March 6, 2009
Columbia, Mo. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Mizzou Basketball News and Notes 2008-09
University of Missouri Tigers (25-5, 12-3) vs.
Texas A&M University Aggies (22-8, 8-7)
2008-09 Regular Season Game 31 - March 7, 2009 - College Station, Texas
Tip-off: 1 p.m. CST
Arena: Reed Arena - College Station, Texas (12,500)
TV: ESPN2 - (Ron Franklin play-by-play; Fran Fraschilla analyst)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly play-by-play; Gary Link analyst)
Rankings: Mizzou: 15/12, Texas A&M: NR/NR in Associated Press / USA Today Coaches polls
Series: Missouri leads 11-6 overall; in College Station the Aggies lead 4-3
Coaches:
Missouri: Mike Anderson (Tulsa '82); 148-74 overall (7th season); 59-33 at Mizzou (3rd)
Texas A&M: Mark Turgeon (Kansas, '87) 200-138 overall (11th season); 47-19 at A&M (2nd)
For Openers
> Missouri closes out the regular season on Saturday with a nationally-televised date at Texas A&M on ESPN2 ... Missouri is looking to finish the regular season a perfect 6-0 vs. the Big 12 South and a win would allow the Tigers to be the only Big 12 team this season to defeat the 11 other schools in the conference.
> Missouri still has a shot at sharing the Big 12 crown with Kansas (and possibly Oklahoma) ... The Tigers would need a victory in Reed Arena on Saturday and a KU loss at home to Texas to earn a share of their first Big 12 Conference title.
> As far as seeding for the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Tournament, Missouri will either be the #2 or #3 seed ... A Tiger win or an Oklahoma loss would make Missouri the #2 seed ... An Oklahoma win vs. Oklahoma State, coupled with a Tiger loss at A&M would position the Mizzou #3.
> Regardless of Saturday's outcome in College Station, Missouri will have gone the entire regular season without back-to-back losses ... Mizzou has gone without back-to-back losses for an entire season just four times (1954-55, 1971-72, 1988-89 and 1993-94) in the modern era.
> It's certainly been quite the turnaround for Missouri Basketball this year, as the Tigers have already improved nine games from last season's 16-16 record ... The nine-win improvement is the most at MU since 1993-94, when the Tigers went from 19 wins in 1992-93, to 28 wins the next year.
> Missouri is looking for its 26th regular-season victory of the season, which would tie the school record ... The 1989-90 Tigers also won 26 regular-season tilts.
> Missouri will try to pick up another quality win to enhance its postseason resume ... The Tigers are 5-3 vs. the RPI Top 50 this year, including RPI Top 50 road wins at Oklahoma State and No. 16 Texas ... The club is also 4-1 vs. ranked teams this year, defeating then-No. 19 USC in Puerto Rico, as well as No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 16 Kansas and No. 16 Texas.
> Missouri seniors DeMarre Carroll and Matt Lawrence were each named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team this week ... Carroll was a First Team pick after recording a 3.7 GPA in graduate school, while Lawrence was a Second Team pick for the second consecutive year ... Carroll could become the first Missouri player to earn First Team All-Big 12 and First Team Academic All-Big 12 in the same year.
> The Tigers rank among the nation's leaders in several statistical categories heading into Saturday's game ... Mizzou is No. 5 nationally in scoring at 81.7 ppg, No. 2 in assists per game at 18.8, No. 2 in steals per game at 10.9, No. 2 nationally in assist/turnover ratio at 1.5 and No. 3 in scoring margin at 15.5 ... Another fun stat: Missouri is No. 5 nationally with 63.0 FG attempts per game and the Tigers have already made 194 more FGs than their opponents through 30 games thanks to the nation's No. 2-ranked turnover margin (+7.0).
Mizzou Quick-Hitters
> Missouri is looking for its 13th Big 12 Conference win of the year, which would extend its current school record mark ... Prior to this season, Mizzou's highest win total in league play was 11 games.
> Mizzou still has a shot at a share of the Big 12 title ... A Missouri win coupled with a Texas win at Kansas would give the Tigers their first Big 12 title in hoops.
> Missouri is a perfect 5-0 vs. the Big 12 South this year and has road wins vs. “the South” at Oklahoma State and at Texas.
