COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced 50 women’s college basketball players to watch for the Citizen Naismith Player of the Year Trophy on Wednesday, and Mizzou junior guard Sophie Cunningham is on the list.

“We are excited to announce 50 talented candidates vying to win the 2018 Women’s Citizen Naismith Trophy as we head into our 50th celebration season,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “This upcoming season should be one to remember, and the journey to become the women’s top player of the year begins today.”

A list of the midseason 30 team will be released on Feb. 12, 2018. This marks the second consecutive season that Cunningham begins the campaign on the Preseason Watch List.

Cunningham has also been named to the John R. Wooden Award Women’s Preseason Top 30, an honor that goes to the nation’s top individual player. Additionally, she was recognized on the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List, which honors the nation’s top small forward. Cunningham was named Preseason First Team All-SEC.

She is averaging 17.8 points per game through Mizzou’s first six contests. Cunningham is the only player in the SEC shooting at least 50 percent from 3-point range, 80 percent from the free throw line and 50 percent from the field. She has reached double figures in 17 consecutive games dating back to last season and has 22 career 20-point performances.

In 2016-17, Cunningham averaged a team-best 17.5 points per game, which ranked fourth in the SEC. She led Mizzou in total points, points per game, assists per game, free throw percentage, field goal percentage and total field goals made for the season. Cunningham earned Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention recognition and First Team All-SEC honors after leading Mizzou to 22 wins, a third-place finish in the Southeastern Conference and a second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since 1985 and 1986. She steered Mizzou to wins in back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in program history.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football junior QB Drew Lock (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) is the SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, announced Monday (Nov. 27) by the league office. Monday marks Lock’s second SEC Player of the Week award after earning the distinction on Sept. 3 following Mizzou’s season-opening win over Missouri State. Lock threw for five touchdowns and 448 yards while resetting the school and SEC single-season passing touchdown record in a 45-42 win at Arkansas last Friday (Nov. 24).

Lock went 25-for-42 and helped the Tigers erase a 14-point deficit twice in the win over the Razorbacks. His third TD pass of the game went to freshman TE Albert Okwuegbunam, giving him 41 passing TDs on the year. That passed Kentucky’s Andre Woodson (40 in 2007) for the most ever TD passes by an SEC quarterback. He also passed Chase Daniel (39 in 2008) for the Mizzou single season record. His 43 passing TDs lead the nation and he is the first SEC quarterback this century to pass for at least three TDs in eight straight games.

Lock’s five-touchdown performance Friday gives him six such games in his career and a national-best four this season. He has more five-touchdown games than any SEC quarterback in the last 20 seasons (Tim Couch is second with five from 1996-98). Only four Power 5 QBs have ever thrown for more TD passes in a single season (BJ Symons, Sam Bradford, Graham Harrell (twice), Kliff Kingsbury) than Lock’s 43. All five did so in 13 or more games. His 43 TDs this season rank 23rd in NCAA history. Lock’s 448 yards at Arkansas also give him five career 400-yard games, also a school record.

Against Arkansas, Lock Engineered two fourth-quarter TD drives that erased Arkansas leads, and then capped the day by driving the Tigers 75 yards in the final five minutes that ended with a game-winning 19-yard field goal with just :06 seconds left in the game to account for the final score as MU won its sixth-straight game. In the fourth quarter, Lock was a sterling 7-of-9 passing for 127 yards and two TDs that led to the win. He was 3-for-3 in the final period on third down for 43 yards and one touchdown.

On the year, Lock leads the SEC in nine major categories while leading the nation in passing TDs (43), points responsible for (264) and passing yards per completion (16.5).

— Mizzou Athletics —

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jevon Carter scored 29 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute, and No. 23 West Virginia overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to beat Missouri 83-79 on Sunday night in the Advocare Invitational championship game.

Daxter Miles Jr. added 26 points, including four late free throws, for West Virginia (6-1).

West Virginia was involved in three distinctly different games at the tourney. After surviving an upset challenge against winless Marist 84-78 on Thursday, the Mountaineers routed Central Florida 83-45 on Friday.

Missouri (5-2) got 21 points from Jordan Barnett. Kassius Robertson and Kevin Puryear had 13 each.

Barnett hit a jumper and added 3 as Missouri went up 55-41 5 minutes into the second half.

West Virginia, keyed by a number of forced turnovers, put together a late 12-0 run that was concluded by Miles steal and layup to get within 73-72 with 3 minutes left.

Robertson had 10 points to help Missouri take a 41-36 halftime advantage.

