Sunday, January 7
Columbia, Mo.
1:00 p.m. CT
University of Missouri
vs
South Carolina
No. 15 @MizzouWBB Set for Top-15 Showdown vs. No. 4 South Carolina at Mizzou Arena
1/6/2018 8:52:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Tip of on ESPN2 is set for 1 p.m. CT
COLUMBIA, MO. - After Mizzou's thrilling 62-60 victory last season over South Carolina, the Tigers and Gamecocks are set for a rematch 1 p.m. Sunday at Mizzou Arena. Last season, Mizzou was the final team to beat eventual national champion South Carolina. Entering Sunday's game, both teams are ranked in the Top-15 in the nation with a combined 26 wins. The game will air on ESPN2.
Mizzou Hosts No. 4 South Carolina on ESPN2
- Mizzou has three wins in program history against teams ranked in the top four of the AP poll. The last such victory came against No. 4 Baylor when the Tigers won 64-61 on Jan. 4, 2006. A win Sunday would give Mizzou just its second win over a Top-4 team since 1980.
- Mizzou is one of nine teams in the nation that rank in the Top 25 in both field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense (alongside UConn, Baylor, Duke, West Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Iowa and Oregon State). The Tigers are 30th in the Division I in field goal percentage, shooting 46.2 percent, and 15th in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 34.3 percent shooting.
- Mizzou allows the fewest rebounds per game in the nation, as opponents grab just 29.7 per game.
- The Tigers lead the SEC in free throw percentage, shooting 75.4 percent. Mizzou set a program record last season, shooting 80.2 percent at the line.
- Mizzou has spent all nine weeks of the season in the Top 25 in the AP poll. The Tigers spent just seven weeks ranked all of last season. Since the beginning of the 2015-16 campaign, Mizzou has spent 23 weeks in the Top 25. Mizzou's current No. 15 ranking is the highest in the Pingeton era.
- Mizzou has been ranked for 13 consecutive weeks over two seasons. That is the 14th-longest such streak in the nation.
- Four different Tigers have scored 20+ points in a single game this season. Mizzou has had a 20+-point scorer in 10 of its 15 games in 2017-18.
- The Tigers have outrebounded their opponent 13 times in 15 games this season. They have grabbed 40+ rebounds as a team for six times in the past seven games.
- Mizzou ranks 15th in the nation in rebounding margin (+10.3) and second in the SEC, trailing only Tennessee (+12.3).
- Mizzou has outrebounded opponents by 10+ boards in a game on nine different occasions, including seven times since Dec. 8.
- Mizzou has had a higher field goal percentage than its opponent in 14 of its 15 games.
- Mizzou has held opponents under 60 points 12 times this season and the Tigers are 12-0 in those contests. They've done so in 11 of the past 12 games. Only LSU has scored more than 59 points against Mizzou since Wright State on Nov. 16. The Tigers are the only SEC team that has held opponents under 60 points at least 12 times. Mizzou held opponents under 60 points just 11 times all of last season.
- Since Nov. 24 at the Cal Classic, Mizzou has held opponents to just 54.1 points per game and outscored them by 16.6 points per contest.
- Through two conference games, Amber Smith is averaging 17.5 points per contest. She poured in a career-high 27 points vs. LSU, making 11 field goals. The 27 points are the fourth-most by an SEC player in league play thus far.
- After reaching double figures 5 times a season ago, Smith has already done so 6 times in 2017-18. Mizzou is 10-1 when Smith has reached double figures in her career.
- Smith is shooting 42.9 percent from the field and a scalding 88.9 percent from the free throw line.
Mizzou vs. South Carolina
- Mizzou and No. 4 South Carolina are set for a Top-15 showdown Sunday. The Gamecocks have won four of the six all-time meetings between the two schools.
- Mizzou prevailed in the last meeting in dramatic fashion a season ago, as Mizzou toppled then-No. 6 South Carolina 62-60 on a Sophie Cunningham layup in the final seconds. The Tigers are looking to improve to 3-1 against South Carolina at Mizzou Arena.
Players Mentioned
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