> The Tigers have won four Big 12 road games this season and a fifth at A&M would equal the five league road wins enjoyed by the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 squads, which is the most for the school since joining the Big 12.
> Missouri Associate Head Coach Melvin Watkins is the former head coach at Texas A&M and played an instrumental role in attracting some of the nation's top players to College Station ... Watkins recruited former Aggie greats Acie Law, Antoine Wright, Joseph Jones and others
> It's always important to leave things better than you found them and seniors Matt Lawrence and Leo Lyons have helped more than double Missouri's win total from their freshmen campaigns ... In 2005-06, Missouri went 12-16, but now the Tigers are 25-5 just three years later ... MU was the No. 11 seed that season and now the Tigers are within a game of first place, thanks to the help of fellow seniors DeMarre Carroll and Mike Anderson, Jr.
> Missouri has played well against ranked teams this season and is 4-1 vs. Top 25 foes, including Wednesday's win over Oklahoma.
> That victory over OU gave the Tigers four Top 25 wins this year, which is the most since the 2001-02 club defeated six ranked teams.
> Did you know, Missouri's win over OU was the first time the Sooners have lost with both Blake Griffin and Juan Pattillo active and healthy for a full 40 minutes?
> Mizzou's 12-3 start in Big 12 play is its best in school history ... The last time Missouri started 12-3 or better in league play was the undefeated Big Eight Championship year of 1993-94.
> The Tigers are off to their best start overall (25-5) since that 1993-94 season as well ... A win on Saturday would push Missouri's record to 26-5 and MU's current total of 25 wins is its winningest season under Mike Anderson.
> In fact, Mike Anderson's .641 winning percentage through three seasons (thus far) makes him the winningest coach in Missouri history during that “first three year stretch” ... Quin Snyder is second with a .620 winning clip through his first-three years.
> With his club's resurgence this season, CBS analyst Seth Davis listed Mike Anderson as one of his Top 10 candidates for National Coach of the Year.
> Anderson was also named a finalist for the prestigious Henry Iba National Coach of the Year Award, presented by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
> ESPN's Pat Forde named Anderson a finalist for National Coach of the Year.
> Missouri is coming off an undefeated February, which was just its fourth undefeated February in school history ... The Tigers went 6-0 in the second month after going 7-0 in February in 1993-94, 6-0 in 1939-40 and 8-0 in 1920-21.
> A huge factor in Missouri's success this season has been its defense and MU has a school record 327 steals through 30 games.
> In fact, Missouri is averaging 10.9 steals per game which ties the 1998-99 Nebraska team for the most in Big 12 history.
> This season's club is also No. 2 all-time in school history with 18.8 assists per game ... The 1988-89 Tigers are tops with 19.0 dimes.
> This 2008-09 Tiger squad is the first in school history to have 500 assists, 300 steals and 100 blocked shots.
> Another key for the Tigers continues to be the play of their bench ... On the season, Missouri's reserves are averaging 29.3 points per game, which is a school record.
> The catalyst for Missouri's improved scoring punch off the pine is its five player freshman class ... So far this season that group is averaging 21.8 points.
> With those great bench-scoring totals, the Tigers have had a school-record 11 different players reach double figures this season, surpassing the 10 players that reached double figures in 1961-62, 1974-75, 1994-95 and 2007-08.
> It's not just scoring where the Tigers are balanced ... Missouri has 10 different players averaging nearly 10 minutes a game on the year, including five newcomers.
> Sticking with the balance theme, Missouri has had a school-record tying 10 different players dish out at least 20 assists this season ... The 1987-88 Tigers also had 10 players with 20 dimes on the year, which is truly an incredible stat ... Last year's Tiger team, which was one of the most “unselfish” in school history, had eight players accomplish that feat.
> Missouri has had four or more players reach double figures in the same game 13 times already this season and have had six players do it three in the same game, including twice in Big 12 play vs. Colorado and Oklahoma State.
> With that scoring surge, Missouri has topped the 80-point plateau 17 times in 30 games this season and is 17-0 on the year when scoring at least 80 points ... Missouri has topped 80 points 41 times in the Mike Anderson era (91 games) ... To put that scoring in perspective, the Tigers topped 80 points just 37 times (in total 160 games) the five seasons before his arrival.
