What we've learned about Mizzou women's basketball so far in SEC play
Missouri women's basketball has experienced its share of ups and downs in Southeastern Conference play, but one thing is clear: The Tigers are better than their preseason billing.
The league's preseason vote had Missouri buried in the bottom half of the standings.
Sunday's home game against Texas A&M was just the most recent example showing how the Tigers have eclipsed outside projections.
Missouri downed the Aggies 78-69 for its second straight win, riding a career-high seven 3-pointers by Hayley Frank while proving how it should be regarded in the SEC. The Tigers improve to 15-5 overall and 4-3 in the SEC.
The Aggies were the more aggressive team in the first half, shutting down the lane and forcing Missouri to take hurried 3-pointers. Texas A&M even mounted a 27-16 lead. But Missouri rallied behind Frank's shooting and some aggressive defensive play from Lauren Hansen, Mama Dembele and Aijha Blackwell, who each had multiple steals.
Here's what we learned about the Tigers on Sunday and so far in SEC play:
Offense flows through multiple players
Sometimes, it might be Blackwell. Other times, it might be Frank or Hansen. Regardless, what Missouri has is a good problem to have.
When the Tigers need offense, they have myriad ways they can find it.
Blackwell can grind points in the post or from the perimeter. Coach Robin Pingeton can also look to Hansen to hit a 3-pointer or operate within the perimeter. Frank scores off the drive and is hitting nearly half of her 3-point attempts.
Shooting beyond the arc is what Missouri has become known for this season, but the Tigers have balance with Blackwell and LaDazhia Williams in the post to go along with their potent shooters.
That was on display against Texas A&M, as the Aggies started closing out on shooters more once MU began hitting from deep.
"I try to stay confident, even when it wasn't falling at first," Frank said. "It's just trusting the work I put in."
The Tigers responded with drives from Dembele and Blackwell, which forced the Aggies defense to close down instead of closing on shooters. Leaving drivers alone would lead to an easy layup in a lose-lose situation.
That communication and ability to diagnose a play starts with Dembele at point, but also includes Frank and Hansen as shooters, and Williams and Blackwell as post options.
When the Tigers are in rhythm, they're difficult to cool down.
Missouri's best player remains clear
Frank and Hansen's offensive prowess from the perimeter is a reason why the Tigers are successful this year.
But that doesn't change how Blackwell is the best player on the team.
Blackwell's rebounding skills are among the best in the nation, and her time playing guard earlier in her career gives her a sense of how to defend players both at the perimeter and inside the paint.
"Being a junior and understanding the impact she can have on this team on both ends of the court, just with her presence alone, let alone the way she rebounds and defends and can guard," Pingeton said. "I was really proud of her."
Blackwell doesn't back down from any matchup. She went toe-to-toe with a taller Jenna Staiti from Georgia, LSU's lineup of talented post players and Baylor's experienced roster. In each game, Blackwell recorded a double-double in impressive fashion.
Blackwell has 15 double-doubles on the season.
Her passion was evident when she began ripping the ball away from Texas A&M players late in the game, even after the play ended, and sticking up for her teammates after a hard foul.
She is an All-SEC standout who has become a beloved part of the Tigers program.
"Our team really just feeds off Aijha," Frank said. "When she's playing energetic and passionate, we rally around her."
Defensive improvement is paramount
Before the season, Pingeton pointed to improving the defense beyond everything else.
That improvement took another step Sunday.
Of all the things Missouri did against Texas A&M, Pingeton was elated to see the aggressive defensive approach.
"That's the area that I'm most proud of," Pingeton said.
The Aggies weren't letting the game slip away in the third and fourth quarters. Even though Missouri was hitting shots, Texas A&M responded to either tie the game or keep it within a possession.
Missouri pulled away with aggressive defense. There was a sequence in the fourth where Frank hit a 3, Dembele swiped a pass for a steal and Hansen hit a 3 seconds later, which was the turning point.
That sequence gave Missouri a lead and pushed that lead to five. It doesn't happen without aggressive defense.
"Gritty is not a part-time job," Pingeton said. "Gritty is an all-the-time thing. It's an identity. How are you going to show up defensively? ... I feel we're doing a better job of getting in the passing lanes a little bit more."
Missouri recorded nine steals against Vanderbilt last week and eight Sunday against the Aggies. That helped the Tigers finally create separation, pull out some stops and put Texas A&M on its heels.
That kind of aggression has slowly grown over the season, and a big part is how the team takes it so personally when its opposition is more aggressive.
"We're not always going to be assignment-correct, we understand that," Pingeton said. "I just think we're getting more aggressive defensively."
Mizzou can win games it has to
There’s no doubt the Tigers are an NCAA Tournament team.
They’ve got wins over Illinois, South Carolina and Auburn, to go with close road losses to LSU and Baylor, both of which are ranked squads.
The only losses that significantly mar Missouri are to Arkansas and Missouri State, but one was against a Bears team that's an NCAA Tournament squad itself.
Most ESPN projections have MU between a No. 7 and No. 9 seed in the NCAA field.
Missouri has to take care of business in February before that, but the Tigers have been conscious of what they can accomplish if they continue to improve, Pingeton said.
"February could be a very special month for us," Pingeton said. "I told my girls, 'I don't think there's anyone left on our schedule we can't beat. But I don't think there's anyone left on the schedule who can't beat us.'"
Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 435-414-3261.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here's what stands out about Mizzou women's basketball during SEC play