POLL IMPLICATION

West Virginia could move up slightly in the AP poll. The Mountaineers have been ranked 38 consecutive weeks, and 55 of the last 58.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: The Tigers seem to making progress in making adjustments with standout freshman Michael Porter out for season after back surgery.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers have won six in a row since a season-opening 88-65 loss to Texas A&M in Germany.

FOUL PLAY

West Virginia was called for 74 fouls over the three-game invitational, including 21 Sunday.

2018

Villanova highlights the 2018 field at the Advocare Invitational. Joining the Wildcats are Charleston, Florida State, LSU, Memphis, Oklahoma State and UAB. An eighth team will be announced at a later date.

UP NEXT

Missouri: At Central Florida on Thursday night.

West Virginia: Hosts NJIT on Thursday night.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Following another 20-win campaign, Mizzou Volleyball gathered Sunday (Nov. 26) evening to learn its 2017 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament destination.

The Tigers will make the trek west to Wichita, Kan., for their first and second round matchups this year. Mizzou opens its 2017 NCAA Tournament with a matchup against Kansas on Friday (Dec. 1). First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. With a victory, the Tigers would meet the winner between No. 16 national seed Wichita State and Radford.

The Tigers lead the all-time series over Kansas, 51-34. The two programs last met in the 2015 NCAA Tournament in Lawrence, Kan., as the Jayhawks produced a 3-0 victory in the second round of postseason play. Under Wayne Kreklow and Susan Kreklow’s tenure in Mid-Missouri (2000-present), Mizzou owns a 19-6 advantage over its former Big 12 Conference counterpart.

Mizzou’s 2017 NCAA Tournament appearance marks its 14th trip to postseason play since 2000. The Tigers have made the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three years and six bids over their past eight seasons.

The 2017 Tigers finished 20-11 overall and 13-5 in Southeastern Conference matchups. Mizzou’s strong season in conference play solidified a third place finish, marking its third consecutive Top-3 ranking in the SEC standings.

Mizzou has tallied 11 20-plus win seasons under the Kreklow’s tutelage in Columbia, Mo. The Tigers have produced three consecutive 20-win campaigns and four in their past five years.

First and second rounds across 16 campus sits will take place from Nov. 30 – Dec. 2. Regionals are set from Dec. 8-9, while the National Championship rounds will take place on Dec. 14 and Dec. 16 in Kansas City, Mo.

— Mizzou Athletics —

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Amber Smith and Sophie Cunningham scored 11 points apiece and No. 23 Missouri handed No. 21 California a rare loss in the Cal Classic on Saturday, 55-52.

The Tigers (5-1) won the championship by making 9 of 18 3-pointers, the biggest by Jordan Chavis with 3:16 to play after the Golden Bears (3-2) had erased an eight-point deficit to tie the game.

After a Cal miss, Cunningham had a putback for a five-point lead but Cal got close with a free throw and a layup from Kristine Anigwe with 16 seconds left. Cierra Porter made a free throw with 11 seconds to play but Asha Thomas missed a 3 and the Tigers held on.

It was fitting Thomas, who scored 14 points, had the final shot as she set a school record with nine made 3s in Cal’s first-round win and the Golden Bears set a record with 17 long-range buckets. However, Missouri held them to 16 attempts, just six makes.

Cal had won 13 straight nonconference home games, five of the last five tournaments and 21 tournament titles since it was switched to the four-team format in 1983.

Missouri led 30-22 at halftime, hitting 5-of-9 3-pointers and holding the Golden Bears to 2 of 9 from 3-point range.

— Associated Press —

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Blake Harris made the most of his first Missouri start and got postgame congratulations from the Tigers’ injured star.

The freshman guard had 11 points, nine assists and turned the ball over once, and Missouri routed Long Beach State 95-58 Thursday in the opening round of the Advocare Invitational.

Jordan Geist scored 16 points and freshman Jontay Porter had a season-best 15 for Missouri.

Missouri (4-1) played for the first time since announcing Tuesday that standout freshman Michael Porter Jr., the brother of Jontay Porter, will miss the rest of the season following lower back surgery. The expected recovery time is three to four months.

“He just texted me after the game (and) I told him I’m playing for him,” Harris said.

Michael Porter played just two minutes in the season opener against Iowa State.

“Now, that’s being addressed as a staff,” Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said. “There’s certain packages that you would have with Mike. You make some adjustments. Put guys in position.”

Jontay Porter had 10 points as the Tigers took a commanding 43-21 halftime lead. Missouri limited the 49ers to just 20.7 percent shooting (6 for 29) during the opening 20 minutes.

