UMKC Closes Out Non-League Play At Missouri On Wednesday Night
12/29/2009 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
THE SETTING
The UMKC men's basketball team will round out the non-league portion of its schedule when it travels to Mizzou Arena on Wednesday to face the Missouri Tigers. The game is slated to begin at 7 p.m. and will be televised on Metro Sports and ESPN360.com.
ON THE AIR
Radio: 810 AM WHB (Steven Davis - p-b-p; Steven St. John - color)
Television: Metro Sports (Chris Gervino - p-b-p; Jon Sundvold- color); ESPN360.com
Web: www.MUTigers.com
Live Stats: www.MUTigers.com
LAST TIME OUT
The 'Roos picked up their seventh victory of the season when it tallied a 63-54 win at SIU Edwardsville on Monday night. Three UMKC players finished in double figures with Jay Couisnard and Trey McKinney-Jones pacing the team with 14 points apiece.
THE COACHES
Head Coach Matt Brown is in his third season with the UMKC men's basketball program, where he has compiled an 25-50 overall record and has coached three players to all-Summit League recognition. Former forward Dane Brumagin was a second team all-league honoree and Reggie Hamilton was an all-newcomer team selection in 2007-08, while Brumagin earned an honorable mention all-league nod in 2008-09. Last season, Brown guided the 'Roos to a pair of wins over Missouri Valley Conference foes Wichita State and Bradley. It was just the third time in school history for the team to beat two MVC teams in the same season.
Mike Anderson is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Missouri men's basketball program, where he has compiled a 74-38 overall record. Last season, Anderson guided the Tigers to within one victory of the Final Four as they fell to Memphis in the Elite Eight.
SCOUTING MISSOURI
The Tigers enter Wednesday's game riding a four-game winning streak to push their overall record to 9-3 on the year. On Sunday, MU beat Austin Peay, 94-79, at Mizzou Arena behind 23 points by sophomore guard Kim English.
English leads a group of seven Tiger players that are averaging at least 7.3 points per game. The 6-6 guard is pacing the team with a 17.3 per game average, while shooting .455 from the floor to go along with a team-best 32 three pointers. Guard Marcus Denmon is second on the team with a 10.7 scoring clip, while J.T. Tiller (9.8), Laurence Bowers (9.6) and Michael Dixon (9.2) all average over nine points a game. Forward Keith Ramsey is the team's top rebounder, pulling down 6.3 boards per game.
Missouri is out scoring its opponents by 20 points per game (83.2-63.2), while shooting 47 percent from the floor, 42 percent from long range and 73 percent from the charity stripe. The Tigers are also strong defensively, limiting their opposition to a .385 field goal percentage and a .273 mark from three-point land.
MU GAME NOTES
• Missouri and UMKC have faced two common opponents this season in Truman State and Oral Roberts. Both squads defeated Truman State (MU - 96-33; UMKC - 80-33) and both teams lost in Tulsa against the Golden Eagles (MU - 59-60; UMKC - 57-68).
• MU's “40 minutes of hell” is working as the Tigers force 21.5 turnovers per game. The team also has a +7.8 turnover margin on the season.
- The Tigers have four Kansas City, Mo., natives on its 2009-10 roster in Michael Dixon, Jr. (Lee's Summit West), Marcus Denmon (Hogan Prep), Jarrett Sutton (Oak Park) and Steve Moore (Truman).
- Missouri is a perfect 7-0 at Mizzou Arena this season. The squad has also won a school record 44 consecutive non-conference games at the venue dating back to the 2005-06 campaign.
THE SERIES
Wednesday's meeting between UMKC and Missouri will be just the third in the all-time series between the two schools. The Tigers have won the previous two match-ups, winning 60-42 in 2005 and 96-76 in 2008.
UMKC VS. BIG 12
The 'Roos are 10-51 all-time in games played against current Big 12 conference foes. UMKC's last win over the league came during the 2003 season when it pounded Kansas State, 93-52, in Kansas City. The squad also has victories over Baylor (4), Texas A&M (2), Colorado (1), Nebraska (1) and Texas Tech (1).