> One thing Tiger fans are enjoying this season is points off turnovers ... Missouri is forcing 19.5 turnovers per game and is averaging 22.6 points off those opponent miscues each night.
> Missouri is scoring an impressive 30 percent of its points this season off turnovers (22.6-of-81.7).
> Another impressive stat regarding Missouri's defense is that the Tigers force a turnover on 27 percent of their defensive possessions ... That means opponents are turning it over a little more than once every four possessions vs. the Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball.
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 and looked poised to make postseason All-Big 12 honors at the end of the season as well.
> Carroll is likely to become the first Missouri player to ever be named First Team All-Big 12 and First Team Academic All-Big 12 in the same season.
> Carroll is the only player in the Big 12 to rank among the Top 10 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and steals and he was named a Mid-Season First Team All-Big 12 pick by ESPN's Fran Fraschilla.
> In league play Carroll has seen his scoring/rebounding numbers improve to 17.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, thanks to a career high 31 tallies at Iowa State on Feb. 7 and a 19.8 ppg scoring average over his last 11 outings.
> Carroll's 8.2 rebounds per game in league action is the most for a Tiger since Arthur Johnson's 9.3 rpg 2002-03.
> The 31 points were the most on the road in a Big 12 game for a Tiger since Clarence Gilbert poured in 40 at Colorado in 2002.
> Carroll also joined Leo Lyons as 30-point scorers this season ... The last Tiger teammates to drop 30 in the same season were Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding in 2003-04.
> The last time Missouri had two forwards score 30+ points in the same season was 1984-85 when Derrick Chievous scored 32 vs. Arizona in Hawaii and Malcolm Thomas dropped in 33 vs. Oklahoma at home.
> Carroll has topped 20 points in five of his last 11 outings, including 21.0 ppg in his last six home games.
> Carroll topped the 1,000-point plateau vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff and now has 1,388 career tallies at the Division I level, 460 of which came during his first two seasons at Vanderbilt ... Lyons has 1,114 career points and became the 38th member of Missouri's 1,000-point club following his career high 30-point night vs. Baylor.
> The ever consistent Carroll has reached double figures in 27-of-30 games this season and either Carroll or Lyons have led Mizzou in scoring 24 times this year.
> Carroll has six double-doubles on the year including a current run of three consecutive double-doubles, logging 21-points and 14-boards against Kansas State and 16 points, 11 boards at Kansas and 15 points and 10 boards vs. Oklahoma ... Carroll also has 10 other games this season with either eight or nine rebounds, so he's narrowly missed on a number of other double-doubles opportunities.
> The Junk Yard Dog leads all Big 12 forwards with 48 steals thanks to a career high five thefts vs. Coppin State ... Carroll also ranks among the Big 12's leaders in scoring (6th), steals (5th), field goal percentage (3rd) and rebounding (8th).
> Over his last 32 regular-season games Leo Lyons has eight 20-point outings and has reached double figures in 29-of-32 contests.
> Lyons has actually reached double figures in 18 of his last 19 Big 12 regular-season games thanks to his tremendous free throw shooting ... Since the start of Big 12 play Lyons is No. 7 in the Big 12 at the foul line at 82.3 percent.
> The Kansas City, Kan., native enjoyed a memorable night vs. Baylor, as he hit 8-of-11 field goals and 14-of-15 free throws en route to a career high 30 points.
> Lyons is coming off back-to-back great games, when he led MU with 20 points, six boards and three assists at Kansas, and scored 15 points and blocked a shot vs. Oklahoma.
> Matt Lawrence is starting to heat up from the perimeter and has hit multiple three-pointers in 14 of his last 25 outings.
> In fact, over his last 16 games Lawrence is shooting 45 percent from bonus distance, hitting 39-of-86 treys.
> Lawrence has also been shooting it well away from home recently, as the 6-foot-7 sniper is 15-of-30 (.500) from bonus distance in his last five road games.
> The St. Louis native is already No. 3 in career three-point makes at MU with 223.
> Despite being a prolific shooter, Lawrence has 26 steals, 27 assists and just 12 turnovers on the season.
