters
> Missouri Basketball will face its second opponent from the Southwestern Athletic Conference on Tuesday as the Tigers host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 7 p.m. ... Missouri defeated Prairie View A&M, 86-65, in the season-opener.
> Missouri is 22-0 all-time vs. the SWAC and Head Coach Mike Anderson is 3-0 vs. the league while at Mizzou, which includes an impressive 31.7 ppg average margin of victory in two games vs. Southern and the opener against Prairie View A&M.
> Missouri ranks No. 9 nationally in scoring at 87.0 points per game and is averaging an incredible 93.7 points per game at home this year.
> With that scoring surge, Missouri has topped the 80-point plateau five times in six games this season and is 5-0 on the year when scoring at least 80 points ... Missouri has topped 80 points 29 times in the Mike Anderson era (68 games) ... To put that scoring in perspective, the Tigers topped 80 points just 22 times (in total 124 games) the four seasons before Anderson’s arrival.
> Missouri is searching for its 31st consecutive home win over a non-conference foe night, which would extend its current school record run ... Missouri won 29 consecutive non-conference home games from 1979-83 ... That run began with a win over Southwest Texas State (now Texas State) and ended on Jan. 23, 1983, with an overtime loss to Marquette.
> One thing Tiger fans can look forward to again this season is points off turnovers ... Missouri averaged 20.3 points per game off turnovers last season and forced one turnover every four possessions ... So far this season Missouri is forcing 18.8 turnovers per game and is averaging 24.5 points off those opponent miscues each night.
> Missouri is scoring an incredible 30 percent of its points this season off turnovers (24.5-of-87.0).
> Because of Missouri’s limited 11.0 turnovers a game, its opposition is scoring just 14.3 points a night off turnovers.
> MU’s 11.0 turnovers a game are the seventh fewest in college basketball this season.
> It’s only November, but ESPN Bracketology guru Joe Lunardi has Missouri “in” the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed ... The kicker, Lunardi has the Tigers facing No. 6-seeded Kansas ... Of course two teams from the same conference can’t play until the second round.
> Although the 2008-09 campaign is just getting started, Mizzou actually got an early jump on exhibition play over Labor Day weekend with a three-game exhibition tour in Niagara Falls, Ontario ... Missouri went 3-0 throughout the tour and averaged a 35.3 ppg. margin of victory.
> Tiger fans can expect to see improved depth in 2008-09 with the addition of seven newcomers ... That depth could spell trouble for opponents since Anderson’s reserves set a school record for scoring (26.4) in 2006-07 and produced 25.4 points per game in 2007-08.
> Through six games this season Missouri is averaging 27.5 points from its reserves.
> The catalyst for Missouri’s improved scoring punch off the bench is its five player freshman class ... So far this season that group is averaging 19.7 points off the pine.
Tiger Tidbits (Individual Notes)
> Senior forwards DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons were named Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention picks prior to the start of the 2008-09 season.
> Lyons was also named one of the nation’s Top 15 power forwards by Rivals.com in their preseason position rankings.
> Lyons and Carroll are closing in on 1,000 career points ... Carroll has 994 career tallies at the Division I level, 460 of which came during his first two seasons at Vanderbilt ... Lyons has 804 career points and needs just 196 points to become the 38th member of Missouri’s 1,000-point club ... Fellow senior Matt Lawrence is also closing in on 1,000 points and would need 295 more tallies as a senior to reach the mark.
> Over his last 10 regular-season games Lyons is averaging 19.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, with five 20-point nights.
> The Kansas City, Kan., native is coming off a season high 26 points and eight rebounds in the win over Oral Roberts ... Lyons scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half, which is the most by a Tiger in a half (first or second) this season.
> Lyons recorded his first double-double of the 2008-09 season vs. Fairfield on Nov. 21 with 12 points and 10 boards in just 20 minutes.
> With his 18.7 ppg. scoring average, Lyons ranks No. 3 in the Big 12, just behind teammate DeMarre Carroll, who is second at 19.5 ppg.
> Like Lyons, Carroll has reached double figures in all six games this season and either Carroll or Lyons has led Mizzou in scoring each contest this year.
