JTIGERS VS. OTHER TIGERS IN FIRST SEC ROAD MATCHUP

Now that I am a certified Missouri Tigers gymnastics superfan — I even bought season tickets! And I live tweet! — I thought Fridays would be an excellent time to preview the evening’s gymnastics matchup, especially since we are a #gymnasticsschool.

Yours truly, Twitter.com

When we last saw OUR Tigers, they took down the then-no. 20 Georgia Bulldogs (currently no. 17) by 0.55 and a score of 196.975 to 196.425 last Friday at Hearnes. Let’s recap quickly.

First rotation (MIZ vault, UGA bars): Dawgs led by a pretty sizable amount by gymnastics standards (0.625). Mizzou wasn’t terrible or anything; they just have a harder time with this than other events.

Second rotation (MIZ bars, UGA vault): Dawgs still leading, but margin is cut down to only 0.2 with Mizzou’s two strongest events remaining. After a fall against Illinois, Siena Schreiber rebounds beautifully.

Third rotation (MIZ beam, UGA floor): While not beating their beam record set two weeks ago vs Illinois (49.525), they still put up pretty big numbers and ended up on top by 0.28. Georgia, though I personally LOVED their stylistic choices — their music was so on point — faltered a bit score-wise here. I realized I don’t really understand why they didn’t score higher, ha. #amateur

Final rotation (MIZ floor, UGA beam): I will say, ending with beam is hard enough, but on the road, WHILE trying to make a comeback, is difficult. Georgia started out really great and it seemed like it was going to be neck-and-neck, but a costly fall and reoccurring balance checks in a few beamers meant they had to count a score they very likely would not have wanted to.

What To Expect At The Venue

Mizzou hit its best attendance record since 2013 in their home opener at Hearnes against no. Georgia last week. That attendance? 2,628. That sounds great, right? It looks pretty full for where they allow fans to sit (links to my tweet pic of the setup). That is, until you see LSU’s attendance.

Per a quick google search, LSU finished the 2022 season ranked no. 1 in the country in average attendance, overtaking Utah with an average of 11,691 across five home meets at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Furthermore, in their meet on Monday against no. 1 Oklahoma, they had 12,065 fans. To put this in further perspective, LSU Men's Hoops averaged 10,365 in attendance last season in the same venue. DAMN. Lol, Will Wade.

It will be LOUD. And it will be an absolute madhouse, 1) because they love their gymnastics teams at LSU, who have a storied history — they’ve finished in the top 10 in 9/10 years, and top 5 in 6 of those — and, 2) because they have Olivia “Livvy” Dunne, a money-making machine (she’s the country’s highest grossing woman NIL earner, even higher than Olympic Gold Medal All-Around champion, Sunisa Lee). The part national team member, part bars specialist, part social media personality has amassed more than 3 million followers on Instagram (about the same as the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young, for reference) and 6.8 million (!!!!) followers on TikTok. Dunne’s fans are so rabid that the athletic department had had to set extra security precautions in place both at home and on the road because her fans are known to be... ummm.... vocal. Even when she’s not competing (which she hasn’t yet this season) — she stood aside the sidelines when they faced Utah in SLC and security had to get involved — opposing teams had to deal with the excessive crowd noise. It could very well be a factor for Mizzou.

Quick Comparisons

Disclaimer: LSU took on no. 1 Oklahoma on Monday, Jan. 16, but that data is not included in the averages or highest scores from RoadtoNationals.com, which updated its weekly stats prior to the meet . However, I will say, LSU had a fantastic meet, coming away with their highest team score this season (197.45, which would move them up to no. 9 nationally), as well as high scores on Floor (49.45), Beam (49.225), and Vault (49.325), all of which are higher than Mizzou’s highest scores, aside from Beam, because, well... #beamqueens.

Matchups to Keep an Eye on

While there aren’t actual individual head-to-head matchups, I thought it was an interesting to share the no. 1 vs the no. 1, no. 2 vs no. 2, etc. And a wild card. Just so you can see how they may line up. LSU is listed first, as they’re the home team. Scores in parentheses are their highest of the season.