'ROO TIDBITS
• Sophomore Trey McKinney-Jones is leading The Summit League in field goal percentage this season. The guard has connected on 46-of-78 attempts for a .590 shooting clip. As a team, the 'Roos have the second best overall mark in the league (.454).
• With two points, junior Spencer Johnson will hit the 500-point mark for his UMKC career. Johnson will be the 30th 'Roo to reach the mark.
• UMKC used a different starting line-up for the first time in five games at SIUE. Bakari Lewis notched his third start of the season in place of Trey McKinney-Jones. It was the first game this season that McKinney-Jones wasn't among the starting five.
• Jay Couisnard set career-highs with eight rebounds and five steals in the win at SIU Edwardsville, while Trey McKinney-Jones tied a career-high with five assists.
• Freshman Kirk Korver knocked down 4-of-7 attempts (2-of-4 3PT) en route to 11 points at SIUE. It was Korver's second game in double figures this season.
• UMKC is leading the league in turnover margin (+3.2), and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0). The squad is also fourth in steals (7.5) and assists (12.8).
• The 'Roos have attempted at least 24 free throws in 5-of-the-last-6 games and the squad has attempted 30 or more from the charity stripe in three of those contests. During the six games, UMKC is knocking down 75.1 percent of its free throw chances The squad is 5-0 on the year when attempting more free throws than its opposition.
• Jay Couisnard attempted 13 free throws (9 makes) in the road win at SIUE. It was the third game that the forward has attempted double digit free throw attempts in a game this season.
• UMKC shot .533 (8-15) from long range in back-to-back games at Houston Baptist and vs. Central Arkansas on Dec. 12 and Dec. 19. Last season, the squad didn't shoot 50 percent in any of the team's 31 games.
• Sophomore Trey McKinney-Jones scored a career-high 21 points in the win over Central Arkansas. He is the third 'Roo player to hit the 20-point mark this season.
• The 'Roos have 22 more offensive rebounds than their opponents this season (109-87). Overall, however, UMKC is -0.2 (30.4-30.6) on the glass on the year.
• UMKC is undefeated when scoring 70 or more points.
• Alex Bazzell opened his collegiate career by playing 108 minutes before committing his first turnover. Bazzell now has a 3.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (29-9).
• The 'Roos are shooting .469 from the floor and .359 from long range at home and .443 from the field and .320 from long range on the road.
• Junior Spencer Johnson has made 35 consecutive starts and has started 42 of the last 43 contests.
'ROOS MATCH 2008-09 WIN TOTAL
UMKC matched its 2008-09 win total when it tallied its seventh victory of the season on Dec. 28 at SIU Edwardsville. The win was also the team's fourth road victory this season, which surpasses last year's total (3). In Coach Brown's first two years in Kansas City, the 'Roos won a combined five road contests.
BALANCED SCORING
The 'Roos have five players averaging over 8.5 points per game this season and a total of three players in double figures. UMKC is a perfect 4-0 on the year when it has four or more players finish in double digits.
TMJ STEPPING UP
After reaching double figures just once in the first five games, sophomore Trey McKinney-Jones has stepped up his game over the past seven contests by scoring in double digits in 6-of-the-7 games and he has paced the team in scoring in each of the last three contests.
The Wisconsin native has set his career-high two times over the past seven contests. In the road win at Centenary on Dec. 5, McKinney-Jones made 8-of-9 field goal attempts en route to a 17-point outing. On Dec. 19 against Central Arkansas, the guard hit the 20-point mark for the first time in his career, as he made 6-of-9 shots (2-of-2 3PT) and 7-of-7 free throws en route to a career-high 21 points.
Since the calendar turned to December, McKinney-Jones is pacing the team with a 14.6 per game average, while shooting 61.4 percent from the floor, 50 percent from long range and 87 percent from the charity stripe.