> The Birmingham, Ala., native led Missouri to a 2-1 mark in Puerto Rico and was named to the All-Tournament Team following his career high 29-point, 11-rebound effort against No. 19 USC.
> Carroll has topped the 20-point plateau twice this season and ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 in scoring at 19.5 points per game.
> The Junk Yard Dog also ranks second on the team with 12 steals and ranks among the Big 12’s leaders in scoring (2nd), steals (8th), field goal percentage (2nd) and rebounding (6th).
> Both Carroll and Lyons have reached double figures in all five games this season and are averaging 37.4 points and 13.8 rebounds to form one of the Big 12’s most dominating post tandems.
> Zaire Taylor was named the nation’s Preseason No. 2 impact transfer in all of college basketball by Rivals.com ... DeMarre Carroll was the preseason No. 1 on that same Rivals.com list last season and didn’t disappoint by winning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors.
> Taylor played his first Division I basketball game in 669 days on Nov. 15 in the season-opener ... The Delaware transfer sat out all of last season and last played at the D-I level on Jan. 6, 2007, at Hofstra.
> So far this season the Staten Island, N.Y., native has a team-leading 23 assists and just six turnovers.
> The 6-foot-4 point guard is coming off a season high 11 points against Oral Roberts, in which he hit a pair of three-pointers.
> Taylor has had multiple assists in 5-of-6 games this season, including six dimes against Chattanooga and Fairfield.
> Junior guard J.T. Tiller made his ESPN SportCenter Top 10 debut and it’s no shock the highlight came courtesy of his defense ... Tiller’s swat of Lincoln’s Joe Hutchingson with just over six minutes left in the second half checked in at No. 8 on the countdown ... Coach Norm Stewart’s response on the telecast after the block “I like J.T. Tiller. If you take the ball to the basket (against him), you can’t bring that weak stuff. You’ll need a helmet.”
> Tiller is one of Mizzou’s most well-rounded players and recorded a career high six steals vs. Xavier ... The six thefts tied a tournament record and is No. 6 in Missouri single-game school history.
> Tiller has had multiple steals in 4-of-6 games and is second in the Big 12 with 2.5 steals a night.
> Tiller had an explosive trip to Puerto Rico where he averaged 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.7 steals vs. quality opposition.
> Of Tillers 14 career double-figure scoring games, seven have come either on the road or on a neutral-court site.
> Missouri Basketball is coming off a busy, but productive summer that saw all-13 Tigers remain on campus for workouts and classes ... Some members of the squad also had internships in town, including Tiller, who spent the summer as an intern at AFLAC.
> Freshman guard Marcus Denmon wowed Missouri fans with his 36-point effort in the Black & Gold Game on Oct. 29, but what you may not know is that Denmon is prone to fast starts ... In addition to scoring his team’s first-10 points in the intra-squad scrimmage, Denmon scored the first 10 points at the Demetrius Johnson All-Star event in St. Louis en route to MVP honors and won MVP accolades at the Missouri High School Coaches Association All-Star Game in Springfield, Mo.
> Denmon then officially opened his Missouri career with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the Tiger win over Prairie View A&M on Nov. 15 ... That was the highest scoring effort by a Tiger freshman in a debut since Kelly Thames scored 19 against Central Missouri State on Nov. 27, 1993.
> Did you know that in his first game at Mizzou Arena Denmon actually cheered AGAINST Missouri? But you can’t blame him, his brother Martane Freeman was playing for the Colorado Buffaloes, so we’ll let that one slide.
> Fellow freshman Miguel Paul recorded a double-figure scoring effort in his first career game, logging 11 points in just 15 minutes vs. Prairie View.
> Paul has seen extended action over his last three games, logging 19.3 minutes ... During that stretch Paul is averaging 7.0 points, 3.3 assists and is shooting 52.9 percent from the floor.
> Freshman newcomer Kimmie English knows Mizzou Arena just about as well as the Arena managers and operators ... English made news this summer for sleeping overnight in the team’s locker room and will often shoot in the club’s 24-Hour practice gym in the early-morning hours.
> That workout time paid off for English, who scored nine points on a pair of treys vs. Chattanooga on Monday ... English also scored seven points and grabbed four boards vs. Fairfield on Friday.
