Last week Mizzou women’s basketball won its first game of conference play, dismantling Arkansas at home 94-69. But the Tigers couldn’t complete the sweep as a poor fourth quarter at Florida resulted in an 18-point loss. Now, Kellie Harper’s team has a chance to pile on some wins with a pair of home games in Mizzou Arena this week.
The Tigers start the week hosting No. 18 Ole Miss before closing the week against a Texas A&M team that also has one SEC win. According to WarrenNolan.com, Mizzou is an 11-point
underdog against Ole Miss and a 5-point favorite versus A&M. Here’s what to know about the opponents ahead and what the Tigers need to do if they hope to walk away with one (if not two) wins in Mizzou Arena.
The Sip
Mizzou faces off with its fifth ranked opponent in SEC in a showdown with No. 18 Ole Miss. The Rebels have controlled this matchup as of late, winning the four matchups in the last four years. Last year was the closest the Tigers have come during that stretch, losing 68-66 in Oxford thanks in large part to 18 points by Grace Slaughter. Historically Mizzou has held the advantage against Ole Miss 12-5, thanks to a 12-game winning streak from 2013-21.
Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin (a.k.a. Coach Yo) has helped pilot a renaissance within the program, making the four straight NCAA tournaments and are on the way to a fifth. Currently the Rebels are 16-4 on the season and 3-2 in the SEC. It has been a mixed bag to start conference play, defeating then-No. 5 Oklahoma but lost their last game to unranked Georgia by 23 points.
The top Ole Miss weapon is senior forward Cotie McMahon. The Ohio State transfer leads the team averaging 18.7 points while shooting 47.8% from the field. However she has struggled both from three (27.4%) and from the free throw line (66.7%). If Mizzou wants to minimize McMahon’s impact on the game, they should aim to keep her away from the rim and then foul to avoid giving up easy shots.
Gig ‘Em
The Tigers close the homestand against Texas A&M, another team struggling to hit its stride. Mizzou holds a one-game win streak in the series, defeating the Aggies 69-59 in College Station last season. Overall A&M has a 21-13 edge dating back to the Big 12 days.
The Aggies have failed to find a rhythm this season, currently 1-4 in conference play at the time of writing. Their only win so far came on the road against Florida 74-66. Similar to most SEC teams they have been at the mercy at some of the top dogs, suffering 40-plus point blowouts at the hands of Vanderbilt and Texas.
The best player on the A&M roster offensively has been Ny’ceara Pryor. The Sacred Heart transfer has made a major impact in year one as an Aggie, leading the way with 15.2 points and 7.1 assists as the starting point guard. Similar to McMahon of Ole Miss, Pryor’s weakness are the three-point line at 16.7% and the free-throw line 60%. The game plan will be very similar, but the Tigers have to be aware of Pryor’s incredible passing ability.
Player to Watch: Saniah Tyler
Against Arkansas, Mizzou found success thanks to their scoring depth with five players finishing the game in double-digit points. By contrast the Tigers failed to find that depth in the Florida loss, with Grace Slaughter and Shannon Dowell combining for 52 of the team’s 71.
The best example of this dichotomy was showcased by point guard Saniah Tyler. In the Arkansas win, Tyler scored a season-high 11 points on a perfect 4-4 from the field and 3-3 on three-pointers while adding four assists. Tyler failed to find that same rhythm in the Florida loss, finishing the game with no points while shooting 0-3 from the field and 0-2 from three. However she racked up another four assists, continuing to be one of the best passers on the roster.
While Tyler is not expected to be a double-digit scorer every game, her ability to knock down several threes can work as a momentum-shifter against an uber-talented Ole Miss team or bury Texas A&M.
The Tigers will look for their first ranked win under Harper versus No. 18 Ole Miss at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Mizzou Arena. The game will be available to watch on SEC Network+ through the ESPN app.
