Hoopin’ and Hollerin: Back to the Grind

Top-25 matchups are back on the menu in Mizzou Arena

This past week has served as a state of Euphoria for Mizzou WBB (13-13, 2-9 SEC). Between their 2nd conference win (1st on the road) against Texas A&M and six days off, you couldn’t ask for much more as a Tiger fan.

But when you play in the SEC, things can never be THAT easy. Next up for Mizzou is a pair of ranked matchups between a rematch against Oklahoma (18-6, 6-5 SEC) and a look at a much improved Kentucky (19-4, 8-3 SEC) squad.

This week we’ll take a look at what went right in the win over the Aggies and what’s to know about the two games this week at Mizzou Arena.

Flipping the Script

In Mizzou’s last three losses, they found themselves either ahead or juuust behind at the half. That’s when their opponents would kick it into high gear, pulling away and leaving Mizzou in the dust.

To secure its second conference win, the Tigers found a way to shake that trend. Mizzou won the third quarter against A&M 24-12. In the other three quarters combined Pingeton’s team was outscored by 2.

This sort of discrepancy came from winning the turnover battle. The Tigers forced 6 turnovers in the quarter while limiting themselves to 2. Throughout the game Mizzou turned 19 Aggie turnovers into 21 points.

It helped that the Tigers weren’t afraid to take threes, making 4-8 in the third and 10-29 in the game. It was a real showcase for Grace Slaughter, who scored 14 in the quarter and 29 total.

(MICHAEL BANIEWICZ/ROCK M)

While there’s multiple ways to win a basketball game, these three keys will lead to success almost every time: win the turnover battle, make your threes, play through your star.

Stopping the Conestoga Wagon

Mizzou will see Oklahoma for the second time this season as its only repeat SEC opponent. In the first meeting the Sooners won in Norman 80-63, outscoring the Tigers in the first by 7 and in the third by 9.

Oklahoma is currently ranked No. 16 in the nation riding a two-game winning streak. According to ESPN they are a projected No. 4 seed an expected to host the first two rounds in the NCAA Tournament.

Despite the wins this past week Oklahoma struggled in their latest matchup against Auburn, winning 73-71.

Auburn was outmatched through the first three quarters, but a 23-15 advantage in the final frame was ALMOST enough to pull off the upset. The two were almost identical in many categories, but Auburn managed to outscore Oklahoma 37-21 in bench points.

Mizzou had a similar recipe in their A&M win, with De’Myla Brown and Abbey Schreacke each scoring double digits off the bench. If the Tigers hope to pull off the upset at home, everyone will need to contribute.

Your player to watch this time around is Payton Verhulst. She was a major problem in the last matchup against Mizzou with a season-high 38 points, making 6-9 threes. Verhulst can get red hot from beyond-the-arc, the Tigers need to force someone else to beat them this time around.

The Wild(cat) Card

My what a turnaround it has been for Kentucky. Coming off a year with 12 wins and 4 in SEC play, the Wildcats have turned themselves into a top-10 team and a real Final 4 contender. Currently they are the No. 8 team in the AP poll and a projected No. 5 seed in the tournament but have some chances to move into one of the crucial top-4 seeds.

This has all come by the way of new coach Kenny Brooks who came over from Virginia Tech in the offseason. He and his multitude of talented players have completely changed the culture and added a new challenge of Pingeton’s squad in the SEC.

But it’s been a struggle as of late, with tough losses to Ole Miss and Texas. That loss to the Longhorns was particularly rough, falling 67-49 after failing to score 50 points on its home court.

The Wildcats could never find their rhythm shooting the ball, including 3-15 on triples and 17-49 from the field. Kentucky struggled to match Texas off the bench, on the glass or on points off turnovers. If Mizzou can win one if not all of these categories, they give themselves an A+ chance to pull off the upset.

Scoring-wise the team is led by Virginia Tech transfer Georgia Amoore, one of the best point guards in the nation. She is a threat as a scorer, averaging 19 points on 43/33/86 splits this year. But she is also an elite passer, averaging 7.2 assists per game, ranking third in the nation.

But Texas found a way to slow her down, limiting her to 14 points on 5-16 shooting and only 3 assists. The best way to guard her is tough 1-on-1, as any doubles will just encourage any of her nifty passes.

Player to Watch: De’Myla Brown

After some early struggles, De’Myla Brown has found a role within the Mizzou WBB rotation. Every game she gets better and better, seeing a larger impact in the game. Brown is averaging a hair over 10 points across her last three games, including an 18-point onslaught against Tennessee.

(Cal Tobias/Rock M)

We’ve mentioned how Mizzou can find success off the bench and how both of their opponents struggle with matching bench production. So while Brown will never be a starter for this team, her role as the off-guard to come provide scoring relief for Ashton Judd is irreplaceable.

If the Tigers hope to pull of either of the upsets this week, they likely need 10-plus points and 2-plus threes from De’Myla off the bench. Coach P and the rest of her quad look for their first top 25 win of the year against No. 16 Oklahoma at home today at 1 p.m. on SEC Network+.