> Junior Keith Ramsey has played improved basketball over the past three games and is averaging 6.0 points on 77.8 percent shooting (7-of-9), along with 2.7 rebounds during that stretch.
> Ramsey scored a career high eight points in just nine minutes vs. No. 19 USC.
About The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Lions
Arkansas-Pine Bluff is playing its sixth consecutive road game to open the 2008-09 campaign on Tuesday as the 0-5 Lions come off a 74-47 loss at Georgia Tech to face the Tigers ... Pine Bluff is averaging just 50.6 points and is being outscored 75.0-50.6 in their first-five games, but have faced Colorado, Texas A&M, Creighton, Nebraska and Georgia Tech on the road in the season’s first couple of weeks ... The Lions are led by Terrance Calvin who is averaging 10.0 points and 5.2 rebounds a game ... Lebaron Weathers is just off that pace logging 9.6 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds.
The Series With Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Missouri and Arkansas-Pine Bluff meet for the second time in school history on Tuesday ... Missouri earned an 89-33 win over the Lions on Dec. 9, 1998 in that initial meeting.
Carroll / Lyons Among Best Scoring Duos
Their personalities couldn’t be more different off the court, but together, DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons are proving to be a formidable post duo for Mizzou.
> Carroll (19.5) and Lyons (18.7) are averaging a combined 38.2 points and 14.2 rebounds a night, which makes them the top scoring post tandem at Mizzou in school history.
> The dominating pair of John Brown (21.0) and Al Eberhard (17.0) combined for 38.0 points and 20.3 rebounds in 1972-73, which ranks second all-time.
Here is a list of the top scoring duos of all-time at Missouri, regardless of position:
PPG Tandem Year
43.0 D. Smith / A. Peeler 1990-91
41.5 W. Smith / J. Kennedy 1975-76
41.1 C. Henke / Joe Scott 1960-61
38.7 A. Peeler / J. Crudup 1991-92
38.5 B. Price / Ray B. Carey 1963-64
38.2 Carroll / Lyons 2008-09
38.0 J. Brown / Al Eberhard 1972-73
37.7 C. Henke / Joe Scott 1959-60
Carroll Closing In On 1,000 Career Points
DeMarre Carroll needs just six tallies to reach 1,000 points for his Division I career ... The Birmingham, Ala., native scored 460 points in two seasons at Vanderbilt and has already totaled 534 points in 38 games at Mizzou ... Carroll is averaging 19.5 points a game this season, which is No. 2 in the Big 12 Conference, after logging 13.0 points as a junior.
School Record Pace For Fewest Turnovers
Although Missouri plays at a frenetic pace, the 2008-09 Tigers are the best in school history (so far) at protecting the rock ... Missouri is averaging just 11.0 turnovers per game this season, which tops the previous school-record mark of 13.0 set in 2007-08.
> In fact, Missouri has been its best at protecting the basketball with J.T. Tiller running the point ... Over the final 12 games of the 2007-08 season the Tiller-ran Tigers averaged just 11.6 turnovers, down from their previous average of 13.8 turnovers through the first 20 games of that year.
Rank TPG Season
1. 11.0 2008-09
2. 13.0 2007-08
3. 13.3 1999-00
4. 13.7 1989-90
5. 14.0 2001-02
6. 14.1 1982-83
7. 14.2 1992-93
8. 14.5 1987-88
The Good Tigers Giveth ...
As a basketball team, Missouri is about as unselfish as it comes ... The Tigers are averaging an impressive 20.5 assists per game, which is No. 2 nationally and have a 1.9-to-1 assist/turnover ratio as a team ... Missouri is logging assists on 64 percent of its buckets in 2008-09 and 12 players have a positive or even assist-to-turnover ratio so far this year.
... And Taketh Away
Missouri has no issues creating turnovers once again this season as they produce 18.8 turnovers a night and average 10.5 steals ... Missouri is averaging 24.5 points a game off turnovers and scores 30.0 percent of its points off opposition throw-aways.
Mizzou’s J.Y.D Ruling The Lane
He plays the game with such passion and ferocity that Missouri senior forward DeMarre Carroll has earned the moniker Junk Yard Dog ... Considered by some to be undersized in the rough-and-tumble Big 12, Carroll has starred in the league due to his blue-collar style of play and earned the League’s Newcomer of the Year title in 2008 ... Carroll appears to be shooting for more in 2009, as he is averaging 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.
