Missouri

2008-09 Missouri Basketball Preview: #54

Joel Welser — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:17:53 -0700

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Missouri Tigers

Overall Rank: #54

Conference Rank: #6 Big 12

2007-08: 16-16, 6-10, 10^th

2007-08 postseason: none

Missouri has to replace some quality players, but Coach Mike Anderson is finally getting close to having the athletes and the depth he needs to run his fast pace offense and pressure defense. He has done more with less at UAB, but the Tigers have to get the off-court problems behind them if they want to play up to their potential and reach the NCAA Tournament.

Who’s Out:

Stefhon Hannah was leading the team with 14.6 points and 5.2 assists per game when he was kicked off the team. Most of the time the Tigers struggled to score without him, but with more time to adjust to his absence will be a good thing. Adjusting to the loss of Keon Lawrence might be more of an issue. The guard started 20 games last year and averaged 11.0 points per contest. He opted to transfer to Seton Hall to be closer to home. Jason Horton picked up the slack at point after Hannah was gone and did a decent job during his senior campaign. The final loss to the backcourt is little used Nick Berardini. The news up front is a little better, but Marshall Brown, Vaidotas Volkus and Darryl Butterfield were all contributors.

Who’s In:

The most important issue is finding a starting point guard. Miguel Paul and Zaire Taylor are solid choices. Paul, an incoming freshman, is quick and can always push the tempo. The 6-1 Lakeland, Florida product does a great job finding his teammates, but he can score as well and that is a good thing for a team that could use another scorer in the backcourt. Taylor is the more interesting prospect. The transfer from Delaware has a couple years of division I college experience, but he is also 6-4 and has long arms. If he can effectively run the point, his length will provide something on the defensive end that Paul cannot. Taylor is also a decent scorer and could see minutes at the two or three spots. In a pinch, Marcus Denmon could run the show, but he is better suited to play off the ball and do a ton of scoring. At 6-6, Kim English will bring size to the perimeter and the more size the better in Coach Anderson’s defensive schemes. Laurence Bowers and Steve Moore will provide some depth to the frontcourt, but it is Keith Ramsey who is expected to make a big impact. The junior college transfer is a perfect fit for the system and can handle the ball and pass effectively. His outside shooting will take him out towards the three-point line, but his best asset is beating opposing big men off the dribble. At 6-9 and 210 pounds, the lefty is big enough to battle in the paint, but the opposition will have trouble matching his foot speed.

Who to Watch:

If Missouri did not already have a great frontcourt, Ramsey would be starting. But on a team that employs pressure defense, having quality depth is very, very important. Now DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons can play aggressively without having to worry as much about foul trouble. Carroll had a great year in 2007-2008 after transferring in from Vanderbilt. He averaged 13.0 points and a team high 6.7 rebounds per contest and should be even better as a senior. Lyons emerged as a big threat during his junior campaign and got better as the season progressed. On the year he averaged 13.1 points and 5.7 rebounds and, if he continues to improve, Lyons will be the leader of the pack.

Final Projection:

Even with all the talented newcomers, J.T. Tiller and Matt Lawrence should hold onto their starting roles on the wing. Tiller is the slasher and had some great games once he became a starter. The Tigers will need him to be more consistent this year. Speaking of consistency, that is what Lawrence lacked as well. Two years ago Lawrence hit 44.3 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. Last season that number plummeted to 34.8 percent. Without Hannah, it will be up to Lawrence to be the main long range shooting threat and he has to get closer to his 44.3 percent this time around or the Tigers offense will struggle.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Miguel Paul, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season

J.T. Tiller, Junior, Guard, 6.8 points per game

Matt Lawrence, Senior, Guard, 8.8 points per game

DeMarre Carroll, Senior, Forward, 13.0 points per game

Leo Lyons, Senior, Forward, 13.1 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

State of '08: Missouri

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:09:49 -0700

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

MISSOURI

MISSOURI STATE - In nine seasons, Barry Hinson could never get the Bears over the NIT hump. In 2006 & 2007, the Bears made the NIT despite great RPIs of 21 & 36. Chalk it up to a little bad luck. Now Hinson is out, and the future looks murky under Cuonzo Martin. Martin, a first time head coach, inherits a depleted roster that is destined to finish near the bottom of the MVC in 2009.

