For more than two years now, the goal has been the same. Since March 20, 2017, when the Missouri women’s basketball team lost to Florida State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, followers of the program have longed to see one accomplishment more than most — a benchmark representing the proverbial next step for Robin Pingeton’s program. When the Tigers fell to Florida Gulf Coast in the first round of last year’s tournament, pressure increased to reach that milestone this season, the last for senior stars Sophie Cunningham and Cierra Porter.
Sunday, when seventh-seeded Missouri tips off against two-seed Iowa at 1 p.m., it will finally have a chance to reach that goal: the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 2001. The Tiger players recognize the significance of the opportunity. Throughout the season, they haven’t been shy about reminding one other of their aspirations, one of which has been to reach the tournament’s second weekend.
“We don’t beat around the bush with our goals,” Porter said. “We know what we want to get done, and the Sweet 16 is definitely on the bucket list.”
Standing in the way is a road matchup against Iowa, which boasts ESPNW national player of the year Megan Gustafson and figures to pack a raucous contingent of fans into Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Tiger players said Saturday they will be fazed by neither the moment nor the opponent.
“Just an excitement,” senior point guard Lauren Aldridge said of the team’s mentality. “Everybody knows what’s at stake, knows how we can take this program to the next level, and I think that we’re really, really excited about the opportunity to do that. … I definitely think tomorrow we’re going to be pretty jacked.”
Missouri barely made it to Sunday, squeaking out a 77-76 overtime victory over 10-seed Drake in the first round of the tournament. But the Tiger players said the near-defeat didn’t damage their confidence. After all, Iowa nearly lost to 15-seed Mercer on Friday, trailing in the fourth quarter before ultimately winning by five points. Also, as Cunningham said, Missouri is more accustomed to playing opponents like Iowa than Drake, which employed a zone defense and pushed the tempo at every opportunity. Iowa is built more like an SEC program, such as Mississippi State and Texas A&M, both of which the Tigers have defeated this season.
“In the SEC, you don’t really have those types of teams,” Cunningham said of Drake. “You have this athleticism and people who are fast in transition, who are physical. So those teams are hard for us to play against, but I think the Iowa team is more what we’re used to in the SEC.”
The one piece Iowa has that Missouri hasn’t seen before is Gustafson, who averages 28.1 points and 13.3 rebounds per game this season. Gustafson has already won one national player of the year award this season and is likely the frontrunner to win both the Naismith trophy and Ann Meyers Drysdale award. Missouri has faced good post players before, including 6-foot-7 Mississippi State center Teaira McCowan, but players said Saturday that the 6-foot-3 Gustafson’s quick release sets her apart.
“It seems like she’s just throwing it up there and it goes in,” Porter said. “I mean, obviously she’s very skilled. It’s just different, the way she scores. It’s not a ton of dribble moves, it’s not a ton of that, it’s just, she just goes up and it goes in.”
Missouri will also have to overcome Iowa’s home court advantage — both the Hawkeyes’ comfortability in their own arena and the crowd noise. The vast majority of the 10,720 fans in attendance for Friday’s game sported Iowa gear, and the contour of the arena amplified their cheers during Iowa’s win over Mercer.
Cunningham said Missouri won’t be rattled by the noise. In fact, Cunningham said the Tigers tend to feed off the energy of a hostile crowd. She pointed to the team’s 2017 win at South Carolina as an example.
“I mean, I got booed by 18,000 people every time I touched the ball,” Cunningham said. “For us to have an environment like that for women’s basketball, I absolutely love it. I think our team thrives on it.”
Missouri set other goals this season aside from reaching the Sweet 16. Some, like winning the SEC Tournament and hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, have already expired. Others extend beyond Sunday — not surprisingly, Cunningham said her ultimate goal is to win a national championship. But there is a clear sense of urgency to reach this particular benchmark, not just because it hasn’t yet been achieved by Pingeton or the current seniors, but because if the Tigers lose Sunday, their all-time leading scorer will end her career having never played in the tournament’s second weekend.
Pingeton made sure to point out that Cunningham, Porter and Aldridge will be remembered for more than just the wins they contributed to or their postseason success. But like her players, she acknowledged that the team has talked all season about reaching the Sweet 16. She doesn’t want to see the seniors end their careers without getting there.
“A chance for them to get to Sweet 16 would be awfully special,” Pingeton said. “… It’s a big opportunity that's in front of us.”
