2011-12 Missouri Basketball Preview

2010-11 Results:

Overall: 23-11 (17-1 H, 2-7 A, 4-3 N)
Big 12: 8-8 (7-1 H, 1-7 A)
Conference Tournament: Lost in Second Round

The 2010-11 campaign had a multitude of storylines for Missouri Basketball, but the departure of head coach Mike Anderson at the end of the year will loom largest in the short term. Last year’s return to NCAA Tournament play for a third consecutive season and a school record 77 wins over that stretch under Anderson will leave a lasting impression for the Tigers.

Missouri finished the 2011 season with 23 wins and yet another NCAA Tournament trip. The Tigers also had two juniors join the 1,000-point club and Marcus Denmon gripped Mizzou Nation by earning first team all-Big 12 honors while shooting 50 percent from the floor and ranking among league leaders in scoring, steals, assists and shooting percentage.

Roster

Returning Starters
Laurence Bowers
Marcus Denmon
Michael Dixon
Kim English
Ricardo Ratliffe

Other Returning Players
Steve Moore
Matt Pressey
Phil Pressey
Jarrett Sutton

Newcomers
Kadeem Green
George Goode
Tony Lester
Keion Bell
Earnest Ross

Head Coach
Frank Haith

Key Losses

The Tigers just lost a couple of players, namely guard Ricky Kreklow, who averaged 2.1 points per game, and forward Justin Safford, who posted 6.4 PPG.

Schedule

Date	Opponent / Event
10/30/2011	@ Missouri Southern #
11/2/2011	vs. Truman St #
11/7/2011	vs. Central Missouri #
11/11/2011	vs. SEMO
CBE Regional Rounds
11/14/2011	vs. Mercer
11/17/2011	vs. Niagara
CBE Classic
11/21/2011	vs. Notre Dame
11/22/2011	California / Georgia
Regular Season
11/27/2011	vs. Binghamton
12/2/2011	vs. Northwestern State
12/6/2011	vs. Villanova
12/10/2011	vs. Navy
12/15/2011	vs. Kennesaw State
12/18/2011	vs. William & Mary
12/22/2011	vs. Illinois
12/30/2011	@ Old Dominion
1/3/2012	vs. Oklahoma *
1/7/2012	@ Kansas State
1/11/2012	@ Iowa State *
1/14/2012	vs. Texas *
1/16/2012	vs. Texas A&M *
1/21/2012	@ Baylor *
1/25/2012	@ Oklahoma State *
1/28/2012	vs. Texas Tech *
1/30/2012	@ Texas *
2/4/2012	vs. Kansas *
2/6/2012	@ Oklahoma *
2/11/2012	vs. Baylor *
2/15/2012	vs. Oklahoma State *
2/18/2012	@ Texas A&M *
2/21/2012	vs. Kansas State
2/25/2012	@ Kansas *
2/29/2012	vs. Iowa State *
3/3/2012	@ Texas Tech *
3/7/2012	Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship
3/8/2012	Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship
3/9/2012	Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship
3/10/2012	Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship
*Conference Game

2011-12 Preview

A new era of Missouri Basketball takes center stage in 2011-12 as Frank Haith takes over for his first season at the helm of the Tiger program. While the leadership of the program saw a revamping during the offseason, the return of all five starters and top-six scorers leads the Mizzou headlines in 2012. Mizzou’s eight-member senior class is highlighted by the return of four-year standouts Laurence Bowers, Marcus Denmon, Kim English and Steve Moore, each of who have contributed to 77 wins during their Tiger tenure.

Backcourt

It’s no secret, Mizzou has one of the deepest backcourts in the country and the veteran crew is led by a pair of 1,000-point senior scorers, Marcus Denmon and Kim English. Denmon is coming of one of the most efficient seasons in school history, averaging 16.9 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor, 45 percent shooting from three-point range and contributing a near 2-to-1 assist/turnover ratio of 61 dimes and just 32 miscues.

English is coming of his second consecutive year scoring in double figures with 10.0 points per game, and while he shot a respectable 37 percent from beyond the arc, he shot an identical 37 percent from the floor, the lowest of his career. He did improve his assist totals and saw his turnover numbers tumble as a junior.

Another Tiger to return to the backcourt after averaging double figures in 2010-11 is junior guard Michael Dixon. One of the Big 12’s quickest guards, Dixon dished a career high 113 assists in just 22.3 minutes per game as a sophomore and averaged 10.3 points and 1.8 steals per game.

Frontcourt

While Missouri returns its backcourt completely intact from the 2010-11 campaign, the Tigers return three key performers and add two newcomers to the lineup in the paint, led by a pair of honorable mention All-Big 12 selections, Laurence Bowers and Ricardo Ratliffe.

Bowers is one of the Big 12’s more versatile forwards. He led the league in blocked shots for most of his junior campaign and finished the year with 62 swats, which ranked second in the conference and among the Top 70 nationally. He also ranked second on the club in scoring (11.6), tops in rebounding (6.1) and dished 46 assists and ripped away 38 steals.

Ratliffe won Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors in his first season at Mizzou after averaging 10.6 points and 6.0 rebounds. As expected, there was a period of adjustment for the 6-foot-8 power forward and he eventually settled in nicely, reaching double figures in scoring 23 times, while ranking second with 45 blocked shots.

Other Resources on Tigers Basketball

Mizzou

More Big 12 Basketball Predictions

Kansas Jayhawks	Missouri Tigers
Baylor Bears	Iowa State Cyclones
Kansas State Wildcats	Texas Longhorns
Oklahoma State Cowboys	Oklahoma Sooners
Texas A&M Aggies	Texas Tech Red Raiders

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