Dec. 30, 2004

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Tip-off: 7:00 p.m.

Arena: Mizzou Arena (15,061)

TV: ESPN 2 (Dave Strader, play-by-play; Fran Fraschilla, analyst)

Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, play-by-play: Gary Link, analyst)

Rankings: Gonzaga is No. 12 in the AP Poll and No. 21 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll

Mizzou is not ranked in either poll

Series: Tied, 1-1 : Last Meeting: GU, 87-80 (OT) in Seattle, WA on Dec. 13, 2003

Coaches:

Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89) 106-68 at MU and overall (6th season).

Gonzaga: Mark Few (Oregon '87) 143-33 at GU and overall (6th season).

Tigers Close Out 2004 with No. 12/21 Gonzaga

The University of Missouri men's basketball squad (6-5, 0-0 Big 12) faces its second straight Top-25 opponent on Thursday when it welcomes No. 12/21 Gonzaga (10-1, 0-0 West Coast) to Columbia to round out 2004. The Tigers are coming off of a tough 70-64 loss at the hands of No. 1 Illinois on Dec. 22 in St. Louis, but have won three of their last five contests including two straight at Mizzou Arena.

Sophomore Linas Kleiza has definitely been the Tigers' offensive hot hand over the course of a cold month of December. Kleiza scored 25 (of Mizzou's 64) points, pulled down seven rebounds and handed out three assists against Illinois. He has led Mizzou in scoring in each of the last four games and in eight of the Tigers' 11 games so far this season. Over the course of the last five games, Kleiza has averaged 19.2 points per contest and has connected on 74.3 percent of his free throw attempts (29-of-39) including 23 of his last 29 attempts.

The Tiger defense will be tested once again on Thursday as the Zags have four players who average better than 9.1 points per game and are knocking down shots at a 52.0 percent clip. Along those lines, Mizzou's defense has certainly improved over the course of the last six games. The Tigers held the Illini to just 70 points, their lowest point total of the season and 14 points off of their season average. Mizzou also limited Illinois to 42.3 percent field goal shooting, equaling their lowest percentage in 2004-05 (Arkansas also held them to 42.3 percent). Mizzou has limited their opponents to just 60.5 points per contest over the course of the last six games.

Thursday's tilt will be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network with Mike Kelly and former Tiger great Gary Link on the call. The Tigers will also be making their second straight appearance on national television as the game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Dave Strader and Fran Fraschilla on the call for the `Deuce.'

Quick Hits

Mizzou has recorded an 18-15 mark during the calendar year of 2004 ... The last time the Tigers defeated a Top 25 opponent was on Feb. 24, 2004 when they defeated No. 6 Oklahoma State, 93-92 in double overtime in Columbia ... The Gonzaga game will be Mizzou's 12th contest of the season; they did not play Game 12 last season until Jan. 12 against Syracuse ... The Tigers are 6-2 at Mizzou Arena this season, but are 0-3 away from home ... sophomore Linas Kleiza has led Mizzou in scoring, rebounding or in both categories in 10 of its 11 games so far this season ...Kleiza has scored eight points or more in 14 of the last 16 games he has played in ... Head coach Quin Snyder is looking for win number 107 at Mizzou ... Junior Jimmy McKinney has now started 67 straight regular season games for Mizzou, dating back to Dec. 30, 2002 against Valparaiso ... Seven of the Tigers' 2004-05 opponents were ranked or receiving votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25 and three (Illinois, Oklahoma State and Kansas) were ranked in the top three ... Mizzou will be facing its second ranked opponent of the season on Thursday ... After giving up eight three-point field goals per game during the first seven contests of the season, the Tigers have allowed just 15 three pointers over the course of the last four games and has held its last four opponents to a combined 26.9 percent from three (14-of-52).

About the Bulldogs

The Zags enter Thursday's contest winners of their last seven including a 78-75 upset victory over No. 3 Oklahoma State on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City in the Touchstone Energy All College Classic. Led by sophomore forward Adam Morrison (19.8 ppg., 5.7 rpg.) and senior center Ronny Turiaf (19.1 ppg., 9.1 rpg.), the Zags have knocked off the No. 3 team in the country twice in the last two weeks and are outscoring their opponents by over 10 points per game this season.

