Dec. 17, 2008
Columbia, Mo. -
Mizzou Basketball Game Notes in PDF Format 
University of Missouri Tigers (8-1) vs.
Stetson University Hatters (5-3)
2008-09 Regular Season Game 10 - December 20, 2008 - Columbia, Mo.
Tip-off: 6 p.m. CST
Arena: Mizzou Arena - Columbia, Mo. (15,061)
TV: MSN (Chris Gervino play-by-play; Jon Sundvold analyst)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly play-by-play; Gary Link analyst)
Rankings: Mizzou: RV/RV, Stetson: NR/NR in Associated Press / USA Today Coaches polls
Series: Missouri leads Stetson 2-0 all-time; last - Mizzou won 66-45 on Nov. 12, 2006
Tickets: Call 1-800-CAT-PAWS
Coaches:
Missouri: Mike Anderson (Tulsa ’82); 131-70 overall (7th season); 42-29 at Mizzou (3rd)
Stetson: Derek Waugh (Furman ’93); 97-133 (9th season)
For Openers
> Finals week is over (congrats December graduates) and Missouri returns to action for just the second time in two weeks as it faces a Stetson team that has won three consecutive games ... Mizzou is coming off a 75-64 win over Murray State last Saturday and will look to improve to 9-1 on the season.
> A 9-1 start would equal the best start of Mike Anderson’s tenure at Missouri ... The Tigers were also 9-1 in 2006-07, but had only played one game away from Mizzou Arena ... This year’s club is 2-1 away from home, winning two of three games in San Juan, P.R., including a win over then-No. 19 USC.
> Mizzou is on a season-long six game winning streak which dates back to the second game of the 2008 O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off ... During that run Missouri is averaging 87.5 points, a 23.3 ppg margin of victory and is shooting 49.2 percent from the floor ... The last time Mizzou won six consecutive was during that start to the 2006-07 campaign.
> Missouri is closing in on the Top 25 rankings with each passing win (No. 28 in Associated Press poll) and is among the Top 25 in both the Sagarin and Pomeroy “power rankings” ... While the Tigers are receiving Top 25 votes in both major polls, Missouri is No. 14 in the Sagarin and No. 8 in the Ken Pomeroy rankings.
> The last time Missouri was ranked in Associated Press or ESPN Coaches polls was the sixth week of the 2003-04 season (No. 23) ... Missouri started that season off No. 5 in the preseason AP ledger.
> The Tigers rank among the nation’s leaders in several statistical categories heading into Saturday’s game ... Mizzou is No. 6 nationally in scoring at 87.2 ppg, No. 3 in assists per game at 20.4, No. 3 in steals per game at 11.8 and No. 6 nationally in assist/turnover ratio at 1.64 ... Missouri’s 20.6 ppg scoring margin ranks 10th.
> Missouri will look to keep its 33-game non-conference home court winning streak intact, which dates back to the 2005-06 campaign ... That 33-game run 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 Mike Anderson era... In running their record to 26-0, the Tigers are averaging a 23.2 ppg. margin of victory vs. non-conference foes at home, including quality wins over Arkansas, California, Davidson, Mississippi State, Murray State, Oral Roberts and Purdue.
Mizzou Quick-Hitters
> Missouri will look to extend its current six-game winning streak on Saturday evening as it faces Stetson University at Mizzou Arena.
> That six-game streak is the longest for the Tigers since MU opened the 2006-07 campaign 9-0 ... One difference between that 9-0 start and this season’s 8-1 spurt is that the Tigers have a pair of neutral-court wins and a win over a Top 25 foe (No. 19 USC), while the 2006-07 club won all nine of those games at home vs. unranked opposition.
> Head Coach Mike Anderson is an honorary member of the Antlers ... Coach A was given a t-shirt and welcomed by the group at his weekly radio show at Buffalo Wild Wings on Monday night.
> Although the students will be out of class for Saturday’s game, the Tigers have enjoyed back-to-back season high crowds vs. Cal and Murray State ... The announced crowd of 8,517 was the largest of the season and the largest announced crowd at a non-conference home game since the Tigers drew 14,675 against Gonzaga during the 2004-05 campaign.
> The Tigers have been downright overpowering at home this season and have outscored their six home opponents 87.5-to-64.2 (23.3 ppg).
> A major reason for those large scoring totals is because Missouri has taken 92 more field goal attempts than its opponent this season and has made 82 more FG’s.
> With that scoring surge, Missouri has topped the 80-point plateau seven times in nine games this season and is 7-0 on the year when scoring at least 80 points ... Missouri has topped 80 points 31 times in the Mike Anderson era (71 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 34th consecutive home win over a non-conference foe tonight, 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 are enjoying 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 20.1 turnovers per game and is averaging 26.8 points off those opponent miscues each night.
> Missouri is scoring an incredible 30 percent of its points this season off turnovers (26.8-of-87.2).
> Because of Missouri’s limited 12.4 turnovers a game, its opposition is scoring just 15.5 points a night off turnovers.
