‘What an incredible storyline’: How shorthanded Mizzou upset No. 1 South Carolina
.JPG "Missouri guard Mama Dembele looks to pass after gaining control of a loose ball as South Carolina guard Zia Cooke, left, defends during Thursday night’s game in Columbia, Mo.")
The anatomy of an upset is a fascinating wonder.
There are moments in a game one can turn to, numbers to be crunched and plenty of analysis to be had, of course.
But when something occurs as stunning as what happened on Thursday night at Mizzou Arena — when a shorthanded Missouri women’s basketball team knocked off unanimous No. 1 South Carolina for the biggest win in program history — there’s much more lying beneath the surface.
“We’ve been through the fire,” Mizzou forward Hayley Frank said.
Around 24 hours before the game, head coach Robin Pingeton got some unfortunate news. The results were back from the COVID tests the team had taken earlier in the week: several players and staff, including star guard Aijha Blackwell, wouldn’t be able to compete.
Only eight MU players were available.
New SEC policies announced last week established roster minimums for games at seven players and one countable coach to avoid a forfeit. The Tigers, who entered the contest with an 11-2 record — in large part behind the play of Blackwell — were just one above the threshold.
“It was hard because…you’re up against the best team in the country and you want to have a fully loaded roster to give yourself a chance,” Pingeton told The Star. “But at the same time, these are the rules. They want us to play — I just, I didn’t want to be in a position where I’m doing the contact tracing and everything else [to appeal]. I wanted to play by the rules and do the right thing.”
With so little time until tipoff, it was too late to change the game plan. Knowing they would be shorthanded, coaches shortened practice time, but, “at that point, you can’t all the sudden grow a few more inches or get a little quicker,” Pingeton said.
The one thing Pingeton could change was her team’s mindset. She was determined to get the Tigers to embrace the unforeseen circumstances, for them to turn a tough blow into a positive.
“We talked about (before the game) that great moments were created by great opportunities,” Pingeton said. “What a storyline this could be with only eight players that could suit up. What an incredible storyline, so what are we gonna do with it?”
Does that first line sound at all familiar?
It’s not verbatim, but it’s darned close. Pingeton adopted a famous sports speech from Miracle, the Disney movie that portrays the United States’ men’s hockey team’s improbable upset over the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics.
“Great moments are born from great opportunity,” coach Herb Brooks tells the American players before the game. “And that’s what you have here tonight, boys. That’s what you earned here tonight.”
The Soviet Union had won gold in each of the last four Olympic games, dating back to 1964, and was led by some of the best hockey players in the world. The U.S. team was composed mostly of amateur college players, the youngest squad in national team history.
Winning gold for your country is much different than winning a regular-season college basketball game, but it’s not too much of a stretch to see the connection.
In one instance: An unproven squad going up against the No. 1 hockey team and Olympic favorites. Another: An unranked, shorthanded squad missing its best player going up against the undisputed No. 1 women’s basketball team and national title favorite.
Taking down South Carolina and Dawn Staley is a tremendous challenge in itself. Paige Bueckers and then-No. 2 UConn couldn’t do it, suffering a 16-point loss on a neutral court. Nor could defending national champion Stanford — the current No. 2-ranked team.
The same goes for No. 5 NC State and No. 15 Duke on home court. Oregon, ranked No. 9 at the time, was blown out by the Gamecocks, and shorthanded Maryland — now up to No. 6 — couldn’t escape with a win either.
Pingeton knew no one was giving shorthanded Missouri a chance. Realistically, how could they? She leaned into that heavily.
“I don’t know how to read the odds in Vegas, I don’t know how that all works,” Pingeton told her team in the locker room. “But I guarantee you it’s 100 to zero and no one’s got us winning this game.”
Most people around the country didn’t even have Missouri projected to be competitive this season. The Tigers were picked to finish 11th in the SEC after winning just nine total games (five in conference play) in each of the last two seasons.
There were a lot of sleepless nights spent in frustration, for players and coaches alike, over the last two years, Pingeton admits. As disappointing as they were, though, Pingeton doesn’t regret those seasons. Without them, Thursday’s victory probably wouldn’t be a reality.
“The key is are you willing to look yourself in the mirror and be accountable to what you see?” Pingeton said. “What do you like and what do you not like? … Take ownership of that. And that’s a hard thing to do, it’s a really hard thing to do.”
Pingeton has seen a collective shift over the last six months as everyone within the Missouri program has done just that. In particular, the leadership in the locker room is much sharper, and that was key on Thursday night.
“I wouldn’t want to go to battle with anybody else, including the people that aren’t here tonight,” guard Lauren Hansen said. “This doesn’t happen overnight, it happens over time.”
Hansen recorded 21 points — tied with Frank for the team-high— including the game-winning layup with .01 seconds left in overtime.
But before that moment of elation came fatigue.
Eight players were available for Missouri, but only seven saw the court. Most of the minutes were split between five Tigers — LaDazhia Williams, Mama Dembele, Haley Troup, Frank and Hansen— who each logged at least 38. Demebele, Frank and Hansen only got three minutes of rest through four quarters and the overtime period.
The lineup got even thinner down the stretch when Troup had to be carried to the locker room with 14 seconds left in extra time. She suffered an apparent leg injury, after playing just shy of 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Gamecocks split responsibilities among 10 players, only two of whom had to reach the 38-minute mark.
Sensing her team was gassed, Pingeton spent the final timeouts of the night emphasizing how important it was for everyone to “dig deep and push through.”
“We just tried to keep reminding them because I know they were gassed, they played a lot of minutes, but really try to continue to remind them that their ability to dig deep and push through was so important,” Pingeton recalled. “They would have far more regrets if they didn’t let it all hang out, because it’s right there at our fingertips.”
After going nearly two minutes without a score, the Tigers trailed 69-64 in overtime.
“We realized it’s do or die at this point,” said Hansen. “We just banded together.”
Soon enough that fatigue was forgotten, at least temporarily, as the celebration of the historic victory commenced.
With the Mizzou Arena crowd cheering loudly and the band playing the school fight song, players jumped and hugged and shrieked in elation at center court. The team’s alumni in attendance, including all-time great Sophie Cunningham, joined in on the fun too. Next thing you knew, Pingeton was being lifted above the huddle, and then up and down a few more times for good measure.
The Tigers had done the unthinkable. At least, what had appeared to be.
“What I’m most proud of of this team is we came in and we had belief in the eight that we had available,” Frank said. “We didn’t stop believing for 45 minutes. That’s why we got the result we did.”
This story was originally published December 31, 2021 at 4:02 PM.
