Mizzou women confident and relaxed entering NCAA Tournament
By Cameron Teague RobinsonColumbia Daily Tribune
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Before the Missouri women's basketball team began practice in the Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday, the players had a surprise for coach Robin Pingeton.
In support of World Down Syndrome Day, the Tigers took the court in bright-colored socks to support those with down syndrome, including Pingeton's son Zach.
When Pingeton realized what was going on she gathered the team together for a group hug, grabbed a pair of socks herself and posed for a team photo.
"We wanted to do something to support coach P and her family," Missouri senior Cierra Porter said. "Little Zach has been a blessing in all of our lives and we love him to death."
Right now, things are great for a confident and relaxed Missouri team.
Heading into Friday's NCAA Tournament matchup against No. 10 seed Drake (27-6, 17-1 MVC), the Tigers have won four of their last five games. The lone loss came in the program's first-ever Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinal to eventual champion Mississippi State.
To put it simply, seventh-seeded Missouri (23-10, 10-6 SEC) is trending upward opposed to the downward trend that came at the end of last season.
"Since I've been here at Mizzou, this is the best feel that our team has had both mentally and physically going into the NCAA Tournament," Missouri senior Sophie Cunningham said. "I know I keep saying this, but I think our team is in the best spot it's been in all year."
Pingeton agreed.
"This last month we have been playing some great basketball," Pingeton said. "When you go into tournament time you want to feel good about where you are at and I feel as good as I ever have with this team."
Although the Tigers are playing some of their best basketball right now, that hasn't been the case all year.
Missouri's struggles through the non-conference slate and inconsistency over the course of the year have been well-documented. Through the non-conference schedule, Missouri dropped home games to Green Bay and South Dakota State, as well as a non-conference tournament game to Michigan.
But there was something that stuck in Missouri senior Lauren Aldridge's mind as the season continued.
Aldridge said that Pingeton always tells the team, "You go through some hard times, but that's what makes relationships strong."
Also helping was a team heart-to-heart after a deflating loss at Florida. After arriving back in Columbia around 11:30 p.m., Aldridge said the team, along with the coaching staff, met to clear the air.
Nobody was happy about the result and the way things were going.
"We all had a lot on our hearts that night. We knew that night didn't go how we wanted it to and there were probably some underlying things that led to that," Aldridge said. "We talked about it as a team and got it all out there."
The meeting took more than two hours.
"I think that was a turning point," she said. "We are better because of it."
Missouri still had some hiccups through the rest of the conference season. Four of Missouri's next five regular-season losses all came against NCAA Tournament teams, but the Tigers picked up big wins along the way.
In the process, they began to gel more as the team adjusted to the return of Porter, who rejoined the roster in December and was named the SEC's Sixth Woman of the Year.
"It was hard when we didn't have a legit five-man," Cunningham said. "Having (Porter) back really opened up things for everyone back on the floor."
Now, Missouri is clicking at the right time.
Although nobody wants to struggle or lose games, looking back Cunningham said she feels blessed with the way things worked out.
"When your team is struggling, but then you see where you are at now, you feel more blessed and have more confidence," she said. "We were on a roller coaster, but our team was going through some things in the locker room that we had to clean up on and we did. We are just feeding each other confidence now."
Last year Missouri entered the NCAA Tournament on a downswing, losing two of its last three games before falling to Florida Gulf Coast in the first round.
This year, the situation is the opposite. Missouri worked through its kinks and struggles early in the season and is heading into the NCAA Tournament feeling relaxed and with less pressure.
"I think you put more pressure on your team if you aren't in a good spot," Cunningham said. "I just think if we go out there and play free, and know that we put in the work, it will be good for our team."
crobinson@columbiatribune.com