Texas Tech Red Raiders and Bobby Knight News and Notes

[TheGeneral+]

LUBBOCK - (KRT) - Texas Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said he fired Aaron Shelley, the athletic department's nutritionist and men's basketball strength coach, on Friday. A university source said an internal investigation revealed improprieties involving the purchase and distribution of nutritional supplements.

The university source said the issue does not involve steroids, but only legal nutritional supplements that can be purchased over the counter.

"He was terminated and that's it," Myers said. He would not comment further.

Shelley could not be reached.

The university source said the investigation will continue this week. But the school learned that Shelley used university resources to purchase nutritional supplements for athletes through his privately owned company for personal financial gain, the source said.

The school has not determined if Shelley resold the supplements to athletes at a marked-up price, the source said.

Shelley, who arrived at Tech in March 2000, is the director of SportsNutrition4U.com, a Web site that promotes sports nutrition and offers everything from fitness tips to recipes. The Web site states that Shelley has been a collegiate strength coach for the last 12 years and earned a strength physiology degree from Oregon State.

The Web site also provides links for those interested in purchasing nutritional supplements.

The Web site, which was designed by a Lubbock company, also contains a quote attributed to Tech men's basketball coach Bob Knight as something of a testimonial.

"I've never worked with anybody who is as intense at it and puts the effort into it that Aaron Shelley has," Knight is quoted as saying. "Aaron Shelley is the best in the country at what he does."

http://www.mercurynews.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Two Home Games Remain in the 2003-2004 Season

Feb. 23, 2004

Lubbock, TX - The Texas Tech Red Raiders take on the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers on Tuesday, February 24, in the Devaney Sports Center with the action on the court starting at 7:00 p.m.

The Raiders, 19-7 overall and 7-5 in Big 12 play, are fresh off their 76-60 win over Texas A&M on Saturday at the United Spirit Arena. Jarrius Jackson paced the Raider scoring attack with 19 points. Andre Emmett, Devonne Giles, Robert Tomaszek, and Ronald Ross also scored in double figures for the Raiders.

With a break-away drive at the 7:54 mark in the first half of the Texas Tech/Texas A&M game, Andre Emmett passed Nick Collison's benchmark to become the leading scorer the in Big 12 record book with 2,098 points. Andre finished the game with 18 points and now heads the Big 12 career-scoring list with 2,112 points.

The Cornhuskers stand at 14-9 for the season and are 4-8 in Big 12 play. On Saturday, Nebraska lost in overtime at Oklahoma State by the score of 87 to 83.

Catch the action on KKAM (1340-AM) with John Harris calling the play-by-play as Michael Lewis provides the analysis.

The Raiders travel to Austin this weekend for their meeting with the Longhorns of the University of Texas on Saturday, February 28. The game will tip-off at 1:00 p.m. and will be televised on CBS.

The Raiders return to the United Spirit Arena for their final two games of the 2003-2004 season on March 3 and March 6. On March 3, the Raiders host the Missouri Tigers at 6:30 p.m. with the game being televised on ESPN2. The final home game of the 2003-2004 season brings the Iowa State Cyclones to the United Spirit Arena for a 12:30 p.m. tip-off on ABC.

http://texastech.ocsn.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

LINCOLN, Neb. -- For the second time in 10 days, Nebraska proved to be an inhospitable host to a nationally ranked team.

Nate Johnson had 17 points and nine rebounds Tuesday night and Nebraska beat No. 25 Texas Tech 72-44 for its most lopsided win ever over a ranked opponent.

"Our confidence is high, and we fed off that," Johnson said. "We held our heads up and kept it positive. That's what we did all 40 minutes tonight."

The Cornhuskers (15-9, 5-8 Big 12) have won four of their last six games. Included in that stretch is a 74-55 win over then-No. 12 Kansas on Feb. 15. On Saturday the Huskers took then-No. 7 Oklahoma State to overtime before losing.

The victory marked Nebraska's biggest win over a ranked opponent since an 80-59 victory against Kansas State in 1993.

The Raiders (19-8, 7-6) shot just 18.5 percent in the second half while losing their fifth straight road game and the sixth time in nine games overall.

Nebraska outrebounded the Raiders 25-11 in the first half and 51-24 for the game.

The Huskers, who held Tech to a season-low 30.8-percent shooting from the field, handed the Red Raiders their worst loss since a 90-50 defeated by Kansas in the 2002 conference tournament.

The 44 points equaled the fewest scored by the Raiders in a game since 1990. Tech also had 44 in a loss to Kansas State last season.

"We were just thoroughly beaten," Tech coach Bob Knight said. "That's a simple explanation of the game. There wasn't any phase we weren't beaten in, including just simply how hard or hard intelligently we played."

Knight, who walked out of the interview room after answering two questions, did not allow his players to speak with the media.

The Huskers avenged a 26-point loss in Lubbock last year.

"Obviously they played a lot better today than they played against us last year," Knight said.

Jarrius Jackson led the Raiders with 10 points.

Andre Emmett, the Big 12's season and career scoring leader, was shut down most of the game but did set the Tech career points record. He finished with a season-low nine points, 12 under his average.

Emmett scored off a spin move midway through the second half to pass Rick Bullock's school record of 2,118 points from 1973-76.

