COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Arkansas Razorbacks are one of the few conference teams Missouri women's basketball has a losing record against.
That won't change today when the two teams play at 4 p.m. at Mizzou Arena.
The Tigers are 4-6 all-time against the Razorbacks in Southeastern Conference play, but the twice-a-year series is trending in Missouri's direction. Arkansas swept the first four appearances from 2013-14, while the Tigers have won three of the last four and have a three-game home winning streak against the Razorbacks.
No. 11 Missouri (16-2, 4-1 SEC) has a chance to claim sole possession of second in the conference standings with a win, and could even enter a three-way tie for first if No. 6 Tennessee beats No. 3 Mississippi State in Knoxville in the 2 p.m. time slot.
Arkansas (11-8, 2-4 SEC) stands in the way. The Razorbacks shoot a ton of 3s as a team: their 505 attempts is 10th most in the NCAA and shakes out to an average of almost 27 per game. That starts with Devin Cosper (41-of-144 from deep on the season) and Raven Northcross-Baker (25-of-86), both of whom have attempted at least 10 more 3-pointers than any Missouri player this season. Their efficiency needs improvement, though. Arkansas makes 28.9 percent of its 3s, ahead of only Auburn in the SEC.
Junior guard Malica Monk leads the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game, 15.7 per SEC contest and does most of her scoring on mid-range jumpers and driving to the hoop, though she has the range from deep. She also leads the team in assists and steals. Cosper's 15.3 points per game and 12.6 per conference game is second on the team.
Missouri's 368 attempts is tied for 103rd nationally, but the Tigers make 3s at a rate of 38 percent, 19th-best in the nation. That has a lot to do with ball movement. The Tigers have assisted on 84-of-125 made baskets in SEC play this season, or 67.2 percent, and on 285-of-455 made baskets (62.6 percent) overall.
Lauren Aldridge has done everything coach Robin Pingeton has asked of her at point guard, and has just nine turnovers in 169 minutes, distributing the ball first and scoring when necessary.
But Missouri's next-leading player in assists is Sophie Cunningham. Cunningham is shooting 57.8 percent from the field this season, 22nd in the nation. Every player ahead of her on the list is either a forward or center, except for Texas' Lashann Higgs, who is five spots above Cunningham.
Cunningham is shooting 46.8 percent from 3-point range, fourth-best in the country, and 85.5 percent from the free-throw line. All are career highs. And while her assist numbers are at her career average, it shows why she's such a dangerous player and so tough to game-plan against.
Having a career year in terms of efficiency, Pingeton has not altered her system and Cunningham has not altered her approach to take advantage of those numbers. She is doing more with the same number of touches she's gotten in years past, and is still finding open teammates when five pairs of eyes are focused on her.