Floor: Alyona Shchennikora (9.925) vs. Alisa Sheremeta (9.925) | Aleah Finnegan (9.95) vs. Hannah McCrary (9.925) | Sierra Ballard (9.9) vs. Siena Schreiber (9.9) | Haleigh Bryant (9.9) vs. Jocelyn Moore (9.875) | KJ Johnson (9.85) vs. Alonna Kratzer (9.85) | Wild Card: Kiya Johnson (9.9) vs. Casey Poddig (9.825)

Analysis: This one should be close, as Mizzou has improved each meet, and LSU just posted their best score on Monday. They’re pretty much dead even here. However, each LSU gymnast’s average score (spread over 3 meets) is bit more inconsistent that Mizzou, and despite the 9.9’s across the board, their averages stray from their high scores a bit more. Additionally, Kiya & KJ have far lower averages, and Kiya has only competed twice. On the Mizzou side, Sheremeta is legit THAT good (a 9.912 average), and the others’ averages are pretty consistent. I’ll pick MIZ here.

Beam: Haleigh Bryant (9.95) vs. Helen Hu (9.95) | Elena Arenas (9.925) vs. Siena Schreiber (9.95) | Aleah Finnegan (9.9) vs. Grace Anne Davis (9.9) | Kai Rivers (9.85) vs. Alisa Sheremeta (9.875) | KJ Johnson (9.75) vs. Addison Lawrence (9.85) | Wild Card: Bryce Wilson (9.75) vs. Sydney Schaffer (9.75)

Analysis: Haleigh is legit (9.917 avg) and will be going for her fourth straight All-Around title in this meet, and Elena has also shown consistency in her two meets (9.9 avg). Bryce has competed in this event twice this season, so I’m throwing her in, though her first performance was an abject disaster. She could also be replaced with Kiya Johnson (9.85) or Sierra Ballard (9.825), who have each competed one time. As for Mizzou, they are g-o-o-d. Alisa, as mentioned already, is the epitome of consistency, and her average (9.863) almost mirrors her high score. And Helen — and Siena, for that matter — are jaw-droppingly good, both AVERAGING 9.938. Hu is on another playing field though, in my mind. She is honestly must-see tv. Her transitions from skill to skill are * chef’s kiss * Also, good for Grace Ann here, who only competed on beam once last season, and is one of the ‘Big 3’ now.

Bars: Haleigh Bryant (9.95) vs. Helen Hu (9.925) | Aleah Finnegan (9.925) vs. Jocelyn Moore (9.9) | Alexis Jeffrey (9.9) vs. Alisa Sheremeta (9.875) | Kiya Johnson (9.9) vs. Siena Schreiber (9.85) | Elena Arenas (9.875) vs. Addison Lawrence (9.8) | Wild Card: Olivia Dunne (9.8-9.9 in 2022) OR Alyona Shchennikora (9.875) vs. Hollyn Patrick (9.775)

Analysis: Will the Bayou Bengals get back the services of Olivia Dunne this meet? An IG story showed her transitioning between the bars (no dismount shown) with a caption saying, “no shin, no problem”, so it’s possible she’ll return. Kiya has only competed in this event twice, but her high-avg score discrepancy is lower than both Elena & Alyona, so I’m slotting her ahead of them. Regardless, the purple & gold Tigers’ bar squad is stacked and consistent, so this will be a tough one. As for Mizzou, is Amari Celestine back? The broadcast on Friday said she was out with illness, not an injury, so it’s possible? If so, her highest score from 2022 was a 9.9, and the black & gold could sure use that.

Vault: Haleigh Bryant (9.925) vs. Jocelyn Moore (9.9) | KJ Johnson (9.875) vs. Siena Schreiber (9.825) | Kiya Johnson (9.875) vs. Grace Ann Davis (9.825) | Aleah Finnegan (9.85) vs. McKenzie Patricelli (9.825) | Elena Arenas (9.85) vs. Hannah McCrary (9.725) | Wild Card: Alyona Shchennikora (9.875) vs. Sydney Shaffer (9.7)

Analysis: Vault is hard in college, you guys. And unlike the Olympics, you don’t get two chances. You go at warp speed and you hope like hell you don’t pike or split your legs while also sticking the landing and avoiding any extra steps. As you look at LSU, you’ll notice I put Alyona as the WC despite her having a higher score than both Elena & Aleah. That’s because their average scores are very similar to their high scores, whereas Alyona’s average is 9.608 across three meets. From stats alone, she seems prone to having some issues. Or so we hope? As for Mizzou, the vault is, at present time anyway, their weakness. This is the single most important event where the return of Amari Celestine would be AMAZING. Her highest score in 2022 was 9.95.

How Missouri Can Win

[redacted]

I’m re-posting this as a preview this afternoon which will contain this information (and more). Additionally, I will be running a live thread with results/tweets/video/etc when the meet starts at 6pm on SECN.

I’m so excited.