CONSISTENT COOZY
Junior Jay Couisnard has been UMKC's most consistent player this season, as the forward has reached double digits in 11-of-the-team's-12 games and he's been the leading scorer for the squad in seven contests.
The Houston, Texas, native has surpassed the 15-point mark in five games, which includes two 20-point contests. In his return to his hometown on Dec. 12, Couisnard scored a career-high 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the win at Houston Baptist. He also knocked down 10-of-13 free throws in the victory.
Couisnard is pacing the team and 11th in The Summit League with a 14.2 per game average, while shooting .414 from the floor and .389 from long range. He also leads the team in free throw makes (46) and attempts (71), while making .648 percent of his chances.
OFFENSIVE EXTRAVAGANZA
The Kangaroos finished with season-highs in field goal percentage (.571), three-point field goal percentage (.533) and free throw percentage (.809) in the road win at Houston Baptist on Dec. 12. The squad also tied a season-high with eight three-pointers in the victory, which helped the squad score 102 points.
The 102 point output is the 15th highest point total in school history and it is the second time in the Matt Brown era that the squad has reached the century mark.
SIX'S COMPANY
All five UMKC starters and a total of six 'Roo players finished in double digits in leading the team to a road win at Houston Baptist. It was the first time since Dec. 30, 2003, in the 93-52 blowout win over Kansas State that the squad had six players reach double figures.
'ROOS TIE SCHOOL RECORD
UMKC tied a school record with 38 free throw makes in the road win at Houston Baptist. The squad connected on 38-of-47 attempts, which translated into a season-high .809 free throw percentage. The 38 makes tied the school record that was set on Jan. 4, 1992 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
STEADY TREZ
Sophomore LaTreze Mushatt has provided the 'Roos with a steady scoring option this season, as the forward has reached double figures in 8-of-12 contests on the year. In the road win at Centenary on Dec. 5, the Michigan native tallied his first career double-double, as he finished with 17 points and 10 boards. Mushatt is the first and only 'Roo player to tally a double-double this season.
Mushatt is averaging 11.5 points, while shooting .462 from the floor. He is also leading the team with 6.0 rebounds per game to go along with 24 assists.
The UMKC men's basketball team will round out the non-league portion of its schedule when it travels to Mizzou Arena on Wednesday to face the Missouri Tigers. The game is slated to begin at 7 p.m. and will be televised on Metro Sports and ESPN360.com.
ON THE AIR
Radio: 810 AM WHB (Steven Davis - p-b-p; Steven St. John - color)
Television: Metro Sports (Chris Gervino - p-b-p; Jon Sundvold- color); ESPN360.com
Web: www.MUTigers.com
Live Stats: www.MUTigers.com
LAST TIME OUT
The 'Roos picked up their seventh victory of the season when it tallied a 63-54 win at SIU Edwardsville on Monday night. Three UMKC players finished in double figures with Jay Couisnard and Trey McKinney-Jones pacing the team with 14 points apiece.
THE COACHES
Head Coach Matt Brown is in his third season with the UMKC men's basketball program, where he has compiled an 25-50 overall record and has coached three players to all-Summit League recognition. Former forward Dane Brumagin was a second team all-league honoree and Reggie Hamilton was an all-newcomer team selection in 2007-08, while Brumagin earned an honorable mention all-league nod in 2008-09. Last season, Brown guided the 'Roos to a pair of wins over Missouri Valley Conference foes Wichita State and Bradley. It was just the third time in school history for the team to beat two MVC teams in the same season.
Mike Anderson is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Missouri men's basketball program, where he has compiled a 74-38 overall record. Last season, Anderson guided the Tigers to within one victory of the Final Four as they fell to Memphis in the Elite Eight.
SCOUTING MISSOURI
The Tigers enter Wednesday's game riding a four-game winning streak to push their overall record to 9-3 on the year. On Sunday, MU beat Austin Peay, 94-79, at Mizzou Arena behind 23 points by sophomore guard Kim English.
