UMKC Opens Home Schedule Sunday With Cardinals
11/14/2015 7:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
William Jewell Cardinals (1-0) at UMKC Kangaroos (0-1)
Date / Time: November 15 - 6:05 p.m. CT
Site: Kansas City, Mo. / Municipal Auditorium (9,827)
TV: None
Listen: UMKCKangaroos.com (free)
Talent: Steven Davis (pxp)
Webstream: Roos TV (Subscribers)
Live Stats: UMKCKangaroos.com
Twitter: @UMKCMensHoops #RooUp
Series: UMKC leads 1-0
Home: 1-0
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
Last Meeting: UMKC won 84-44, 11/17/03
Richardson vs. Opponent: 0-0
QUICK NOTES
- The 'Roos hit 12 threes on Friday night, matching the highest it has ever made under Richardson.
- LaVell Boyd scored 25 points in his debut with UMKC, hitting seven threes. It was the most threes made for a 'Roo since Reggie Chamberlain hit seven vs. Western Illinois (1/19/12). It also matched the highest point total ever for a Roo in his debut (Dominique Johnson in 2006 had 25).
- UMKC returns six letterwinners to the lineup this season, all of which have starting experience. Four of those players started more than half the games they played (Martez Harrison, Shayok Shayok, Darius Austin, Thaddeus Smith).
- The 'Roos are facing 10 schools this season that went to postseason tournaments last year (South Dakota St., UT-Martin, Iowa, Louisville, UNC-Wilmington, Oklahoma St., USC-Upstate, Seattle, New Mexico State and Grand Canyon).
- UMKC will play games in 15 different states this season.
- Martez Harrison was named an AP honorable mention All-American last season, becoming the first ever in D-I history. He was named the WAC Player of the Year as well, becoming the second UMKC player ever to win that honor (Michael Jackson, 1999-00).
- Harrison led the league in scoring (17.5 ppg), total steals (60) and total assists (129). He also ranked among the league's top 10 in free-throw shooting (.748) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.50).
- Thaddeus Smith had 44 blocks last year, ranking fourth in a single season at UMKC. He was second in the WAC with 1.5 blocks per game.
- UMKC shattered the school's single season record last year with 266 steals.
- The 'Roos 8-6 WAC record was the first above .500 at UMKC since the 2005-06 season (11-5), while the 14 wins was the most at UMKC since the 2010-11 season (16).
- The 'Roos 6-1 home WAC record was the best conference mark in school history.
- UMKC was a No. 2 seed in the WAC Tournament, matching the highest seed it has ever been in the conference tournament (2004-05). The second place WAC regular season finish matched the 2004-05 and 1999-00 teams finishes as the highest ever for UMKC.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The Cardinals are 1-0 on the season with an 88-75 win at home over Baker on Friday night.
They are led by Darius Tomlin and Matt Lassen, who both hit five threes and scored 22 and 21 points respectively in the game. They also had three other players in double figures in Patrick Whelan, Javier De La Blanca and Austin Regier with 14, 12 and 10 points. As a team they shot 45 percent, but hit 13 three-pointers.
THE COACHES
Kareem Richardson is in his third season as the head coach at UMKC, posting a 24-40 record. He was named the sixth coach in the Division I era on March 19, 2013 after helping Louisville to a National Championship in 2013 as an assistant under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.
His second season in Kansas City as the head man was another step in the right direction in 2014-15, and generated several program firsts. The 8-6 WAC record was the first above .500 at UMKC since 2005-06, and its second place finish matched the highest ever in league play. UMKC finished with a 6-1 WAC home record, the best in school history in conference play.
Larry Holley is in his 37th season at William Jewell, posting a 771-389 record there. It is his 45th season overall as a college head coach, posting 869-516 record. He is in five Hall of Fames and is the third-leading active wins coach in Division II.
THE SERIES
The 'Roos are 1-0 all-time against William Jewell in the Division I ranks in regular season games, taking an 84-44 win last season on November 29. The two teams met numerous times as members of the NAIA, with UMKC winning the last meeting 78-72 in December of 1985.
A WIN WOULD MEAN...
- The 'Roos would have opened their home schedule with a win for the second straight year.
- UMKC would have defeated William Jewell for the second straight season.
- Missouri-Kansas City would have improved to 14-2 against D-II competition since becoming Division I in 1987.
UP NEXT
The 'Roos will hit the road for a contest against regional rival Omaha on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. The game will be televised locally on KSMO and online at ESPN3.
The 'Roos have a 2-3 overall record against UNO, winning last year's meeting at home by a 79-72 margin. UMKC has not won at Omaha, going 0-2 there.