MISSOURI - For whatever reason, the whole state of Missouri is struggling on the hardwood. The Tigers haven't reached the promise land since 2003. Before then, Mizzou had made 14 of 18 Tournaments, mostly under legendary coach Norm Stewart. But Quin Snyder, and now 3rd year coach Mike Anderson, have struggled to build any positive momentum. Over the past four years, Missouri State's RPI has been about 45 spots higher per year on average. This could be the first season since 2003 that the Tigers are legitimately the best team in the state.

SAINT LOUIS - While MSU/SMS hasn't made the Tourney since 1999, SLU is also in the midst of a decade-long drought. Since Lorenzo Romar led the Bills to the 2000 Dance, there's only been 2 NIT trips and a whole bunch of mediocrity. Rick Majerus was brought in to change things, but its hard to imagine anything better than an NIT bid this year.

UMKC - Neither the past nor the present has been particularly kind to UMKC. The Kangaroos have never made the Big Dance, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. 2005 was the last year UMKC looked dangerous in the Summit League, but even that year went sour after they started 9-0 in league pay.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE - Unlike UMKC, at least SEMO has made the NCAA Tournament. In 2000, the Redhawks almost upset LSU in the opening round after going 14-4 in the OVC. Since that time, SEMO has really struggled, having only finished above .500 once. The last three seasons have been particularly bad with consecutive sub 290 RPIs.

Last: Mississippi - Next: New Jersey

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

College Football: Kansas State @ Louisville Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:53:10 -0700

Kansas State @ Lousiville, 8PM EST on ESPN2

The fourth weekend of the season gets an early start, with the first Wednesday night game of the season matching Kansas State (2-0) and Louisville (1-1). The Wildcats haven't been tested in either of their two wins over North Texas and Montana State, so this should be a nice road test before they dive into Big 12 play. As for the Cardinals, their test (and defeat) came in their season opener, an embarassing 27-2 home loss to rival Kentucky. But they recorved in their last game, a 51-10 pasting of Tennessee Tech.

Kansas State QB Josh Freeman is second in the Big 12 in pass efficiency right now (209.3 pass rating), which isn't a small achievement when you look at the roster of quarterbacks in that league. But as was noted earlier, the Wildcats really haven't been challenged. As for who he'll get the ball too, look for Brandon Banks and Aubrey Quarles to get plenty of touches, as they're both in the top ten in the Big 12 in regards to all-purpose yards.

As for Louisville, all the hype coming into the season on offense surrounded QB Hunter Cantwell, who was finally getting the keys to the Lousiville attack after patiently waiting behind Brian Brohm. But redshirt freshman Victor Anderson has been a pleasant addition as well, ranking fourth in the Big East in rushing (72.5 yards per game). And don't forget about Brock Bolen, who had two touchdowns in their win over Tennessee Tech. And in a reversal of their fortunes in 2007, the Cardinals presently lead the Big East in total defense.

As for who wins this game, I like Louisville because of the home field advantage but the game should be close.

Weekly Honors for Week Three

- USC was named FWAA/Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Team of the Week.

The Trojans received the honor thanks to their 35-3 pasting of then-#5 Ohio State. Also nominated were BYU (59-0 shutout of UCLA) and UNLV (23-20 overtime win at then-#15 Arizona State).

- Wisconsin LB DeAndre Levy was named Nagurski Defensive Player of the Week.

The senior from Milwaukee racked up nine tackles (four of which were for loss), one pass breakup and an interception in the Badgers' 13-10 win at Fresno State.

Injury news regarding Missouri safety William Moore

Head coach Gary Pinkel categorized the senior All-America candidate as "probable to doubtful" for the Tigers' game against Buffalo on Saturday due to a sprained foot suffered in their win over Nevada.

