University of Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton announced Thursday that Athletic Director Mike Alden’s contract has been extended by two years. The contract now extends through June 30, 2019. The extension is designed to provide support to Alden as he continues to oversee the successful athletic programs, student-athlete academic performance and sound financial management of the department.

“Mike has provided important leadership during a time of transition of conferences,” Deaton said. “His record of integrity is stellar and his national leadership in the NCAA reflects recognition of his orientation to the success of the student athlete. The academic, competitive and financial strength of our Athletic Department is due to Mike’s leadership, and the university is proud of his contributions. We want to see a stable pathway as we look to the future. This contract extension is one way to reinforce our commitment to excellence in athletics and to the academic mission of our university.”

Under Alden’s guidance, Mizzou Athletic programs have consistently competed at a higher level. The football program has competed in seven consecutive bowl games, a school record. Additionally, their 48 wins in the last five seasons ranks ninth in the NCAA among BCS automatic qualifying leagues. The men’s basketball program finished last season with 30 wins and received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The softball program has competed in the Women’s College World Series in three of the last four years, and in the last six years, six Tiger programs have won 11 conference championships (regular season and post-season combined).

“I want to thank Chancellor Deaton and our leadership at Mizzou for their continued confidence and support of our efforts in Tiger Athletics,” Alden said. “This extension is greatly appreciated, and I believe it reflects the efforts of so many people working together for academic integrity, social responsibility and competitive excellence. We look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead as we enter the SEC.”

Prior to coming to MU, Alden was director of athletics at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He has worked in athletic administration for Division I schools since 1985, serving as assistant athletic director for administration at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., and as associate athletic director for development at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, N.M.

— MU Sports Information —

Missouri Basketball released its 2012-13 non-conference schedule on Wednesday and the start of a home-and-home series with UCLA, the annual Busch Braggin’ Rights clash with Illinois in St. Louis and this year’s top preseason tournament, the Battle 4 Atlantis, highlight the schedule.

In addition, Missouri will begin its first season of play in the Southeastern Conference, which includes 18 regular-season games as the Tigers look to make their fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

In all, Missouri will have 19 home games, beginning with exhibition contests vs. Northwest Missouri State (Oct. 29) and Missouri Southern (Nov. 4). The Tigers will also host in-state foe Southeast Missouri State in a regular season game on Dec. 4.

Mizzou will have the opportunity to play a number of ranked opponents during non-conference play. UCLA welcomes the country’s No. 1 recruiting class and the Bruins return to the renovated Pauley Pavilion this season. Head Coach Frank Haith’s club will also face three difficult challenges in the Bahamas over Thanksgiving. That tournament field includes Missouri, Stanford, Louisville, Duke, Memphis, Minnesota, Northern Iowa and VCU. Each of those teams won at least 20 games a season ago and six of the eight teams, including Missouri, are ranked among CBS’s Preseason Top 25 (courtesy Jeff Goodman). Louisville is ranked No. 3 in that early poll along with No. 12 Duke, No. 14 Memphis, No. 19 Missouri, No. 24 Minnesota and No. 25 VCU. Stanford, Missouri’s opening opponent in the event, fell just outside those rankings, but won the 2012 Postseason NIT.

“This schedule will have some big time opportunities, including starting a home-and-home series with UCLA,” Haith said. “There is no question that the Battle 4 Atlantis will be a big challenge for us, especially as we work in a number of new players early in the season.

“When you look at the 18-game league schedule on top of that and of course our annual game with Illinois, I like how our team will be tested early and often this year. Something that was also important was playing in games and tournaments that create national exposure. With our league schedule we will have 18 games on national TV this season.”

As Haith mentioned, that national TV number is the highest in school history. Missouri had 16 regular-season games appear on national networks last year and official start time and national network information for the Dec. 22 Braggin’ Rights Game will be announced at a later date. The remaining games will be aired on the Mizzou Sports Network and the SEC Network. Those games are typically carried on ESPN3.com as well, bolstering the club’s national visibility.

Complete television/time information for the Mizzou Sports Network will be released at a later date. The Mizzou Sports Network games are aired on Fox Sports Midwest in St. Louis, Metro Sports in Kansas City and KOMU in Mid-Missouri.

Missouri concludes non-conference play against defending Patriot League regular season champion Bucknell on Jan. 5. The Bison finished 25-10 last year.

Click here to see the entire 2012-2013 schedule.

