COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball was selected to finish third in the Southeastern Conference in a vote of the league’s coaches, announced Wednesday. Mizzou was also tabbed to place third in the SEC in the preseason media poll on Oct. 16 and once again trails only the two teams that reached the 2017 National Championship game, South Carolina and Mississippi State, in the Coaches Poll.
Third is the Tigers’ highest predicted finish since joining the SEC. Mizzou is ranked No. 16 nationally in the USA Today Coaches Preseason Top 25. That is the highest Mizzou has ever been ranked in the Coaches Poll specifically.
A trio of Tigers, junior Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.), junior Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) and redshirt senior Jordan Frericks (Quincy, Ill.), earned Preseason All-SEC recognition from the league’s coaches.
Cunningham was named Preseason First Team All-SEC for the second consecutive campaign. In 2016-17, Cunningham averaged a team-best 17.5 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per contest. She earned First Team All-SEC honors and received AP All-America Honorable Mention recognition after pouring in 19.1 points per game during league play and reaching double figures in 26 of 31 games. Cunningham has 989 career points heading into her junior season, the second-most by any Tiger through two campaigns in program history.
Porter and Frericks were both named Preseason Second Team All-SEC. This is the first time Porter has received Preseason All-SEC honors. The 6-foot-4 junior is coming off a stellar sophomore campaign in which she started all 33 games, reaching double figures 26 times and racking up a team-best 12 double-doubles. Porter topped the SEC in total free throws made with 141 and shot a blistering 86.8 percent from the charity stripe. She also led the Tigers in rebounds (266), rebounds per game (8.1) and blocked shots (1.4) a season ago.
Frericks, a 2016 Second Team All-SEC honoree, returns to the court after being sidelined during the 2016-17 campaign with a knee injury. Entering her final season at Mizzou, Frericks has already put together an outstanding career with 1,057 career points, 789 career rebounds and 139 career assists and counting. The redshirt senior has 23 career double-doubles. She averaged 12.1 points, a team-high 7.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals as a junior in 2015-16, shooting 55.6 percent from the field.
As a team, Mizzou is coming off back-to-back 22-win seasons and victories in consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in program history. The Tigers finished tied for third in the SEC last season, their highest conference finish since 1990. Mizzou went 15-1 at home in 2016-17 and the Tigers are 31-4 at Mizzou Arena since Feb. 5, 2015.
Mizzou opens up exhibition play Thursday against Southwest Baptist at 7 p.m. at Mizzou Arena. Admission is free. The Tigers begin the season Nov. 10 at the Hawkeye Challenge vs. Western Kentucky. The regular season home opener is set for Nov. 16 vs. Wright State.
For all the latest on Mizzou’s Women’s Basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @MizzouWBB and stay tuned to MUTigers.com.
Preseason Coaches’ Predictions
Order of Finish
1. South Carolina
2. Mississippi State
3. Missouri
4. Texas A&M
5. Tennessee
6. Kentucky
7. LSU
8. Georgia
9. Alabama
10. Vanderbilt
11. Auburn
12. Ole Miss
13. Florida
14. Arkansas
Player of the Year
A’ja Wilson, South Carolina
First Team All-SEC
Raigyne Louis, LSU
Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State
Morgan William, Mississippi State
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri
A’ja Wilson, South Carolina
Jaime Nared, Tennessee
Mercedes Russell, Tennessee
Khaalia Hillsman, Texas A&M
Second Team All-SEC
Caliya Robinson, Georgia
Taylor Murray, Kentucky
Shandricka Sessom, Ole Miss
Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State
Cierra Porter, Missouri
Jordan Frericks, Missouri
Tyasha Harris, South Carolina
Anriel Howard, Texas A&M
Danni Williams, Texas A&M
— Mizzou Athletics —