Hoopin’ and Hollerin: Time to win

It’s been tough sledding through conference play thus far for Mizzou women’s basketball, as they are currently 0-4 with an average margin of defeat of 20.5 points. These losses have all come against top-25 teams with a combined record of 68-4. However, head coach Kellie Harper does not want to use this high-level competition as any sort of excuse.

“I know it’s hard. These are good basketball teams,” Harper said after the most recent loss to No. 21 Alabama. “We want to have a little bit more competitive fight that we can get the job done.”

While this difficult schedule has poised an early challenge for Mizzou, it also creates a stretch like the upcoming week against Arkansas and Florida; the other two teams without a win in the SEC. The Tigers are 0-4 in conference play, but the week ahead is a perfect time to turn that around. Here’s what there is to know about the games ahead and how Coach Harper and her squad can walk away with the win.

Woo Pig

First up for Mizzou is the first of two games against Arkansas this season. The Tigers hold a one-game win streak in the rivalry, taking down the Razorbacks 75-73 last season in Fayetteville. However this broke a streak of 12-straight Mizzou losses dating all the way back to 2020. In the series as a whole Arkansas holds a 23-13 advantage thanks to that recently-broken winning streak.

The Razorbacks are led by first-year head coach Kelsi Musick. She was previously at Oral Roberts, finishing her last season with 24 wins defeating both Mizzou and Arkansas (the irony). However year one has been tough for Musick, as her team is currently 11-8, 0-4 in conference play. The Razorbacks have been in a similar situation to Mizzou, with all four conference losses coming against ranked opponents. Most recently the team lost to No. 20 Tennessee 85-50.

Now there is still plenty of talent on this Arkansas roster. Leading the way is senior guard and Oral Roberts transfer Taleyah Jones. She ranks first on the team averaging 16.2 points per game while grabbing 4.5 rebounds. Jones is already familiar with the Tigers, scoring 20 points on 7-11 shooting as a member of the Oral Roberts roster last season. If Mizzou wants to secure its first SEC win of the season, shutting down Jones’ offense should be the top priority for this staff.

The Gainesville Gameplan

The second game of the week for Mizzou comes when they travel to Gainesville to play Florida. The Gators have won the last four matchups in this series including last year’s showdown in Columbia 93-67. As a whole the Tigers lead the series 11-6 as they look to break this current streak against a struggling Gators team.

Florida is the third and final winless SEC team, with two of the team’s losses coming against top 25 opponents. But the Gators’ last two games have come against teams that are also unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament, most recently in a 60-50 loss to Auburn.

The top talent on this roster is sophomore guard Liv McGill, averaging 23.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists. In the SEC opener, McGill scored 32 points to keep it close against a top-20 Tennessee team. She played against Mizzou last season, finishing with a 21-point triple-double. The explosive guard is one of the best players in the conference, so Harper needs a game plan to slow her down.

Player to Watch: Jordana Reisma

In a conference as competitive as the SEC, the Tigers are going to need scoring contributions from all parts of the roster. One player who can see larger role in the offense is starting forward Jordana Reisma. Currently the senior is averaging 10 points and 6.5 rebounds in her first season with Mizzou. She had some high-level performances in the non-conference slate, including a 22-point, 15-rebound game against Arkansas State. But those averages have dropped through four games in conference play to 7 points and 5 rebounds.

Mizzou is a relatively small team compared to the rest of the conference, and that discrepancy has shown through thus far. The Tigers have been outrebounded by 2.8 by SEC teams this season. Since Reisma is smaller than the opponents guarding her, she will have use a certain level of finesse and toughness the rest of the year to maximize her offensive contributions.

Reisma and the rest of the Tigers roster look for an SEC win when they host Arkansas at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in MIzzou Arena. The game will be available to watch on SEC Network+ through the ESPN app.