Missouri Finishes Canada Trip 3-0

Press Release — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:26:15 -0700

- Zaire Taylor turned 22 on Saturday. The Delaware transfer and Staten Island, N.Y. native had a family members and friends make it up to Monday's game in Welland, Ontario, and saw him score 15 points, grab five boards, dish four assists and rip away eight steals.

- Missouri outscored its opponents by 35.3 points per game over the three contests. Missouri's largest margin of victory was 49 during a 117-68 win over Brock University. The Tigers never trailed at the end of the quarter in any game they played.

- Head Coach Mike Anderson used no fewer than eight different line-ups in each game he played and only two Tigers, J.T. Tiller in the second contest vs. Brock University and Zaire Taylor vs. the Southern Ontario All-Stars, played 20 minutes or more in a single game.

- The Tigers recorded an incredible 70 steals in three games, an average of 23.3 per contest. Taylor led Missouri with 18 total steals (6.0 spg.). J.T. Tiller was second with nine steals.

- Post players DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons tied for the team lead in scoring (15.7 ppg). Carroll hit 20-of-29 shots from the floor (69.0 percent), while Lyons was 19-of-29 (65.5 percent).

- Tiller was actually Missouri's second-most efficient shooter. Tiller hit 15-of-22 shots (68.1) and Keith Ramsey finished fourth at 63.6 percent, hitting 7-of-11 shots.

- Missouri had 10-of-13 players finish with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. Matt Lawrence and Kim English each had a 9-to-1 assist/turnover margin, while Tiller enjoyed a 10-to-2 clip and freshman Marcus Denmon went 8-to-2.

- Missouri was led in scoring by a different Tiger each day. Carroll led Missouri with 20 points in a 120-80 win over the Ontario All-Stars. Denmon led Missouri with 23 points in the win over Brock University and Lyons paced MU with 20 points in the win over the Southern Ontario All-Stars.

Ten different Tigers hit at least one three-pointer in the three games and four Tigers, Lawrence (8), Denmon (6), English (5) and Paul (5) each recorded five or more.

Missouri Basketball Schedule: 2008-09

Press Release — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:45:11 -0700

Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri announced its 2008-09 Men's Basketball schedule on Thursday and Head Coach Mike Anderson's squad will face another daunting slate of games, complete with 12 games against teams that competed in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

"This is certainly another challenging schedule for our team, one that will get us prepared for Big 12 play and hopefully have us playing some of our best basketball at the end of the season," Head Coach Mike Anderson said. "There are obviously some tremendous tests on this schedule, but with a number of home games, our fans will have a chance to come see this team develop and mature throughout the year."

Missouri opens regular-season action with two games in three days, hosting Prairie View A&M on Nov. 15 and UT-Chattanooga on Nov. 17. While the game vs. Chattanooga is played at Mizzou Arena, it will actually serve as an opening-round contest in the 2008 O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

The Tigers will then depart Columbia the next day for San Juan, P.R. Missouri will enjoy three games in four days on the islands, starting with a Nov. 20 contest against 2008 Elite Eight qualifier Xavier. Missouri and Xavier are matched in the eight-team bracket with Virginia Tech and Fairfield. The other side of the bracket includes Chattanooga vs. Memphis and Seton Hall vs. Southern California. Each of Missouri's first two contests in Puerto Rico will be televised live on ESPNU. The tourney field will have a day off on Nov. 22, but will return to action on Nov. 23. The finals of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off will be televised on ESPN. All other consolation games will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

Missouri returns home for a five-game homestand starting on Nov. 30 vs. NCAA Tournament qualifier Oral Roberts. ORU finished 24-9 last season and ran away with the Summit League crown sporting a 16-2 league mark. The Golden Eagles are paced by the return of leading scorer Robert Jarvis, who was a first team All-Summit League performer averaging 16.1 points on 41 percent shooting from three-point range.

Following a home game with Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 2, Missouri hosts the Cal Bears and new head coach Mike Montgomery on Dec. 7. The contest vs. Cal is a return match-up in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series. The Bears topped the Tigers 86-72 last season in Berkeley, Calif.

