It’s difficult to beat a team three times in a row, especially in a conference as competitive as the SEC. The Arkansas Razorbacks, however, dispelled this myth, taking down Missouri for the third time this season, defeating the Tigers 61-52 in overtime, knocking them out of the SEC Tournament.
The Tigers were stifled by the Razorback defense for most of the game. Missouri was able to keep it close with a strong defensive showing of their own, holding Arkansas’ Amber Ramirez – who torched the Tigers scoring over 20 points in both their previous matchups – to zero points in the first half.
“That’s a kid that you’re not going to shut down … You just have to be able to contain her,” Missouri head coach Robin Pingeton said of Ramirez.
Arkansas was able to hold down the usual Missouri stars. Hayley Frank and Aijha Blackwell scored just five apiece. Haley Troup emerged as the star of the game for the Tigers, finishing with a career high 21 points.
“I think myself and the team were just so prepared, and it allowed me to come into the game and play free, and I knew exactly what I needed to do to help the team win, and today that was score the ball,” Troup said.
After a back and forth game with eight lead changes, the Tigers fell apart in overtime. Arkansas outscored the Tigers 13-4 in the extra period, sealing an early Tigers exit from Nashville.
The question all Mizzou fans had after the game was why Aijha Blackwell did not see much time on the court. Blackwell came off the bench and played just 11 minutes against the Razorbacks.
“She’s an elite-level player, for sure, but we had to go with who has been in the rotation and we felt like that was going to give us our best shot,” Pingeton said.
Blackwell sat out of three of the Tigers previous four games heading into the tournament due to “team expectations.” However, team expectations are starting to kill the expectations for this team.
Missouri continues to face life on the bubble after sputtering through the rest of the season following their huge upset against South Carolina. The Tigers are among the “last teams in” according to ESPN’s latest bracketology. They’re projected to face Gonzaga in a play-in game to claim an 11 seed in the tournament.
“We’re not real pleased with, obviously, the outcome and having to be on the bubble. I don’t think we’re a bubble team. I think we’re a team that has the ability and talent to play in the NCAA Tournament,” Pingeton said.
Despite Pingeton’s optimism the team still finds themselves at the mercy of the selection committee. The latest projections signal a season of disappointment for Missouri, coming into the year as a projected six seed.
“It’s hard to have to sit and wait, but bottom line is we can’t do anything about that, right? Résumé has been written,” Pingeton said.
Missouri will return to Columbia to prepare for what they hope to be an eventual NCAA Tournament campaign. Whether or not they have one will be determined by the tournament selection committee Sunday, March 13.