Prior to each Mizzou hoops game this season--men and women--we will get Tiger fans set with The Starting Five. 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 is the breakdown of today's women's game against Tennessee.
OFF THE BENCH: Tennessee’s starters dominated in the Volunteers SEC opener against Auburn. Coach Holly Warlick got three points off the bench in the 78-69 victory over the Tigers and freshman Jazmine Massengill was the only non-starter to take a shot. Massengill went 1-5 from the field with two rebounds in 20 minutes. This isn’t uncommon for Tennessee. The Volunteers average 18.2 bench points a game, but that drops to 9.8 in games decided by 10 points or less. If the Tigers can limit the production of Kasiyahna Kushkituah, Mimi Collins, and Rae Burrell this game should be within striking distance.
OFF THE BENCH: Missouri started SEC play with a season-high 34 points off the bench. Sophomore Emmanuelle Tahane led the way with 9 points on 5-6 shooting in 17 minutes. Guards Akira Levy, Haley Troup and Jordan Chavis combined for 15 points, 5 assists and zero turnovers in Missouri’s 78-55 win over Ole Miss. The one knock against Levy this season has been her turnovers. She averages 2.2 turnovers while only playing 14 minutes a game. That’s the third highest turnover margin on the team and in half the playing time of team leaders Cunningham and Smith. It will be huge if Coach Robin Pingeton can get Levy’s explosive play-making without the freshman mistakes against Tennessee.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
TIPOFF: 1:00 p.m. Central
WHERE: Thompson-Boling Arena
TELEVISION: ESPN 2
RADIO: KTGR 1580 AM
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Offensive Consistency. Missouri is coming off its best offensive performance this season. The Tigers set season highs in field goal percentage (66 percent), three-point shooting percentage (60 percent), and assists (21). It's highly unlikely that Missouri shoots this well in back-to-back games, and luckily, I don't believe Tigers have to in order to beat Tennessee. The most impressive part of Missouri’s play against Ole Miss was the ball movement. The Tigers found the perfect balance of playing with pace and staying within control. Missouri’s patience and ball reversals led to easy shots and they seemed committed to always making the extra pass. It could be a product of Ole Miss struggling defensively or Missouri consistently hitting shots they usually miss. Regardless, it would be nice to see the Tigers string together multiple games with an explosive offense.
2. Punish the Vols for Playing Zone. Tennessee doesn’t have many flaws, they’re 10th in the nation for a reason. However, opponents are shooting 38.4 percent from the field against the Volunteers which is seventh in the SEC. So, Tennessee switched things up defensively against Auburn. The Volunteers were in a 3-2 or 2-3 zone for the entirety of the game, defenses Tennessee has rarely used all season.
“Look they blew by us in a zone,” Coach Warlick said in her post-game press conference. “Bottom line is we got to get better one-on-one defense. “
If Tennessee decides to play zone against Missouri, the Tigers have the three-point shooting and experienced guards to take advantage of either zone. If Missouri is patient offensively, the Tigers should be able to score relatively easily and force Tennessee back into man-to-man.
3. Get Aldridge back on track. Aldridge was the only Missouri player to not shoot well against Ole Miss. Aldridge went 0-3 with four assists. She is 2-11 from three in the past two games. This is just a bad two-game stretch for Aldridge, the redshirt-senior is averaging 6.8 points per game and leads Missouri three-point shooting percentage (39.7 percent). However, the Tigers will need everyone hitting threes if they want to knock off No. 10 Tennessee, especially if the Volunteers stay in a 2-3 zone on Sunday. Cunningham and Smith went 5-5 from three against Ole Miss and if Aldridge can return to form the Tigers will be competitive against Tennessee.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Tennessee is the most complete team Missouri has played all season and the Tigers will have their hands containing the Volunteers high powered offense. Tennessee averages 82.8 points per game, which is second in the SEC and 16th in the nation. The Volunteers have three starters in double digits: Rennia Davis, Evina Westbrook, and Meme Jackson. The trio combines for 46 points a game. Stopping all three of them won’t happen, but preventing all three from double digits would be huge for Missouri. Also, Missouri must protect the basketball and win the turnover battle. The Volunteers average 10.7 steals per game and are fourth in the SEC in total turnovers. Westbrook and Jackson combine for 5.7 turnovers a game and opponents are averaging 15.2 points off Tennessee’s turnovers. If the Tigers can continue their hot shooting, turnovers will be the determining factor. Ultimately, the Volunteers overwhelm Missouri offensively. Despite the Tigers recent improvements, I don’t think Missouri will be able to hang around with Tennessee in the second half.
PREDICTION: Tennessee 80, Missouri 68
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Meme Jackson dropped 27 points against Auburn and she will pick up where she left off against Missouri. She leads the balanced Tennessee offense with 16 points in a game that will be closer than the score reflects.