> Zaire Taylor is Mr. Clutch for the Tigers, with game-winners at No. 16 Texas on Feb. 4 and the game-winner vs. No. 16 Kansas on Feb. 9.
> Taylor hit a driving lay-up at UT and was fouled with 5.5 seconds left and his 10-foot jumper with 1.3 seconds left lifted MU to a 62-60 win over Kansas and was the No. 1 play on ESPN's Top 10 Plays of the Day.
> Taylor has reached the 100 assist plateau this season and needs 20 more dimes to move into the Missouri single season Top 10.
> His 2.8-to-1 assist/turnover ratio ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 11 nationally.
> Since Big 12 play began, Taylor has dished 56 dimes and has just 20 turnovers (2.8-to-1).
> Despite being a slashing/crafty point guard, Taylor has a positive assist/turnover ratio in 26-of-30 games this year and has 5+ assists 11 times on the season, including a season high seven assists vs. K-State and at Colorado.
> Taylor has reached double figures in scoring eight times this year, including season highs of 17 points in that win at No. 16 Texas ... The Staten Island, N.Y. product also scored 17 points in the win at Georgia and helped lead Mizzou to the home win over Iowa State by scoring 15 points and grabbing five boards.
> 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.
> Junior guard J.T. Tiller is a strong candidate for the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year and was named to Fran Fraschilla's Big 12 All-Defensive Team.
> Tiller was also named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year by the Austin American-Statesman.
> Tiller was named the captain of Seth Davis' (CBS & Sports Illustrated) 10th Annual All-Glue Team.
> The Marietta, Ga., native ranks No. 24 nationally with a 2.4 assist/turnover ratio this season.
> Tiller is relentless on defense and turned in one of the great defensive efforts this season vs. Baylor, when he helped hold Curtis Jerrells to a then-season low five points and nine turnovers ... Jerrells entered the game leading the Bears in scoring at 17.4 ppg ... He also helped hold Texas All-American candidate A.J. Abrams to just 11 points, Kansas' Sherron Collins to just nine points and six turnovers and Oklahoma's Willie Warren to just seven points.
> Over his last eight games Tiller has 45 assists and just eight turnovers, for an incredible 5.6-to-1 ratio.
> Tiller is one of Mizzou's most well-rounded players and recorded a then-career high six steals vs. Xavier ... The six thefts tied a tournament record and is No. 7 in Missouri single-game school history.
> Tiller later moved to No. 2 on that list with seven steals vs. Texas Tech, which equals Rickey Paulding for the most ever by a Tiger in a Big 12 game.
> Tiller has had multiple steals in 15-of-30 games and is second in the Big 12 with 1.9 steals a night.
> Of Tiller's 22 career double-figure scoring games, 11 have come either on the road or on a neutral-court site, including 4-of-8 road games this season, counting a season high 15 points and seven rebounds at Oklahoma State and 10 points and five assists at Texas.
> 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 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.
> His 16 points vs. Iowa State was a career high for the KC native and he followed that up with 14 tallies in the win over Texas Tech, 11 of which came in the final 20 minutes.
> 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.
> The dedication is paying off for English, started 13 consecutive games (before going to the bench on Senior Night) and scored a career high 16 points vs. California in the Tiger's big win, before chipping in 16 more in the win at Iowa State.
> English has reached double figures three times in Big 12 play, including those 16 tallies at Iowa State where he tossed in 4-of-5 treys, while adding four assists.
> Junior Keith Ramsey has played improved basketball over the past few weeks, especially on the defensive end en route to earning five starts in league play.
> The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native has blocked at least one shot in 17 of his last 22 games and has 20 blocks in his last 17 contests overall.
> Ramsey provided Missouri with a huge lift off the bench vs. Nebraska, blocking three shots vs. the Cornhuskers, while grabbing four boards and coming up with a steal.
> Ramsey scored 10 points vs. Iowa State, which included 2-of-2 shooting from three-point range, before registering a career high 12 tallies at Oklahoma State.
> For his efforts against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, Ramsey was named the Big 12's Newcomer of the Week on Jan. 26.
> Ramsey ignited Missouri's road win at Georgia, with a pair of blocked shots, two assists, two steals and four points.
> Laurence Bowers, another of Missouri's exciting freshmen and scored a career high 16 points in the win over Colorado.
