UMKC Closes Out Non-Conference Schedule At Mizzou On Tuesday Night
1/7/2008 3:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will close out the non-conference portion of its schedule at Big 12 foe Missouri on Tuesday night in Columbia. The Kangaroos and Tigers will square off at the Mizzou Arena beginning at 7:05 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast live on Metro Sports.
On The Tube
Tuesday's game will be broadcast live on Metro Sports. Chris Gervino will handle the play-by-play, while Jon Sundvold will serve as the color commentator.
On The Air
All UMKC men's basketball games can be heard on Sports Radio 810 WHB AM or 97.3 FM. Fans can also hear the games online at www.810whb.com. “The Voice of the Kangaroos” Danny Clinkscale will call the play-by-play action for UMKC for the seventh straight season. Former Kangaroo Michael Watson will provide color commentary.
On The Web
Fans can watch all UMKC home games and all league contests live on SummitTV. Fans can access SummitTV through www.umkckangaroos.com or www.thesummitleague.org. More than 275 men's and women's games will be featured as part of the $49.95 annual subscription package.
Live Stats
Fans can follow the action as it happens via live stats at www.mutigers.com.
A Look At Missouri
The Tigers enter Tuesday's game with a 9-5 overall record after dropping two of their past three contests. MU fell by a single point to Illinois on Dec. 22, 59-58, before rebounding with a lopsided 72-38 thrashing of Coppin State on Dec. 27. In their most recent game on Dec. 30, Mizzou fell at Mississippi State, 87-75.
Four Tiger players are averaging in double figures on the season with forward DeMarre Carroll leading the team with 14.7 points and 6.9 rebounds. Guard Stefhon Hannah scores 14.0 points a night to go along with 5.1 assists, while forward Leo Lyons averages 11.6 points on a team-best .615 shooting. 6-7 guard Matt Lawrence, meanwhile, adds 10.1 points per game for the squad.
MU is averaging 81.1 points per game, while giving up just 66.1 a night. The squad is shooting .462 from the floor, but just .331 from three-point range. Missouri pulls down 36.4 boards per contest, and it has 72 more assists than turnovers.
MIZZOU Game Facts
- Missouri is a perfect 8-0 at home this season. The last non-conference home game that the Tigers lost came in 1999-00, when they fell to Winthrop, 51-46. MU is also undefeated (19-0) at home in non-conference action under Coach Anderson.
- The Tigers are leading the nation in defending the three-point arc this season, as foes are shooting just 23.6 percent from long range against the squad.
- MU has played one other Summit League foe this season in Western Illinois. The Tigers topped the Leathernecks, 91-52, on Nov. 25 at Mizzou Arena.
MU vs. UMKC - The Series
Missouri leads the all-time series over UMKC, 1-0. In the first and only meeting in the series, the Tigers topped the Kangaroos, 60-42, on Nov. 29, 2005 in Columbia.
Last Contest
The Kangaroos dropped a 69-62 decision to Western Illinois on Saturday night at Municipal Auditorium. UMKC fell behind by a game-high 14 points late in the first half before fighting back to even the game at 45 all midway through the second. The Leathernecks, however, quickly regained the advantage on a David DuBois lay-up, and WIU never looked back in the seven-point victory.
Notes From The WIU Game
- The loss ends a 16-game winning streak for UMKC over Western Illinois. The Kangaroos last defeat in the series came at the Mid-Con Tournament during the 1999 season.
- Neither UMKC nor WIU did a very good job of taking care of the basketball, as both teams combined for 41 turnovers. The Kangaroos' 20 miscues were the most for the squad since the Nov. 24 game against Arkansas Tech.
- UMKC matched a season-high with 11 steals against the Leathernecks.
Still Looking For A Road Win
The Kangaroos head to Mizzou Arena looking for their first road win of the Matt Brown era on Tuesday night in Columbia. UMKC is currently 0-7 at road venues this season, and the team has lost 21-of-its-last-22 road contests dating back to the 2006-07 season.
The team is averaging 68.4 points per game on the road this season, while it is shooting .401 from the floor and .362 from long range. On the flip side, the Kangaroos are giving up 81.9 points on .531 shooting from the floor and .500 shooting from long range.
Another Line-up Shuffle
Head Coach Matt Brown used his second straight and sixth different starting line-up of the season against Western Illinois. Brown inserted freshman Spencer Johnson into the starting five for the second start of his collegiate career.
Playing The Close Ones
UMKC has dropped its last five games by a combined total of 32 points or 6.4 points per contest. Each of the past three defeats have come by seven points or less.