ON TO THE LINKS!!! M-I-Z! Time to take down the other Tigers and then wipe out the Tide.

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Yesterday at Rock M

• Matthew J Harris, filling in for Sam one last time, has got the study hall, and it’s tremendous: Mizzou 79, Arkansas 76.
• Parker goes Transfer Portal Window Shopping: Who Eli Drinkwitz should target.

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More Links:

Hoops

• PowerMizzou: Stats that stood out against Arkansas (Drew King) | Mizzou basketball is finding midseason depth (Jarod Hamilton, fb turned bb writer)
• Columbia Missourian: Kobe Brown, help from the bench and gritty play: Takeaways from MU’s win over Arkansas (Jaden Lewis)
• Columbia Tribune: Mizzou basketball staged a comeback to beat Arkansas in a thriller. Here’s what to know (Matt Stahl)
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read Matter’s (subscriber) chat | Watch the new Ten Hochman: With ‘North-South’ style, Mizzou’s East sparked Tigers to huge win | ‘Don’t panic. Don’t blink’: How Mizzou basketball’s veteran core sparked comeback win over Arkansas (Matter)
• From Wednesday’s big winner:

• Cool story on the use of data by Head Coach Dennis Gates in the new Mizzou Magazine
• Scroll to the 1 Hour mark(ish) to hear from Kobe:

• Looks like Mizzou will have a big-time visitor in town this weekend! Per On3, Jarin Stevenson, a 2024 five-star will be there for the Bama game.
• LOL, Chantice.

• KOBE NEWS: OOOOH, what could it be? NIL deal? Website? Merch? Return next season? But also, he was named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List, which released a list of 50 possible national player of the year candidates.

• LOL, former women’s hooper, Sierra Michaelis.

Football

• PowerMizzou: Sean Williams & Jarod Hamilton’s Newcomer Profiles continue— Shamar McNeil | Serigne Tounkara
• Columbia Missourian: Former Miami QB Garcia reportedly transfers to MU (Wendell Shepherd, Jr)
• Columbia Tribune: Report: Mizzou football lands transfer quarterback from Miami (Matt Stahl) | The latest on Mizzou football’s activity in the transfer portal as the entry window closes (Stahl)
• LET’S GO, NICKY BOLTS!

Other Mizzou Sports

• OOOOH! A gymnastics article, about Amari Celestine! From Poofs to Ponytails: Meet Day Hair Is About More Than Just Functionality (College Gym News)
• Hey, we know him! (Also, this story about Mizzou’s venue is kinda wild). As uncertainty at Green Tennis Center continues, MU wins at temporary home in Springfield (Kortay Vincent, Missourian)
• Tennis returned to action on Thursday, and will continue on Friday with a pair of dual meets at the Cooper Tennis Center in Springfield, Missouri. Per MUTigers.com:

The Tigers, 7-1 in dual-meet action this season, face Southeast Missouri State on Thursday at 9 a.m. CT before taking on Central Arkansas on Friday. Mizzou’s matchup with the Bears will take place one hour after the conclusion of the dual between SEMO and UCA, set for 8 a.m. Friday.

• Happy Birthday, CHAUMONT!

NBA/G-League Corner

• Jordan Clarkson & Utah Jazz (24-24):

1/18 vs LAC (W 126-103): 31 min | 16pts on 5-11 FG (2-5 3PT) | 2 REB | 4 AST | 1 TO | 1 PF | +13

1/16 vs MINN (W 126-125): 33 min | 21pts on 6-16 FG (4-10 3PT) | 1 REB | 1 AST | 3 TO | +3

1/14 vs 76ers (L 118-117): 36 min | 36!!! pts on 16-29 FG (3-12 3PT) | 9 REB | 5 AST | 1 TO | 4 PF | -2

1/13 vs ORL (112-108): 35 min | 23pts on 8-21 FG (1-8 3PT) | 12 REB (10 def) | 1 AST | 1 STL | 7 TO | 2 PF | +9

UP NEXT: 1/20 vs. Nets @8pm | 1/23 vs. Hornets @8pm | 1/25 vs. Portland @9pm | 1/28 vs. Mavs @8pm

• Michael Porter, Jr & Denver Nuggets (32-13):

1/18 vs MINN (W 122-118): 22 min | 4pts on 1-6 FG (0-3 3PT) | 6 REB | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 1 PF | -3

1/17 vs PORT (W 122-113): 31 min | 23pts on 9-13 FG (4-6 3PT) | 4 REB | 2 PF | +21