Emmett was back in the starting lineup after opening Saturday's game at Texas A&M on the bench for the first time in his 94 career games.

Emmett had difficulty getting good looks at the basket as the Huskers alternated Jake Muhleisen, Corey Simms and Johnson on him. He missed his first three shots and didn't score until his fast-break layup 10:17 into the game.

Johnson clearly upstaged Emmett, going 7-for-9 from the field and making all three of his free throws.

Three of his baskets came on snaking moves through the lane.

"He made like seven of the top-10 plays of the week," Brian Conklin said. "He's been like that ever since he came here for pickup games."

Johnson said he didn't do anything special.

"That's just the way I play," he said. "I work on those moves every day in practice, so why not do it in the game?"

Johnson, who came to Nebraska as a junior college transfer last season, is playing his more natural shooting-guard position after having to play the point last season. He's leading the Huskers with 13.1 points a game.

Nebraska broke the game open in the first three minutes of the second half. Johnson made a nice move for a layup, Andrew Drevo scored on a fast break and the 6-foot-11 Conklin pulled up and hit a 26-footer for a 44-30 lead.

After Devonne Giles scored to get the Raiders within 44-34, the Huskers rolled off nine straight points to extend the advantage to 54-34.

Tech, the top free-throw shooting team in the conference, was only 11-of-20 from the line.

Drevo finished with 13 points and Conklin 11.

Jackson scored seven straight points to give Tech its last lead at 12-11 nine minutes into the game.

Nebraska went ahead on Jason Dourisseau's tip-in and 3-pointer, which started a 17-6 run that Drevo ended with a putback and a 3.

Back-to-back baskets by Johnson put the Huskers up 32-20, but the Raiders scored six of the last eight points of the half to pull to 34-26.

http://www.sportsline.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

KNIGHT’S OPINION: Texas Tech coach Bob Knight was his usual candid self when responding this week to NCAA president Myles Brand’s assertion that "college sports is not a business."

"If it isn’t a business, then General Motors is a charity," Knight said during the Big 12 coaches’ weekly teleconference.

Knight and several other Big 12 coaches countered Brand’s comment by pointing out the multibillion-dollar contract the NCAA has with CBS to broadcast its men’s basketball tournament, as well as pressures that coaches face year after year to win.

"College sports has turned into one of the biggest businesses in the whole sports industry," Knight said. "Sports just doesn’t provide entertainment. It provides thousands and thousands of jobs. Those salaries have to be paid for. It takes people who are extremely good business people to run a college athletic program."

Brand, who fired Knight in September 2000 when he was president of Indiana University, made the comment last week at an ethics conference after calling for a task force to re-examine NCAA recruiting rules.

"College sports is not a business," Brand said. "It’s about educating young men and women in the field and in the classroom."

http://www.thedesertsun.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Bob Knight has lost his star player, and perhaps the rest of his team. He has lost his relationship with Texas Tech's administration to a salad bar, and he has lost his strength coach to a scandal. He has lost his ability to recruit high school kids, something he lost years ago.

It all makes you wonder if he has lost the most important thing of all.

Has Bob Knight lost interest?

Knight looks beaten these days, and Knight never looks beaten. He looks angry or agitated, condescending or cantankerous, even pleased on occasion. But never beaten. Until now.

Knight is 63 and presiding over a program treading water in the Big 12. In three years, by his own admission, he has never gotten through to star forward Andre Emmett -- the best player he has coached, at Texas Tech or Indiana, since Calbert Cheaney in 1993 and maybe even since Steve Alford in 1987.

Now Knight seems to have lost his grasp on the rest of the team.

Before Knight's needless and embarrassing spat with chancellor David Smith on Feb. 2, the Red Raiders had been blown out just once in their previous 44 games, on Nov. 28 by Georgia Tech. In the seven games since the incident, after which Smith tried unsuccessfully to suspend Knight, Texas Tech has been blown out four times -- and by an increasingly unimpressive string of opponents: Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska.

The Nebraska game was a low moment in Knight's 37-year career, a 72-44 loss at Lincoln. It was Texas Tech's lowest scoring total in 14 seasons, when Knight's buddy -- athletic director Gerald Myers -- was going 5-22 in 1990.

Knight didn't come to Texas Tech for this. Last season's team went 6-10 in league play, a .375 conference winning percentage that was the lowest of his career. This season's team won't repeat that ignominy, but Texas Tech (19-8, 7-6) has slipped in one month from the No. 13 ranking to the NCAA Tournament bubble, with Saturday's visit to No. 10 Texas not likely to help.

Along with the losing, Knight has faced questions about strength coach Aaron Shelley's alleged misuse of school funds. Understandably, his press conferences have grown short, and his tone has evolved from anger to frustration to something bordering on indifference. Blown out again? Knight rubs his face with a hand and has no answer.

Knight's reaction to Emmett's assault on the Big 12 scoring mark was pure indifference. Emmett became the Big 12 career leader in a Feb. 21 home victory against Texas A&M, but the record wasn't announced when it happened. Play continued.

Knight didn't make Emmett available to reporters after the game, but filled the void by reminding reporters that Emmett was one-dimensional.

Congratulations.

