The media got its first chance to speak with Missouri women's basketball coach Robin Pingeton on Thursday.

Here’s a couple of the quotes I thought were most important and what might have gone unsaid.

What Pingeton said: “We’ve got, you know, a core group coming back that went through a tough season last year with some injuries and whatnot, but got valuable experience. I think they’ve all elevated their game, really proud of them and excited about our new players coming in. So it’s been a really nice blend. I think we’re still working on that chemistry on the court. I think there’s a lot of different lineups we could go with.”

What was unsaid: I think the only safe players to assume are immediately in the starting lineup to open the season are Ashton Judd and Grace Slaughter. Otherwise, it feels pretty up for grabs. Who brings the ball up the court could be Averi Kroenke, it could be Nyah Wilson, it could be De’Myla Brown. Who’s going to be in the paint between Angelique Ngalakulondi returning from injury, Hannah Linthacum in her second season or Lucija Milkovic or Tionna Herron if they're fully healthy. There’s a lot of spots in the lineup still up for grabs.

What Pingeton said: “We feel like we’ve got a lot of depth at a lot of different positions and we’re excited to, you know, roll it out and just see how we measure up. Right now, we’ve got a really good scout team, so it’s really hard to get a feel for where we’re at and so I think a couple exhibitions will be nice to kind of evaluate, make some adjustments.”

What went unsaid: Maybe this is just me reading too far into a comment, but Pingeton mentioned how good the scout team is a couple of times. That doesn’t hit my ears as a good thing. It sounds to me like an SEC basketball team is struggling to look good against non-DI basketball players. Now I would say, the Oklahoma State women’s basketball team had a 6-foot, 10-inch Mason Cox on its scout team in 2011 or so to mimic Brittney Griner and he ended up being on the men’s team for a couple of years, so it’s very possible the scout team is just actually very good. But having it be mentioned a couple of times just hit my ears weirdly.

What Pingeton said: “We’ve talked a lot about just what we want to do on the defensive end. That’s just the biggest area that I felt like we needed to have some growth. ... just want to be a really physical defensive team.”

What was unsaid: What I took out was another shoutout to the scout team. I just find it a bit weird.

Overall I think the defensive physicality was lacking last year because of the amount of freshmen and sophomores getting major minutes. The Tigers allowed 75.13 points per game in conference play after allowing only 61.14 in non-conference play. I think just the growth of those young players and the understanding of the physicality of the conference will make a huge difference in the team’s ability on defense this year.

What Pingeton said: "You’ve got to control what you can control. … That’s one of our core values is fall in love with the process and I think I’ve got to model that behavior for our players. I love this university, I love being a member of this athletic department. For 15 years, it’s been amazing and this is an amazing group and that is all my focus is on. How do we win today? How do we be the best version of ourselves today?”

What was unsaid: It’s a question that had to be asked and it’s a question that is never going to get a straightforward answer. Yes, the fact this is the final year on her contract is something she’s thought about. But no coach is ever going to say that.

It is what it is, I think a college letting a coach get to the final year of their contract is pretty telling in itself. If the school had plans for her to be the coach going forward, the athletic department would have extended her contract. Maybe it’s just that new AD Laird Veatch wants to get a look at Pingeton during the season, but I expect this will be Pingeton’s final year in her long career as the head coach of the Tigers unless the team is significantly better than expected.

Head on over to the Tiger Walk to discuss this and so much more.