Chavis vs. AuburnChavis vs. Auburn
Women's Basketball

Mizzou Women's Basketball Ready for SEC Tournament in Greenville

THE MATCHUP: Mizzou Women's Basketball will open postseason play at the 2020 SEC Tournament on Wednesday,  March 4, as the Tigers face Ole Miss in Greenville, S.C. Tipoff from Bon Secours Arena will be at approximately 12:30 p.m. CT (25 minutes after the conclusion of the first game of the session) on SEC Network with Eric Frede, Tamika Catchings and Andraya Carter on the call. Mizzou will be looking to halt a two-game skid, while Ole Miss enters the SEC Tournament without a win in regular season competition. The Tigers will also be looking to build on its best conference tournament in decades a season ago, as the Tigers advanced to the 2019 SEC Tournament semifinals, its first conference tournament semifinal appearance since 1994.

SEC Tournament - Mizzou vs. Ole Miss
OPPONENT LOCATION DAY TIME (CT) TV LISTEN STATS GAME NOTES
Ole Miss Greenville, S.C. Wednesday, March 4 Approx. 12:30 p.m. CT SEC Network KTGR Stats Notes

THE MATCHUP

  • Mizzou Women's Basketball will open postseason play at the 2020 SEC Tournament on Wednesday,  March 4, as the Tigers face Ole Miss in Greenville, S.C. Tipoff from Bon Secours Arena will be at approximately 12:30 p.m. CT (25 minutes after the conclusion of the first game of the session) on SEC Network with Eric Frede, Tamika Catchings and Andraya Carter on the call. Mizzou will be looking to halt a two-game skid, while Ole Miss enters the SEC Tournament without a win in regular season competition. The Tigers will also be looking to build on its best conference tournament in decades a season ago, as the Tigers advanced to the 2019 SEC Tournament semifinals, its first conference tournament semifinal appearance since 1994.

THE SERIES

  • Wednesday's game will be the 13th meeting between the two programs and the third this season, with Mizzou beating Ole Miss, 71-57, in Oxford on Jan. 19 and 82-67 in Columbia on Feb. 23. Overall, Mizzou holds an 11-1 advantage in the all-time series, winning the last 11 matchups. Ole Miss' only win in the series came in 1981. 

ELITE FRESHMEN DUO

  • Mizzou's elite freshmen duo of guard Aijha Blackwell and forward Hayley Frank have lived up to their billing so far this season, as they both currently rank among the SEC's top-30 in scoring. Blackwell's scoring average of 15.1 points per game ranks first among SEC freshmen and seventh overall, while Frank's mark of 12.2 points per game ranks seventh among SEC freshmen and 27th overall.
  • In program history, only seven freshmen have ever averaged double figures for the Tigers, and never has there been more than one in a single season. Currently, the duo's scoring averages ranks fourth and sixth, respectively, all-time among Mizzou freshmen.

PERFECT FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE

  • Mizzou matched a single-game program record in its regular season finale against Alabama (March 1). The Tigers shot 100 percent (13-of-13) from the free throw line, the third time in program history Mizzou has shot 100 percent from the charity stripe (min. 10 made). Mizzou also recorded perfect nights from the free throw line against Oklahoma on Jan. 28, 2004 (21-of-21) and against North Florida on Nov. 20, 2011 (10-of-10. On the season, the Tigers have connected on 74.6 percent of its freebies (399-for-535) this season, the second-best mark in the SEC. Mizzou has posted marks of 75 percent or better from the free throw line in 14 of 29 games this season, including 11 games of 80 percent or better.

ALL-SEC FRESHMEN

  • Mizzou freshmen Aijha Blackwell and Hayley Frank were named to the All-SEC Freshman Team. Blackwell and Frank are looking to become the eighth and ninth freshmen in program history to average double figures, and the first pair to do so in the same season.
  • The duo are the fifth and sixth Tigers to be named to the league's All-Freshman Team, with all six honors coming since 2016. Blackwell and Frank join Sophie Cunningham (2016), Cierra Porter (2016), Amber Smith (2017) and Akira Levy (2019) as Mizzou freshmen to be named to the All-SEC Freshman Team after impressive debut campaigns.
  • Blackwell leads Mizzou in many statistical categories this season, including points (437), points per game (15.1), rebounds (210), rebounds per game (7.2), assists (77) and free throws made (210). Blackwell is one of three SEC players to be ranked in the top-10 in both scoring (15.1) and rebounding (7.2). She has played her best basketball during league play, as the Tiger freshman ranks fourth in scoring (17.9) and fifth in rebounding (8.8) during SEC play.
  • Frank has been impressive as well in her first season at Mizzou, as she is averaging 12.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while posting impressive shooting marks of 43.9 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from three and 87.6 percent from the free throw line. Frank's mark from the charity stripe leads the SEC and ranks 17th nationally.