If Emmett wins Big 12 player of the year, he will do so without the support of Knight, who has publicly endorsed Oklahoma State's John Lucas III.

Next season's team will be considerably less talented, with the loss of Emmett, center Robert Tomaszek and wing Michael Marshall not offset by a recruiting class ranked No. 100 nationally by the Hoop Scoop. For the first time since he arrived at Texas Tech before the 2001-02 season, Knight is bringing in a recruiting class without a junior college transfer -- or four -- and the result is horrendous.

An ogre for so long, Knight is in the unfathomable position of being one of the greatest coaches of all time -- with a clean program and players who graduate -- yet being unable to recruit top high school talent.

Knight is getting older, not better, and he is beginning to sound like a man whose spirit has been broken. It's an appealing sight -- not for cruel reasons, but because a man who has been humbled is a man who has humility. Humility can lead to remorse, which can lead to self-improvement. Like all of us, but more publicly than any of us, Knight has shown the need for self-improvement.

Don't give up, Robert Montgomery Knight, unless you have nothing more to offer than a clean basketball program and a foul attitude.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/7121119

 

[TheGeneral+]

Brandon Mouton scored 17 points and P.J. Tucker added 15 points and 10 rebounds to send No. 10 Texas to a 74-71 victory over No. 25 Texas Tech on Saturday that kept the Longhorns on top of the Big 12.

Mouton and Tucker combined to make four free throws over the final 28 seconds to hold off the Red Raiders, who have lost seven of 10.

Texas (21-4, 12-2) kept place with Big 12 co-leader No. 6 Oklahoma State, setting up a potential conference title showdown Monday night in Stillwater. The Cowboys played Saturday at Baylor.

Andre Emmett scored 21 points for Texas Tech (19-9, 7-7) but missed two 3-point attempts in the finals seconds that would have forced overtime.

Tucker scored 11 points in the second half, including two free throws that gave Texas a 72-68 lead after Emmett had pulled Tech within two.

Emmett then hit a 3-pointer from the right wing that made it 72-71 before Tech was forced to foul Mouton with 14 seconds left. The senior calmly swished both free throws.

Tech pushed the ball upcourt and got it to Emmett near the top of the arc. He misfired his first 3-pointer, got the rebound and took it out to the corner where he launched a last shot that bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

The Longhorns' final home game of the season set up as a sendoff for seniors Mouton, Brian Boddicker, Royal Ivey and James Thomas, the nucleus of the program's rise to national prominence under coach Rick Barnes.

But after a pre-game ceremony, the group played more like nervous freshmen than experienced veterans in the opening minutes.

Boddicker airballed his first shot and the seniors started the game 2-of-11 from the field as the Red Raiders built a 21-15 lead.

Ivey and Boddicker then scored six straight points for the Longhorns and Kenny Taylor's 3-pointer tied it at 26. Mouton hit another 3-pointer and converted a layup off a long bounce pass from Ivey on a fast break and Texas led 33-30 at halftime.

Mouton and Taylor hit three 3-pointers as Texas twice built the lead to 10 in the second, the last time at 56-46 on a layup by Tucker with 8:58 left.

Tech steadily whittled away at the deficit as Emmett scored 11 points over the final 5 minutes.

The Red Raiders, who enjoyed a 12-game winning streak in December and January, now have just two games left to try to finish at .500 or better in the Big 12.

http://sfgate.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. CST

Arena: United Spirit Arena (15,098)

TV: ESPN2. Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Jon Sundvold, analyst

Radio: Tiger Radio Network. Mike Kelly, play-by-play: Gary Link, analyst

Rankings: MU received one vote in the AP Poll and four votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. TTU received four votes in the AP Poll and six votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

Series: MU leads, 7-4 Last Meeting - MU, 82-73 in Columbia: Feb. 9, 2003

Coaches:

Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89) 99-59 at MU and overall (5th season).

TTU: Bobby Knight (Ohio State, '62) 64-31 at TTU (3rd season) and 828-320 overall (38th season)

Tigers Face Texas Tech in Search of Seventh Straight Win

The University of Missouri men's basketball team (15-10, 9-5) looks to win its seventh straight game on Wednesday when it makes the trip to Lubbock, Texas, to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders (19-9, 7-7 Big 12). The Tigers have won six of their eight games in the month of February and have clawed their way into a tie for fourth place in the Big 12 with two games left in the regular season. Depending on how the final week of play pans out, the Tigers will be anywhere from a three to a six seed in next week's Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament.





Seniors Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding have been red-hot during the current six-game winning streak, averaging 17.8 and 17.3 points per game respectively. Johnson has shot 52.9 percent from the field and pulled down an average of 8.2 rebounds per contest. Paulding averaged 24.0 points per contest last week with 31 against Oklahoma State and 17 at Kansas State. Paulding has also been extremely generous during that six-game stretch, averaging 4.5 assists per game while also grabbing a team-best 13 steals.

The contest, which will tip at 6:30 p.m. CST, will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Ron Franklin providing the play-by-play and former Tiger great Jon Sundvold will offer his expert analysis. The game will also be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network with the "Voice of the Tigers" Mike Kelly handling the play-by-play duties while another Tiger great, Gary Link will provide his colorful analysis. The Tigers are 1-1 this season on ESPN2.