Gonzaga is shooting over 50 percent from the field and seven regulars are shooting 50 percent or better. J.P. Batista leads the way, having knocked down 30-of-48 shots on the year, good for a percentage of 62.5 on the season.

Sixth year head coach Mark Few leads the Bulldogs and has registered a 143-33 mark at GU and has led them to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first five years as head coach.

Series - Tied, 1-1 - Last Meeting: GU, 87-80 (OT) on Dec. 13, 2003 in Seattle, WA

A Look at the Series

Dec. 16, 1941 - MU, 55-46 in Spokane, WA

Dec. 13, 2003 - GU, 87-80 (OT) in Seattle, WA

Last time Out Against the Zags

Rickey Paulding scored a team-high 23 points including a leaning three-pointer with 10 seconds left that sent the contest to overtime, but it wasn't enough as the No. 3 Tigers fell to No. 17 Gonzaga, 87-80, at KeyArena in Seattle on Dec. 13, 2003. Despite the loss, then-freshman Linas Kleiza made his presence felt on the national TV broadcast with 16 points and 13 rebounds in the thriller.

A Look Back ... Mizzou vs. Illinois

Despite 25 points and seven rebounds against for sophomore Linas Kleiza, the Tigers' frantic second-half comeback came up just short against Illinois, 70-64. The Tigers trailed by as many as 16 in the second half, but were able to shave the lead to four points with 16 seconds left in the contest. Below are a couple other notes of note after the battle with the Illini ...

Missouri Team Notes vs. Illinois

* Mizzou falls to 6-5 on the year after falling to No.1 Illinois in St. Louis in the Busch Braggin Rights game. The Tigers have now lost five straight to the Illini.

* After falling behind by as many as 16 in the second half, Mizzou was able to claw back into the game with 42.3 percent shooting from the field in the second half while outscoring the Illini, 41-32 in the half.

* Mizzou held the Illini to just 70 points, their lowest point total of the season and 14 points off of their season average.

* The Tigers also limited Illinois to 42.3 percent field goal shooting, equaling their lowest percentage in 2004-05 (Arkansas also held them to 42.3 percent).

* Mizzou has limited their opponents to just 60.5 points per contest over the course of the last six games.

* Five Tigers scored eight or more points in the contest including 16 combined points off of the bench from Thomas Gardner (8 pts.) and Marshall Brown (8 pts.)

Missouri Player Notes after the Illinois Game

* The Tigers were led by sophomore Linas Kleiza who scored 25 points, pulled down seven rebounds and handed out three assists.

* Kleiza has led Mizzou in scoring in each of the last four games and in seven of the Tigers' 10 games so far this season.

* Over the course of the last five games, Kleiza has averaged 19.2 points per contest and has connected on 74.3 percent of his free throw attempts (29-of-39).

* Junior Kevin Young also had an impressive night, scoring five points and equaling a career-best with eight boards.

* Junior Jimmy McKinney extended his consecutive games started streak to 67 games.

Doing it with Defense

One of the main focuses of the Tigers' efforts has been and will be improving on the defensive end. Its no secret how the Tigers have gone 4-2 over the course of the last six games. Mizzou has given up only 60.5 points per contest during that stretch. Mizzou held the Illini to just 70 points, their lowest point total of the season and 14 points off of their season average. The Tigers also limited Illinois to 42.3 percent field goal shooting, equaling their lowest percentage in 2004-05 (Arkansas also held them to 42.3 percent)

Mizzou recorded its best defensive performance of the season against Indiana, holding the Hoosiers to just 53 points, the lowest total the Tigers have allowed this season. Mizzou held Indiana's leading scorer Bracey Wright to just 12 points on 3-of-8 shooting and forced 15 Hoosier turnovers.

Against Montana, the Tigers held the Griz to only 38.3 percent shooting from the field while also blocking a season-high seven shots. They allowed only one Grizzly to reach double figures in scoring and nabbed nine steals in the win.