> Bowers hit a Missouri season-best 7-of-8 field goals, while dishing two assists, ripping two steals and blocking a shot.
> Bowers tied that career high with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting vs. Kansas State in just 15 minutes ... He also added six boards and a blocked shot in the Tiger win.
> Bowers ranks among Missouri's leaders in dunks this season (9), including a pair of alley-oop slams vs. Coppin State ... Bowers' second dunk was listed #1 on ESPN's Top 10 Plays of the Day on Jan. 6 ... We recommend you check it out ... Note that Bowers is right-handed, but caught the pass with his left hand and then flushed it all in the same motion.
About The Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M (22-8, 8-7 Big 12) hosts Missouri following a 72-66 win at Colorado on Wednesday, thanks to 18 points from Josh Carter and 16 tallies from B.J. Holmes off the bench ... A&M is one of the hottest teams in the league and has won five consecutive contests heading into Saturday ... The Aggies have been very good at home this season (15-2) and have wins over Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma State ... A&M's lone home losses came to Oklahoma and Kansas State in league action ... Carter leads four Aggies in double figures with 14.1 points a game on 41 percent three-point shooting ... Donald Sloan is just behind at 11.2 tallies, while Bryan Davis (10.3 ppg.) and Junior Elonu (10.2 ppg.) form a talented front court.
J.T. Named Captain of All-Glue Squad
Missouri junior guard J.T. Tiller earned another honor on March 4, when the Tigers' defensive stopper was named the Captain of Seth Davis' 10th Annual “All-Glue Team” ... Tiller is a leading candidate for National All-Defensive honors and paces Missouri with 56 steals and 109 assists ... He also ranks among the nation's Top 25 with a 2.4 assist/turnover ratio and is among team leaders with a 77 percent shooting stroke from the free throw line.
Tigers Enjoy First Undefeated Home Season at Mizzou Arena
It hadn't happened since the 1993-94 season, but Missouri Basketball secured an undefeated home campaign following a 73-64 win against No. 4/5 Oklahoma.
> MU finished 18-0 at home this season and its 19-game winning streak is the nation's third longest active home stretch.
> The undefeated season is Missouri's sixth since 1972-73 (first season at Hearnes) and the 18 home wins this season is the most in school history, surpassing the 17-1 mark the Tigers had at home in 1982-83.
Year Home Record
1974-75 12-0
1980-81 14-0
1988-89 16-0
1989-90 15-0
1993-94 15-0
2008-09 18-0
Tigers Could Achieve Rare Big 12 Sweep
Missouri could become the only Big 12 club to defeat the 11 other league schools this season ... Missouri is currently 5-0 vs. the Big 12 South this season and of their three losses (road losses at Kansas, Kansas State and Nebraska), the Tigers defeated each of those three teams inside Mizzou Arena.
> Only Kansas (1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02) and Texas (2005-06) have defeated the 11 other Big 12 teams during the regular season.
Vote Taylor-Tiller 2009
The backcourt tandem of Zaire Taylor and J.T. Tiller ranks among the most versatile guard duos in Missouri history ... The pair has combined for 102 steals this season and are the only teammates in America to rank among the Top 25 nationally in assist/turnover ratio.
> Both Taylor and Tiller have each dished 100 assists this season, and Taylor's 2.8-to-1 assist/turnover mark ranks No. 11 nationally, while Tiller (2.4-to-1) ranks No. 24.
> In addition, both players are on the verge of swiping 50 steals apiece and could become the first Tiger backcourt teammates to have 50+ steals in the same season since Mike Sandbothe (50) and Lynn Hardy (76) in 1986-87 ... Sandbothe and Hardy also did it in 1985-86 and are the only teammates (thus far) to accomplish the rare feat.
> In fact, Missouri is close to having three players with 50+ steals this season ... DeMarre Carroll has 48 thefts on the year and as a team, Missouri has never had three players top 50+ steals in the same season.
No Bigger Surprise Than Mizzou
Coaches around the Big 12 pegged Missouri seventh in the league's preseason poll, but Saturday's showdown with Texas A&M could potentially be for a share of the Big 12 title and the Tigers are currently in second place in the league standings.
> Mizzou can finish no worse than third in the league ledger, which would be the program's highest finish in Big 12 action since the 1998-99 campaign.