English leads a group of seven Tiger players that are averaging at least 7.3 points per game. The 6-6 guard is pacing the team with a 17.3 per game average, while shooting .455 from the floor to go along with a team-best 32 three pointers. Guard Marcus Denmon is second on the team with a 10.7 scoring clip, while J.T. Tiller (9.8), Laurence Bowers (9.6) and Michael Dixon (9.2) all average over nine points a game. Forward Keith Ramsey is the team's top rebounder, pulling down 6.3 boards per game.
Missouri is out scoring its opponents by 20 points per game (83.2-63.2), while shooting 47 percent from the floor, 42 percent from long range and 73 percent from the charity stripe. The Tigers are also strong defensively, limiting their opposition to a .385 field goal percentage and a .273 mark from three-point land.
MU GAME NOTES
• Missouri and UMKC have faced two common opponents this season in Truman State and Oral Roberts. Both squads defeated Truman State (MU - 96-33; UMKC - 80-33) and both teams lost in Tulsa against the Golden Eagles (MU - 59-60; UMKC - 57-68).
• MU's “40 minutes of hell” is working as the Tigers force 21.5 turnovers per game. The team also has a +7.8 turnover margin on the season.
- The Tigers have four Kansas City, Mo., natives on its 2009-10 roster in Michael Dixon, Jr. (Lee's Summit West), Marcus Denmon (Hogan Prep), Jarrett Sutton (Oak Park) and Steve Moore (Truman).
- Missouri is a perfect 7-0 at Mizzou Arena this season. The squad has also won a school record 44 consecutive non-conference games at the venue dating back to the 2005-06 campaign.
THE SERIES
Wednesday's meeting between UMKC and Missouri will be just the third in the all-time series between the two schools. The Tigers have won the previous two match-ups, winning 60-42 in 2005 and 96-76 in 2008.
UMKC VS. BIG 12
The 'Roos are 10-51 all-time in games played against current Big 12 conference foes. UMKC's last win over the league came during the 2003 season when it pounded Kansas State, 93-52, in Kansas City. The squad also has victories over Baylor (4), Texas A&M (2), Colorado (1), Nebraska (1) and Texas Tech (1).
'ROO TIDBITS
• Sophomore Trey McKinney-Jones is leading The Summit League in field goal percentage this season. The guard has connected on 46-of-78 attempts for a .590 shooting clip. As a team, the 'Roos have the second best overall mark in the league (.454).
• With two points, junior Spencer Johnson will hit the 500-point mark for his UMKC career. Johnson will be the 30th 'Roo to reach the mark.
• UMKC used a different starting line-up for the first time in five games at SIUE. Bakari Lewis notched his third start of the season in place of Trey McKinney-Jones. It was the first game this season that McKinney-Jones wasn't among the starting five.
• Jay Couisnard set career-highs with eight rebounds and five steals in the win at SIU Edwardsville, while Trey McKinney-Jones tied a career-high with five assists.
• Freshman Kirk Korver knocked down 4-of-7 attempts (2-of-4 3PT) en route to 11 points at SIUE. It was Korver's second game in double figures this season.
• UMKC is leading the league in turnover margin (+3.2), and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0). The squad is also fourth in steals (7.5) and assists (12.8).
• The 'Roos have attempted at least 24 free throws in 5-of-the-last-6 games and the squad has attempted 30 or more from the charity stripe in three of those contests. During the six games, UMKC is knocking down 75.1 percent of its free throw chances The squad is 5-0 on the year when attempting more free throws than its opposition.
• Jay Couisnard attempted 13 free throws (9 makes) in the road win at SIUE. It was the third game that the forward has attempted double digit free throw attempts in a game this season.
• UMKC shot .533 (8-15) from long range in back-to-back games at Houston Baptist and vs. Central Arkansas on Dec. 12 and Dec. 19. Last season, the squad didn't shoot 50 percent in any of the team's 31 games.
• Sophomore Trey McKinney-Jones scored a career-high 21 points in the win over Central Arkansas. He is the third 'Roo player to hit the 20-point mark this season.
• The 'Roos have 22 more offensive rebounds than their opponents this season (109-87). Overall, however, UMKC is -0.2 (30.4-30.6) on the glass on the year.
