Hoopin’ and Hollerin: Strutting into the Sunshine State

Mizzou WBB puts a 4-game win streak on the line on the emerald coast

After a rocky start, Mizzou women’s basketball (5-2) has found their groove with a four-game win streak, including the last three by 20-plus. Now it’s time for the Tigers to add their contribution to Feast Week in the Emerald Coast Classic in Destin, Fla..

The tournament contains four teams where teams will play two games each; one in the opening and then either the championship or third place game. The openers take place on Monday and the placement games are on Tuesday in quick succession. Your pairings are Mizzou/Syracuse and Creighton/Wichita State.

Before we meet the three other teams in this classic, here’s what’s gone right for Coach Pingeton’s team over these last two home wins.

Cashing in on the Glass

Last season it was no secret that Mizzou struggled to rebound the ball. Last season they were out-rebounded by an average of 1.4; a number that jumped to 7.0 during conference play. This came from a mix of injuries, youth and lack of size.

This year’s team made some changes. Angie Ngalakulondi returned after missing most of the season last year, Hannah Linthacum is one year older and wiser, and Tionna Herron was added in the transfer portal from Texas. On staff Pingeton added McGhee Mann, who spent the past three years at Clemson working with post players.

(CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)

Those past issues were back in full force during their losses, losing the battle on the glass against Vermont and Norfolk State. But it looks like the Tigers have turned a corner, outrebounding their foes in the last two games 94-65. Crashing the boards has helped turned a plethora of offensive rebounds into 25 second-chance points in the past week.

Angie leads the path with 15 rebounds across both of those wins, continuing to get back stronger and stronger after her injury last year.

The others have picked up the rest of the boards on a game-to-game basis. Hannah Linthacum nabbed 8 against SLU while Grace Slaughter grabbed 7 against Little Rock. The entire team has done a much better job crashing the glass, finding ways to outwork opponents.

They run into a Syracuse team that is by no means a slouch on the glass, outrebounding its foes by an average of 3.0 rpg.

Orange ya glad they don’t have Dyaisha Fair

Last season Syracuse was a thorn in the side of the ACC, finishing 13-5 in the conference and making the second round of the NCAA tournament as a No. 6 seed. The architect of this masterclass season was Dyaisha Fair, who averaged 22.3 points as one of the elite scorers in college basketball.

Now in the first year without Fair, the Orange haven’t fared (see what I did there?) too well. Syracuse is currently 2-3 with mid-major losses to Saint Joseph’s and Albany. The defense has struggled, allowing 80-plus on three separate occasions already. But there is still plenty of talent within this Power 5 team.

Offensively the team can still get buckets, and that’s all run through senior guard Georgia Wooley. She has exploded with her shooting this season, scoring double digit points in four of the five games including a season-high 23 in the loss to Albany. Wooley is an elite three-point and free-throw shooting, holding 50% and 88.9% splits in those respective aspects. However she struggles inside the arc, shooting 41% on two-pointers. In order to minimize Wooley’s offensive attack, Mizzou has to chase her off the three-point line.

Jay-walking

You’re getting a treat, folks! I’ll be previewing BOTH potential matchups for Mizzou! So that means you’ll get a full look at a team the Tigers don’t even play. Gee, isn’t that generous of me during the holiday season?

Alright, enough self-congratulating. First up is the Creighton Bluejays. It’s been an up-and-down year for the folks in Omaha so far; they started off the season 1-2 with losses to South Dakota State and K-State before bouncing back in a huge rivalry win against a ranked Nebraska. That means there’s a small chance that Creighton may be ranked heading to the emerald coast.

The only time the Bluejays have emerged victorious is when they crack 80 points. But with the elite offense that this team possesses, it is a possibility at any point.

Offensively the outpouring is the work of Lauren Jensen. The senior guard already has a pair of 30-point performances, both of those coming in the wins against Drake and the aforementioned Cornhuskers. Those performances came on a combined 10 three-pointers, shot with startling efficiency.

In the Bluejay losses, Jensen has made two threes combined. For Jensen the scouting report is the same as Wooley; keep her away from open three-point shots.

Shock the Casbah

Of the four teams in the tournament, it’s easy to assume that Wichita State has the toughest road ahead as the only non-Power 5 team. The Shockers had a year to forget in 2023-24, finishing 10-22 and 5-13 in the American. The 2024-25 season hasn’t been much better, sitting at 2-3 with losses to Belmont, Missouri State and Oklahoma. Defensively the Shockers are at their best when they hold opponents under 70 points, with a 2-0 record when those conditions are met.

Luckily for Wichita State, the team’s leading scorer also leads the team in steals. Taylor Jameson is everywhere with 13.4 points, 4.0 assists, 3.6 rebounds and the all-important 2.4 steals. The George Mason transfer has scored double digits in every game, including 18 in a narrow win over Saint Thomas. But Jameson has struggled with inefficiency, shooting 25% against Belmont and 30% against Oklahoma in losses. So if Mizzou crosses paths with the Shockers, Jameson can take shots, but make sure they are low quality.

The Tigers kick off the two-day tournament at 5 p.m. on Monday on FloHoops ($).