> No Big 12 team has been a bigger surprise than Mizzou as the Tigers are currently five spots higher in the current Big 12 standings than were previously predicted, despite adding a league-high tying seven newcomers to their current roster.
Coach of the Year Consideration Growing For Missouri's Mike Anderson
Coach of the Year consideration is growing for Mizzou's Mike Anderson following the number of firsts he has directed his Missouri club to this season:
> Has a team picked seventh in the Big 12's preseason poll within a game of a Big 12 title and currently stationed as the No. 2 team in the Big 12 standings.
> Has Missouri 4-1 vs. Top 25 clubs this season, including a win over No. 4/5 Oklahoma, which was MU's first win over a Top 5 team since 2002-03
> Has led Missouri to 25 regular season wins, which is the second most in school history.
> Has led Missouri to 12 Big 12 Conference wins, which is the most in school history.
> The 2008-09 Tigers are the first to be ranked in the Top 25 since the 2003-04 team.
> Are the first to win at Texas since the 1998-99 team.
> Are the first to win back-to-back games in Stillwater since the 1988 team.
> Are the first to defeat ranked teams at home, on the road and on a neutral court since the 2001-02 team.
> Are the first to win on the road at an SEC school since the 1989-90 team.
> Are the first to start 5-0 vs. the Big 12 “South”.
> Are the first to sweep Iowa State since the 1998-99 season.
> Are the first ever to play as and defeat a ranked team inside Mizzou Arena.
> Has improved nine games on Missouri's win total from last season, which is the third biggest turnaround among BCS programs in America.
Tigers Among Biggest Turnarounds Among Big Six Conferences
Head Coach Mike Anderson has directed one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball this season ... Although one game still remains in the 2008-09 regular season, the Tigers have improved nine wins (from 16 to 25) on their 2007-08 win total, which makes this year's club the third biggest turnaround among high-major teams this season.
07-08 08-09
Team Conf. Wins Wins Inc.
1. LSU SEC 13 25 12
2. Illinois Big Ten 13 23 10
3. Missouri Big 12 16 25 9
Michigan Big Ten 9 18 9
Northwestern Big Ten 8 17 9
6. S. Carolina SEC 13 20 7
Oregon St. Pac-10 6 13 7
Bost. College ACC 13 20 7
9. Oklahoma Big 12 21 26 5
Cincinnati Big East 13 18 5
Tigers Regular-Season Wins Nearing Record Levels
Missouri won its 25th regular-season game on March 4 vs. Oklahoma and now the Tigers will look for win No. 26 at Texas A&M this Saturday ... The 25 regular-season wins are the most since 1989-90 and are the second most in school history before the post-season conference or NCAA tournaments.
Rk. Year R.S. Total Wins
1. 1989-90 26 26
2. 2008-09 25 ??
3. 1988-89 24 29
1993-94 24 28
1982-83 24 26
1975-76 24 26
6. 1981-82 23 27
7. 1979-80 22 25
Defend The Rim
Missouri's incredible steal and turnover totals make most of the defensive headlines, but did you know that the 2008-09 Tigers have the most blocked shots since the 2003-04 club, which was led by Arthur Johnson and Travon Bryant?
> Missouri has 121 “swats” this season, which is the seventh most in school history and the Tigers need just seven more blocked shots to move into the single-season Top 5 ... Keith Ramsey (28), DeMarre Carroll (22) and Leo Lyons (22) lead the way, but 10 different Tigers have multiple blocks this year.
Tiller, Carroll Earn Early Fraschilla Awards
J.T. Tiller and DeMarre Carroll received some nice mid-season props from ESPN's Fran Fraschilla, as Tiller was named to his Big 12 All-Defensive Team and Carroll was named an All-Big 12 First Team pick.
> Carroll has been dominating in Big 12 action, leading the Tigers with 17.3 points and 8.2 rebounds through 15 league games ... The forward scored a career high 31 points at Iowa State and has scored 21 point or more in five of his last 10 outings.
> Tiller has been a devastating defender all year and has held Oklahoma's Willie Warren, Kansas' Sherron Collins, Texas' A.J. Abrams and Baylor's Curtis Jerrells a combined 35.4 points below their scoring average in four games.
