Tigers ‘really need’ a win against KU

By Gary Bedore     Feb 2, 2004

A caller to Quin Snyder’s weekly radio show ripped into Missouri’s fifth-year head coach last week.

The irate Tiger fan called MU’s performance to date “embarrassing” and asked the coach to please, please, please decline a bid to the Postseason NIT.

Keeping his cool, yet in a fiery tone, Snyder assured the caller that “nobody on this team is going to check it in.”

Which brings us to tonight’s Kansas University-MU Border Battle (8:05 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse) — a game that could go a long way toward turning around the Tigers’ once-promising season and recapturing MU’s fan base.

Missouri enters 9-8 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12 Conference; KU is 13-4 overall and 5-1 in the league.

“We really need a win really bad against a really good opponent,” senior guard Rickey Paulding said after Saturday’s 62-53 home win over Kansas State. “It’s a big game for us.

Added MU senior Arthur Johnson, “It’ll be a big one. Hopefully, we’re going down there to get a win, but we’re not going to judge the rest of our season on this game. It’s a big step if we come away with a win, though. If we go down there and do what we’re supposed to do, we’ll come away with a win.”

KU coach Bill Self, whose Jayhawks fell at Iowa State, 68-61, Saturday in Ames, Iowa, believes the Tigers are much better than their record indicates. It has been a tough year for MU with an ongoing NCAA investigation and the Ricky Clemons mess providing major distractions.

“Obviously, they have not had the start to their year that most people had envisioned for them,” Self said. “But they’ve got great personnel. They’ve had so many things going on in a lot of areas that may have hurt their focus. I believe they have as good of personnel as anybody in the league.”

That personnel includes sophomore point guard Jimmy McKinney.

“It’s always a great matchup. He always challenges me,” McKinney said of KU counterpart Aaron Miles. “Last year I did a poor job on him and he attacked me. It was about being aggressive on the defensive end. I can tell you right now it’s going to be a lot different, because I’m more comfortable now and I’m more confident. It’s going to be fun to watch.”

McKinney last year had 20 points, 11 assists and 12 turnovers versus KU; Miles had 16 points, nine assists and 11 turnovers against MU. Three of Miles’ points, however, came on a crucial game-tying three-pointer in the final minute of a win at Hearnes Center.

“They are tough and talented,” Miles said. “They’ve not played their best, just like us (against Iowa State), but they are very talented. It’s a team with a lot of talent.”

As always.

“Missouri will be Missouri,” KU center Jeff Graves said. “They are talented and will be hyped. I think everybody is ready to bust their slump when they play us. We’ve got to be ready.”

KU junior Michael Lee said the old cliche — throw out the records when these two teams play — pertains to tonight’s game.

“They will come in and be ready to give us their best shot,” Lee said. “I think the fact they are playing Kansas, whether they are 0-9 or 9-0, they will play.”

Asked after Saturday’s game if the Jayhawks would be fired up after losing at ISU, Snyder had a quick answer.

“They’ve got no monopoly on being ticked off,” he said. “We’ve got some experience in that regard.”

Of the game, Self said: “They will come into Allen and we will come into Allen like it’s the first game of the season. Everybody is fresh and excited.”

  • Chilly Paulding: Paulding has made seven of 24 shots his last two games, including just three of 16 on three-pointers. He has averaged 17.4 points against KU in seven career matchups.

“I know it’s my last game (in Lawrence) and I really want the win,” Paulding said.

  • Snyder on KU’s talent: “Their interior guys are awfully good. Obviously, (Wayne) Simien is playing as well as anybody in the country. The times I’ve seen him he’s just been dominant. And (David) Padgett is a talented young player. We need everybody to show up and play smart.”
  • Preparation time limited: Self wishes KU had more than one day to prepare for MU.

“I’ve played against Missouri every year (at Illinois, going 3-0). Of course, this time we will not get as much time to prepare. I think you always want to have more than one day to prepare. The thing the league does I don’t understand is we play a Sunday game (against Colorado), then Wednesday (K-State), Saturday (ISU). We have to take a day off, so we play two opponents in a row we have one day to prepare for. That doesn’t happen in very many leagues.

“Hopefully, we’ll do a better job with one day to prepare for Missouri than we did for Iowa State.”

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