— MU Sports Information —

The University of Missouri Athletics Department has announced that Southeastern Conference home football game tickets will go on sale beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 24. A limited number of reserved ticket locations will be available for the Vanderbilt game (Oct. 6) and the Homecoming contest against Kentucky (Oct. 27). In addition, a very limited number of general admission tickets for the Georgia (Sept. 8) and the Alabama games (Oct. 13) will be available for purchase.

Beginning at 6 p.m. this Friday, Aug. 24, fans will be able to purchase tickets online at mutigers.com. Tickets for the Vanderbilt and Kentucky games will also be available via Ticketmaster outlets. However, tickets to the Georgia and Alabama games will ONLY be available for purchase through mutigers.com. Fans can purchase up to four tickets to the Georgia and Alabama games.

If tickets remain, fans can order via phone at 1-800-CAT-PAWS or in person at the Mizzou Arena Ticket Office starting at 8 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 27.

Single game tickets for the three non-conference games are currently available for purchase. Fans can purchase a 4-pack of tickets to the home opener against Southeastern Louisiana State on Sept. 1 for only $100, while supplies last. Only general admission tickets are available for the Arizona State game on Sept. 15, while reserved tickets remain for the Nov. 17 matchup with Syracuse.

— MU Sports Information —

The University of Missouri Athletics Department has announced the sale of a Kick-Off Four-Pack ticket special for Mizzou’s Sept. 1 home football opener against Southeastern Louisiana. The Tigers start the season with the Lions at 6 p.m. at Faurot Field. The four-pack includes four tickets for just $100, a savings of $96 off the regular price.

Beginning at 6 p.m. this Wednesday, Aug. 22, fans will be able to purchase this special disount offer online at mutigers.com. Fans can order via phone at 1-800-CAT-PAWS or in person at the Mizzou Arena Ticket Office starting at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 23.

There are a limited number of 4-Pack tickets available while supplies last. The discount is not available on game day or on previously purchased tickets.

Single game tickets for the three non-conference games are currently available for purchase. SEC Games (if available) will go on sale to the public this Friday, Aug. 24 at 6 p.m. online at mutigers.com.

— MU Sports Information —

Missouri Basketball turned up the heat in the fourth quarter outscoring Cergy 30-11 over the final 10 minutes to earn an 81-61 victory in the final game of its 2012 European Tour in Cergy, France.

Mizzou led by just one (51-50) entering the fourth period and actually trailed, 53-51, early in the quarter before unleashing a 21-0 run over the next 5:43. The Tigers shot 58 percent from the floor in the fourth and limited Cergy to just four field goals to fuel the huge rally. Ryan Rosburg was key for Mizzou, starting the run with six consecutive points and Keion Bell scored 10 of his game high 15 in the period to be the difference-maker.

Bell used his athleticism to attack the rim at will and Missouri out-muscled a good-sized Cergy team to score 20 of those 30 points in the paint.

“We found ourselves in some foul trouble and guys like Keion and Ryan really took over in the fourth quarter when the game was still in doubt,” Head Coach Frank Haith said. “They got that lead and there was a lot of emotion on the floor, but our guys stayed calm and really took control of the game with good ball movement and a great attacking mentality.”

After losing the lead Missouri’s next 10 field goals were layups and the Tigers applied improved defensive pressure and dominated the defensive glass to earn transition opportunities.

“We relied too much on our perimeter jumper and went away from our strength, which is attacking the rim,” Haith said. “I had a feeling our perimeter game might struggle tonight because the rims were off center and probably lower than 10 feet at one end, but once our guys started attacking the glass and we got some fouls called, they had to take their hands off us and it was a completely different game.”

Bell produced a number of highlights, including a pair of incredible dunks over the opposition. One was called off due to an off-the-ball violation, but his athleticism set the tone for a dominating final period.

“Keion can do that and he’s played very well over the last two games,” Haith said. “He had seven boards and seven assists too, so not only was he scoring, but he was attacking the glass and used his dribble to set up his teammates.”

Five Missouri players were in double figures and both Alex Oriakhi and Earnest Ross produced point-rebound double-doubles. Oriakhi scored nine of his 13 points in the opening period and both he and Ross combined for 22 rebounds (Cergy had 29 total) to control the rim. Ross finished with 13 points and 10 boards and both newcomers had five offensive caroms apiece.

Overall Missouri had 50 rebounds compared to Cergy’s 29 and four different Tigers had at least six boards, including Rosburg who finished with six points, six boards a block and a steal in 14 minutes.

