Sunday, November 10
Columbia, Mo.
2:00 P.M. CT
University of Missouri
vs
Nebraska
Mizzou Women's Basketball Welcomes Nebraska to Mizzou Arena
11/9/2019 2:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Mizzou and Nebraska to Meet for 73rd time
| Mizzou vs. Nebraska | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPPONENT | LOCATION | DAY | TIME (CT) | TV | LISTEN | STATS | GAME NOTES |
| Nebraska | Mizzou Arena | Sunday, Nov. 10 | 2 p.m. CT | SEC Network + | KTGR | Stats | Notes |
THE MATCHUP
- Mizzou Women's Basketball will host an old Big 12 foe on Sunday, Nov. 10, as the Tigers welcome the Nebraska Cornhuskers to Mizzou Arena. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. CT on SEC Network +, with Ben Arnet and Lauren Aldridge on the call. Mizzou opened its 2019-20 season on Tuesday, as the Tigers overcame a nine-point third quarter deficit to defeat Western Illinois, 97-89, in overtime. In the game, Mizzou had five players score in double figures for the first time since Jan. 21, 2018 (88-54 win over Arkansas), and scored the most points it has scored since a 100-65 victory over Ole Miss on Feb. 23, 2017.
THE SERIES
- Sunday's matchup will be the 73rd all-time game between the two programs, as Nebraska leads the all-time series, 40-32. Only three teams - Kansas State (82), Kansas (79), Iowa State (74) - have played more games against the Tigers. Under head coach Robin Pingeton, Mizzou is 2-1 against the Cornhuskers, including a 55-35 in the last matchup, which was a Preseason WNIT game in Lincoln, Neb. The 35 points scored by Nebraska matched the fewest the Huskers have scored as an NCAA program, with the last time coming in 1975.
PRESEASON RECOGNITION FOR SMITH
- Senior guard Amber Smith was named to the Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List, and was tabbed as an All-SEC Preseason First Team selection by the league's coaches for her efforts in the Black & Gold. Smith opened the season with a monster performance against Western Illinois on Tuesday, as her 27-point, 15-rebound performance was just the 18th game of 27+ points and 15+ rebounds in program history.
- With the win, Mizzou improved to 31-9 in Smith's career when she scores in double figures. Smith has improved in each season at Mizzou, as she averaged 12.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while recording 28 blocks and 31 steals in 2018-19, all career-highs. Smith posted eight double-doubles on the season, as she became the fourth Mizzou player since 2010 (fifth occurrence) to record at eight or more double-doubles in a season.
SEASON-OPENING THRILLER
- Mizzou opened its season with an overtime thriller, as the Tigers overcame a nine-point third quarter deficit to defeat Western Illinois, 97-89, on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
- Mizzou's 97 points scored were the most Mizzou has scored since Feb. 23, 2017 in a 100-65 victory over Ole Miss.
- Mizzou had five players score in double figures for the first time since an 88-54 win over Arkansas on Jan. 21, 2018. Scoring in double figures was senior guard Amber Smith (27), senior guard Jordan Chavis (18), junior guard Elle Brown (15), senior guard Jordan Roundtree (14) and senior forward Hannah Schuchts (11).
- Smith's 27-point, 15-rebound performance was her 11th career double-double, and the ninth since the beginning of last season. Her production was just the 18th occurrence of 27+ points and 15+ rebounds in program history, and the first since Jordan Frericks' 27-point, 17-rebound performance vs. Bradley on Dec. 6, 2014.
- Schuchts notched her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Tiger senior set a new career-high in rebounds with her first double-digit effort on the boards.
- Mizzou had two players record double-doubles for the first time since Sophie Cunningham and Smith each had double-doubles vs. Quinnipiac on Nov. 24, 2018.
- Freshman forward Hayley Frank and freshman guard Aijha Blackwell each started in their first collegiate contests.
CAREER HIGHS GALORE
- With 67.4 percent of its scoring production departed from last season's roster, there is plenty of scoring opportunities to go around on this year's team. Mizzou responded soundly in its season-opening performance, as five Tigers scored in double figures, including two who posted career-high scoring outputs vs. Western Illinois. Below is a breakdown of all the career-highs set by Mizzou to open the season:
- Elle Brown: Points (15), Minutes (32), Field Goals (5), Field Goals Attempted (7), Free Throws (5), Free Throws Attempted (5), Rebounds (2), Assists (6), Steals (2)
- Jordan Chavis: Points (18), Minutes (41), Field Goals Made (7), Assists (8)
- Jordan Roundtree: Minutes (37), Free Throws Made (5), Free Throws Attempted (6)
- Hannah Schuchts: First Career Double-Double, Minutes (34), Field Goals Attempted (9), Rebounds (10), Steals (2)
- Amber Smith: Field Goals (11), Rebounds (15), Steals (3)
LEANING ON SMITH
- With the departure of Sophie Cunningham, Mizzou's all-time leading scorer, the Tigers will look to lean on senior guard Amber Smith in 2019-20. Smith was selected to the Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List and was tabbed a Preseason All-SEC First Team selection by the league's coaches after starting all 35 games in 2018-19 while averaging 12.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 28.5 minutes per game. Smith posted impressive shooting marks as well, as she shot 44.9 percent (169-for-376) from the field and 36.8 percent (39-for-106) from three.