“I thought we did a good job of setting the tone early,” Martin said. “Defended, rebounded, playing hard, playing with passion. Fun to watch.”

Kassius Robertson added 13 points for the Tigers, who shot 52 percent from the field.

Long Beach State (2-3) was lead by Gabe Levin’s 12 points.

“It’s disappointing,” Long Beach State coach Dan Monson said. “You get an opportunity to get on a national stage and every area just didn’t play as good as we needed to.”

TURNOVERS

Long Beach State continues to struggle with turnovers, picking up 19. The 49ers had 76 over their first four games. “It’s plagued us,” Monson said. “We just get sped up. There’s too many travels and unforced turnovers.”

HIGH PRAISE

Geist called Harris’ performance “crazy” and “awesome.” “Passing the ball, sharing and not being selfish, that’s what a point guard does,” Geist said.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: Jontay Porter, who has scored 11 points twice this season, made 6 of 9 shots and had five rebounds against the 49ers.

Long Beach State: The 49ers’ two previous losses came against teams in the Advocare Invitational — Oregon State (89-81) and No. 23 West Virginia (91-62).

UP NEXT

Missouri plays in the semifinals against St. John’s on Friday.

Long Beach State moves to Friday’s consolation bracket to face Oregon State.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr. will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing lower back surgery.

The 6-foot-10 Porter, the top prep prospect in the country last season, played in only two minutes of the season-opening win over Iowa State before missing the last three games with the injury. The school said Tuesday that he will undergo surgery in Dallas, and his expected recovery time is three to four months.

Porter averaged 36.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per game as a senior in high school in Washington, and he was a McDonald’s All-American after signing with Missouri.

He was part of a stellar recruiting class for first-year coach Cuonzo Martin that featured five top prep prospects.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A complete offseason makeover raised the expectations exponentially for the Missouri basketball team. But a mysterious injury to star freshman Michael Porter Jr. and a few atrocious shooting nights have tempered the excitement for the Tigers, who needed to hang on in the last minute to beat Division II Emporia State 67-62 on Monday.

Missouri made just 2 of 20 shots from 3-point range and only 19 of 34 free throws against the Hornets. That close victory followed a blowout loss at Utah on Thursday in which the Tigers made just 5 of 27 shots from beyond the arc.

“We’ve hit a couple bumps,” junior forward Kevin Puryear said. “This game we didn’t play as well as we could have and also at Utah on the road. We’ve been fighting adversity lately. Now it’s time for us to buckle down and come together. This is the most important time for us to come together as a team.”

Puryear and Jeremiah Tilmon each scored 13 points, and Jontay Porter added 11 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks off the bench. Missouri (3-1) also got a boost from sophomore forward Reed Nikko, who scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in 10 minutes.

Tilmon, Porter and Nikko are all at least 6-foot-10, which gave the Tigers a decided size advantage over the Hornets (2-3), whose tallest starter is 6-8 Hassan Thomas. Missouri’s 24 offensive rebounds saved it from an embarrassing defeat to a scrappy opponent.

“If we didn’t have those guys on the interior, we probably lose that game by eight or 10 points,” Puryear said. “When our shots aren’t falling, it’s good to have guys on the inside making plays.”

Brian Morton led Emporia State with 21 points, including 15 in the second half. Stephaun Limuel added eight points and nine rebounds for the Hornets, who helped their cause by making 11 of 12 free throws.

The game was tied at 28 at halftime, at which point Missouri had made just 1 of 13 3-point attempts. The second half started much the same way, as the Tigers continued to attempt and miss 3-pointers. Emporia State led 39-32 five minutes into the second half when Malik Hluchoweckyj beat the shot clock with a 3-pointer.

Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said he didn’t think shot selection was his team’s problem — the shots just didn’t go in.

“Sometimes you can overemphasize pounding the ball inside,” Martin said. “I know we emphasized pounding the ball inside, and now, all the sudden guys aren’t looking to shoot.”

A Blake Harris no-look pass to Tilmon for a dunk gave Missouri a 43-41 lead midway through the second half. When Harris found Porter inside again two minutes later, the Tigers led 50-45.

The Hornets never led again, but they did cut the deficit to two points with 1:32 left when Grant Shell hit a 3-pointer in transition. Danny Hodge again cut the margin to two with a 3-pointer with less than a minute left. Emporia State had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead, but Porter blocked a Shell finger-roll layup attempt in the lane, and the Tigers hung on.