Quick Hits

* The Tigers are looking to win seven straight games for the first time since beginning 2001-02 season at 7-0 and did not loose until their 10th game of the season.

* Mizzou has won five straight Big 12 games. That is the longest Tiger conference winning streak since 1999-2000, when the Tigers won seven straight Big 12 games.

* Five different Tigers have led Mizzou in scoring during their current six-game winning streak.

* Mizzou is 4-1 against Big 12 South schools and 5-4 against Big 12 North schools so far this season.

* One of the Tigers' two remaining regular season contests are on the road. Both games are against teams that are either ranked in the Top 25 or receiving votes.

* Mizzou leads the all-time series with Texas Tech, 7-4 and has won five of the last six games in the series.

* The Tigers check in at No. 32 on the RPI charts and have played the 10th toughest schedule in the country as of Monday's CollegeRPI.com report.

* The Tigers are in a tie for fourth place in the Big 12 with Colorado.

* Mizzou has swept the season series from KSU in each of the last three seasons.

* The Tigers are 10-3 at home and 5-5 on the road (which eclipses their road mark of 3-7 last season) this season and 23-4 over the past two years in the Hearnes Center.

* Senior Rickey Paulding's dunk over KSU's Frank Richards on Saturday earned the No. 3 spot on ESPN Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays of the Week.

* Paulding has also been named a finalist for the 2004 Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Awards by a national media balloting committee. The Senior Class Award - an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School - was launched prior to the 2001-02 college basketball season. The initial idea came from CBS sportscaster Dick Enberg, who now serves as Honorary Chairman of the award.

* Senior Travon Bryant has gone 34-of-58 (.586) from the field in the Tigers last eight games while fellow senior Arthur Johnson has gone a combined 56-of-107 (.523) from the field over the course of the last eight games.

* AJ currently ranks 8th on the Mizzou all-time scoring list with 1,632 points. He is second on the Mizzou rebounding charts with 1,046 career boards

* Arthur needs just eight boards to eclipse the Mizzou mark and also to move into second on the Big 12 career boards list. He is the only player in school history to record at least 1,600 career points, 1000 career rebounds and 200 career blocks.

* Seven different Tigers have led the team in scoring through 25 games this season and five different Tigers have led in rebounding.

* Coach Snyder is looking for win number 100 at Mizzou on Wednesday.

* Snyder is 4-1 against Texas Tech in his five years as head coach at Mizzou.

A Look at the Red Raiders

The Red Raiders enter Wednesday's contest with a 19-9 overall mark and a 7-7 record in the Big 12. They are currently in sixth place in the league and have won three straight games at home. Big 12 All-time leading scorer Andre Emmett Paces the Red Raider attack, averaging a Big 12 best 21.0 points per contest. Emmett has also been a huge presence on the boards, averaging a team-best 6.9 rebounds per game. He is one of four Red Raiders that average better than 8.4 points per contest.

TTU is coached by Bob Knight, who is in his third year there and is 64-31 during his tenure. He is one of the winningest coach in the history of Division I with a career record of 828-320.

Paulding Earns Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week Honors

Columbia, Mo. - University of Missouri senior guard Rickey Paulding averaged 24.0 points per contest in two Tiger wins last week and was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week for his efforts on Monday. The honor is voted on by a media panel from around the Big 12 Conference.

Paulding had an amazing week while leading Mizzou to wins over No. 6 Oklahoma State and at Kansas State. The Detroit, Mich., native averaged 24 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per contest. In the 93-92 double overtime win against Oklahoma State, Paulding scored a game-high 31 points. He knocked down 9-of-17 shots from the field, 5-of-6 three point attempts and hit 8-of-10 free throws against the Cowboys. He also pulled down six rebounds and played 45 of a possible 50 minutes in the contest.

Paulding was also phenomenal in the second half of the Tigers' win over Kansas State. After going 0-2 from the field and scoring no points in the first half, Paulding scored 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting including 4-of-6 shooting from three in the final period. He also pulled down three rebounds and handed out a game-high eight assists on the day.

Lucky Sevens?

Mizzou is looking to win its seventh straight games for the first time since beginning of the 2001-02 season. During their current six-game winning streak, the Tigers have put up some pretty dominant numbers. For instance:

+ The Tigers have outrebounded their opponents by an average of 7.7 rebounds per game and have outscored their opponents by an average of 12.2 points per game.

+ Fast starts have been key for Mizzou as the Tigers have outscored their last six

opponents, 245-196 in the first half.

+ Mizzou has shot 47.8 percent from the field including 43.8 percent from three.

+ Six Tigers have averaged 8.5 points or better over the past six games including Arthur Johnson (17.8 ppg.), Jason Conley (15.8 ppg.), Rickey Paulding (17.3 ppg.), Jimmy McKinney (8.5 ppg.), Thomas Gardner (8.5 ppg.) and Travon Bryant (11.2 ppg.)

+ The Tigers have forced 93 turnovers and nabbed 49 steals.

Several Tigers have kicked it in the keester over the course of the past six games. Senior Arthur Johnson has averaged a team best 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while knocking down 52.9 percent of his shots. He has also blocked 10 shots. Rickey Paulding has also been amazing, scoring 17.3 points per game while shooting 51.6 percent from three (16-of-31).