Murray State then comes calling to Mizzou Arena on Dec. 13. Head Coach Billy Kennedy's club went 18-13 last season and have enjoyed winning records on the hardwood for 21 consecutive years.

A Dec. 20 contest against Stetson leads the Tigers into the holiday season and another Busch Braggin' Rights match-up with Illinois on Dec. 23. This year's edition of the Braggin' Rights Game will be televised live on ESPN2, with tip-off slated for 6:30 p.m.

After a short break for the holidays, Missouri returns to action on Dec. 27 and Dec. 30 with games against Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and Centenary. SIU-Edwardsville is a provisional Division I program and will join the Ohio Valley Conference as a full member for the 2011-12 season, while Centenary is a member of the Summit League and earned a 70-66 win over Texas Tech last season.

A trip to Athens, Ga., on Jan. 3 gives Anderson's young Tiger squad some quality road experience. Georgia won the SEC Tournament title last season under some unique circumstances and looks to build in Dennis Felton's sixth season.

The team then closes out non-conference action on Jan. 6 at home vs. Coppin State. The Tigers and Eagles have met each of the past two seasons and Missouri has won the two games by an average margin of 27.5 points. Give the Eagles credit however, as they rallied late in the 2008 campaign to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament crown to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

Missouri opens Big 12 play on the road at Nebraska on Jan. 10 on ESPN2. The Tigers then enjoy back-to-back home games against Colorado and Iowa State, before traveling to Stillwater, Okla., for an 8 p.m. contest with the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The Mizzou Sports Network will release its television schedule at a later date. Game times and dates are subject to change to make broadcast accommodations for MSN.

While not a part of Mizzou's "official" 2008-09 schedule, the Tigers actually open action this weekend with a three-game exhibition tour in Ontario, Canada. Mizzou opens action on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. CT vs. the Ontario All-Stars. Sunday's game pits the Tigers vs. 2008 Canadian National Champion Brock University at 1 p.m. CT and Monday's finale is against the Southern Ontario All-Stars at 9 a.m. CT.

For more information on the University of Missouri Men's Basketball program, please visit our website, mutigers.com.

2008-09 Missouri Basketball Schedule Notes

- At a minimum, Missouri will play 32 regular-season games during the 2008-09 season, including the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City, Okla. With two exhibition games, Missouri will have a 20-game home schedule.

- Missouri is guaranteed to play teams from 12 different conferences in non-conference play. The Tigers have scheduled games vs. teams from the: Atlantic 10 (Xavier), Atlantic Sun (Stetson), Big 10 (Illinois), Great Lakes Valley Conference (SIU-Edwardsville), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (Coppin State), Ohio Valley (Murray State), Pac-10 (California), Southeastern Conference (Georgia), Summit (Centenary and Oral Roberts), Southern Conference (UT-Chattanooga) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (Prairie View A&M and Arkansas-Pine Bluff).

- Missouri could also play games vs. the ACC (Virginia Tech), Big East (Seton Hall), Conference-USA (Memphis), Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (Fairfield) and a second game vs. the Pac-10 (Southern Cal) in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

- Missouri will have a minimum of 12 games vs. teams that competed in the NCAA Tournament last year. Those teams include Xavier, Oral Roberts, Georgia, Coppin State, Kansas State (twice), Baylor, Texas, Kansas (twice), Oklahoma and Texas A&M. The Tigers could also face NCAA participants Memphis and USC in Puerto Rico.

- Missouri will venture into SEC territory for the second consecutive season. Missouri will open a home-and-home series with the Georgia Bulldogs in 2008-09. The Tigers traveled to Mississippi State last year. Georgia is slated to return to Columbia next season.

- This season's contest with California is a return match-up in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series. Missouri played at Cal last year. The tournament will re-organize opponents in 2009-10.

- Missouri will have 12 games televised nationally in 2008-09. Missouri will appear on the ESPN family of networks 11 times and CBS once (at Kansas on March 1).

- A full television schedule, complete with Mizzou Sports Network television listings will be available at a later date.