Against Arkansas, the Razorbacks were averaging nearly 78 points per contest heading into the game and were hitting their three-point attempts at a 42.4 percent clip. Even though the final outcome wasn't what the Tigers had hoped for, they did make strides on the defensive end holding Arkansas to only 62 points (16 points off of their average) and shut down U of A from three (12.5 percent - 1-of-8). In fact, after giving up eight three-point field goals per game during the first seven contests of the season, the Tigers have allowed just 15 three pointers over the course of the last four games and has held its last four opponents to a combined 26.9 percent from three (14-of-52).

Shouldering the Load

Linas Kleiza has recovered fully from a shoulder separation he experienced half way through last season and it looks as though he will be shouldering a major part of the Tiger offense this season. The All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention recipient has been amazing offensively so far this season and continues to improve on defense.

Kleiza scored 25 (of Mizzou's 64) points, pulled down seven rebounds and handed out three assists against Illinois. He has led Mizzou in scoring in each of the last four games and in eight of the Tigers' 11 games so far this season.

After scoring just three points in the opening half against Indiana, Kleiza poured in 15 of his game-high 18 points in the second half including 12 free throws in the win.

He had the best offensive game of his career against Montana, scoring a career-best 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. Kleiza recorded the fifth double-double of his career against Arkansas with a team-high 14 points and 11 rebounds. He broke out of mini-scoring funk with 13 points, nine boards and nine assists against Oakland while turning the ball over just one time, something he has been focusing on improving all season. He is definitely Mizzou's most versatile player as he leads the team in scoring (16.2 ppg.), rebounds (7.5 rpg.) and is second on the squad in assists (25).

The Youth of the Tiger Nation

The freshmen on the Tiger roster have started to really assert themselves on the court for Mizzou. Over the course of the last six games, Marshall Brown, Kalen Grimes, Jason Horton and Glen Dandridge have combined to score 25.5 percent of the Tigers points (99-of-388) and all four of them have set or equaled career highs in points during that stretch. The latest to do so was Brown, who knocked down 4-of-4 shots from the field including two huge threes on his way to 11 points to help in Mizzou's come-from-behind win over Indiana.

Two of the four members of the class (Brown and Horton) have started this season and all of them are playing at least 5.6 minutes per contest.

`Cap'-tain Consistency

Junior Kevin Young (his teammates call him Cap) has started each of the Tigers' first 11 contests and has been a solid contributor so far. Young ranks fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 4.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest. He has recorded five or more rebounds and/or five or more points in eight games this season. He scored a career-high eight points against Houston in the second round of the Guardians Classic. He also matched a career best with eight boards (seven of which were offensive) against Illinois on Dec. 22. Young leads the squad in field goal percentage, connecting on 45.5 percent from the field.

Where Were You When ...

While we are not sure who ordered the first batch of nachos from the concession stand or who was the first to christen the men's room ... we do have a list of "firsts" that took place against Central Missouri State on Nov. 4 at the Mizzou.

* The first point and first free throw in Mizzou Arena history came at 19:27 of the first half when sophomore forward Linas Kleiza knocked down his first shot from the charity stripe.

* The first field goal, a two-point shot, in Mizzou Arena history came at 18:25 of the first half, courtesy of senior guard Jason Conley.

* The first dunk in Mizzou Arena history came at 17:24 in the first half, when sophomore forward Linas Kleiza slashed through the lane and raised for a two-handed flush.

* The first points of freshman forward Marshall Brown's career came at 15:36 of the first half when he converted a layup after being fouled. The first free throw of his career came moments later as he completed the three-point play.

* The first opponent point in Mizzou Arena history came at 16:40 of the first half, when senior forward Mike Suggs sank the second of two free throws. It was also the first points of Suggs' Mules career.

* The first opponent field goal in Mizzou Arena history came 13:23 of the first half, by junior forward Dwight Williams.