Roomates Jason Conley and Travon Bryant continue to make their presence felt. Conley has canned 18 threes over the course of the past six games and has shot 54.8 percent from the field. Bryant has been the Tigers leading field goal percentage guy all year and the last six games have been no exception. He has hit 58.1 percent of his shots and has been en fuego from the free throw line, hitting 14-of-17 from the stripe.

And lets not leave out freshman Thomas Gardner and sophomore Jimmy McKinney. Both have led the Tigers in scoring at least once this season and have combined to average 17.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest over the past five games. McKinney has also averaged just over four assists.

Facts, Figures and Other Points of Interest Following the KSU Game

+ Mizzou improves to 15-10 and 9-5 in the Big 12. They are 10-3 at home, 5-5 on the road and 0-2 in neutral court games.

+ The Tigers have now won six straight games, equaling their longest winning streak since winning their first six games of last season.

+MU now leads the all-time series with KSU, 112-107.

+ Junior Jason Conley led the Tigers with 20 points while pulling down seven rebounds and handing out four assists. Conley has led Mizzou in points in two of its last three contests.

+ Five different Tigers have led in scoring during Mizzou's six-game winning streak.

+ After trailing by as many as nine points with 19:45 left at 37-28, the Tigers would go on a 47-21 run the next 16:16 to take their largest lead of the contest at 73-56 with 2:29 left in the game.

+ The Tigers dominated the second half, shooting 64.0 percent (16-of-25) from the field, 83.3 percent from the free throw line and 64.3 percent (9-of-15) from three. Mizzou outscored KSU, 51-34 in the half.

+ Mizzou head coach Quin Snyder improves to 99-59 during his five years at the helm. The Tigers have won nine Big 12 games or more in each of his five years as head coach at Mizzou.

+ The Tigers remain in a tie for fourth place in the Big 12 with Colorado. Both squads have a 9-5 mark in the Big 12.

Remaining Schedule

Missouri - at Texas Tech, Kansas

Colorado - at Iowa State, Nebraska

+ The Tigers outrebounded the Wildcats, 38-33. The Tigers have outrebounded their last six opponents by an average of 12.2 rebounds per contest.

+ Senior Arthur Johnson continued to be solid scoring 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. He also pulled down seven boards and had a team-high three steals.

+ Johnson ranks 8th on the Mizzou scoring charts with 1,632 career points. He currently trails Clarence Gilbert (99-02, 1,685) for seventh place on the chart. He also now has 1,046 career boards and needs just eight more on Wednesday to become Mizzou's all-time leading rebounder.

+ After going 0-2 from the field and scoring no points in the first half, senior Rickey Paulding went off in the second half, scoring 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting including 4-of-6 shooting from three. He also pulled down three rebounds and handed out a game-high eight assists on the day.

+ Paulding ranks 9th on the Mizzou scoring charts with 1,618 points. He is trailing Johnson in eight with 1,632 career points.

+ The Tigers look for seven in a row on Wednesday when they travel to Lubbock, Texas to take on Texas Tech (19-9, 7-7 Big 12). Mizzou leads the all-time series with the Red Raiders, 7-4 and have won four of the last five in the series.

Reading Up on the Rick

Senior Preseason All-American Rickey Paulding continues to be one of the fiercest competitors in the Big 12 Conference.

Paulding leads the squad in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per contest while breaking the 20-point barrier in seven of the Tigers' 25 contests. He earned All-Big 12 second-team honors last season and was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team. He was named to both the Wooden and Naismith Awards watch lists this season and also earned a preseason All-American nod from the Associated Press. He is in 9th on the all-time Mizzou scoring charts with 1,618 points following his 14-point effort at Kansas State. He will now be chasing No. 8 Arthur Johnson, who has scored 1,632 points.

Rick is now alone in fifth on the Mizzou all-time three point field goals made list with 185 career treys.

In Order to Be the Best ...

... you have to beat the best. The Tigers have definitely put that adage to the test this year with one of the toughest schedules in the country. As of last Monday's (Mar. 1) Associated Press Poll, nine (Oklahoma, Kansas, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State, Memphis and Illinois) of the Tigers 2003-04 opponents are ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes.

Like the TNT Network, We Know Drama

Sorry ESPN 2, but that one was just to good to let slip by. The Tigers have made some breathtaking comebacks and have experienced some heartbreaking losses so far this season. Ten of the Tigers' 25 games have been decided by five points or less and four of them have went to overtime. The Tigers are 6-4 in games decided by five points or less this season.

Prior to their 20-point blowout win against Iowa on Jan. 3, the Tigers lost three games in seven days by a total of seven points to wrap up 2003, a year the Tigers would be just as soon forget. They faced a 21-point deficit to Illinois in the first half, only to storm back and lose by one and were down by as many as 15 to Memphis, only to have their comeback come up just short, losing by two to the Tigers.

King Arthur's Court

Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Arthur Johnson is on a mission. The objective: to leave the Hearnes Center in April as one of the best big men in school history. He has certainly had a remarkable career here at MU and continues to work his way up several career charts. The explosive big man with feather-soft touch around the basket already owns Mizzou's all-time shot blocking mark with 241 career swats. With his two-block effort against Coppin State, he became only the fifth player to record 200 or more career blocks in Big 12 conference history.


