Saturday, March 17
Palo Alto, Calif.
2:30 PM CT
University of Missouri
vs
Florida Gulf Coast
@MizzouWBB Opens NCAA Tournament vs. Florida Gulf Coast Saturday
3/14/2018 1:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Tip is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2
Mizzou Women's Basketball (24-7) launches NCAA Tournament play on Saturday when the No. 5-seeded Tigers take on No. 12 seed Florida Gulf Coast in First Round action. Mizzou tips off vs. FGCU (30-4) at approximately 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2. Live coverage can also be found on the Tiger Radio Network.
OF NOTE
- Mizzou has secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season, marking the first time the Tigers have done so since 1984-86.
- The Tigers earned a No. 4-seed, their highest in a 64-team NCAA Tournament and the highest since clinching a No. 4-seed in the 32-team 1984 NCAA Tournament.
- Mizzou is searching for wins in three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in program history. The Tigers have six NCAA Tournament victories with five of the six coming by single digits, including Mizzou's thrilling 66-64 triumph over South Florida last season.
- Heading into the Big Dance, Mizzou captured its first victory in the SEC Tournament in program history with a 59-50 win over Ole Miss, and the first conference tournament win since 2012.
- The Tigers have won 16 of their last 22 regular season SEC games. Mizzou owns a winning streak against eight of 13 SEC opponents.The Tigers won 11 games in league play for the second consecutive season for the first time since 1983-84 and 1984-85.
- Mizzou has had a higher field goal percentage than its opponent in 27 of its 31 games this season.
- Mizzou allows the seventh-fewest rebounds per game nationally, as opponents grab just 30.5 per game. Coach Pingeton's squad ranks 15th nationally in rebound margin.
- This the first time since the 2000-2001 campaign that both the men's and women's basketball programs at Mizzou made the NCAA Tournament in the same season.
- Mizzou has spent all 19 weeks of the season in the Top 25 in the AP poll. Since the beginning of the 2015-16 campaign, Mizzou has spent 31 weeks in the Top 25. Mizzou's No. 9 Coaches' Poll ranking on Feb. 20 was the highest in program history in the Coaches' Poll.
MAKING HISTORY
- Mizzou has secured 24 victories in a campaign for the first time since 1983-84. Mizzou has won 24 games in a season just six times in program history (28 - 1976-77, 26 - 1977-78, 25 - 1983-84, 25 - 1982-83, 24 - 1981-82, 24 - 2017-18).
- Mizzou has secured three consecutive 22-win seasons for the first time since 1982-1985. The Tigers reached 20 wins on Feb. 12, the quickest Mizzou has reached 20 wins since the 1976-77 campaign (Jan. 29).
- The Tigers are putting up some of their best numbers in a season as a team in program history. They have already totaled 495 assists, which is the fifth-most ever by a Mizzou team.
- Mizzou's 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio is the best in a single-season in program history thus far.
- The Tigers' current 45.9 field goal percentage as a team is the highest by a Mizzou squad since 1995-96 (46.5 percent)
- Mizzou won six consecutive games before falling to Texas A&M in the regular season finale, giving the Tigers their sixth win streak of five or more since 2014-15. Mizzou ripped off 13 consecutive wins after dropping the season opener. The stretch made history, matching the longest streak in program history and the longest since 2015, when Mizzou opened the 2015-16 campaign with 13 consecutive victories. The Tigers also secured 13 straight victories from Jan. 30, 1985 to March 9, 1985.
- The Tigers have been dominant at home. They have won 18 of their past 21 games in CoMo. Mizzou has won 27 of its last 31 games at home and 43 of the last 49.
- Mizzou is shooting 75.7 percent at the free throw line as a team this season after shooting a program-record 80.2 percent last season. The Tigers finished third in the league in free throw percentage during SEC play, shooting 78.2 percent.
STANFORD SUB-REGIONAL NOTES
- Mizzou has never faced either Florida Gulf Coast or Gonzaga. The Tigers are 1-4 all-time vs. Stanford, which includes a 2004 NCAA Tournament First Round loss to the Cardinal (68-44).
- Florida Gulf Coast and Mizzou have three common opponents in 2017-18 (Illinois, Kentucky, SIUE) and both Mizzou and FGCU are 3-0 against those teams. Mizzou beat Illinois 72-55, beat Kentucky 83-78 and beat SIUE 78-48. FGCU beat Illinois 85-61, beat Kentucky 70-64 and beat SIUE 66-49.
- Mizzou enters the tournament with four wins over teams in the field (California, South Carolina, Tennessee and Quinnipiac). Stanford boasts seven wins against the NCAA Tournament field, FGCU has two and Gonzaga has one.
- This isn't the first time Mizzou has played at Stanford in NCAA Tournament action. The Tigers played in the 1982 West Regional Sweet 16 at Stanford, facing off with Maryland on the neutral court site. Maryland prevailed, 80-68.
ALL-AMERICAN CAMPAIGN
- Columbia native Sophie Cunningham is averaging a team-best 18.0 (fourth in the SEC) points per game after averaging 17.5 points per contest last season. The other four players in the top five in the league in scoring have all taken at least 447 field goal attempts. Cunningham has scored 539 total points on just 327 field goal attempts.
- She ranks fifth in the SEC in free throw percentage min. 100 attempts (.832) and ranks second in 3-point field goal percentage shooting 46.6 percent while ranking seventh in the league in field goal percentage (53.8). She is the only guard in the top seven in the league in FG percentage. Cunningham ranks 15th nationally among active players in career free throw percentage, shooting 83.8 percent at the line.
- Cunningham is the only player in the nation shooting at least 46 percent from 3-point range, 83 percent from the free throw line and 53.5 percent from the field.
- Cunningham could potentially set a new single-season 3-point field goal percentage record, which is held by her sister Lindsey. She recently poured in 32 points vs. Tennessee, draining 11 free throws (her most in league play).
- Cunningham is the 35th member of Mizzou's 1,000-point club. She is the second-fastest Tiger to reach 1,000 points, trailing only Julie Helm, who had 1,065 points by the end of her sophomore campaign.
- With 1,528 points & counting, she already ranks ninth on Mizzou's all-time scoring list and fifth among active SEC players. She is only non-senior in the top of five in the league in career scoring.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballKellie Harper Media Availability
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