> The Birmingham, Ala., native has reached double figures in each game this season, including a career high 29 points and 11 rebounds vs. No. 19 USC.
> Carroll is also one of the Big 12’s most well-rounded players, ranking No. 2 in scoring, No. 6 in rebounding, No. 2 in field goal percentage (.600), No. 8 in steals (2.0) and No. 4 in offensive rebounding (3.3).
Basketball Imitates Life For Tiller
It’s a case of basketball imitating life and J.T. Tiller has carried his busy professional / student lifestyle onto the hardwood ... An outstanding student in International Business, Tiller spent his entire summer in Columbia, not only taking classes and working out, but also interning at AFLAC ... Tiller’s play on the basketball court mimic’s his busy lifestyle ... He’s probably the Big 12’s most unheralded defender and took his defensive prowess on a national stage in Puerto Rico, tying a Puerto Rico Tip-Off record with six steals against Xavier.
> The six thefts broke a career high for the Marietta, Ga., native, while his five assists and zero turnovers showcased his ability to run the point for MU.
> The former Georgia All-State triple jumper averaged 11.0 points, 3.7 steals and 3.3 assists in three games vs. Xavier, Fairfield and No. 19 USC, with a season high 14 points coming in the win over USC.
> While basketball is a main focus for Tiller, the 6-fofot-3 guard plans on making his post-collegiate fortunes overseas ... not playing basketball mind you, but using that International Business degree.
Lawrence Looks To Shoot Up Mizzou Career Three-Point Chart
He agreed to begin his career as a walk-on, but St. Louis native Matt Lawrence quickly earned a scholarship and is now shooting up Missouri’s career three-point field goals list.
> After making just nine three-pointers his first season, Lawrence has been one of the Big 12’s elite shooters from bonus distance, making 81 triples as a sophomore and 72 more as a junior ... For his career the 6-foot-7 rifleman has 175 three-pointers, which already ranks No. 8 in school history.
> Lawrence can move as high as No. 2 on Missouri’s all-time three-point makes list by the end of the season, just behind Clarence Gilbert, who made 332 treys in four seasons ... Lawrence is just four triples behind Thomas Gardner for seventh and just eight behind Melvin Booker for sixth ... With 65 made treys this season, Lawrence will pass Kareem Rush for No. 2 on Missouri’s all-time list ... Lawrence currently has 13 treys in 2008-09.
Taylor Worth The Wait For Mizzou
It’s been a long road for Missouri junior guard Zaire Taylor, but the Staten Island, N.Y., native is playing his first Division I basketball in nearly two years this season for the Tigers.
> Taylor began his career at Delaware in 2005-06 and led the CAA in steals as a freshman, earning All-Rookie Team honors … After a coaching change in 2006-07, Taylor played just 13 games for the Blue Hens, before deciding to focus on his academics during the second semester, culminating with his eventual transfer to Mizzou in 2007.
> The Staten Island, N.Y., native sat out last season due to NCAA Division I transfer guidelines and played his first NCAA basketball game since a Jan. 6, 2007 game at Hofstra, a span of 669 days between that contest and the Nov. 15 season-opener against Prairie View A&M.
> So far this season Taylor has been outstanding at the point for Missouri and has a team-leading 23 assists compared to just six turnovers through five games ... His 3.8-to-1 assist/turnover ratio ranks No. 1 in the Big 12, while his 3.8 assists a game ranks 11th.
Missouri’s Second Wave...
Head Coach Mike Anderson has consistently tried to build depth with his basketball teams and the 2008-09 Tigers may be his deepest club since arriving in Columbia two years ago.
> Missouri is averaging an impressive 27.5 points, 15.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists from its reserves this season, including 16.7 points per game from freshmen Marcus Denmon, Kim English and Miguel Paul.
> Last season Missouri averaged 25.4 points per game from its bench after setting the school record in 2006-07 with 26.4 ppg from reserve performers ... That mark could be in serious jeopardy this season.
David Reiter
University of Missouri
Associate Director - Athletics Media Relations
O: 573.884.2437
C: 573.424.8740
F: 573.882.4720
