In year one under Kellie Harper, Mizzou women’s basketball is already off to a hot start. At the end of non-conference play, the Tigers are sitting at 12-3 for their best record entering SEC play since
2022-23. But this has come with several close calls, including single-digit wins against the likes of Central Arkansas, SIUE and Kansas City.
However, the Tigers are entering the real challenge of the season. The SEC has not been kind to the Tigers as of late, with only five conference wins across the last two seasons. This year will not be any easier, as the SEC has the best combined non-conference record at a staggering 195-24. According to WarrenNolan.com, the Tigers are projected to finish 11th in the conference with a record of 5-11. This would be a huge improvement over the last couple seasons, and a major step forward thanks to Coach Harper. But for that to happen, there are several things that need to go right for the Tigers in the new year. Here are three keys for Mizzou women’s basketball to succeed in conference play.
Beat the Bottom Feeders
Currently there are six teams in the conference projected to finish outside the top 100 of the RPI. Mizzou sits at the top of these teams and will play them a total of six times (Arkansas twice). Four of those games home at home against the likes of Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia and Texas A&M. The toughest challenges will come on the road against Arkansas and Florida.
These have been the best games for the Tigers during this tough stretch, with three of the five wins across the last two years coming against the aforementioned opponents. But even if Mizzou was not able to pull out the win in these games, they have constantly been competitive and come down to the wire.
While it is possible to pull off an upset win over one of the conference’s best, the gap between these six teams and the top ten make it seem near impossible. There is a key stretch between Jan. 15 and Feb. 19 where all six of these winnable games will be played, so the Tigers will need to be in top form when that arises. That takes us to my next point; getting healthy.
Getting Back to Full Strength
One of the biggest struggles that Mizzou has faced this year has been injury concerns. Five separate players have missed some amount of time during the first couple months of the season. It was announced right before the season opener that Averi Kroenke would miss the entire season with a torn ACL. Both Sydney Mains and Hannah Linthacum have yet to play this season but are expected to be back sometime during conference play. Saniah Tyler had a minor arm injury which caused her to miss the first three games of the season, but has been back as a key contributor off the bench with 1.7 points and 1.7 assists per game so far.
However the most impactful injury has been to Shannon Dowell, who has missed the last two games with a lower body injury. Her presence was dearly missed in the win against Kansas City, as the Mizzou offense struggled to find any sort of success at the rim for a large part of the game. Luckily it is expected that Dowell will be back sooner rather than later, as the injury was originally considered day-to-day.
These sorts of injuries can stockpile when it comes to the grind of the SEC. As a result it’s important for the Tigers to get healthy and stay there. If Mizzou is to compete with the best of the best in the entire nation, they will need to use the talents of everyone available on the roster in some capacity.
Swing the Rock
When looking at last year’s SEC play, one of Mizzou’s biggest struggles came from a slowed offensive attack. The Tigers averaged 64.6 points across their 17 conference games. By comparison their opponents scored 76.4.
A big part of this came from the team’s inability to create open looks in the offense. The Tigers averaged only 11.8 assists against conference opponents last season.
Even without a true guard starter (which I discussed in this piece recapping the non-conference slate), Mizzou has been passing to find open teammates at a much higher rate. Through 15 games under Kellie Harper, the Tigers have averaged 14 assists per game.
This has been a concerted team effort, with eight players averaging at least one assist so far this season. One real standout has been point guard Lisa Thompson, who has been in-and-out of the starting lineup withe the previously mentioned injuries. While averaging only 12.1 minutes of action, she is third on the team with 30 assists. If the Tigers hope to improve their record in SEC play from previous seasons, Thompson will need to continue and expand upon this success in the coming months.
The Tigers get their first glimpse at the gauntlet that the SEC with three straight showdowns against ranked opponents. That starts against No. 1 Texas at 6:30 on New Year’s Day from Mizzou Arena.
