Hoopin’ and Hollerin: Can anything salvage this season?

Mizzou WBB is in dire straits after 0-3 start

For Mizzou WBB, an 0-2 start to conference play seemed inevitable. I mean, who could compete against the mighty South Carolina and a top 20 Alabama team on the road?

But after losing to Georgia on a buzzer-beater after being outscored in the 4th 28-15 one must ask the question; is this team destined to go winless in the SEC? As one of two winless teams remaining, the opportunity is unfortunately there.

According to projection tool WarrenNolan.com, the Tigers are projected to finish 1-15 in the conference. That only win; their next opponent, Florida.

With the chances of another lost season growing by the minute, things need to turn around in a hurry for Mizzou. Here’s what happened during the previous two losses (ESPECIALLY Georgia) and what to expect against Florida and current No. 10 Oklahoma.

Three’s Company

Last week I touched on the fact that Mizzou can’t just rely on threes, especially when the production around the rim can be nonexistent at times. But that can be a detriment when the threes are on.

Mizzou and Georgia both finished with 8 threes during the Bulldogs’ win. The only difference: Georgia took 10 more attempts. If Mizzou matched its opponents 26 attempts with the same efficiency, they’d have made an extra 5 triples worth 15 points (quick math).

Currently the Tigers rank 7th in the nation in three-point percentage at 38.8. Despite this success Mizzou is 223rd in attempts per game at 18.8.

While this means that the Tigers are content to take high-percentage shots, there’s a good chance that they’re leaving points on the table. With this many talented long-range shooters on the roster anything below 20 attempts per game is frankly an insult.

In our most recent Majority Rules episode, my colleague Quentin Corpuel wished that Mizzou WBB was more fun. Not necessarily better, but more fun. You know what’s fun? Chucking up 40 threes a night. Sure you might get blown out some nights if you miss a ton. But if you make a lot, say 50%. Then the Tigers would be able to compete with anyone in the nation. If I’m head coach Robin Pingeton, I’m making the switch.

Gator Chomped

Florida is the only team that Mizzou is projected in SEC play, and it’s easy to see why. The Gators struggled in the non-con with five losses, including back-to-back losses against Tulane and James Madison. These matchups were close, but it’s never good to lose to a pair of mid-major teams; back-to-back no less.

Against conference foes the Gators have fared better. While sitting at 1-2 against SEC folks, they’ve competed tough against top 25 teams like Alabama and Kentucky. Plus that win was a 16-point drubbing of Georgia (the team Mizzou just lost to) at home.

So far what’s stood out for Florida is the ability to keep their opponents off the FT line. Through three conference games the Gators have conceded only 42 free throw attempts, only 23 of which have been made. So far Mizzou is on a similar trajectory, shooting 46 FTs in its three games. But the Tigers have been converting at a rate of 71.7%. If the Gators are going to keep limiting their trips to the line, the Tigers need to capitalize whenever possible.

Florida’s offense is spearheaded by the duo of Liv McGill and Ra Shaya Kyle. Together they combine to average 31 points per game. As a whole the Gators are averaging 78.4. McGill is your stereotypical point guard, adding 4.9 assists and 1.9 steals to boot as only a freshman. Kyle on the other hand is a 6-foot-6 center, doing her damage on the inside. The senior is averaging 9.5 rebounds, leading the Gators with ease. She is a matchup nightmare for the Tigers, and will need to be focus No. 1 for Pingeton heading into this matchup.

Sooner Standoff

Now after two games against lower-level SEC foes, Mizzou returns to the grind on the road against Oklahoma. The Sooners were near unbeatable during non-con, with top 25 wins over the likes of Louisville and Michigan. Their sole loss came in overtime came against another top 25 team in Duke.

But the Sooners have now started to learn about the grind of the SEC. Oklahoma split their games against top 25 foes in a loss to Texas and Tennessee. Then in one of the biggest upsets all year, unranked Mississippi State defeated the Sooners 81-77, dropping them below .500 in SEC play. Now they hope to rebound with three of their next four games against bottom 6 SEC teams (Texas A&M, Mizzou and Georgia. Oh and that last game is against South Carolina. Not everything can be easy.

Oklahoma manages an elite offense that boasts 89.2 points per game; a number that’s good for 6th in the nation. That success has continued with an average of 79 points against conference foes, including 87 points in the win against Tennessee.

While it’s surprising Mizzou has allowed 80 points only once this season, they’ll need to keep it that way if they want any chance of pulling off the upset.

This offensive explosion can be attributed to Oregon State transfer and Colorado native Raegan Beers. In her first year as a Sooner, Beers has taken over the team by averaging 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds. The 6-foot-4 junior is by no means the tallest player in the SEC, but for my money is the most imposing threat on the inside. Her only real downside is she plays a relatively low amount of the game at 21.8 minutes per game. A great way for Mizzou to minimize her impact is by maximizing the minutes with her on the bench.

Player to Watch: Angie Ngalakulondi

With two talented centers on the schedule, that means that Angie will be the one tasked with taking on both big players in the post. I’d expect her to play a larger amount of minutes to limit the impact inside, but will need to avoid fouling despite being undersized at only 6-foot-2 (Yes, it hurts every time I have to write 6-foot-2 as short).

If this wasn’t enough, you’d hope to get a sizable offensive contribution from Angie. She’s coming off her best offensive game as a Tiger at 15 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the year.

These two games and their competitiveness levels will come down to how well Mizzou competes in the post. And whether fair or not, the brunt of that work falls on Angie.

The Tigers are back home at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12 on SEC Network+.