We turn the Starting Five preview to the women’s side today. In this feature, we’ll give you the anticipated starting lineups for each team, break down keys to a Missouri win and offer up a prediction. Here’s the breakdown of today’s game between Missouri (15-6) and Auburn (15-4).
Off the bench: Freshman Brooke Moore is Auburn’s leading scorer off the bench. The 5-foot-7 guard is averaging 7.1 points and 1.2 rebounds per game this season. However, she has struggled as of late. Moore went scoreless in the Tigers win over Vanderbilt and had three points in the loss to Texas A&M. Moore is averaging 4 points a game on 33 percent shooting in SEC play. Moore’s best performance was against Mississippi State, she drained four three-pointers and finished with 16 points in 17 minutes.
Off the bench: Senior Cierra Porter got her first start this season against No. 15 Kentucky on Thursday, Jan 24. Porter’s move to the starting lineup brought redshirt junior Hannah Schuchts to the bench. Now she has a new role in Missouri’s second unit. Schuchts was ineffective against the Wildcats and she finished 0-1 from the field with four rebounds in nine minutes. Schuchts’ performance has trailed off after a hot start to the season. She averaged 1.8 points and 3.2 rebounds over the Tigers last five games, including three scoreless games. Despite these recent struggles, Schuchts could rediscover her scoring prowess with the second team. Schuchts has displayed an ability to stretch the floor for Missouri. She had 25 points on 6-6 shooting from three against Duke earlier this season. She is shooting 34.1 percent from three this season. Schuchts along with freshman Haley Troup could be Missouri’s deep threats off the bench.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
TIPOFF: 2:00 p.m. Central
WHERE: Mizzou Arena
TELEVISION: SEC Network+
RADIO: KTGR 1580 AM
KEYS TO THE GAME
1.Find Amber Smith. Kentucky clearly outplayed Missouri, especially in the second half. However, junior Amber Smith’s disappearing act was more perplexing on Thursday night. The Tigers second-leading scorer was a no show in Missouri’s 52-41 loss to the Wildcats. Smith went scoreless on 0-3 shooting in 25 minutes. Smith carries a lot for this team. She plays out of position, always draws a tough defensive assignment, and is forced to be the primary scorer for long stretches. Smith has done all of this at a high level this season. However, Kentucky’s defense successfully took her out of the game in the first half, and in the second she was unable to find any rhythm. Smith must be aggressive early against Auburn, Missouri will fall to 0-3 this week if she doesn’t.
2. Limit Turnovers (Again). Turnovers have always been this team’s Achilles heel. Turnovers reared their ugly head once again against Kentucky. Missouri had 20 turnovers that turned 21 points for the Wildcats. Cunningham and Smith combined for half of the Tigers turnovers. Missouri is averaging 18 turnovers over there last three games. The Tigers are last in the SEC in turnover margin and eighth in assist/turnover ratio. Missouri overcame turnover problems early in the SEC season, but against the best competition, it always seems to be a problem.
3. Compete. South Carolina and Kentucky exposed Missouri, they outscored the Tigers by 25 points. The 3-0 start in the SEC was great, but last week proved there is a huge gap between the Tigers and the top of the conference. Missouri is currently sixth in the SEC. Also, the Tigers haven’t beaten anyone in the top half of the conference except Arkansas, which Missouri dominated 71-53. The past two games went as badly as they possibly could for the Tigers. Missouri must compete now. Auburn is 3-3 in the conference and serves as a test in the middle tier of the SEC. A win would be huge, obviously. However, keeping the game close is a good star for a team that is at a crossroads in the season.
THE BOTTOM LINE
It’s been a week to forget for Missouri basketball fans. The Tigers could have made a statement this week. But, instead, Missouri fell to two top-25 opponents on the road. The Tigers started the season 3-0 but dropped three of their last four games in SEC play.
Missouri narrowly defeated Auburn in the team’s only matchup last season. Janiah McKay and Daisa Alexander combined for 31 points on 41 shot attempts in the 59-51 loss. Cunningham and Smith were held to 19 points.
I would’ve picked Missouri to win the game by six or seven points 10 days ago. However, I’m completely unsure of this team now.
The Tigers were outplayed twice this week, it’s unfortunate, but Coach Pingeton and the team can fix that. Missouri can’t fix its lack of players with an ability to create off the dribble, attract multiple defenders or consistently beat defenders on one-on-one matchups.
The Tigers have shot the ball well over the course of SEC play. But against tougher defenses, the offense slows down. Everything falls out of sync and Missouri is left at the end of the shot clock scrambling for a shot. Outside of Cunningham and Smith, no one on the rest of the team came to get their own shot. Missouri loses a close one if Cunningham and Smith don’t combine for 30 or more points. Unfortunately, I think that will be the case in Mizzou Arena.
PREDICTION: Auburn 68, Missouri 64
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Amber Smith. There is no way she has back-to-back scoreless games. Smith has 11 points and seven rebounds in a tough loss. Missouri’s stars, Cunningham and Smith, come up short against a well-rounded Auburn team.