1/15 vs ORL (W 119-116): 28 min | 16pts on 6-13 FG (4-8 3PT) | 4 REB | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 3 PF | +1

1/13 vs LAC (W 115-103): 32 min | 22pts on 9-17 FG (2-8 3PT) | 4 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 1 PF | +13

UP NEXT: 1/20 vs. Indiana @8pm | 1/22 vs OKC @7pm | 1/24 vs New Orleans @7pm | 1/25 vs Bucks @7pm

• Dru Smith & Long Island Nets (9-3):

1/18 vs Go-Gos (W 121-114): 26 min | 8pts on 4-8 FG (0-2 3PT) | 6 REB | 4 AST | 1 TO | 6 PF | -6

1/16 vs Gold (W 99-80): 31 min | 13pts on 6-12 FG (1-6 3PT) | 12 REB (11 def) | 2 AST | 1 TO | +22

1/14 vs Gold (W 96-85): 33 min | 13pts on 5-14 FG (3-7 3PT) | 2 REB | 6 AST | 3 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 2 PF | +10

UP NEXT: 1/21 vs Blue Coats @5pm | 1/25 vs Wolves @6pm on ESPN+

• Jontay Porter & Wisconsin Herd (4-4):

1/18 vs Knicks (W 127-118): 29 min | 14pts on 5-12 FG (2-7 3PT) | 10 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 3 TO | 3 PF | -2

1/16 vs Blue Coats (L 153-132): 24 min | 8pts on 3-8 FG (2-5 3PT) | 3 REB | 1 AST | 3 TO | 4 PF | -15

1/14 vs Mad Ants (L 129-123): 38 min | 13pts on 5-16 FG (1-6 3PT) | 20 REB (15 def!) | 6 AST | 3 STL | 2 BLK | 4 TO | 5 PF | +15

1/13 vs Charge (L 115-96): 33 min | 11pts on 4-14 PG (3-10 3PT) | 9 REB (6 def) | 3 AST | 4 BLK | 4 TO | 3 PF | -21

UP NEXT: 1/21 vs 905 @7pm | 1/23 vs Cruise @6pm | 1/25 vs Cruise @6pm on ESPN+

Former Tiger Hodgepodge Season Averages (as of 1/19)

**NOTE: Arrows indicate better (or worse) performance over last week’s shared data. I didn’t list the best recent game if there wasn’t a good/better one. (In the case of PF & TO, a ⇧ indicates they’re doing better/ ⇩ is worse)

Major Players (20min+ a game)

• Javon Pickett (SLU): In 18 games, Pickett is averaging 23.8mpg (⇩) and 10.9ppg (⇧). He’s got a 49.6% (⇧), 33.3PT% (⇩), and 82.8% FT% (⇩), to go with 5.4rpg (⇩), 1.7apg (⇧), and 0.5 steals (⇩).

Best recent game (1/14 vs GW): 24 min | 24 pts | 58.3 FG% | 3 REB | 4 AST

• Sean Durugordon (Austin Peay): In 19 games, Sean is averaging 28.5mpg (=) and 13.2ppg (⇩). He’s got a 41 FG% (⇧) and 30 3PT% (⇧) and 78.6 FT% (⇩), to go with 6.2rpg (⇧), 1.1apg (=), 0.3 blocks, and 0.6 steals (⇧).

Best recent game (1/12 vs C. ARKi): 30 min | 19 PTS | 63.6 FG% | 10 REB | 1 BLK | 2 STL

• Boogie Coleman (Ball State): In 18 games, Boogie is averaging 33.7mpg (⇩) and 14.6ppg (⇧). He’s got a 38.5 FG% (⇩), 35.1 3PT% (⇩), and 80.4 FT% (⇩). He’s averaging 4.9rpg (⇧), 0.5 blocks (⇩), 3.6apg (⇧).

Best recent game (1/17 vs WMU): 38 min | 22 pts | 50% FG | 8 REB | 7 AST |

• DaJuan Gordon (NM State): In 17 games, DaJuan is averaging 27.2mpg (⇩) and 9.1ppg (⇩), to go with 5.5rpg (=), 1.4 steals (⇩) and 1.0 apg (⇧). He’s shooting 36.2 FG% (⇧) and 27.7 3PT% (⇩).