> It’s only December, 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 nine games this season Missouri is averaging 31.0 points from its reserves, including a season high 50 points vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff and 43 vs. California.
> 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 23.0 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 and Carroll are ranked among the nation’s Top 15 power forwards by Rivals.com in their current position rankings ... Lyons checks in at No. 12, while Carroll is right behind at No. 13.
> Carroll, Lyons and Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin are the only players in the Big 12 to rank among the Top 10 in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage and in the Top 13 in steals.
> Carroll topped the 1,000-point plateau vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff and now has 1,039 career tallies at the Division I level, 460 of which came during his first two seasons at Vanderbilt ... Lyons has 849 career points and needs just 151 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 262 more tallies as a senior to reach the mark.
> Over his last 12 regular-season games Lyons has five 20-point outings and has reached double figures in all 12 contests.
> The Kansas City, Kan., native enjoyed 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.
> With his 17.4 ppg. scoring average, Lyons ranks No. 6 in the Big 12, just behind teammate DeMarre Carroll, who is fourth at 18.0 ppg.
> Like Lyons, Carroll has reached double figures in all nine games this season and the tandem of Carroll and Lyons have led Mizzou in scoring in 8-of-9 contests 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. 4 in the Big 12 in scoring at 18.0 points per game.
> Carroll has done outstanding work in the second half and is averaging 10.8 ppg in the second half alone.
> The Junk Yard Dog also ranks second on the team with 17 steals and ranks among the Big 12’s leaders in scoring (4th), steals (9th), field goal percentage (2nd) and rebounding (5th).
> 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 20 assists and just eight turnovers ... His 3.8-to-1 assist/turnover ratio leads the Big 12 and ranks No. 8 nationally.
> Taylor has tied a season high with six assists three times this season and has had multiple turnovers in a game just twice.
> 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 6-of-9 games and is second in the Big 12 with 2.3 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 Tiller’s 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.
> Perhaps the biggest improvement for Missouri this year is the play of its bench and that bench is being led by a host of young players.
> Freshman guard Marcus Denmon reached double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in his career vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Cal ... Denmon scored 11 points vs. Pine Bluff before chipping in 14 vs. California.
> Over his last three games Denmon is averaging 10.7 points, which is fourth on the club.
> Denmon 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.
> 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 has paid off for English, who scored 13 points vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor, before scoring a career high 16 points vs. California in the Tiger’s big win ... English scored 14 of his 16 in the second half, including 14 straight points for the Tigers in a span of just 4:16.
> Over his last three outings English is logging 12.3 points per game on 67 percent shooting from the floor and 58 percent shooting from three-point range (7-of-12).
> Fellow freshman Miguel Paul is averaging 17.5 minutes over his last six games ... Paul has also hit a three-pointer in five of those six contests as well and boasts a 1.7-to-1 assist/turnover ratio.
> Junior Keith Ramsey has played improved basketball over the past six games, especially on the defensive end ... Ramsey blocked a career high three shots vs. Cal, while recording an assist and a steal.
> Ramsey scored a career high eight points in just nine minutes vs. No. 19 USC and corralled seven boards (career high) vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 14 minutes.
> Laurence Bowers, another of Missouri’s exciting freshmen, is making steady progress and had a career game vs. UAPB, scoring a career high six points, while tying a career best with four boards ... He also had two steals.
> Bowers then chipped in four points, three rebounds and a block vs. Cal.
About The Stetson Hatters
Stetson comes into Saturday’s game winners of three consecutive contests including two wins this week over Campbell (63-56) and Webber International (on Wednesday afternoon) ... Stetson’s lone losses have come on the road at Texas (68-38), at Florida State (79-77) and at Miami (Fla.) by a 79-65 margin ... The Hatters are led in scoring and rebounding by Garfield Blair who averages 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds ... Kris Thomas (10.5 ppg) and A.J. Smith (10.4 ppg) round out the double figure scorers for Head Coach Derek Waugh’s club ... One thing Tiger fans can look for is a lot of three-point attempts from the Hatters ... Stetson shoots nearly 28 treys a game, led by Thomas and Smith who have shot more than 40 apiece.
The Series With Stetson
Missouri and Stetson meet for the third time in series history on Saturday, with the Tigers holding a 2-0 series advantage ... Missouri topped Stetson 66-45 in Head Coach Mike Anderson’s third game at MU on Nov. 12, 2006, although the Hatters did hold a 27-25 advantage at the half ... Missouri also defeated Stetson 89-64 on Dec. 30, 2000, in Columbia.
Carroll, Lyons Doubling Their Efforts
DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons have opened the 2008-09 season by scoring in double figures in nine consecutive games ... That’s the third longest streak in school history to open a season ... The tandem of Willie Smith and Kim Anderson reached double figures in 11 consecutive games to open the 1975-76 season, while Charles Henke and Joe Scott did it 10 times in 1959-60.
