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 (19-9, 8-6) and Arkansas (17-11, 6-8).
OFF THE BENCH: The crowd in Auburn Arena fell silent when freshman Akira Levy went down with 8:43 left in the fourth quarter. She was immediately taken back to the locker room after hobbling off the floor with an apparent left knee injury. She returned to the bench later in fourth with crutches and her knee heavily wrapped with ice. The team hasn’t released a statement on Levy’s injury. However, Coach Robin Pingeton said that doctors were confident that the injury was serious on a postgame radio show. Her injury and possible prolonged absence rearranges the Tigers backcourt. She averaged 4.9 points and 2.6 assists in 17.6 minutes per game in conference play. Redshirt-freshman Haley Troup and junior Jordan Chavis will have to step up in her absence. Neither of them plays with same pace or defensive intensity. Those were the qualities that set Levy apart. However, Troup and Chavis can provide three-point shooting. They are shooting 31 and 28 percent from three respectively.
OFF THE BENCH: Redshirt-sophomore A’Tyanna Gaulden is the Razorbacks leading bench scorer this season. The five-foot-seven guard is averaging 5.7 points and 1 rebound in SEC play. Gaulden went 1-7 from the floor with two points against Missouri on Jan 10. She is coming off her first back-to-back double-digit scoring performances this season. Gaulden had 12 points against Georgia and Ole Miss and she shot 71 percent from the field during that span. Senior Bailey Zimmer scored five points against the Tigers in the first matchup. She leads the Razorback bench in minutes but only scores 3.2 points a game in conference play. Arkansas was on a six-game losing streak before defeating Ole Miss on Feb 24. The Razorbacks averaged 12.5 bench points a game during that six-game skid. The team had 13 in the 73-61 victory over the Running Rebels.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
TIPOFF: 8:00 p.m. Central
WHERE: Bud Walton Arena
TELEVISION: SEC Network
RADIO: KTGR 1580 AM
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Repeat Success against Chelsea Dungee. Arkansas goes as redshirt-sophomore Chelsea Dungee goes. She averages 21.9 points a game in conference play, which is second in the SEC. Dungee is also 13th in the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 41 percent through 14 games. She’s been in double-digits in 13 out of 14 conference games this season, including a 41-point outburst against Auburn on Feb 10. Missouri was keyed in on her in the first matchup, she had 15 points and went 4-17 from the floor. It was Dungee’s worst shooting performance in conference play. She is coming off a 33-point performance in the win over Ole Miss and is averaging 25.2 points over the last five games.
2. Get Lauren Aldridge Aggressive Offensively. Redshirt-senior Lauren Aldridge is averaging 30 minutes a game this season and those numbers will probably increase due to Levy’s injury. Levy gave the Tigers a threat off the bounce. Aldridge doesn’t have that same type of explosion. But she is more than capable of getting to the basket off ball reversals or switches on pick-and-rolls. Outside of her scoring, Aldridge must push the pace in transition. Missouri’s offensive sets and motion feels slower with her as the primary guard. She takes better care of the ball but will need to speed it up against Arkansas to avoid stagnant sets. The Tigers had four fast break points against the Razorbacks in January, that's something the Tigers can improve on heading into the second game.
3. Points in the Paint. Missouri outscored Arkansas 48-14 in the paint in the team’s first matchup. The Tigers also outrebounded the Razorbacks 45-28, grabbed nine offensive boards with 10 second-chance points. Missouri simply dominated in the paint and overcame 17 turnovers. The Tigers shot 50 percent from inside the arc against Arkansas and went 6-17 from three. It was one of three times Missouri shot over 50 percent from the field in SEC play.
THE BOTTOM LINE
After close losses to Tennessee and Auburn, Missouri needs to take care of business against Arkansas. The Tigers have slipped to sixth in the SEC and could fall to seventh if Georgia defeats Florida on Sunday. Missouri beat Arkansas by 18 in their first matchup. The Tigers held Dungee in check and won with senior Sophie Cunningham only scoring 11 points.
There will be an adjustment period as Missouri will most likely be without Levy. However, that shouldn’t stop the Tigers from having similar success against Arkansas in the post. The recent play of senior Cierra Porter and sophomore Emmanuelle Tahane could make the Tigers even more formidable down low. Amber Smith had 15 points and 13 rebounds against the Razorbacks, she’s had one double-double since that game. She finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the loss to Auburn on Feb 24.
PREDICTION: Missouri 72, Arkansas 61
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Amber Smith finishes with 18 points and 11 rebounds in a hard-fought Missouri win.