-Missouri has four neutral-site games in non-conference play this season. Three of those games will come in San Juan, P.R. and the fourth will be the annual Busch Braggin' Rights Game vs. Illinois in St. Louis.

- The trip to Puerto Rico is the first for Missouri since Nov. 29 - Dec. 1, 1996. Ironically, the Tigers opened the San Juan Shootout vs. Tennessee-Chattanooga.

- Each of Missouri exhibition contests feature teams from the state of Missouri. The Tigers will face Lincoln University and Missouri Southern State University in the preseason.

Rise and Fall: Big 12 Program Review

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:13:58 -0700

Like civilizations, all great basketball programs eventually fall.. replaced by an upstart newcomer. In this week's Rise & Fall series, we'll take a look at which BCS programs are rising, falling, or merely treading water. Up today, the:

BIG 12

BAYLOR - RISING (QUICKLY)

The Bears RPI has jumped from 257th in 2005 to 43rd last year, and the future looks even brighter. With stud prospects like Cory Jefferson, Quincy Acy, and Perry Jones locked up in upcoming classes, Sweet Sixteen caliber teams are possible.

COLORADO - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

While last season was an improvement over a disastrous 2007 (just 7 D1 wins), its hard to say things are going in the right direction. Roby and Hall are gone, and the Buffs will be banking on a handful of potentially decent, yet unproven, recruits. I trust Bzdelik to turn things around eventually, but it might be another season or two before they're plugged into the rising category.

IOWA STATE - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

The Cyclones are in a similar situation to Colorado: coming off a couple sad seasons, with a handful of solid recruits to provide hope, but way to much uncertainty to expect anything but minimal success.

KANSAS - STATUS QUO

Nothing wrong with the status quo when you're coming off a well-deserved NCAA Tournament title. There will no doubt be a bit of a setback this season, but Bill Self is going about rebuilding the talent base in the right manner. What's most impressive about the five Top 60 quality prospects joining the program this fall, is that all should be around for at least a couple of seasons before bolting for the NBA.

KANSAS STATE - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

Considering last year's Wildcats featured one of the best pro talents in recent memory, the 20-12 record and RPI of 50 is rather blah. While there's still some talent on the roster, 6 or 7 wins in the league would have to be considered quite an accomplishment. Frank Martin hasn't proven to anybody that he can coach, so he'll need to pull off some Hugginsesque recruiting steals down the line.

NEBRASKA - STATUS QUO

The Huskers have been hanging around the 90-100 RPI range for almost 8 years now. This year's team also figures to be completely mediocre, and there's no reason to expect much deviation down the line. The epitome of the status quo designation.

MISSOURI - STATUS QUO

A lot of analysts expect big things from Missouri this year, but I'm not on the bandwagon. The reality is that the Tigers haven't broken through the 20-win mark since 2003, and another 17-18 win season seems likely in 08-09. Last year's 6-10 conference record was a disappointment, and the graduation of Stefhon Hannah and the recent transfer of Keon Lawrence (to Seton Hall) doesn''t help the cause.

OKLAHOMA - RISING

The return of Blake Griffin was huge news for Sooners fans. Credit his arrival for helping turn a dismal RPI of 102 in 2007 to a solid 29th last year. Even bigger things are expected this time around as Griffin returns, and another stud prospect, Will Warren, joins the program. There's simply a very positive vibe surrounding the program now that Jeff Capel has settled in, and big things are possible down the line.

OKLAHOMA STATE - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

It was only a handful of years ago that Oklahoma State was consistently a Top 10-quality team. Mercifully, the Sean Sutton experiment is now over, and Cowboy fans can look forward to the Travis Ford era. Sutton just wasn't winning enough league games, and though James Anderson was a nice catch, the overall talent level has been slipping. It will take some time for Ford to turn things around, but he will.

TEXAS - RISING (SLOWLY)

Rick Barnes has slowly built up Texas into one of the country's best programs. There's so much depth on the roster that despite losing star DJ Augustin, most consider the Horns a lock to win the Big 12 title. Eventually the good run will plateau, but I think there's room for improvement left to come.