• UMKC is undefeated when scoring 70 or more points.
• Alex Bazzell opened his collegiate career by playing 108 minutes before committing his first turnover. Bazzell now has a 3.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (29-9).
• The 'Roos are shooting .469 from the floor and .359 from long range at home and .443 from the field and .320 from long range on the road.
• Junior Spencer Johnson has made 35 consecutive starts and has started 42 of the last 43 contests.
'ROOS MATCH 2008-09 WIN TOTAL
UMKC matched its 2008-09 win total when it tallied its seventh victory of the season on Dec. 28 at SIU Edwardsville. The win was also the team's fourth road victory this season, which surpasses last year's total (3). In Coach Brown's first two years in Kansas City, the 'Roos won a combined five road contests.
BALANCED SCORING
The 'Roos have five players averaging over 8.5 points per game this season and a total of three players in double figures. UMKC is a perfect 4-0 on the year when it has four or more players finish in double digits.
TMJ STEPPING UP
After reaching double figures just once in the first five games, sophomore Trey McKinney-Jones has stepped up his game over the past seven contests by scoring in double digits in 6-of-the-7 games and he has paced the team in scoring in each of the last three contests.
The Wisconsin native has set his career-high two times over the past seven contests. In the road win at Centenary on Dec. 5, McKinney-Jones made 8-of-9 field goal attempts en route to a 17-point outing. On Dec. 19 against Central Arkansas, the guard hit the 20-point mark for the first time in his career, as he made 6-of-9 shots (2-of-2 3PT) and 7-of-7 free throws en route to a career-high 21 points.
Since the calendar turned to December, McKinney-Jones is pacing the team with a 14.6 per game average, while shooting 61.4 percent from the floor, 50 percent from long range and 87 percent from the charity stripe.
CONSISTENT COOZY
Junior Jay Couisnard has been UMKC's most consistent player this season, as the forward has reached double digits in 11-of-the-team's-12 games and he's been the leading scorer for the squad in seven contests.
The Houston, Texas, native has surpassed the 15-point mark in five games, which includes two 20-point contests. In his return to his hometown on Dec. 12, Couisnard scored a career-high 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the win at Houston Baptist. He also knocked down 10-of-13 free throws in the victory.
Couisnard is pacing the team and 11th in The Summit League with a 14.2 per game average, while shooting .414 from the floor and .389 from long range. He also leads the team in free throw makes (46) and attempts (71), while making .648 percent of his chances.
OFFENSIVE EXTRAVAGANZA
The Kangaroos finished with season-highs in field goal percentage (.571), three-point field goal percentage (.533) and free throw percentage (.809) in the road win at Houston Baptist on Dec. 12. The squad also tied a season-high with eight three-pointers in the victory, which helped the squad score 102 points.
The 102 point output is the 15th highest point total in school history and it is the second time in the Matt Brown era that the squad has reached the century mark.
SIX'S COMPANY
All five UMKC starters and a total of six 'Roo players finished in double digits in leading the team to a road win at Houston Baptist. It was the first time since Dec. 30, 2003, in the 93-52 blowout win over Kansas State that the squad had six players reach double figures.
'ROOS TIE SCHOOL RECORD
UMKC tied a school record with 38 free throw makes in the road win at Houston Baptist. The squad connected on 38-of-47 attempts, which translated into a season-high .809 free throw percentage. The 38 makes tied the school record that was set on Jan. 4, 1992 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
STEADY TREZ
Sophomore LaTreze Mushatt has provided the 'Roos with a steady scoring option this season, as the forward has reached double figures in 8-of-12 contests on the year. In the road win at Centenary on Dec. 5, the Michigan native tallied his first career double-double, as he finished with 17 points and 10 boards. Mushatt is the first and only 'Roo player to tally a double-double this season.
Mushatt is averaging 11.5 points, while shooting .462 from the floor. He is also leading the team with 6.0 rebounds per game to go along with 24 assists.
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