Mizzou WBB closes out non-con before starting SEC action against South Carolina

After an extended holiday break, Mizzou women’s basketball (10-4) returns to the court for a final time in 2024 in a home matchup against Jackson State. Later this week they open conference play in the most daunting of ways against the always elite South Carolina Gamecocks.

In addition to looking at both of this week’s opponents, here is my biggest takeaway from another mediocre non-conference slate for the Tigers.

Controlling the Paint

It’s no secret that control of the inside ends up being the difference in the majority of games. Rebounds, points in the paint and blocks can all be pivotal stats that can swing a contest for either team.

(MICHAEL BANIEWICZ/ROCK M NATION)

As a whole Mizzou has done a good job against smaller opponents, winning the rebounding battle thus far 37.7 to 32.2. But these numbers drop off proportionally in losses, outrebounded 35-27 in their most recent loss to Oral Roberts.

Against a bigger SEC, this sort of success on the glass is far from guaranteed. Starting center Angie Ngalakulondi is only 6-foot-2, the same height as guard Grace Slaughter. As a result, it will all come down to positioning. Coach Robin Pingeton would be advised to implement an all-out attack on the rim. Negate a large part of the height disadvantage with sheer effort. Ashton Judd has already done something similar, crashing the glass every play which has resulted in 4.9 rebounds per game with 1.0 on the offensive end.

That effort from Judd will have to be emulated by all five players on the court at any given time.

Tiger Tussle

Mizzou closes out its non-conference slate in a battle against the Jackson State Tigers (2-8). It’s no surprise that the words “Jackson State” would haunt the memories of fans everywhere in Columbia after the upset loss from the Mizzou men’s team last season. Pingeton’s squad will hope to avoid a similar fate against another team struggling to find the win column.

Jackson State is currently 0-3 against Power Five opponents with an average margin of -34.7. This team is the definition of road warriors, yet to play a true home game this season. But that hasn’t necessarily led to success indicated by the win-loss column.

These Tigers have been outmatched in just about every category, and it starts with the most important part of the game: shooting. Jackson State has failed to make shots all year, shooting only 33.4% while its opponents have found greater success at 42.4%.

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Jackson State’s leading scorer and St. Louis native Taleah Dilworth. She is the only player averaging double digits at 14.1 doing a large amount of damage from the line, shooting 40/54 on free throws this season.

This Jackson State team on paper is nowhere near the level of Mizzou, ranking No. 298 in the NET as of Dec. 28. But as we saw last year, never doubt the Tigers from Jackson, Mississippi.

David, meet Goliath

Mizzou managed to go the entire non-conference slate without tangling with a team ranked in the AP Top 25. But that will hold true no more against No. 2 South Carolina (11-1), the highest ranked team in the SEC.

There’s only so much to say about a team like the Gamecocks. They have already played five ranked matchups this year, holding a record of 4-1 in such games. The only loss came in a surprising blowout loss on the road to UCLA.

One big difference between these two squads is the turnover numbers. It’s been no secret that Mizzou has dealt with giving the ball away, averaging 15.6 turnovers this season. By contrast, South Carolina ranks No. 14 in terms of fewest turnovers at 11.9 so far. If the Tigers want any chance against this high-powered offense, they must hold onto the ball.

The Gamecocks have a balanced scoring effort with four separate players in double-digits. Their second leading scorer, Joyce Edwards, has only started one game despite averaging 10.6 points. Edwards leads the team with 20 steals, serving as a major thorn in the side of opposing ballhandlers.

While the odds appear stacked against the Tigers, it’s hard not to hark back to Dec. 30, 2021 when Mizzou beat South Carolina at home in overtime to open up SEC play. Major underdogs once again, maybe the Tigers have enough magic in them to pull off another thriller.

Player to Watch: Grace Slaughter

If the Tigers want to start SEC play with a bang, it all has to start from the top. Slaughter has already had a sophomore year to remember, leading the team in points (14.2) and 3-point percentage (56.1%).

(MICHAEL BANIEWICZ/ROCK M NATION)

While these are quite impressive numbers, Slaughter has yet to have a staple performance, unable to crack 25 points in her career. Plus she is coming off one of her worst performances of the season with only four points in the loss to Oral Roberts. This was only her second game of the year in single digit points, also coming in a loss to Norfolk State.

If Mizzou hopes to stay afloat in the ever-talented SEC, Grace Slaughter is going to need to be even more spectacular than she already is. While it’s a big ask from someone who’s still an underclassman, Slaughter seems poised for the challenge.

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Slaughter and the rest of Mizzou WBB closes out non-conference play at home against Jackson State at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29 on SEC Network+.