“Ryan is getting better and better every game,” Haith said. “He was absolutely huge early in the fourth. Don’t forget that he is playing against guys that are in their late 20s and early 30s and he changed the complexion of the game.”

Missouri led by as many as 12 in the second quarter but were forced to go deep into the bench with early foul trouble once again. Adjusting to the officiating in a third country, the Tigers were whistled for 14 fouls in the opening half, many of which were called away from the basketball.

Oriakhi paced the squad with 11 points in the first half, including nine in the first quarter. Missouri used its size and athleticism to earn a 27-16 advantage on the glass, but was unable to sustain that early surge.

Ross hit three of five treys in the first half and grabbed six of his 10 boards. The rest of the team struggled from deep, going 0-of-6 from bonus distance.

Missouri will leave Paris early Saturday morning and is scheduled to arrive back in Columbia around 11 p.m.

— MU Sports Information —

Alex Oriakhi hasn’t always been a focal point on the offensive side of the floor, but since his arrival at Mizzou Head Coach Frank Haith has worked with the club’s newest player on becoming more assertive in the post. Oriakhi came through in a big way on Tuesday night, scoring 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting to lead Missouri Basketball to a 72-56 win over the Gent Dragons.

The senior from Lowell, Mass., scored six of the team’s first eight points and hauled in eight rebounds during his top game of the tour thus far. He added a pair of dunks and helped Missouri dominate the paint once again during the 16-point win. Overall Mizzou outscored Gent 40-26 in the paint and the Tigers won the rebounding battle 40-30 to earn their third win of the tour.

“Alex was big tonight and we could kind of see this coming,” Head Coach Frank Haith said. “We were just going to stay positive with him and keep giving him the opportunity to make plays in the low-block. Alex was getting good position, but he was so anxious once he caught the basketball. Tonight he was assertive and really attacked the rim.”

Oriakhi wasn’t the lone Tiger to come out firing. Keion Bell was efficient in his 27 minutes of playing time, scoring 12 points, grabbing eight boards, dishing four assists and ripping away three steals. Bell was also instrumental on defense, helping to harass Gent players into 20 turnovers.

“Keion played within himself tonight,” Haith said. “He was under control and very patient. He used the dribble drive to attack the rim and he found guys for open looks. He could have had about three or four more assists, but we missed some perimeter jumpers early.”

Like Oriakhi, newcomer Jabari Brown was in need of a big game and he broke through an early shooting slump with 12 fourth quarter points on 5-of-6 shooting. The Oakland, Calif., native hit a pair of treys and rocked the rim with a dunk to end any hopes of a home team comeback.

“It felt good getting some shots to fall,” Brown said. “I feel like I am shooting the ball well, but they weren’t going down. Sometimes you just need a bucket in transition to see the ball go through the rim and then you can relax a little bit. We got the tempo going in the fourth quarter and it was easier to get lost in transition. Guys found me and had the confidence to give me the ball.”

Gent actually outscored Missouri, 17-16, in the second quarter to cut the lead to 33-28. Tony Criswell was Missouri’s go-to guy in the third however, scoring six quick points to help the lead balloon to 15, 43-28, with just a couple minutes gone in the frame.

“That was a big stretch,” Haith said. “Tony has played well over here and he is a confident guy in his jumper. That start of the second half set the tone for the rest of the way.”

Overall Oriakhi led five Tigers in double figures with 16. Bell added 15 and Brown chipped in 14. Three Tigers had at least eight rebounds, led once again by Earnest Ross who had nine. The former Auburn standout added four assists, tied for the team lead with Michael Dixon and Bell.

“We were tired tonight, I could see that, but when you have guys fight through it and play with energy early, it becomes contagious,” Haith said. “We travel to Paris tomorrow and have a couple of days off to get our legs back, but I have seen this team improve game-to-game.”

Missouri will leave Belgium tomorrow morning and travel nearly four hours by bus to Paris. The team returns to action on Aug. 17 vs. Cergy. Game time is currently scheduled for 7 p.m.

— MU Sports Information —

Michael Dixon scored 31 points and Missouri outscored a talented Bent-Schoenen Waregem squad, 63-47, over the final three quarters to earn an 81-72 victory in front of a vocal crowd in Waregem, Belgium.

The Tigers, who were playing their first game in two days, started slow and Bent came out firing, building a 12-2 advantage in the first 3:35. Bent hit four of its first five shots from the floor, including a pair of three-point plays and a trey to send the Tigers staggering.

