Coming off a third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, the Missouri women’s basketball team begins the season ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press poll. The Tigers, 24-8 last year, finished the regular season ranked No. 17 before suffering a first-round upset in the NCAA Tournament. Robin Pingeton’s team, anchored by senior guard and All-American candidate Sophie Cunningham, appeared on 30 of 31 AP ballots and peaked at No. 12.
Mizzou tied for fourth place in the Southeastern Conference last season and has been picked to finish fifth in the league by both the media and the SEC coaches. Pingeton has to replace her two most productive forwards in Cierra Porter and Jordan Frericks but returns junior guard Amber Smith, a preseason second-team All-SEC choice by the league coaches, plus senior point guard Lauren Aldridge.