With non-conference play in the books, we will recount the highs and lows of the season thus far and look to the future
Robin Pingeton has captained Missouri to a respectable 9-4 opening record, remaining undefeated at home so far. However, road struggles and inconsistent defensive performances have proven to be the team’s barrier from being a solid squad.
The Tigers head into conference play with a 2-4 record away from Mizzou Arena. In three of those losses, the Tigers have allowed their opponents to score at least 80 points. Missouri is yet to give up 75 points at home. This proves the Tigers to be capable defenders.
The Tigers opened the season with powerful home wins against Belmont and Indiana State before suffering their first defeat in a tight road contest against Saint Louis. Despite the loss, the Tigers enjoyed offensive production leaps from their starting guards with senior Mama Dembele and sophomore Ashton Judd each notching a new career scoring high in the Tigers’ first two contests.
Missouri would add two more home wins over North Alabama and Southern Indiana before heading to the Daytona Beach Classic. This series saw the Tigers first etching out a win over Tennessee Tech and then falling to Kent State in what was their second single-digit loss away from home.
After the tournament, Missouri picked up another loss and two wins before losing to No. 13/16 Kansas State. Despite the loss, The Tigers finished non-conference play with two wins against Illinois and Kansas City.
The Tigers can credit much of their success so far to their dominant offense. Missouri boasts a top 50 scoring offense while averaging 78.8 points per game. The offense is led by 2023 SEC All-Conference selection, senior Hayley Frank, who averages 16.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest.
Dembele is also a major offensive component. She averages 9.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game which places her as the No. 11 leading passer in the nation. Dembele also sits at No. 7 in steals per game with 3.4.
Ashton Judd also provides an offensive spark to supplement Frank and Dembele. Judd has upped her scoring production from 7.4 points per game to 14.4. This lands her in the top 15 scoring averages amongst all SEC players.
While the Tigers offense is a clear strength, the team is not short of weaknesses. Missouri women’s basketball has emerged from non-conference play with a winning record for the fourth straight year. This year the Tigers will search for their first winning record in the SEC since the 2018-19 season. That season was also the last time Missouri made the NCAA Tournament.
After a 3-0 start in SEC play last season, the Tigers lost six matchups in a row. Missouri failed to recover down the stretch, finishing ninth in the conference with a record of 6-10. It will be key for the team moving forward to not only to win quickly but to prevent any losing streaks.
This will not be an easy task, as the SEC is consistently one of the best women’s basketball conferences. The SEC currently has six teams ranked inside the top 50 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool rankings, tied fourth most in the nation. Missouri faces three of the top four SEC NET teams in their first three matchups: LSU, Alabama and South Carolina. LSU and South Carolina are ranked in the AP Poll, at No.7 and No.1 respectively.
The Tigers’ only comfort comes in the fact that the matchups against the Tide and the Gamecocks will take place at home. Missouri is a perfect 7-0 at Mizzou Arena, with an average margin of victory of 29 points.
In addition, the SEC has failed to provide top-end talented teams to start the year. While the depth of the conference is plentiful, many of these teams fail to make the jump into the polls. There are currently only three teams in the NET Top 25 from the conference, and only two in the AP Top 25 as of Dec. 26. As a result, Missouri will look to break out from the bottom half of the conference.
Additional key players for Missouri are a trio of freshmen who have played in all 13 games: Hannah Linthacum, Abbey Schreacke and Grace Slaughter. This group of newcomers have averaged 24.6 points and 10.1 rebounds.
Linthacum has taken a massive step forward, starting four games since the injury to graduate forward Angelique Ngalakulondi. In the win against Kansas City, she earned a career-high 20 points.
Edited by Grace Ainger | gainger@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com