- The versatile Tiger led Mizzou in rebounds (243), rebound average (6.9) and double-doubles (eight) in 2018-19, while setting career highs in assists (76), blocks (28) and steals (31).
- Good things seem to happen when Smith plays well, as Mizzou is 31-9 in her career when she scores in double figures.
- Smith recorded her 500th career rebound in the NCAA Tournament Second Round vs. Iowa (March 24), and is 44 points away from 1,000 career points (956). When Smith records her 1,000th career point, she will become the 37th Tiger to join the 1,000-point club, and just the 25th player in program history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
- With less size on the roster, senior guard Amber Smith transitioned into more of a post-player role for Mizzou in 2018-19. She responded in great fashion for the Tigers, as she recorded eight double-doubles last season, a dramatic improvement from just two in her freshman and sophomore campaigns, combined.
- Smith kept the double-double momentum going to start the 2019-20 season, as she recorded 27 points and 15 rebounds against Western Illinois for her 11th career double-double.
- Among active players in the SEC, Smith's 11 career double-doubles currently ranks fifth, trailing only LSU's Ayana Mitchell (28), Auburn's Unique Thompson (21), Tennessee's Rennia Davis (19) and Texas A&M's Ciera Johnson (13).
- With her eight double-doubles last season, Smith joined an elite class of Tigers to record eight or more double-doubles in a single season, as she is just one of four Tigers since 2010 to do so. Smith joined BreAnna Brock (9, 2011-12), Jordan Frericks (12, 2014-15; 8, 2015-16) and Cierra Porter (12, 2016-17).
HOME SWEET HOME
- Mizzou has enjoyed much success at Mizzou Arena over the last five seasons, as they have posted a record of 53-9 overall and 25-7 in SEC play, including a 7-1 SEC mark in 2018-19, in front of the Black & Gold faithful.
- Mizzou's play against ranked teams has not wavered on its home floor, as they have posted a record of 8-2 since the start of the 2015-16 season.
- Overall, in head coach Robin Pingeton's tenure, Mizzou is 112-35 (.762) at Mizzou Arena.
THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA
- To help usher in a new era of Mizzou's Women's Basketball, head coach Robin Pingeton hit the recruiting trail hard. The fruits of her labor resulted in the highest recruiting class in program history. Mizzou's freshman class features a talented trio who all hail from the ShowMe State, highlighted by five-star signees Aijha Blackwell and Hayley Frank. Joining the duo is Micah Linthacum, who is a top-20 ranked forward in the nation. Together, the three make a recruiting class which was ranked No. 12 in the nation by ESPNW, the highest recruiting class to ever come to campus.
- Aijha Blackwell, from Berkeley, Mo., was recruited by just about every Division-I program in the country, was ranked No. 9 in the nation and No. 1 in the state of Missouri in espnW's 2019 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings. She is a three-time Missouri Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) Class 3 All-State selection (2016-18), and a 2019 WBCA High School All-America Honorable Mention honoree. As a junior, Blackwell led Whitfield to the Class 3A state semifinals and a 22-7 record, as she averaged 24.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
- Blackwell also has international experience, as she played on the 2018 USA U18 National Team, where she helped lead Team USA to a gold medal in Mexico City at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. She averaged 9.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game over six games during USA's championship run, including eight points, four rebounds and three steals in the gold medal game win over Canada.
- Hayley Frank, from Strafford, Mo., was the No. 29-ranked player in the nation and the No. 2-ranked player in the state of Missouri. Coached by her dad, Steve, Frank helped lead Strafford High School to a state record 115 consecutive wins and four consecutive Missouri Class 3 state championships. She is a three-time MBCA Class 3 Player of the Year winner (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19), a two-time Gatorade Missouri Girls Basketball Player of the Year (2017-18, 2018-19), and a 2018-19 WBCA High School All-America Honorable Mention honoree.
- In her incredible prep career, Frank racked up 3,003 points, 1,629 rebounds and 824 assists. Among Missouri all-time ranks, Frank finished as the state career record holder in rebounds (1,629) and three-point percentage (54.3, minimum 100 made threes), while ranking fifth in assists (824) and eighth in points (3,003).
- As a senior, she led the Indians to a fourth consecutive state championship, averaging 22.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game while shooting 68.3 percent from the field and 51.3 percent from three-point range.