Mizzou responded to score the next seven points, including four from the senior Dixon to slice the lead to 12-9, before a 9-2 run from the home squad pushed the lead back to 10, 21-11.

Missouri could not seem to find its rhythm offensively and the Belgium professional squad did an excellent job using screens to get open looks from bonus distance, but each time they were able to create space the Tigers would come storming back.

Trailing 28-21 at the start of the second quarter sophomore Danny Feldmann logged back-to-back hoops to pull Mizzou within three, 28-25.  The Jefferson City native tipped in a Keion Bell miss and then stole an errant pass and raced down the floor for an easy layup. However five straight points by the hosts pushed the lead back to 33-25 and it increased to 37-27 before Alex Oriakhi scored four and Earnest Ross added a bucket to change momentum.

“I give them a lot of credit,” Head Coach Frank Haith said. “They are a veteran club, so I knew they would have a lot of confidence coming in. I knew they would come out firing and they hit some shots early. I wanted our guys to hang in there and just stay patient. Once we did that, everything fell into place.”

The Tigers did just that and after a late trey from Dixon closed the first half, the Tigers were down just four, 46-42, and the momentum was already beginning to shift.

“That was a big shot and it was big to get that stop just before the end of the half,” Haith said. “If they make that three, it’s back to seven, so our defense finally got its footing and allowed us to seize control in the second half.”

As Haith alluded to, Bent would score just 30 points the rest of the way and MU held them to just 28 percent from the floor and 0-of-9 from three-point range in the final two quarters. In fact Bent made just 7-of-25 shots in the final 20 minutes and the Tigers outrebounded them 25-11 during that stretch, with eight of those boards coming from Ross.

Ross finished the game with a 13-point, 10-board double-double and was Mizzou’s emotional leader as the team stormed in front.

Ross tied the game with a pair of free throws early in the third quarter and Alex Oriakhi put Missouri in front for the first time, following his own miss with a lay-in.  Bent would grab the lead one final time, but consecutive buckets from Dixon, Ross and Jabari Brown pushed the lead to five and set the tone for the remainder of the contest.

“That was a big stretch,” Dixon said. “We would cut the lead down in the first half and they would hit back-to-back shots and it would be seven or eight points again. For us to get the lead, give it up and then go on that run really set the tone. Earnest was a warrior out there and Ryan Rosburg gave us some great minutes.”

Rosburg did just that. The rookie from the St. Louis area unleashed an array of post moves and scored seven points. He twice used up-and-under moves to fool the much older defender and found ways to impact the game, both at the foul line and knocking balls away from post players.

“I really like what Ryan did for us tonight,” Haith said. “You look at what he and Danny did, they really gave us quality production and they showed how important it is to have depth.”

The Tigers had four players with four fouls and while much is due to an adjusted style of officiating in Europe, Haith was pleased to see players respond when called upon.

“You need that depth,” Haith said. “If you want to create more of an identity on defense, you need to be able to body up with folks in the paint and not give up layups. I have confidence in guys like Tony, Stefan, Ryan and Danny.”

Dixon iced the game with 12 fourth-quarter tallies. He finished with 31 points, while adding six boards and five assists. Ross (13) and Oriakhi (10) also found their way into double-figures.

Missouri returns to action with a game on Tuesday vs. Gent. Game time is currently slated for 7:30 p.m.

— MU Sports Information —

Overseas exhibition games have been known to get chippy and after seeing a couple of elbows fly, words exchanged and a surprising ejection, Mizzou Head Coach Frank Haith had seen enough.

The second year head coach at Missouri had just been ejected from the game for questioning a non-call on an elbow to the head of freshman forward Stefan Jankovic and pulled his team from the floor midway through the third quarter.

“In my mind I was just fearful for the safety of our players, but in retrospect I wish I had let our team play it out and learn from the adversity,” Haith said. “I take complete responsibility. This is a learning experience for us all.”

Despite the decision Haith had nothing but praise for the Netherlands National program.

“This in no way reflects how the Dutch team played tonight,” Haith said. “They are a great team and for us to be up 25 at the half, we were obviously playing well. I had a split second to make a decision and I chose to err on the side of caution.”

Even junior forward Earnest Ross understood the difficult decision.

“We are competitors, we want to play, but when we saw the look in Coach Haith’s eyes we knew he had our backs,” Ross said. “We are a family and it feels great knowing your head coach will step out there for you like this.”