TEXAS A&M - RISING (SLOWLY)

Following the meteoric rise under Billy Gillispie, anything Mark Turgeon does will seem ordinary. Still, Turgeon can coach, and the program is bringing in better talent than it has in years. David Lobeau and Dashan Harris are legit finds, who should help ease the losses of Kirk, Jones, and Jordan.

TEXAS TECH - STATUS QUO

Similar to Nebraska above, but at a slightly higher level, the Raiders seem destined to hover around mediocrity for the next handful of seasons. The Knight's don't really bring in the top prospects anymore, but they also manage to bring in just enough talent to prevent any dismal stretches.

- up next is the Big Ten -

Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series Schedule

Press Release — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:57:07 -0700

Irving, Texas - The Big 12 and Pacific-10 Conferences have announced the dates and matchups for the 2008 Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series. The series is in its second year after beginning competition during the 2007-08 season.

The majority of the games are scheduled for December 4-7, with three taking place outside the four-day series window. Each matchup is a return contest from 2007. The 2009 games in the series will be played December 3-6, while meetings in 2010 will take place December 2-5. After this season, new pairings will be in place for the next two years of the arrangement.

Last season, the Pac-10 held a 7-5 edge over the Big 12 in Hardwood Series games. Overall, the Big 12 posted an 11-8 advantage between the conferences in regular season and postseason play. The 12 contests averaged more than 10,000 fans, drawing a total of 123,035 to the arenas.

Additional components of the series, including the times and television information will be announced at a later date.

BIG 12 / PAC-10 HARDWOOD SERIES

Thursday, December 4, 2008
Oklahoma State at Washington
UCLA at Texas
USC at Oklahoma

Friday, December 5, 2008
Arizona at Texas A&M

Saturday, December 6, 2008
Baylor at Washington State
Oregon State at Iowa State

Sunday, December 7, 2008
Kansas State at Oregon
Nebraska at Arizona State
California at Missouri

Outside the four-day series window
Colorado at Stanford (Sat., Nov. 29, 2008)
Kansas at Arizona (Tue., Dec. 23, 2008)
Texas Tech at Stanford (Sun., Dec. 28, 2008)

Cheerleader of the Day: Missouri

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 07:18:45 -0700

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, we now have access to thousands of great college basketball photos to use on the site. Each day, along with our Picture of the Day, we'll be featuring a Cheerleader of the Day. We'll be mixing up the schools & cheerleader so check back daily!

Missouri

- Check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- Also check out the Picture of the Day!

2007-08 Missouri Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 06:49:12 -0700

Missouri Tigers

Overall Rank: #32

Conference Rank: #3 Big 12

2006-07: 18-12, 7-9, 6^th

2006-07 postseason: none

When the starting five could go in so many directions, it says a lot about the depth of the team. And that is exactly the case with Missouri. Coach Mike Anderson has quickly built a team that has a whole lot of scoring threats. The bad news is this is practically the same group that went 7-9 in conference play last year. That is not going to cut it this year. The team had some good wins last year, but also some baffling losses to teams they should not lose to in the Big XII. Another year of experience should help the squad win those close games against inferior opponents or, preferably for the Tigers, make those games not even close at all.

Who’s Out:

The lone graduating senior is Marcus Watkins who saw limited minutes in just 18 contests. The departure of Kalen Grimes and Glen Dandridge will have a bigger impact. Grimes, who started 24 games, is the noticeable loss. The 6-9 center averaged 7.0 points and a team high 5.6 rebounds per game and leaves behind a gaping hole in the paint.

Who’s In:

If the name DeMarre Carroll sounds familiar, it should. At the end of the 2005-2006 campaign the 6-8 forward was making his mark on the SEC at Vanderbilt. During that sophomore season, Carroll averaged 12.1 points and 7.4 rebounds during conference play and will add a much needed presence on the glass. Justin Safford, a 6-8 225 pound power forward, will find it difficult to see minutes this year. Safford may have the size, but he is not a banger under the basket. Safford is a shooter. A year or two to work on his strength and rebounding is a necessity, but his style will fit in well with the Tigers once they have a big man who can handle all the work under the basket so a power forward like Safford can spend time floating on the perimeter.