Big 12 All-Time Blocked Shots Leaders

1. 264 Chris Mihm, UT-1998-00

2. 243 Nick Collison, KU, 1999-03

3. 242 Eric Chenowith, KU, 1997-01

4. 241 Arthur Johnson, MU, 2000-present

5. 202 Venson Hamilton, NU, 1997-99

If all goes according to plan, he will also become the Tigers all-time leading rebounder right around the first part of March. Johnson is averaging 7.5 boards per contest. He needs just eight more boards to pass former Tiger great Doug Smith on the chart.

He also currently ranks 8th on the all-time scoring charts with 1,632 points after his 14-point effort against Kansas State. He is now be chasing No. 7 Clarence Gilbert (99-02, 1,685 points)

Last season, Johnson became only the fourth Tiger since the 1949-50 season to lead the team in rebounding in three straight campaigns.

More On AJ

And if you just can't get enough info on the big fella they call "Doc," he is also creeping up on the Big 12 career double-doubles mark. With his 29-point, 13-rebound effort against Oklahoma State, he recorded his 43rd career double-double, putting him in 4th on the Big 12 All-Time Double-Double leaders list. A look at that chart follows:


Big 12 All-Time Double-Double Leaders

1. 47 Chris Mihm, UT, 1998-00

2. 46 Venson Hamilton, NU, 1997-99

3. 44 Drew Gooden, KU, 1999-02

4. 43 Arthur Johnson, MU, 2001-Present

5. 40 Raef LaFrentz, KU, 1994-98


I Did Not Know That. Did You Know That Ed?

Pardon the tribute to Johnny Carson, but did you know that there have been 16 schools that have participated in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments? Five of the 16 are Big 12 schools - Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas. The other schools are Duke, Maryland, Indiana, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Arizona, Stanford, Kentucky, Cincinnati and Gonzaga.

In a related note, this year's senior class of Arthur Johnson, Rickey Paulding, Josh Kroenke and Travon Bryant has played in the most NCAA Tournament games of any Tigers in school history with eight post-season tilts under their belts. Also of note, in each of Coach Quin Snyder's first four years, the Tigers have been knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by an eventual Final Four Team (2000-North Carolina, 2001-Duke, 2002-Oklahoma and 2003-Marquette).

Thanks for the Memories ... Here's to Many More

The Tigers are playing their final year in the Hearnes Center and will be moving into a state-of-the art arena starting in October of 2004. Mizzou has called Hearnes home for 31 years now and has registered a mark of 405-70 there as of its win over Oklahoma State. The 15,000 seat, $75 million new building will feature unbelievable player development facilities (weight room, practice gym, players lounge, film room) and will be the finest on-campus basketball facility in the country.

http://mutigers.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030104aab.html

 

[TheGeneral+]

LUBBOCK, Texas – This is what you get for a six-game winning streak, a stirring triumph over a Top 10 team, a soaring RPI thanks in part to a tough early-season schedule …

A mis-step.

Make no doubt about it, Missouri is not a cinch to make the NCAA Tournament. But because of the aforementioned items, Wednesday night's 87-76 loss does not push them out of either it.

Instead, it sets up Sunday's regular-season finale against Kansas — in the last game at the Hearnes Center — as pretty much a must-win game

Bubble team. Fence-sitter. You name it, that's Missouri.

At 15-11 overall and 9-6 in the Big 12, Missouri can not afford another loss. Not unless it plans on running the table at next week's Big 12 Tournament in Dallas.

To do that — heck, to just beat Kansas — Missouri will have to do what it didn't do against Texas Tech: Protect the ball and rebound.

Taking advantage of numerous Missouri turnovers, Texas Tech overcame a 44-41 halftime deficit to record a nine-point victory, thanks mainly to a 19-6 run that opened the second half.

Andre Emmett, of course, led the way for Texas Tech, scoring 28 points. But he had plenty of help. Jarrius Jackson added 19, Ronald Ross had 15 and Devonne Giles scored 12.

Missouri got 24 from Arthur Johnson but little from Rickey Paulding, who finished with just 10 points on just three-of-eight shooting — including misses on all five of his three-point attempts.

Jimmy McKinney added 14 points and Jason Conley had 13 and Missouri shot 48 percent as a team. It could not, however, overcome a multitude of turnovers.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/8099444.htm

 

[TheGeneral+]

Sat 03/06/2004 Iowa State Lubbock, Texas ABC

Raiders Face Cyclones Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Only 500 Tickets Remain for the Final Raider Home Game

March 5, 2004

Lubbock, TX - The Texas Tech Red Raiders face the Cyclones of Iowa State University on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in the United Spirit Arena. The game will be televised on ABC with Ron Franklin calling the play-by-play. Jon Sundvold will provide the expert analysis.

As of Friday afternoon, only 500 tickets remain for the game. The Texas Tech ticket office will open at 9:30 a.m. at the United Spirit Arena.

The Raiders, 20-9 overall and 8-7 in Big 12 play going into Saturday's game, close out conference play and the final home game of the 2003-2004 campaign. The Cyclones are 16-10 overall and 7-8 in conference play.