BLACKWELL AND FRANK DOMINATE

  • Mizzou's dynamic freshmen duo of Aijha Blackwell and Hayley Frank led Mizzou to victory over Vanderbilt (Feb. 20), as they combined for 42 points (Frank 24, Blackwell 18), the most by a Mizzou freshmen duo since Sophie Cunningham (42) and Cierra Porter (14) combined for 56 points against Wake Forest on Nov. 22, 2015. 
  • The duo combined for 42 points (Frank 22, Blackwell 20) once again in Mizzou's win over Ole Miss (Feb. 23), but this time they became the first Mizzou freshmen duo to score 20+ points in the same game since Jan. 31, 1996 when Julie Helm and Kesha Bonds did so.

BLACKWELL'S IMPRESSIVE STRETCH

  • Mizzou freshman guard Aijha Blackwell has played her best basketball down the stretch of the season, as she has scored in double figures in the last 13 games and in 20 of her last 22 games. The Tiger freshman has also recorded six double-doubles in her last seven games.
  • Blackwell has established herself against the toughest competition, as the Tiger freshmen is averaging 17.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in SEC play, marks which rank fourth, fifth and 15th, respectively, in the SEC.
  • Blackwell, the No. 9-ranked recruit in the Class of 2019, has posted eight 20-point games this season, becoming the third freshman in program history to record eight or more 20-point games, joining Julie Helm (12, 1995-96) and Sophie Cunningham (10, 2015-16).
  • With 23 points against Alabama (March 1), Blackwell became the first Mizzou freshman to score 20 points in three consecutive games since Julie Helm did so in the 1995-96 season (24 points vs. Kansas State, 1-31-96; 25 points vs. Kansas, 2-4-96; 20 points at Colorado, 2-10-96). It was Blackwell's eighth 20-point game of the season, her 22nd time scoring in double figures, and the 12th time she has led Mizzou in scoring this season.

CAN'T GET PAST SCHUCHTS

  • Redshirt senior forward Hannah Schuchts has led the way on the defensive end this season for the Tigers, as she leads the team in blocks (57) and ranks fourth in the SEC with 2.0 blocks per game.
  • Schuchts ranks fourth in Mizzou's top-10 all-time with 137 career blocks, and her mark of 57 blocks this season already ranks seventh all-time in a single season in program history.
  • The Tiger senior has recorded multiple blocks in 18 games this season, and three or more blocks in six games.
  • Against Vanderbilt (Feb. 20), Schuchts set a career high with six blocks, surpassing her previous high of five, which she set three times beforehand.
  • Schuchts produced two or more blocks in six consecutive games from Dec. 5 to Jan. 2, the longest streak of her career.

FRANK'S SOLID DEBUT CAMPAIGN

  • Freshman forward Hayley Frank has played quite well in her freshman campaign so far, as she has scored in double figures in 20 of 29 games, including back-to-back 20-point games against Vanderbilt (24 points) and Ole Miss (22 points).
  • Frank ranks 17th nationally and leads the SEC in free throw percentage (87.6 percent, 78-of-89). Among SEC freshmen, Frank ranks seventh in points per game (12.5).
  • Against New Mexico (Nov. 28) at the Cancun Challenge, Frank scored 29 points and grabbed six rebounds while shooting 9-of-14 from the field, 4-of-5 from three and 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Her 29 points was a new career-high, the most by a Tiger this season and the most by a Mizzou freshman since Sophie Cunningham scored 29 points against Kentucky on Feb. 25, 2016.
  • Frank recorded her second career 20-point game against Vanderbilt (Feb. 20), as she paced the Tigers with 24 points and made a career-high five threes. She then scored 22 points to lead Mizzou to victory over Ole Miss (Feb. 23).
  • Frank set a Mizzou freshman program record by making at least one three-pointer in each of her first 12 collegiate games. She surpassed Kassie Drew, who made 1+ three in her first nine games in 2004-05.

CHARITY STRIPE SUCCESS

  • Mizzou has put an emphasis on getting to the free throw line this season, as the Tigers have connected on 74.6 percent of its freebies (399-for-535) this season, the second-best mark in the SEC. Mizzou has posted marks of 75 percent or better from the free throw line in 14 of 29 games this season, including 11 games of 80 percent or better.
  • Freshman forward Hayley Frank currently leads the SEC and ranks 17th nationally in free throw percentage at 87.6 percent (78-of-89).
  • In total, six Tigers are shooting 80 percent or better from the charity stripe (min. 20 att.): 
Player FT-FTA FT%
Jordan Chavis 24-27 .889
Hayley Frank 78-89 .876
Jordan Roundtree 56-66 .848
Amber Smith 54-64 .844
Haley Troup 20-24 .833
Hannah Schuchts 21-26 .808