Tiger Tandem Streak Year
W.Smith / K.Anderson 11 1975-76
Henke / Scott 10 1959-60
Gilbert / Rush 9 2001-02
Carroll / Lyons 9 2008-09
Carroll / Hannah 8 2007-08
Tomlinson / Pike 8 1969-70
Stipanovich / Sundvold 7 1982-83
Wear & Tear Of The Fastest 40 Minutes
Missouri is second in the Big 12 with a +20.6 ppg scoring margin, but the Tigers are doing extraordinary work extending their advantages in the second half this season ... With the Fastest 40 Minutes in full effect, Missouri is outscoring its opposition 46.0-to-33.2 in the second half alone and is allowing its opponents to shoot just 37.0 percent from the floor, 27.9 percent from the three-point stripe and yes, just 63.1 percent from the foul line ... In the first half of games Missouri owns a 41.2-to-33.4 ppg scoring margin, but opponents are shooting an improved 43.4 percent from the floor, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 67.5 percent from the foul line.
Mizzou Opponent’s Numbers by Half
Statistics 1st / 2nd
Scoring Margin +7.8 / +12.8
FG 43.9 / 37.0
3FG% 37.5 / 27.9
FT% 67.5 / 63.1
Points 33.4 / 33.2
Mizou Arena - Home Sweet Home
(Knock on wood) Mike Anderson is a perfect 26-0 all-time in non-conference home games at Missouri and his Tigers will try to make it 27 in-a-row Saturday vs. Stetson ... Not only have the Tigers won 26 consecutive in the preseason, but they have done so in dominating fashion, sporting a 23.2 ppg margin of victory.
> The Tigers have played some impressive foes during Anderson’s run as well, and own quality wins over Arkansas, California, Davidson, Purdue, Murray State, Mississippi State, Oral Roberts and others during that 26-game stretch.
Year Record Margin of Victory
2006-07 11-0 18.7 ppg
2007-08 9-0 27.5 ppg
2008-09 6-0 25.0 ppg
Total 26-0 23.2 ppg.
Extend The Three-Point Line? No Problem!
The extended three-point line hasn’t been an issue for Missouri this season, as the Tigers are shooting 36.0 percent (68-of-189) from bonus distance in 2008-09 through nine games compared to the 33.0 percent (62-of-188) the Tigers shot through nine games last season.
> Balanced shooting has been the key factor for the Tigers ... Missouri had just five players who had made multiple treys through nine games last season, while this season’s group boasts 11 different players with two or more triples, including backcourt newcomers Miguel Paul (9 treys), Kim English (10), Zaire Taylor (5) and Marcus Denmon (6).
> Consequently, the extended arc has opened up the lane for Tiger forwards DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons, who are combining for 35.4 points and 14.6 rebounds a night.
Assist/Turnover Ratio Key To MU’s Start
Missouri’s assist/turnover ratio this season has fueled the club’s quick 8-1 start and it’s no surprise Missouri is listed alongside the nation’s top-ranked teams in that category.
> Missouri currently ranks No. 6 nationally with a 1.64-to-1 assist/turnover ratio, just behind nationally ranked Notre Dame and North Carolina.
Nat’l
Team Rank A/T Record
Notre Dame 14 2.0 7-2
North Carolina 1 1.8 9-0
SE Missouri - 1.7 2-8
Houston - 1.7 6-1
Louisville 9 1.7 6-1
Missouri RV 1.6 8-1
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 (18.0) and Lyons (17.4) are averaging a combined 35.4 points and 14.6 rebounds a night, which makes them the No. 3 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 No. 1 all-time, while current Tiger color analyst Gary Link and Eberhard combined for 37.0 points in 1973-74.
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
38.0 J. Brown / Al Eberhard 1972-73
37.7 C. Henke / Joe Scott 1959-60
37.6 K. Rush / C. Gilbert 2000-01
37.0 A. Eberhard / G. Link 1973-74
36.8 K. Rush / C. Gilbert 2001-02
35.4 Carroll / Lyons 2008-09
Carroll Reaches 1,000 Career Points
DeMarre Carroll reached a career milestone in the Tigers’ 95-41 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 2, as the skilled forward scored his 1,000th career point as a Division I basketball player ... Carroll opened his career at Vanderbilt in the SEC and scored 460 points over two years, before transferring to play for his uncle, Head Coach Mike Anderson ... While at Mizzou, the Birmingham, Ala., native has flourished, and has scored 547 career points in just 39 career games as a Tiger.
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 12.4 turnovers per game this season, which is among the Top 40 for the fewest in the country.
> 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. 12.4 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 20.4 assists per game, which is No. 3 nationally and have a 1.64-to-1 assist/turnover ratio as a team, which ranks No. 6 in America ... 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 20.1 turnovers a night and average 11.8 steals (No. 3 nationally) ... Missouri is averaging 26.8 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 18.0 points and 7.3 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. 4 in scoring, No. 5 in rebounding, No. 2 in field goal percentage (.598), No. 9 in steals (1.9) and No. 4 in offensive rebounding (3.1).