Event organizer and Dutch National Team Manager Matthijs Groot understood Haith’s position.

“It was strange what happened because it (ejection) so suddenly came out of the blue,” Groot said. “There were inconsistent calls on both sides including a technical foul on the Dutch, so our staff could understand that the game was stopped. It was just a pity it got to that point.”

Missouri has three games remaining on the exhibition tour, including two games in Belgium starting on Monday against Waragem.

— MU Sports Information —

Missouri Basketball used a dominating rebounding advantage (51-31) and 46 points in the paint to dispatch of Rotterdam, 87-64, in the opening game of the club’s 2012 European Tour on Friday.

The Tigers led 53-36 at the half and by as many as 26 in the contest to earn the victory. Newcomers Earnest Ross and Keion Bell led the team with 17 points apiece and five Tigers were in double figures overall, including four newcomers.

“I thought the guys played well considering all but two haven’t been in a college game situation for a year,” Head Coach Frank Haith said. “I thought we were active and kept them from getting into much of a rhythm. We put some guys in new spots, like running Keion Bell at the point and he looked good. This is exhibition for us, so we are going to look at some different combinations and we did that most of the second half. We are a deeper team and having a chance to get these young guys some playing time is a big positive.”

As Haith alluded to, several newcomers got extended playing time, including Tony Criswell. The Oklahoma City native scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds. The 6-foot-9 forward hit 7-of-9 shots overall and was active during his 22 minutes of play, jumping in passing lanes and running out during fast-break opportunities.

“I thought Tony did the things tonight that he has been doing in practice,” Haith said. “He was active, aggressive and shot the ball with confidence. He did the same things we are going to need from him during the regular season.”

Criswell and Ross each finished just two boards shy of a double-double and Michael Dixon nearly added a double-double as well scoring 10 points and dishing nine assists.

Another newcomer, Alex Oriakhi, made an impact in a number of areas including blocked shots. The senior swatted four shots and added six points with seven boards in just 18 minutes. He was one of several MU players hampered by foul trouble, including freshman Stefan Jankovic. Jankovic played just 10 minutes due to fouls, but entered the game and knocked down his first shot, a trey from the top of the key. He also added four boards.

St. Louis-area native Ryan Rosburg was also impressive chipping in five points, five boards and two steals.

“I thought those two young guys did some good things out there,” senior forward Laurence Bowers said. “Stefan is active and can really shoot the ball. Ryan will muscle up and battle in the post. Those guys are going to get better and better with each game over here.”

Mizzou returns to action on Saturday night at 8 p.m. local (1 p.m. CT) against the Netherlands National B Team (U24 National Squad).

— MU Sports Information —

As countdown to kickoff for the much-anticipated 2012 Mizzou Football season draws nearer, the Tigers found out kick time and television information for their first three games.  As announced today by the Southeastern Conference office, Mizzou’s Sept. 1st season opener against Southeastern Louisiana will kick at 6 p.m. (central) and be televised on a pay-per-view basis (affiliate details to be determined).

After that, Mizzou’s SEC debut against Georgia on Sept. 8th, and a rematch with Arizona State on Sept. 15th, have both been chosen for telecast by ESPN2.  Both contests will be night games at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium, with the Georgia game set for a 6:45 p.m. (central time) kickoff, while the Arizona State game will kick at 6 p.m. (central).

The entire slate of 2012 conference games will be televised by one of the SEC’s television partners – CBS Sports, any of the ESPN platforms (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ESPN3.com), CSS or FOX Sports South.  The majority of television selections for the remainder of the season will be selected by SEC partners on a 12-day advance notice, with the potential for selections to be made on a 6-day advance notice.    Here’s a look at the 2012 full schedule:

Sept. 1 vs. SE Louisianna  6:00 PM  PPV
Sept. 8 vs. Georgia  6:45 PM  ESPN 2
Sept. 15 vs. Arizona State  6:00 PM  ESPN 2
Sept. 22 at South Carolina  TBA
Sept. 29 at Central Florida  TBA
Oct. 6 vs. Vanderbilt  TBA
Oct. 13 vs. Alabama  TBA
Oct. 27 vs. Kentucky  TBA
Nov. 3 at Florida  TBA
Nov. 10 at Tennessee  TBA
Nov. 17 vs. Syracuse  TBA
Nov. 24 at Texas A&M  TBA

— MU Sports Information —