Hoopin’ and Hollerin: Road Warriors

Mizzou WBB needs wins…and has to do it on hostile turf

Late me talk y’all back to several weeks ago; Mizzou WBB (13-15, 2-11 SEC) is coming off back-to-back ranked losses to Tennessee and LSU at home. They bounce back against an injured, struggling Texas A&M squad to win their first SEC road game of the season.

Now two weeks later, Coach Pingeton and her squad find themselves in a similar spot. After tough losses to top-20 teams Oklahoma and Kentucky, Mizzou hits the road for its final two conference games away from Mizzou Arena this season.

While the Tigers are guaranteed to play on Day 1 of the SEC Tournament, spots 11-16 are still up for grabs with three games remaining. But if Mizzou wants one of those better seeds, they’re going to have to put in the work.

That works starts with road games against Ole Miss (17-8, 8-5 SEC) and Arkansas (9-19, 2-11 SEC). So buckle in, and welcome to one of the last Hoopin’ and Hollerin articles for the year (sad face).

Get to the line (and convert!!!)

Now I’ve already talked in (extensive) detail about the Tigers’ poor 3rd quarters. For the sake of stop beating a dead horse, today we’ll head a different direction. Another point of struggle that hasn’t gotten that much attention is Mizzou’s struggles both getting to the free throw line and then converting.

During their last two losses the Tigers have gone 15-27 from the line, equaling a 55.5% clip. Over that same span, their opponents shot 32-37, or 86.5%.

(Sam Simon for Rock M Nation)

Let’s start with the offensive issues. When you look across the board, it’s an issue that permeates among every Tiger that gets to the line. However the chief culprit when it comes to missing free throws has been Laniah Randle. In the losses to Oklahoma/Kentucky, Randle shot just 3-9 from the line as the leader in attempts. So far this season she has shot 66.2% from the line, a downtick from her 74% last season. Randle is going to be fouled several times every game, frequently known for her ability to draw big “and-one” opportunities. However, that burst of energy can dissipate in an instant. Winning the free throw battle is one of the keys to success for most coaches, and if Mizzou wants to emulate that then they have to make those free those seem free.

Defensively there’s no way to make someone miss a free throw. While a suppose you can try and force an offensive lane violation or scream obscenities about the shooter’s parents, both these have no proven success and may end up in a fight. So, the best way to defend free throws is simple; stop the other team from shooting them.

There’s a fine line between playing good, aggressive defense and drawing the anger of the referee. Mizzou is still trying to find themselves on the right side of that debate.

“I probably had a couple fouls I definitely shouldn’t have had, but in my opinion, I’d rather be the aggressor and be more physical,” guard Averi Kroenke said after the Kentucky loss. “[I} always just try to play aggressive and see what I can get done.”

(MICHAEL BANIEWICZ/ROCK M)

During that game three separate Tigers nearly fouled out including Randle, Kroenke and Angie Ngalakulondi. This has been a repeated issue for Angie, finishing with 4+ fouls in each of her last 7 games. Not only does this put her on the bench, it sends some of the best FT shooting teams to the line over and over.

If Mizzou wants to pull off the wins this week, they will need to likely match their opponents or outscore them on free throw attempts

Yo-Down Low-Down

While Ole Miss isn’t ranked, they might as well be with the ship Coach Yo runs down in Oxford. The Rebels are in the top half of the SEC, basically penciled in for a bye in the 5-8 seeds for the conference tournament. They are safely in the Big Dance as well, currently finding themselves on the No. 5 line. Ole Miss is 10-3 at home, including a recent big win against then-top 10 Kentucky.

That game all came down to the Rebels’ offensive rebounding skills. Ole Miss dominated the Wildcats 27-4 on the offensive glass, leading to a 16-5 advantage in second chance points.

In addition Yo’s quad took control in the 4th quarter, stretching a one-point lead all the way to nine after holding Kentucky to 10 points in the final frame. Ole Miss has been known for their defense for years, ranking No. 19 in the nation at 55.4 points per game allowing this season.

The Rebels have four separate double-digit scorers, but the player who stands out the most is Sira Thienou. The freshman is averaging 11.3 points on splits of 51/38/69 in her first year at the college level. The real stat that pops out is her 69 steals at No. 19 in the nation. For a Rebels team that prides themselves so much on their on-ball defense, Thienou has already turned into the crowning jewel.

Reeling Razorbacks

Another team that is desperate for a win is Arkansas. The Razorbacks have the lowest win percentage in the SEC after an abysmal non-conference start, and are one of the three teams with only two wins (also see Mizzou/Georgia).

They have now lost five in a row, including a 40-point drubbing against South Carolina. The Hogs were outrebounded by 29(!), including by 17 on the offensive end. Just as rebounding was a strength for Ole Miss, it serves as a major weakness for this Arkansas roster.

Just because Arkansas’ record is less than stellar, you can by no means pencil this in as a win for Mizzou. There is still plenty of talent on the roster, and that starts at the top with former Mizzou Tiger, Izzy Higginbottom. After one year at Mizzou and two at Arkansas State, Higginbottom has now found a home in Fayetteville. She ranks second in the nation in total points and fifth in points per game at 23.6. She is an elite free throw shooter, clocking in at a hair over 90% from the line.

Higginbottom is going to take TONS of attempt in this game, the goal for Mizzou is simply to force her into tough shots and keep her away from the line.

Player to Watch: Grace Slaughter

(Sam Simon for Rock M Nation)

While I’ve mentioned a bunch of players in this article who can serve as keys to the game, the shiny golden key still belongs to team leader Grace Slaughter. It’s been a big sophomore year for Slaughter, jumping up to 15.5 points per game to lead the Tigers. But her numbers take an even bigger jump in SEC wins, averaging 30 points in her two highest career scoring nights against Mississippi State (31) and Texas A&M (29).

If history tells us anything, Grace Slaughter needs another big night if the Tigers want to turn this better play into more wins. The get their first chance in Oxford against Ole Miss at 2 p.m. today Sunday, Feb. 23 on the regular SEC Network.