For the first time school history, the Raiders have won 20-or more games in three successive seasons.

Catch all the action on KKAM (1340-AM) with John Harris calling the play-by-play as Michael Lewis provides the analysis.

 

[HE]

General,

Don't mean to hound you, but I still have the same problem. After your fix, it only worked twice. Sent you an email.


Thanks,
Henry

 

[TheGeneral+]

Ronald Ross scored 23 points as Texas Tech closed its regular season Saturday with a 72-58 win over Iowa State.

The win gave Tech coach Bob Knight his 830th career win, tying Jimmy Phelan, who retired from Mount St. Mary's last year after 49 seasons. Knight, in his 38th season, trails only Dean Smith of North Carolina (879) and Adolph Rupp of Kentucky (876) among Division I male coaches.

The Red Raiders finished the regular season with only one loss at home, a 62-61 overtime loss to then-No. 16 Texas in late February.

Trailing by 13 at halftime, the Cyclones (16-11, 7-9 Big 12) whittled the margin to eight points at 36-44 early in the second half. But Tech (21-9, 9-7) used a 9-3 run to go up 53-39 on a steal and layup by Jarrius Jackson with 11:28 remaining.

Iowa State failed to mount a serious threat after that.

The Red Raiders got their largest lead at 72-54 on a slam dunk by Ross with 1:21 left.

Tech's win was the result of hot shooting. The team hit on 28 of 55 from the field or 51 percent.

Jarrius Jackson scored 17 points, while Devonne Giles added 12 for Tech

Curtis Stinson scored 17 points, and Jackson Vroman and Jared Homan got 13 each to lead the Cyclones.

Tech led 42-29 at halftime. The Red Raiders used runs of 20-6 and 11-2 to build its largest first half-lead at 40-24 with about a minute remaining. In the latter run, Ross got seven on two 3-pointers and a free throw, while Giles got the other five.

http://sfgate.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

The Texas Tech Red Raiders finished the season with a pair of wins, and were rewarded with a first round bye in the Big Twelve Tournament. After a day of rest during the first day of the tournament, the Red Raiders will have to face the Colorado Buffaloes, a team they lost to earlier in the season.

http://story.theinsiders.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Texas Tech's Andre Emmett, the conference's all-time scoring leader, is unanimous choice to The Associated Press All-Big 12 team for 2003-2004.

Emmett, a 6-foot-5 native of Dallas, broke the Big 12 career scoring record of former Kansas star Nick Collison this year and goes into the conference tournament with 2,179 total points.

Able to battle with the musclemen underneath as well as drill baseline jumpers, the rugged senior has led the Red Raiders to three straight 20-win seasons for the first time in their history.

His 14 field goals against Southern Methodist were the most by any Big 12 player this year. Another league best was his 20.8 points per game scoring average.

"He's a man out there," said Baylor coach Scott Drew. "When the game's on the line or a big play needs to be made, he makes it. He has the physical stature and toughness that he's able to impose his will, getting to loose balls, getting to the basket. I've just been thoroughly impressed."



http://www.mercurynews.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

COLORADO (18-9, 10-6)

TEXAS TECH (21-9, 9-7)

• WHEN/WHERE: 2 p.m. Friday at American Airlines Center in Dallas

• TV: Channels 4, 13

• SEASON SERIES: Colorado beat then No. 22 Tech 85-75 in Boulder on Feb. 18.

• LAST 10 GAMES: The Buffaloes are 7-3. The Red Raiders are 5-5.

• ABOUT COLORADO: Although the Buffaloes are the No. 4 seed, they may need a win more than Tech because of a worse RPI. …Colorado has its highest seeding since 1997. …The Buffaloes' inside-outside game starts with Harrison and flows to shooters Morandais and Wilson.

• ABOUT TEXAS TECH: Emmett is the most prolific scorer in Big 12 history, and if he wins the league scoring title it will be his third straight. The Tech backcourt of Ross and Jackson could be the league's most underrated.

• BOTTOM LINE: Tech coach Bob Knight says he hates conference tournaments. But in each of his two years with the Raiders he's won two games and reached the semifinals, losing to champion Oklahoma in overtime last year. The Red Raiders will have the crowd, but Colorado is a better team.

http://www.kansascity.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Buffs fall to Texas Tech

DALLAS - Texas Tech broke open a close game in the final minutes Friday, then held off Colorado down the stretch to hand the Buffs a 79-69 defeat in the quarterfinal round of the men’s Big 12 Tournament.

The Buffs, who dropped to 18-10 with the loss, must now wait until Sunday to see if the NCAA Selection Committee will call their name when the NCAA Tournament pairings are announced. The pairings will be announced on Channel 4 (KCNC) beginning at 4 p.m.

After a see-saw first half that saw the score tied at 34-34 at intermission, Colorado took a 41-40 lead with 16:23 left in the game on a Michel Morandais jumper. But Texas Tech answered a minute later on a Jarrius Jackson dunk to regain the edge, 42-41, and the Red Raiders never trailed again.

Texas Tech built its lead to as much as 11 in the final four minutes before some late 3-pointers closed the gap for Colorado.

Tech’s Ronald Ross led all scorers with 25 points while Blair Wilson was the Buffs’ leader with 16.

