Game Primer: How to Watch, Key Players and Important Information for Missouri at Kansas
The Border War makes its way to the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT), as the Missouri Tigers come to Allen Fieldhouse tonight to take on the Kansas Jayhawks for the first time since the Tigers left the Big 12 to head to the SEC.
This is one of the last teams to face off in the series after the split, as most other programs have either resumed an on-field series of some sort or have met in postseason play already. The football team is set to resume their series next year.
The Tigers are led by head coach Robin Pingeton, who is in her 13th season in Columbia. She has a 225-180 record at the school, and is 2-2 against the Jayhawks in her time there. Head Coach Brandon Schneider has never faced the Tigers in his career, making this the first Border War action for anyone in the Kansas program.
The Jayhawks hold a 44-38 overall lead in the series between the two programs, and Kansas is 10-5 all-time in the WNIT after Friday's win.
Before today's important matchup, here are the essentials:
The Numbers
Editor's Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are provided by CBB Analytics. CBB Analytics is a new stats website in college hoops, covering both men and women's basketball in D-I, D-II and D-III. You can follow them on Twitter @CBBAnalytics
Kansas: 20-11 (9-9 Big 12): CBB Analytics Net Rating - 54th overall, 62nd offense, 75th defense
Missouri: 18-13 (14-6 Conference USA): Net Rating - 114th overall, 97th offense, 171st defense
Line: TBD
O/U: TBD
How to Watch
Monday, March 20th, 6:30 p.m. CST
Lawrence, KS: Allen Fieldhouse
TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
- Josh Klingler (Play-by-Play), Wayne Simien (Analyst)
Radio: IMG Jayhawk Radio Network
- Steven Davis (Play-by-Play), David Lawrence (Analyst)
Webcast: Kansas Online Radio
Game Coverage
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Opponent Team Form
The Tigers are a slow-paced team that struggles across the board, as the offense only scores 65.2 points per game and they are in the bottom quarter of teams when it comes to rebounding and making tough shots at the rim.
Missouri is a perimeter oriented team that prefers to pass the ball quickly and often and shoot a large number of shots from the outside. They don't force a lot of turnovers though, and really rely on their opponents to miss shots to be successful defensively.
Players to Watch
The Tigers are lead by senior forward Hayley Frank who leads the team with 15.2 points per game on 46.6% shooting. Senior guard Lauren Hansen leads the stable of guards for the Tigers with 13.0 points per game and 1.3 steals per game. Sara Rose Smith leads the Tigers in rebounding, while ballhandling duties are primarily handled by Hayley Troup and Mama Dembele. And the leading perimeter threat is Ashton Judd, who is connecting on 46.9% of her three-point shots.
Matchups to Watch
Taiyanna Jackson is a shoo-in here, as Missouri does not block well and they don't have anyone that can compete with her size. Chandler Prater should have a field day attacking the MIssouri guards. Zakiyah Franklin's ability to get a quick first step could turn this from a comfortable Kansas victory to a blow-out. And the health of Wyvette Mayberry, who Brandon Schneider indicated was dealing with an illness against Western Kentucky, could give them an additional spark.
Prediction
I'm trying not to let my Big 12 bias show, but it is hard to imagine how the Tigers can stick with the Jayhawks here. Kansas is quicker on the perimeter, can match whatever outside shooting Missouri can muster, and has a dominant interior game that should give them a huge advantage.
Border War or not, this should be a big win for Kansas.
Kansas 81, Missouri 63.
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