Hoopin’ and Hollerin: How can Mizzou WBB keep the momentum rolling

The Tigers are playing their best ball of the year. How can they capitalize?

After a (frankly) embarrassing start to SEC play, Mizzou WBB (12-11, 1-7 SEC) is playing its best basketball of the year. The Tigers started the week with their first conference win against Mississippi State after a heroic performance from Grace Slaughter. Mizzou ended the week with a loss but looked like a team that belonged against No.5 Texas.

The Tigers take this newfound momentum into a pair of tough home matchups between No.18 Tennessee and No.7 LSU. So, with all that said, what has gone right for this team, and what can they do to stay competitive in these upcoming matchups? Lucky for you, I have answers.

Offensive Outbursts

Sometimes the answer is simple. When you score more points, you give yourself a better chance to win. The 78 points that Mizzou racked up in its win over the Bulldogs was the most they have scored in SEC play all year. And while they finished with only 60 in the Texas loss, the Tigers’ offense rolled early with 32 points in the first 16 minutes; a big reason they built a double-digit lead.

The way they scored came from a variety of factors, depending on the game. But the one constant came from the work of their stars. Slaughter had an incredible week, averaging 23.5 PPG behind a career-high 31 in the Mississippi State game. The same can be said of Laniah Randle, who averaged 18 on the week with a season-high 22 points against Texas. Rounding out the trio is Ashton Judd, who averaged 13.5 for the week after two consistent games.

If Mizzou hopes to compete down the stretch, everything has to run through these big three. If the Tigers hope to compete against these great SEC teams, they need to combine for 50 a night. If they can get up to 60? Then anyone should be beatable.

Rocky Top Travels

The first season under Kim Caldwell has been a refresh for the Lady Vols WBB team (15-5, 3-5 SEC). Tennessee breezed its way through non-conference, picking up crucial wins against the likes of Florida State and Iowa. The rough patches have started to show as they are below .500 in conference play. But it must mentioned, all those losses come to teams currently ranked in the top 25. Even the birth of Caldwell’s son could not slow her momentum, returning to practice four days afterward.

What stands out about this team is clearly the offense. This is a team that has broken 100 points SEVEN different times this year. They are extremely gifted from three, taking them with such volume that it’s hard to keep up. Very few teams can slow down the Tennessee offense. As a result, the most practical option is to turn it into a shootout. Our best vs. your best. Real gunslinger stuff.

This is a true gang of outlaws, with all five usual starters averaging double-digit points this season. If you’re looking for one player to watch for, as of late it has been the work of guard Ruby Whitehorn. The junior averages 13.5 points, but had possibly her best game of the season with 21 points in the narrow loss against Texas. This will serve as a HUGE test for the Tiger defense. Usually you want to keep your opponent under 80 points to stay competitive in a game. For Mizzou, the goal will be to keep the Lady Vols under 90.

Kim Possible

From one Kim-led team to another, Mizzou hosts Kim Mulkey and her No.7 LSU Tigers (22-1, 7-1 SEC). It’s been a near perfect year for the Bayou Bengals, with big-time wins against teams like NC State, Tennessee and Oklahoma. The only blemish on the resume comes at the hands of eternal rival South Carolina.

What stands out about LSU is the way they dominate the middle two corners. Through 8 games against SEC opponents they have a +58 point differential in the second quarter and a +28 difference in the third quarter. As a result, most 4th quarters for this squad are quite unimportant. If Mizzou hopes to pull off the miraculous upset, they need to make sure the score is within 10 for the final 10 minutes.

LSU has a real three-headed monster between Aneesah Morrow, Flau’Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams. The trio has combined for 55.5 points per game during SEC play.

The way that South Carolina beat this team was to force the three starts into bad shots. They can score as long as Mizzou manages to force as many difficult shots on the opposite side.

Player to Watch: Ashton Judd

I mentioned Judd in the three players that usually lead Mizzou in scoring. While Judd has been consistently good, there’s still large areas for improvement. Turnovers have been a continuing issue, averaging three per game on silly things like haphazard passes or travels.

When Ashton Judd is on she is a real energizer bunny and a force on the glass. When she isn’t. she can often serve as a liability. If Mizzou hopes to pull of either of these upsets, Judd will likely need 20+ points and fewer than three turnovers.

Judd and the rest of the Tigers take on No.18 Tennessee at home today (Sun Feb. 2) at 2 p.m. on SEC Network+.