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Missouri Tigers
Predicted finish: 5th  

Key returners (last season’s stats)
G- Sophie Cunningham- 6’1, JR- 17.5 PPG, 48%FG, 38% 3pt, 5.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 33 MPG, First Team All-SEC
F- Cierra Porter- 6’4, JR- 13.2 PPG, 47%FG, 8-23 from three, 8.1 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 30 MPG
G- Amber Smith, 5’11, SO- 5.9 PPG, 45%FG, 40% 3pt, 2.8 RG, All-Freshman, SEC Co-Freshman of the Year
F- Jordan Frericks- 6’1, R-SR- *Missed last season with knee injury, 12.1 PPG, 55%FG, 7.7 RPG, 26 MPG in 2015-16

Biggest losses (last season’s stats)
F- Sierra Michaelis, 5’10- 12.7 PPG, 42%FG, 32% 3pt, 5 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 31 MPG
G- Lindsey Cunningham, 6’0- 7.7 PPG, 43%FG, 40% 3pt, 4.3 RPG, 33 MPG

Newcomers
G- Nadia Green, 5’10, (Chicago, IL), FR- Ranked #123 in 2017 class, #32 guard
G- Elle Brown, 5’11, (Columbia, MO), FR- Ranked #251 in 2017 class, #69 guard
G- Kelsey Winfrey, 5’9, (Lebanon, MO), FR
F- Emmanuelle Tahane, 6’1, (Bondy, France), FR
G- Lauren Aldridge, 5’7, (Kansas), R-JR- 9.6 PPG, 3.7 APG in two seasons at Kansas

Head Coach- Robin Pingeton, 8th season
After hitting a seemingly unbreakable roof that led to the upper echelon of the SEC, Missouri finally broke through last season by coming in 3rd place and earning a six-seed in the NCAA Tournament. That season earned head coach Robin Pingeton the SEC Coach of the Year award and thrust the Tigers into rarefied air. After middling in mediocrity for her first four seasons, Pingeton and the Tigers took a step forward in 2014-15 by winning 19 games and advancing to the third round of the WNIT.  Following that season, Mizzou has now made the NCAA tournament two seasons in a row and has earned the reputation of being one of the most physical and tough teams in the SEC. Pingeton deserves a lot of credit for getting local talent to stay put and play for Missouri, building a program that knows its identity and sticks to it, finding much success because of it. Now that the Tigers have gotten towards the top, don’t expect them to be leaving anytime soon.

Key non-conference games
Nov. 10- Western Kentucky (neutral site)
Nov. 11- Iowa/Quinnipiac (neutral site)
Nov. 25- Cal (potentially; Cal Classic tournament)
Nov. 30- Kansas State
Dec. 8- St. Louis
Dec. 17- Indiana (neutral site)

Outlook
Missouri burst on the scene last season by finishing 3rd in the SEC, the highest finish in program history since joining the conference. Many forget how impressive the Tigers finish really was when you look back at how they started. Though the picked up wins over Texas A&M (2 points) and Kentucky (6 points), their conference record sat at just 6-5 after 11 games. The Tigers then won four straight games, then lost two in a row. Following that, Mizzou won five straight games, including a win that shocked the conference when they took down South Carolina. Mizzou still needs to prove they can beat the elite teams in conference on occasion while still taking care of the lower teams. Sophie Cunningham, one of the more refined offensive and chippy players in the conference, will certainly help, as will Co-Freshman of the Year Amber Smith. Cierra Porter could make a leap as well into being one of the better post players, while the return of Jordan Frericks, a second-team All-SEC player in the last season she played, is a huge addition. Take into account that Mizzou shot 80% from the free throw line, along with knocking in over seven three-pointers a game (tops in the SEC) last season, it’s not hard to see that the Tigers are poised for another great finish.

Best Case Scenario- The sharp shooting continues from every spot on the floor, experience helps them get off to a good start in the SEC, are in the mix until the last two games and come in 2nd place

Worst Case Scenario- Cunningham and Porter don’t make the leaps forward that are expected, Frericks doesn’t look the same after the injury, Tigers lose some games they shouldn’t and finish in a disappointing 6th