A Peek at the Mizzou Arena

On September 21, 2002, a new and exciting phase for Missouri Basketball began with the groundbreaking for a brand new, $75 million state-of-the-art facility. The new arena is an imposing place to play for opposing teams and provides unbelievable options for the Tigers when it comes to player development. In addition to more seating, with a capacity of 15,061, there are a host of other exciting additions:

Ø 26 Luxury Suites

Ø State-of-the art training room

Ø Expanded locker room facilities complete with film room and player lounge

Ø Practice gym

Ø Basketball office complex

Ø Box office and team store

Ø Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame

Mizzou Arena houses all the up-to-date technologies desired in a modern sports facility. Both men's and women's basketball programs have video game film viewing theaters; all coaches offices and meeting rooms have cable TV hook-ups and both private (suites, clubs) and public (concession stands, retail store) areas throughout the arena have direct-game and cable televisions in place. Adjacent to the west side truck dock are dedicated and secured television production and satellite truck parking areas with permanent patch-in panels. The audio-video room within the arena is also linked to Missouri's two major sports venues - the Hearnes Center and Memorial Football Stadium. The arena contains a center-hung scoreboard-video board as well as 30" high video ribbon board located above the luxury suites where the lower and upper seating bowl transition occurs.

New Editions

No, I am not going to break into a rendition of "Cool it Now" or "Candy Girl" (as much as you all would enjoy that) but Mizzou has two members of its staff that are beginning new editions of their careers. And like the group "New Edition," you might say that the newest members of the Tiger coaching family are old school.

Associate Head Coach Melvin Watkins joined the Tigers in July after six years as head coach at Texas A&M and a two year stint as head coach at UNC-Charlotte. Watkins has brought a wealth of experience and energy to the Tiger bench. The other new face on the Tiger bench is assistant coach Jeff Meyer, who most recently was an assistant at Butler University for three years. Meyer brings 25 years of coaching experience to Mizzou including 16 years as a head coach at Liberty University. He also joined the Tiger bench in July.

Coach Quin Snyder

6th Year at MU

106-68

In his sixth year at the helm of the Mizzou basketball program is Quin Snyder. Missouri's 15th head coach, Snyder has built a program that has joined the upper echelon of college basketball. With a focus on developing players academically, physically, skillfully and socially, Snyder's squads have enjoyed trips to the post season in each of the last five seasons including four trips to the NCAA Tournament. Mizzou has averaged exactly 20.0 wins per contest during Snyder's five-year tenure at Mizzou. The intense competitor the Tiger players call "Coach Q" won his 100th career game last season when Mizzou defeated Texas A&M in the Big 12 Tournament. He became the fourth coach in Mizzou school history to reach the 100-win plateau and Snyder will have a great opportunity to add to that total with a contract that will keep him as a fixture on the Tiger bench through 2007-08.

Heading into 2004-05, Mizzou returns several of its top players from a year ago including senior Jason Conley, junior Jimmy McKinney and sophomores Thomas Gardner and Linas Kleiza. Snyder and his staff have also gathered a sixth straight Top 25 recruiting class to augment the already talented roster. Mizzou has moved to a new state-of-the-art home this season, the Mizzou Arena, which holds around 15,000 rowdy Missouri fans and gives the Tigers an unbelievable opportunity to build on the foundation of success that has been established.

Given the success and excitement Snyder's squads have generated in his five years at the helm, it is not surprising that Tiger fans are looking for big things from Mizzou in 2004-05. In 2003-04, Snyder led the Tigers to wins over Top 20 teams such as Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. He also saw his second recruiting class of Arthur Johnson, Rickey Paulding, Travon Bryant and Josh Kroenke complete outstanding careers at Mizzou. Johnson and Paulding both jumped into the Top 10 on the Tiger scoring charts and Johnson finished his career as the Tigers' all-time leader in blocked shots and rebounds. That outstanding class also finished their career having played in the most NCAA Tournament contests of any class in school history with eight.

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Snyder, 37, attended Mercer Island High School in the state of Washington. A two-time state player of the year, Snyder led the team to the 1985 state championship. During this time, Mercer Island achieved a No. 1 ranking in USA Today's high school polls. Snyder was named a McDonald's All-America player, being the first ever chosen from the state of Washington.

Snyder and his wife, the former Helen Redwine, a native of Charlotte, N.C, have one son, Owen Redwine Snyder, born on December 25, 2002.