“We had opportunities to make shots from 3, didn’t shoot the ball well from the free-throw line, had 18 turnovers,” Martin said. “I think the only thing that saved us was we were playing at home.”

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: Michael Porter Jr. did not play and did not sit on the bench for the third straight game because of injury. Martin said Porter did not attend Monday’s game because he was seeing a specialist for his injury. Porter, considered one of the nation’s top two recruits, has played only the first two minutes of the season opener. MU initially described his injury as a tweaked hip but has since only called it a leg injury.

Martin said he didn’t have any further updates on Porter’s status or whether he would join the team on its trip to Orlando, Fla., for the AdvoCare Invitational.

“I’m not sure right now,” Martin said. “We’ll see if he’s going to Orlando with us.”

Emporia State: Hornets coach Shaun Vandiver was making his first appearance at Mizzou Arena, but as a center for Colorado from 1988-91 he played against the Tigers next door at the Hearnes Center. Vandiver averaged 17.3 points and 11 rebounds against Missouri in seven career games.

GOOD REED: Nikko has been pleasant early season surprise for Missouri. The 6-10, 250-pound sophomore was hampered by hip injuries as a senior at Maple Grove High School in Minnesota and was slowed by a high ankle sprain as a freshman at Missouri.

“It’s probably the best I’ve felt since junior year of high school,” Nikko said. “I feel great. Huge credit to our trainers and medical staff for getting me there.”

He has scored eight points in each of the last two games.

“He’s one of those guys that carries out his assignment to a T,” Martin said. “He executes everything we’re trying to do. He’s big. He’s physical. The key with Reed is understanding how talented he is and really believing in himself. I think he’s better than what he gives himself credit for.”

UP NEXT

Missouri will face Long Beach State in the first round of the AdvoCare Invitational on Thanksgiving in Orlando, Fla.

Emporia State will play Northwestern Oklahoma at home on Wednesday.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A border state football rivalry between Missouri and Illinois that dates to 1896 is scheduled to resume with a four-year home and home football series that will begin in the 2026 season at Champaign, Illinois, school officials announced Monday.

“We are pleased to announce a four-year home and home series with the University of Illinois,” said Mizzou Director of Athletics Jim Sterk. “This is another opportunity to renew a great football rivalry that we believe Tiger fans everywhere will be excited about.”

Mizzou will travel to Illinois for a September 26, 2026 contest in Champaign, Ill., with the Illini returning the game the following year to Columbia, Mo., on September 18, 2027. The teams will also meet in Champaign on Sept. 16, 2028 before concluding the agreement in Columbia on September 15, 2029.

Missouri and Illinois have met 24 times in football, with the Tigers holding a 17-7 series advantage. However, Mizzou has won six-straight and seven of the last eight between the programs, including a 23-13 win during the 2010 campaign in the last meeting between the programs which was played in St. Louis.

The Illinois series marks the first games Mizzou Athletics has contracted beyond the 2025 campaign.

In addition to the series with Illinois, Mizzou also announced Monday that it has completed its 2020 football schedule with the addition of a Nov. 21 home game against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. The Tigers other 2020 non-conference games include home contests with Central Arkansas (Sept. 5) and Eastern Michigan (Sept. 26), in addition to a Nov. 7 game at BYU.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football TE Albert Okwuegbunam is the SEC Freshman of the Week, announced Monday (Nov. 20) by the league office. This marks his second SEC weekly honor after earning the distinction on Oct. 23 following Mizzou’s Homecoming win over Idaho.

Albert O is coming off a five-catch, 116-yard performance in Mizzou’s bowl-clinching 45-17 victory at Vanderbilt Saturday. Two of his five catches went for scores, including a career-long 57-yarder that put the game on ice in the fourth quarter. Of his five receptions, four came on third down and all went for first downs with three of those coming on third-and-long situations, including a third-and-eight (57 yard TD), a third-and-11 (20-yard catch) and a third-and-seven (seven-yard TD).

Okwuegbunam is a prime candidate for Freshman All-America honors this season as he is tied for the national lead in TD catches among TEs. He is also second in the SEC among all receivers with nine TDs and he has five more than the next-best TE on the list (CJ Conrad of Kentucky). His nine TD grabs are also tied for the top mark nationally among all freshmen.

Okwuegbunam and the Tigers will close the regular season this Friday at Arkansas in the annual Battle Line Rivalry Presented by Shelter Insurance. Kick is set for 1:30 p.m. (CT) on ESPN 1550.

— Mizzou Athletics —