Mizzou women’s basketball has been on a roll lately collecting wins left and right, scoring the last five in a row heading into a pair of regional rivalry showdowns at 9-2. Both wins this past week, against Cal and SIUE, respectively, came down to the fourth quarter, with the Tigers playing their best basketball in the final five minutes.
They will need to reach a whole new level this week, however, as they take on a scorching hot Illinois team that’s won its last six. Currently, the Illini are No. 36 in the women’s basketball NET, the highest-ranked team that Mizzou has faced so far.
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In addition to hosting Illinois, Mizzou will travel to play a SLU team always itching for an upset. Here’s what we know about the week ahead for Kellie Harper’s hungry team.
Braggin’ Rights in CoMo
Mizzou Arena will be home to one of the best games in women’s college basketball as the Illinois Fighting Illini come to town. The two teams did not play last year, with Mizzou winning the last matchup in Champaign 69-66 in late 2023. The Illini won the last matchup in Columbia 76-66 in 2022.
Illinois is coming off a strong season where they defeated Creighton in the first round before losing to Texas on the road in the second round. The Illini finished 22-10 and 11-7 in the Big Ten, looking to repeat that success this season. They are well on their way, currently 8-1 with two wins against power programs.
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The team is coming off a big win to open Big Ten play, defeating Indiana 78-57. The Illini led this game from the jump, building a lead as large as 26 after three quarters. This game was won close to the basket, as Illinois outscored Indiana 58-18 in paint points. As a whole the team has found success on the interior, winning the rebounding battle by a margin of 10.3 per game.
“They are really physically tough, and they there’s no doubt, they get that from their coach [Shauna Green], and she’s got that personality,” Harper said. “They have the ability to score in the paint, they can shoot, they can guard. But to me, it’s the toughness that wins those those battles that are close.”
One player that embodies that spirit is sophomore forward Berry Wallace. Currently Wallace leads the team in points at 17.8 per game and is second in rebounds at 6.8 with shooting splits of 51/33/90. She had her best game of her career in the opener against SEMO, recording a double-double with a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds. At 6-1, Wallace is a built-in mismatch as a wing, which means the Tigers will likely have to throw a variety of different looks to limit her production.
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Tigers in the Lou
After this high-end power conference showdown, Mizzou hits the road to take on the Saint Louis Billikens. This will be the Tigers’ first true road game in over a month since they faced Tulane. This is the fifth-consecutive season this matchup has been played, with Mizzou winning last season in Columbia 112-59; the largest margin of victory in the rivalry since 1983. However, SLU won the last matchup in the Lou 93-85 in 2023.
Last year was a down year for the Billikens, finishing 15-19 and missing the postseason for the first time since the 2021-22 season. This year started just as rough for SLU, losing five of the team’s first six games. However the Billikens have started turning things around, winning back-to-back games against St. Bonaventure and Evansville. Similar to Illinois, Saint Louis won these games in the paint. In their last two games the team has outscored their opponents 96-60.
Graduate guard Alexia Nelson is helping lead the charge, leading SLU in both points (14.9) and assists (2.7). She does the majority of her damage inside the 3-point line, with roughly 89% of her made field goals coming inside the arc. Nelson has only gotten better as the season has gone along, finishing with double-digit points in each of her last six games. If Mizzou wants to avoid the upset, they need to limit the speedy guard’s scoring prowess.
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Player to Watch: Chloe Sotell
One of the biggest strengths of this year’s Mizzou team compared to last year has been the scoring depth. A big part of Sunday’s win came from four separate players finishing the game with double-digit points, spreading out the offense in a game where the top stars struggled.
One key contributor to the depth on this year’s roster has been sophomore Chloe Sotell. The Pepperdine transfer started the season slow, averaging 4.3 points during her first four games as a Tiger. That has since shifted, averaging 9.6 points across her last seven games. Even when she is not scoring, Sotell has been a key piece of the Tigers success. Mizzou’s five-game win streak directly coincides with her five appearances int he starting lineup.
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“Chloe has a really good IQ, and she has some really good instincts,” Harper said. “[It] took some time for her to get comfortable within our offensive scheme and within our defensive scheme, and the biggest thing for us as coaches is to keep her confident in what she’s doing.”
While Sotell never leads the team in scoring she is always available to make big plays on both sides of the ball. She is expected to get the start once again in Braggin’ Rights versus Illinois at 6 p.m. on Wednesday from Mizzou Arena. The game will be available to watch on the main SEC Network through most TV services and the ESPN app.