Best recent game (1/12 vs SEA): 25 min | 11 pts | 75 FG% | 7 REB | 1 STL | 2 AST

• Xavier Pinson (NM State): In 18 games, X is averaging 31.1mpg (⇧) and 12.7ppg (⇩), to go with 4.6 APG (⇩), 3.1rpg (⇧), 0.2 blocks (=), 1.3 steals (⇧), and 2.7 TO (=). He’s shooting 38.5 FG% (⇩) and 34 PT% (⇩) while also shooting 85.5% FT (⇩).

Best recent game (1/14 vs UTA): 37 min | 12 pts | 1 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL

• Amari Davis (Wright State): In 19 games, Amari is averaging 25.2mpg (⇩) and 11.5ppg (⇩), to go with 3.7rpg (⇩), 1.3apg (⇩), and 1.0 steals (=). He’s shooting 45.5 FG% (⇧) and 80.4 FT% (⇧).

Best recent game (1/12 vs GB): 27 min | 15 pts | 75 FG% | 1 REB | 1 STL

• Torrence Watson (Elon): In 15 games, Torrence is averaging 24.2mpg (⇧) and 9.3ppg (⇩), to go with 4.7rpg (⇩), and 1.3apg (⇩). He’s shooting 31.5 FG% (⇩) and 26% 3PT (⇧).

Best recent game (1/14 vs UNCW): 25 min | 10 pts | 2 REB | 1 AST | 1 BLK

• Parker Braun (Santa Clara): In 20 games, PB has averaged 31.8mpg (⇧) and 8.7ppg (⇧) to go with 6.8rpg (⇧) 1 blocks (⇩), 0.4 steals (⇩) and 2.1apg (=). He’s got a 56.4FG% (⇩) and 28.6 3PT% (⇩).

Best recent game (1/14 vs PAC): 33 min | 10 pts | 55.6 FG% | 12 REB | 2 AST

• LaDazhia Williams (LSU): In 16 games, LDW is averaging 23.3mpg (⇩) and 8.3ppg (⇩), to go with 5.3rpg (⇩), 0.7 apg (⇩), 1.2 steals (⇩) and 0.8 blocks (⇩). She’s also got a 57.7 FG% (⇩) but only a 44.8 FT% (⇧).
• Izzy Higginbottom (Ark St): In 14 games, Izzy is averaging 31.6mpg (⇩) and 14 ppg (⇩), to go with 3.8apg (⇩), 2.7rpg (⇩), 1.9 steals (⇩) and 0.1 blocks (⇩). She’s shooting 37.5FG% (⇩) and 24.6 3PT% (⇩) to go with 83.7 FT% (=).

Role Players (15 min or less a game):

• Aijha Blackwell (Baylor): Coming off injury, AB hadn’t played in a month so she’s a role player ATM. In 7 games, AB is averaging 13.4mpg and 8.6ppg, to go with 5rpg, 0.7 steals and 0.1 blocks. She’s shooting 48.9 FG% and 25 3PT%.

Most recent games (1/18 vs KSU): 11 min | 3 pts | 3 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL ; (1/15 vs WVU): 11 min | 2 pts | 3 REB | 1 AST

• Anton Brookshire (Iona): In 17 games, Anton is averaging 8.7mpg (=) and 3.1ppg (⇧), to go with 1.1rpg (=), and 0.4apg (=). He’s shooting 32.1 FG% (⇧) to go with a 26.8% 3PT (⇧).

Best recent game (1/13 vs Fairview): 15 min | 12 pts | 80% FG | 2 REB | 1 BLK

• Jordan Wilmore (NW State): In 16 games, Big Jordan is averaging 11.3mpg (⇧) and 0.9ppg (⇧), to go with 2.3rpg (⇧), 0.6 blocks (⇩) and 0.4 steals (=). He’s got a 33.3 FG% (⇧).
• Ed Chang (Idaho State): Ed’s played the last two games and gotten on the scoresheet, so he’s been upgraded to RP. In 9 games, Ed is averaging 7.4 mpg and 2.2 ppg to go with 0.1 blocks and 0.2 steals. He’s shooting 40 FG% and 26.7 3PT%.

Most recent games (1/14 vs. Montana): 10 min | 5 pts | 50% FG | 50% 3PT | 1 REB | 1 STL ; (1/12 vs MT State): 23 min | 13 pts | 57.1 FG% | 60 3PT% | 1 REB

Non-factors (rarely playing):

• Kiya Dorroh (Col State): Averaging less than 5mpg and 2.1ppg as of 1/5
• Yaya Keita (Oklahoma): Hasn’t played since 12/6 and only appeared in 2 games
• Trevon Brazile (Arkansas): Last seen getting owned on twitter by @MizzouHoops

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