Who to Watch:

Stefhon Hannah will likely play the point this year after averaging a team high 15.4 points and 4.6 assists. Hannah is a great shooter, but the turnovers were painful to watch at times. That is why Jason Horton is not out of the starting picture. Horton, who started 22 games at the point last year with Hannah by his side, is a much more efficient point guard. He has senior leadership and all the intangibles, but he is not a scorer. They could both start again if it was not for Keon Lawrence, J.T. Tiller and Matt Lawrence. Keon Lawrence had a great freshman year, averaging 9.7 points per game. With a year of experience under his belt, Keon Lawrence is ready for a breakout year. Matt Lawrence was second on the team with 11.2 points per game and was a lights out shooter from long range. It will be extremely difficult to keep Hannah and the two Lawrence’s out of the starting five and that leaves Horton on the outside looking in for now.

Final Projection:

Another player who could lose his starting job is Marshall Brown. The 6-6 forward averaged over ten points per game last year and can play either forward position. When Missouri needs to go big Brown will be at the small forward position, but Carroll will take away some of his minutes, and maybe his starting job, at the four. The most important player on the team could end up being Leo Lyons. With the departure of Grimes, Lyons suddenly finds himself as the most experienced big man. The 6-9 junior has showed plenty of potential over his two years in Columbia, but now is the time he needs to step up, especially in the rebounding department where the Tigers would have struggled even if Grimes was coming back. Former junior college transfers Darryl Butterfield and Vaidotas Volkus will be asked to fill some of the void up front for their senior seasons. The only thing this team is lacking is a quality, proven big man who can rebound and do a little scoring in the paint. If nobody can do that, Missouri will be in trouble and Coach Mike Anderson might end up putting his five most talented players on the floor instead of worrying about rebounding. One thing is for sure, the talent on Missouri could put them in the NCAA Tournament if everybody can fill their roles and do what is asked of them. The other sure thing is that the Tigers will run and be a fun and interesting to watch this season.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Stefhon Hannah, Senior, Guard, 15.4 points per game

Keon Lawrence, Sophomore, Guard, 9.7 points per game

Matt Lawrence, Junior, Guard, 11.2 points per game

DeMarre Carroll, Junior, Forward, DNP last season

Leo Lyons, Junior, Forward, 7.4 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | College Basketball Schedule | Discuss the Preview

Big 12 Player & Freshman of the Week

Press Release — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 10:08:19 -0800

IRVING, TEXAS - Juniors JamesOn Curry (Oklahoma State) and Stefhon Hannah (Missouri) have been named Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Player and Rookie of the Week for games of Nov. 28 - Dec. 3 in voting by a panel of media covering the conference. Curry earns the accolades for the second time in his career (Dec. 19, 2006), while Hannah has been chosen top rookie for the second straight week.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

JamesOn Curry, Oklahoma State, G, Jr., 6-3, 195, Pleasant Grove, N.C./Eastern Alamance

Curry helped the Cowboys to two wins last week, averaging 29.5 points per game. The junior guard started with a career-best 35 points in a 95-73 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He then followed with a 24-point performance in a victory over Pepperdine (90-74). For two games, he was 22-of-37 from the floor (.595) and was 10-of-10 from the free throw line. He also had three rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Curry has posted 18.0 points and 5.4 assists per game this season.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Stefhon Hannah, Missouri, G, Jr., 6-0, 175, Chicago, Ill./Chipola JC (Fla.)

Hannah led Mizzou to its first 9-0 start since the 2001-02 season after the Tigers recorded two more victories. He averaged 15.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 steals and 4.5 rebounds in victories over Arkansas (86-64) and Evansville (73-54). The junior guard had a game-high 21 points with six assists and six steals in the win over the Razorbacks. He followed with 10 points and five assists versus the Purple Aces, who entered the matchup with MU on a four-game winning streak. Hannah is averaging 5.4 steals over the last five games, a school-record for a five-game effort.

- Big 12 -