- A 6-foot-4 post player from Jefferson City High School, Micah Linthacum was the No. 18-ranked forward in the Class of 2019 by ESPNW HoopGurlz.
- A four-year letterwinner at Jefferson City High School, Linthacum helped guide the Jays to their first-ever state championship appearance in 2019. She also led Jefferson City High School to three straight district titles from 2017-19, and section titles in 2017 and 2019.
33
- Mizzou freshman guard Aijha Blackwell will don the No. 33 this season, a number that was previous retired by Mizzou Hall of Famer Joni Davis from 1981-85, who was Mizzou's all-time leading scorer until Sophie Cunningham broke her record last season.
- Blackwell's father, Ernest, was a four-year letterwinner for Mizzou Football who played running back from 1994-97 and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1998. When Blackwell chose to come to Mizzou, head coach Robin Pingeton made the ask to Davis to allow Blackwell to wear the number, and Davis graciously accepted.
- When asked about what it meant to for Davis to allow this to happen, Blackwell said in a post-game press conference on Oct. 24, "Joni Davis, she's amazing. I'm just appreciative of her letting me wear that number. It means a lot. It's more than a number, so it just means a lot to wear it on the court."
THREE-POINT SPECIALISTS
- One thing that will not change from past seasons is Mizzou's ability to connect from deep range. Seniors Jordan Chavis, Hannah Schuchts and Amber Smith, along with redshirt sophomore Haley Troup all have the capability to stretch the floor and drain the three-ball for the Tigers.
- Among all-time ranks, Schuchts and Smith each rank in Mizzou's top-10 all-time for three-point percentage (minimum 60 attempts). Schuchts currently ranks fourth at 39.0 percent, while Smith ranks eighth at 37.5 percent.
- Chavis and Smith will look to join Mizzou's top-10 all-time in threes made this season, as they rank 14th and 15th with 100 and 97 career threes, respectively.
- Schuchts' career night against Duke (11/25/18) at the Gulf Coast Showcase set a program single-game record, as her 6-for-6 mark from deep was the most made threes in a game without a miss in program history. Schuchts joined Tracy Lozier (5-for-5, at Northern Iowa, 12/11/12) and Lindsey Cunningham (5-for-5, vs. Arkansas, 2/12/17) as the only players in program history to record a perfect mark from three when making at least five triples.
- Troup's debut season in the Black & Gold was among the best in terms of three-point shooting from Mizzou freshmen, as she ranked sixth all-time in threes made (30) and seventh in three-point percentage (.361) among Mizzou freshmen.
- In 2018-19, Mizzou matched a program record for most threes made in as season, as their 292 tied a program record with the 2013-14 squad. The team's 36.0 percent success rate from deep also ranked fourth all-time in program history.
SECOND GENERATION TIGERS
- Mizzou's family atmosphere is not exclusive to its on-court team, it extends back to previous generations for four student-athletes. Senior Jordan Roundtree, junior Elle Brown, and freshmen Aijha Blackwell and Micah Linthacum are all second-generation or more Tigers.
- Jordan Roundtree's father, Bill was a standout basketball player for the men's basketball team from 1982-86. He was a captain on Norm Stewart's 1984-85 squad, and earned Big Eight Academic All-Conference honors in 1985.
- Elle Brown's mother, Natasha (Kaiser), is one of the most decorated female student-athletes to ever don the Black & Gold. As a member of Mizzou's Track & Field team (1985-89), Kaiser-Brown was a six-time NCAA All-American, five-time Big Eight Champion, and the 1989 NCAA Indoor Championship in the 400m dash. She was named the 1989 Big Eight Female Athlete of the Year, and still owns two school records (indoor and outdoor 400m dash). After her collegiate career, Kaiser-Brown went on to become a two-time Olympian, as she represented the United States at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. In Barcelona, Kaiser Brown ran a leg on the 4x400m relay team that captured a silver medal. Natasha (Kaiser) Brown is the current Associate Head Coach of the Mizzou Track & Field team, while Elle's father, Brian, is the Executive Associate AD for Student-Athlete Development, Integrated Health Care and Inclusion for Mizzou Athletics.
- Aijha Blackwell's father, Ernest, was a standout running back for Mizzou from 1994-97 and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1998. Ernest earned Big Eight Honorable Mention honors in 1997 after rushing for 551 yards and six touchdowns.
- Micah Linthacum's father, Larry, played football for Mizzou from 1987-90. Linthacum is a fourth-generation Tiger, as her great-grandfather, grandfather and father all played football for Mizzou.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballKellie Harper Media Availability
Tuesday, October 21
Mizzou Storytellers - Kellie Harper
Friday, April 04
Inside Mizzou Athletics - Getting to Know Mizzou Women's Hoops
Tuesday, October 15
Highlights: WBB at Alabama
Monday, January 31