A Second Half Team
The Kangaroos are making it a habit of falling behind early and rallying late. UMKC is being outscored by 108 points in the first half of games this season (577-469). The squad, however, is outscoring its opposition in the final 20 minutes by 37 points (620-583). The Kangaroos are averaging 29.3 points in first halves of games compared to 38.8 points per contest in the second half.
UMKC has scored 50 or more points in a half this season on three occasions and all three outbursts have come in the final 20 minutes. The team scored 61 points in the second half at Oakland on Dec. 6 and 54 points in games against Arkansas Tech and Loyola Chicago.
Double Digit Dane
After being held below double figures for just the third time this season, junior Dane Brumagin responded with his sixth 20-point game of the year against Western Illinois on Saturday. The forward finished with 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting, which included a 4-of-8 night from three-point land. On the year, the Montgomery City, Mo., native has reached double digits in 13-of-16 games. He has also been UMKC's high scorer in nine games on the year.
Brumagin's most prolific games of the season, and his career, came during a two-game stretch in early December when he scored 75 points in two games. The forward netted 40 points at Oakland on Dec. 6 on 12-of-17 shooting, and he followed it up with 35 points on 14-of-20 shooting at IPFW on Dec. 8. As a result, he was named the Mid-Majority Baller of the Week on Dec. 10.
More Than Just A Scorer
Junior Dane Brumagin has not only been UMKC's most consistent scorer this season, but the forward has also been one of the team's top rebounders. The Montgomery City, Mo., native has led the team on the boards in five of the last seven games and in a team-best seven contests on the season. His 5.1 rebounds per game are tops on the team. Brumagin has finished with eight or more rebounds in three games this season, and he posted a career-high nine boards against Central Arkansas on Dec. 29.
Getty Matches Season-High
Junior Brian Gettinger made his fifth start of the season against Western Illinois, and he responded by matching a season-high with 17 points. The forward made 4-of-5 three point attempts in the game, and he finished with a team-best seven rebounds. Gettinger now has three games this season with three or more triples.
Dane With The D
Junior Dane Brumagin finished with a season-high four steals on Saturday against Western Illinois. The figure is a UMKC team-high this season, and it is one off of the forward's career-best. The four steals also moved Brumagin into the team lead in the category this season with 20.
Balance Is Key
The Kangaroos had four players score in double figures in the victory over Loyola Chicago on Dec. 22. It was the fifth game this season for the team to have at least four players with 10 or more points. On Nov. 24, UMKC had a season-high five players score in double figures in the 90-82 victory over Arkansas Tech.
UMKC now has three players on the year that are averaging 10 points or more per game. Dane Brumagin (18.2), Reggie Hamilton (11.7) and Brent Stephens (11.5).
Stephens Leads Team Off The Bench
Senior Brent Stephens has come off the bench for the Kangaroos in each of the past two games. The forward finished with a team-high 16 points against IUPUI, and he followed it up with seven points against WIU.
The Jay, Okla., native is averaging 11.5 points in a reserve role for UMKC the past two contests. On the year, Stephens is averaging 11.5 points, and he has scored in double figures in 10-of-16 games. For his career, the senior has been in double digits in 33 games.
Getting After It Defensively
The Kangaroos have forced 99 (16.5 p/game) turnovers over the past six games. The squad has also been contesting the three-point shot, as their opponents have made just 33-of-104 of their attempts for a .317 percentage.
M.I.A
Junior Alex Pledger has not seen any game action since the season opener at Kansas on Nov. 11. Pledger is sidelined with a foot injury and elbow injury.
Blackwell Finds His Groove
Senior Tim Blackwell scored more than 20 points in back-to-back games against Northern Iowa and Loyola Chicago earlier this season. The guard finished with 21 points against the Panthers before scoring a season-high 24 against the Ramblers on 5-of-12 shooting. The 24-point showing is the second highest output for the guard in 95 career games.
The Cameron, Mo., native has posted a pair of 20-point games this season and six such games in his UMKC career. He has scored in double figures in six games on the year and in 36 games in his career.
Solid Freshman Season
Freshman Reggie Hamilton has been a solid offensive weapon for the Kangaroos this season, as the guard has been in double digits in 12-of-16 games. The Harvey, Ill., native finished with a career-high 19 points in back-to-back games against Eastern Washington and Oakland earlier this season.
Hamilton is second on the team in scoring with a 11.7 average. He is also leading the team in assists (54), and he's second on the squad in steals (18) on the year.
