The Sports Network
By Andrew Gaddess, Associate College Basketball Editor
FACTS & STATS: Site: Mizzou Arena (15,061) -- Columbia, Missouri. Television: ESPN2. Home Record: Baylor 14-2, Missouri 16-0. Away Record: Baylor 2-4, Missouri 2-5. Neutral Record: Baylor 1-3, Missouri 3-1. Conference Record: Baylor 6-6, Missouri 7-5. Series Record: Missouri leads, 12-10. GAME NOTES: Looking for their fourth consecutive victory in Big 12 Conference play, the 20th-ranked Missouri Tigers welcome the Baylor Bears to Mizzou Arena tonight. Baylor will look to end its two-game Big 12 losing streak as its visits Missouri, although it hasn't won on the school's home court since 1948. The Bears currently trail Missouri by just one game in the Big 12 standings. Missouri picked up its first Big 12 road win of the season Saturday, downing Iowa State 76-70. Success at home has not been an issue, as the Tigers have posted a 16-0 home record and average a 22.8 ppg margin of victory in Mizzou Arena. In fact, since the end of the 2007-08 campaign, the Tigers have won 51 of 53 home games. With a win tonight, the 17-game home win streak would stand as the seventh longest in school history. With respect to the all-time series, tonight's matchup marks the 23rd meeting between Baylor and Missouri. The Tigers currently hold a slim 12-10 lead over the Bears. Baylor last played on Saturday, dropping a disappointing 78-69 decision to a short-handed Texas Tech team which had lost four straight. With Tech missing leading rebounder and second-leading scorer Mike Singletary, and losing two players to foul trouble, the Bears still managed to trail for the final 26 minutes of the game. They cut the deficit to 64-62 with 3:51 remaining, but committed three consecutive turnovers to drive the nail into their own coffin. LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor's all-time leading scorer (2,217 points) led the squad with a game-high 21 points. He now needs just 40 points to pass Texas Tech's Andre Emmett as the Big 12's career scoring leader. Against Tech, Dunn was supported by Anthony Jones and Perry Jones III, who netted 11 and 10 points, respectively. Jones III currently leads all Big 12 freshman in scoring (14.3 ppg) and field goal percentage (57.3 percent), while pulling down 7 rpg. Quincy Acy pulls down a team-high 7.5 rpg, while ranking third in scoring (12.4 ppg). Dunn paces the Bears in scoring (20.8 ppg), leading them to 71.4 ppg. Point guard A.J. Walton leads the league in steal per game (2.28) as the Bears allow only 63.1 ppg. Missouri utilized a strong effort from the charity stripe to down Iowa State on Saturday and earn its first league road win of the season. The Tigers hit 16-of-20 free throws over the final l20 minutes of action, including a stretch of four straight to go ahead 66-60 with 3:27 remaining. After Iowa State cut the lead to 72-68 in the waning moments, Michael Dixon went 4-of-4 from the line to ice the game. Dixon did not convert a single field goal attempt for the game (0-of-7) but was a crucial 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Marcus Denmon paced the victors with a game-high 25 points, while Laurence Bowers added 16 points and Ricardo Ratliffe finished with 10 points and 10 boards. The Tigers rely on a frenetic attack to overwhelm opponents. They play and up- tempo style of offense which results in a Big 12-leading 83.5 ppg. Missouri is one of only six teams in the nation to have five players averaging in double figures in scoring. Denmon (16.6) paces the group, which is rounded out by Ratliffe (11.4 ppg), Bowers (11.1 ppg), Kim English (10.5 ppg) and Michael Dixon (10.4 ppg). Over the last four games, the Bears are averaging 84.5 ppg on 51.7 percent shooting. They employ that same pace and speed on the defensive end, forcing 18.1 turnovers per game and posting a plus-5.3 turnover margin. They allow 70.7 ppg. Missouri is not only unbeatable at home, but now has been bolstered by success on the road. The scenario proves troublesome for the Bears.