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 today's game at Arkansas:
OFF THE BENCH: Last time Missouri played Arkansas, Devin Cosper came off the bench. She has since replaced Raven Northcross-Baker, who will now most likely be Mike Neighbors' go-to off the bench today. Northcross-Baker is averaging six points and 2.8 rebounds. Other than Northcross-Baker, Neighbors could look to Taylah Thomas, who had five points in 12 minutes against Tennessee on Thursday.
OFF THE BENCH: As usual, Robin Pingeton will rely on her deep bench compared to a not-so-deep bench on the other side of the court. Jordan Chavis will look to get back on a hot streak today; she averages 5.6 points per game in an average of 20.7 minutes per game. Kayla Michael will continue to help in the post, and Jordan Roundtree will continue getting playing time as well.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Don’t turn the ball over. Missouri is averaging 14 turnovers per game while only forcing 10.5 turnovers per game. That’s a -3.5 turnover margin, while Arkansas’ margin is +2.1. The Tigers have got to keep the ball protected today. Arkansas outscored No. 11 Tennessee 29-0 in fast break points and forced 19 turnovers on Thursday night. Missouri cannot afford that today.
2. Rebound, rebound, rebound. Missouri is much taller than Arkansas, but the Razorbacks outscored Tennessee 32-30 in the paint on Thursday night. Tennessee, however, out-rebounded the Razorbacks 45-26, which led the Vols to the 90-85 win. The Tigers need win use height to their advantage and win the boards today, both offensively and defensively.
3. Press on defense. Arkansas had an impressive game against Tennessee, despite the loss. The Razorbacks’ offense was hot, with Cosper scoring a career-best 29 points off of 10-14 shooting, and Malica Monk had 25 points. Missouri needs to contain these two and make some defensive stops to hold Arkansas.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
TIPOFF: 6 p.m. Central
TELEVISION: SEC Network+
RADIO: Tiger Radio Network
THE BOTTOM LINE
No. 11 Missouri (18-5, 7-4 SEC) is back on track after two solid wins against Florida and Kentucky last week. The Tigers need to keep that going against Arkansas (12-12, 3-8). They dominated the Razorbacks on Jan. 21, 88-54, but it won’t be so easy this time, especially after Arkansas gave Tennessee a run for its money last week. Missouri shouldn’t lose this road game, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it came down to the last quarter like it has for the past few games.
PREDICTION: Missouri 80, Arkansas 71
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jordan Chavis will come off the bench today with 18 points.
