Hoopin’ and Hollerin: WBIT Bound

Mizzou women’s hoops will proceed its first play nether Kellie Harper pinch a bid to nan Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament. The Tigers are a No. 4 seed successful nan tourney and will recreation to look Seton Hall successful nan first round. While Mizzou was nan higher seed successful nan matchup, they are walking to New Jersey arsenic Mizzou Arena was already booked for nan precocious schoolhouse hoops championships.

For this week’s Hoopin’ and Hollerin, I’ll first break down what this postseason quality intends for Harper and nan Tigers roster. Plus, a heavy dive into this Seton Hall squad and what to look guardant to successful this first-time showdown.

While Mizzou’s NCAA Tournament drought has now deed 7 years, Harper has travel successful and snapped a two-year postseason drought astatine nan tail extremity of Robin Pingeton’s clip successful Columbia. The past clip Mizzou played successful a postseason tourney was nan 2023 WNIT, winning an opening information matchup against Illinois State earlier losing to nan dreaded kU.

This is nan Tigers’ first clip competing successful nan WBIT arsenic nan tourney began successful 2024. The tourney was started by nan NCAA arsenic an replacement to nan WNIT, cutting down connected nan costs for teams erstwhile it comes to things for illustration recreation and lodging expenses. While nan WNIT is still played, nan WBIT has replaced it arsenic nan existent secondary tourney successful women’s basketball.

There are 32 teams invited to nan tournament, pinch nan first 3 rounds taking spot connected field earlier moving to a neutral tract for nan semifinals and final. The past 2 years nan last games were played astatine Hinkle Fieldhouse successful Indiana, but this twelvemonth they person been moved to Wichita, Kansas for 2026 and 2027.

The Tigers are 1 of 2 SEC teams who qualified for nan section alongside Texas A&M. The invitation served arsenic somewhat of a surprise, arsenic Florida and Mississippi State some missed nan NCAA Tournament and vanished up of Mizzou successful nan conference, but were not successful nan section for nan WBIT. One could only presume they declined nan bids, particularly Florida pinch nan firing of caput coach Kelly Rae Finley.

But pinch this opening serves nan opportunity for postseason hoops for nan first clip successful 3 years. The victor of Mizzou/Seton Hall will play against nan victor of BYU/Alabama A&M successful nan 2nd round. But let’s not get up of ourselves. First, let’s meet nan Seton Hall Pirates.

Part of what makes postseason hoops awesome is nan measurement successful which it brings together teams that usually would ne'er interact. In fact, this is nan first ever gathering betwixt Mizzou and Seton Hall successful women’s basketball.

The Pirates had a beardown regular season, finishing nan twelvemonth 19-12 and perpetually dancing astir nan bubble. They picked up cardinal non-conference wins against teams for illustration Auburn and Washington State. In Big East play, Seton Hall vanished 12-8 to unafraid nan No. 3 seed. They vanished down UConn and Villanova who are each playing successful nan large dance. The Pirates had a chance to subordinate them, but mislaid successful nan Big East semifinals to Villanova 62-48.

Seton Hall has a balanced violative onslaught pinch 4 players averaging double-digit points this season. One subordinate who tin move nan tide of nan crippled is elder guardant Mariana Valenzuela. While Valenzuela ranks 3rd connected nan squad successful points astatine 12.1, she leads nan Pirates successful rebounds astatine 7.1 per game. However she has been connected a spot of a acold streak, only scoring 2 points crossed nan past 2 games. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t person nan capacity to bounce backmost against nan Tigers. She scored a career-high 26 points successful a 64-61 triumph against backmost successful January.

She will supply a cardinal situation for Jordana Reisma, arsenic nan 2 forwards will conflict it retired successful nan paint. The Tigers should effort to support her successful nan single-digits, but make judge that nary different players for nan Pirates get hot.

Speaking of Reisma, she is 1 subordinate who tin proceed her basking streak into nan postseason. In nan 2 games she has played since returning from injury, she has mixed for 28 points while shooting 11-14 from nan section and 4-6 from three. She’s had her fingerprints each complete nan crippled during that run, pinch 11 rebounds, six assists and 3 stocks (steals and blocks) contempt nan losses to Oklahoma and Alabama.

Reisma had a beardown twelvemonth astatine Mizzou aft transferring successful from Cleveland State, ranking 3rd connected nan squad some pinch 10.3 points per crippled and 5.9 rebounds. She suffered a little boy wounded that kept her retired for nan backmost half of SEC play, but was capable to return for nan last 2 games of nan play (mentioned above).

As a elder this WBIT tally marks what whitethorn very good beryllium nan past clip Reisma is capable to play organized basketball. Maybe that’s nan other inducement needed for Jordana and nan remainder of nan Mizzou roster to spell connected a heavy tally successful nan tournament.

The Tigers unfastened WBIT play against Seton Hall connected nan roadworthy astatine 6 p.m. connected Thursday. The crippled will beryllium disposable to watch connected ESPN+ done nan ESPN app.