Morandais finished with just eight points and was 3-for-14 from the field.

Tech also limited CU’s David Harrison to eight points.

http://www.bouldernews.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Tech to Columbus?

Tech coach Bob Knight wouldn't speculate as to where the Red Raiders might end up in the NCAA Tournament.

"I have no idea what's going to happen in the postseason," Knight said. "I don't know if we have one yet, until [today]."

Tech assistant coach Pat Knight was a little more speculative, predicting that a tournament seed from Nos. 7 to 9 could be forthcoming, and that he wondered if the Raiders would be sent to Columbus, Ohio, for the first and second rounds.

Bob Knight played college ball in Columbus at Ohio State, and Pat Knight said his father has a strong following in the area with fans of his alma mater and Indiana, where Bob Knight coached for 29 seasons.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/colleges/8184673.htm

 

[TheGeneral+]

DALLAS -- Throughout his coaching career, Eddie Sutton has remained true to his roots. He played basketball at Oklahoma State under legendary coach Henry Iba from 1956-58, and Mr. Iba, as he was known, would have rather been buried in Sooner Red than employ a zone defense.

Sutton is cut from the same cloth. During his 34 years of coaching, Sutton has remained a steadfast disciple of the man-to-man defense.

But Sutton swallowed hard and went against the grain in Oklahoma State's 82-77 win over Texas Tech in the Big 12 Conference Tournament semifinals Saturday. The Cowboys (26-3) played a standard 2-3 zone for the final seven minutes of the first half and the majority of the second half.

"That zone saved us," Sutton said. "We couldn't have won without going to the zone, and we don't do that very often. It changed the whole momentum of the game. It changed the game completely."

The drastic shift surprised everyone from Sutton's players to Texas Tech coach Bob Knight, another coach who idolized Iba and seldom, if ever, has used a zone defense in his long career.

Sutton switched to the zone defense with 7:32 left in the first half and Tech ahead 24-22. Shortly thereafter, the Cowboys went on a 14-1 run and led 41-29 at the half. When the teams came back for the second half, Sutton and Knight had a brief conversation.

"Mr. Iba despised zones," Sutton said. "There's nobody that runs the motion offense or passing game better than Bob Knight. We couldn't cover them. They were just picking us to death, screening us to death.

"So we went to the zone. Knowing how Mr. Iba hated zones, when I walked by (Knight at halftime) I said, `I know Mr. Iba is probably frowning down on me right now, but we can't cover you. That's why I went to the zone.' He said: `If you go to zone this half, and you see me doing this (pointing skyward) you know I'm talking to him and telling him he ought to be ashamed of what coach Sutton's doing.' "

The idea behind the switch was to slow Texas Tech's Andre Emmett, who had burned OSU's Tony Allen for 12 points in 12 minutes to start the game. With the passing lanes cut off by the zone, the Cowboys dared Tech to beat them from the outside and won the gamble.

The Red Raiders, ranked 10th in the Big 12 in 3-point shooing (33.1 percent), couldn't crack the zone with long-range shots. Tech (22-10) was 6-of-21 from 3-point range, but four of them came in the final minute as it tried to cut into OSU's large lead.

"What we have to do is shoot better," Knight said. "We hit some 3s at the end that just made it a little closer, but when we have to make a 3 against the zone, that's been a weakness for us. We've got to become a better shooting team rather than rely on movement against the zone to score. We have not been a good 3-point shooting team all year, and we certainly weren't today."

Oklahoma State's John Lucas and Ivan McFarlin were shaking their heads after Sutton gave them the word to make the shift to the zone. Lucas said the Cowboys rarely practice the defense, but they are always reminded it could help win a game at some point.

"The coaching staff always tells us that you never know when you're going to have to use it," Lucas said.

Said McFarlin: "We forced them into some hard shots, and we contested some of their shots from inside. I was real surprised with the call (to play zone), but that's what great coaches do."

Oklahoma State broke the game open in the final 2:30 of the first half with a barrage of 3s. Trailing 28-27, the Cowboys got 3-pointers from four players on five possessions to key their 14-1 run. Lucas, who led the Cowboys with 22 points, hit a 3 with 40 seconds left, and Daniel Bobik nailed one at the buzzer.

"Toward the end of the first half, it was like a bomb went off with them," Knight said. "They get two 3s, so instead of our hanging in there and being down six, we're down 12."

Oklahoma State stretched the lead to 52-37 with 15:45 left before Emmett and Tech got untracked. Emmett, who finished with a game-high 26 points, scored five straight points to key a 9-0 run. With 5:39 left, Tech was behind only 62-57.

With just under three minutes left, Lucas made a three-point play to put OSU ahead 71-61. Oklahoma State then hit six of eight free throws to put the game away down the stretch.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2448451

 

[TheGeneral+]

Charlotte looks to be a good opponent. USA vs Big 12. Charlotte beat cincy & louisville. Many impressive wins @ 21-8. 34 RPI.

 

[jaypaw]

The question is can they get past st joes...


what do you think?

TTU has played some tough teams - has st joes?

 

[TheGeneral+]

I hate to be over optimistic, but I think Tech would beat St Joes 7 of 10. The strength of schedule is a strong tell tale of a season.