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 predictionHere’s the breakdown of tonight’s game against Ole Miss
OFF THE BENCH: Ole Miss coach Matt Insell has shuffled his starting lineups around all season; all but one player has started at least one game. Insell will probably turn to freshman Promise Taylor for the first minutes off the bench. The 6-5 center is averaging 9.1 points, six rebounds and 22.7 minutes per game. Her .574 shooting percentage is eighth in the SEC but leads all freshman in the conference. Other than Taylor, Insell could turn to sophomore Kate Rodgers, who is averaging 4.9 rebounds per game.
OFF THE BENCH: Jordan Chavis continues to impress off the bench. The sophomore guard is coming off a career-high 18 points against Vanderbilt last Thursday, and she’s averaging 22.4 minutes for the Tigers. Hannah Schuchts, Jordan Roundtree and Kayla Michael have all brought crucial baskets and rebounds at times for the Tigers, and Missouri coach Robin Pingeton will be looking to them tonight as well.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Win in the paint. Missouri’s Cierra Porter and Jordan Frericks are averaging a combined 16.3 rebounds per game, and they’ve shown they can control the boards to win games. Tonight, Missouri needs to do just that. Porter and Frericks have to make shots over 6-foot-5 freshman Promise Taylor, who averages almost three blocks a game. Mississippi is No. 28 in total blocks made (88) and No. 32 in blocks per game (5.2). The Tigers will have to contain Bree Glover, who is averaging 6.5 rebounds in SEC play.
2. Suppress star players. Speaking of Taylor and Glover, those are two players that Missouri will need to control in order to win this game. The other is Madinah Muhammad, who ranks sixth in the SEC at 17.8 points per game and has only been held under double digits twice in the 17 games played this year. She had a career-high 30 points in Ole Miss’s one-point loss to Arkansas on Dec. 31. If Missouri can stifle Muhammad’s shooting, the Tigers will have a better chance at taking this game.
3. Use defensive pressure. Missouri had as much as a 28-point lead over Vanderbilt last week, but the Tigers ended up winning by 11. Missouri shot 51 percent in Nashville and was able to stay ahead of the Commodores easily, but on the off-chance that the Tigers have a slow scoring night, like what happened against SLU in early December, they’ll need to increase the pressure on the other side of the court. Plus, avoiding defensive breakdowns is going to help Missouri prepare for more difficult opponents down the stretch.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Central
TELEVISION: SEC Network
RADIO: Tiger Radio Network
THE BOTTOM LINE
Ole Miss (11-6, 1-3 SEC) has had a rough SEC schedule so far. The Rebels lost to No. 9 Oregon, No. 4 South Carolina and No. 3 Mississippi State, as well as Portland State, Arkansas and SLU. No. 11 Missouri (15-2, 3-1) beat South Carolina and SLU earlier this season, and when looking at the numbers, the Tigers should take this game easily. However, Ole Miss has some star players who, if not shut down, could help an upset win for the Rebels.
PREDICTION: Missouri 78, Mississippi 62
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jordan Frericks will likely be Missouri’s strength tonight, especially on the boards and in the paint. She had a good game against Vanderbilt with eight rebounds and six assists, so we’ll say she keeps it rolling tonight.
