Sports Blog — November 11, 2009
Wrestling opens season against Illinois
MU wrestling will start off the season on Thursday night at 6:30 at the Hearnes Center against border rival Illinois. Last season, MU finished in 7th place at the NCAA Tournament, while the Illini finished No. 8.
Both teams enter with five wrestlers ranked among the top 25 in the nation in their respective weight class. For Missouri, three of those wrestlers are returning All-Americans. Illinois also had three All-Americans last season, but lost two to graduation, and will redshirt 133 pound wrestler Jimmy Kennedy this season.
Missouri will see two new faces in its lineup at 133 pounds and 197 pounds. Redshirt freshman Nathan McCormick will be the third McCormick to wrestle for MU, and will wrestle at 133 pounds. Redshirt freshman Brent Haynes will also be making his Missouri debut, wrestling at 197 pounds. Haynes will take on three-time NCAA qualifier and ranked No. 12, Patrick Bond.
This is the first time in 10 years that Illinois is not ranked in the preseason poll. Redshirting Kennedy could benefit the Illini in the long run, but it will be a major loss this season, since they no longer have a true face to their program. Illinois might start off strong since Missouri struggles in the lower weight classes, but Missouri should win this dual fairly easily, especially once the depth of Missouri's upper weights starts to show.
Missouri women's basketball features four seniors
The 2009-10 installment of Missouri women’s basketball is headed by four seniors, the most in three seasons.
A strong core at the head of the class has never hurt the Tigers. In 2007, they finished with a 17-14 overall record when led by a seven-member senior class. After that group graduated, they dropped below .500 for the next two years and are now picked to finish last in the Big 12 in the preseason poll.
But with a big exhibition win under their belt and the regular season tip-off approaching, the Tigers seem rejuvenated by a new class of seniors.
Of the senior class, all four have potential to be impact players this season.
Let’s take care of the obvious first: forward Jessra Johnson has dominated inside for the past two years, leading the team in rebounds and always getting high numbers in blocks and scoring. But it’s the other three seniors who may be sleeper stars, as all are coming off junior seasons that lagged in comparison to their sophomore showings.
Both forward Amanda Hanneman and guard Toy Richbow thrived in 2007-08 before fading last season. Hanneman sunk 41 three-pointers as a sophomore, only to see her points and minutes per game plummet as a junior. Richbow started 28 games at point guard and led the team in assists two years ago, followed by five starts and meager productivity last year.
The fourth member at the top, forward Marissa Scott, also saw her minutes and numbers dip in her junior year.
But the exhibition win over Central Missouri on Sunday could be a glimpse of a comeback for these players, as Hanneman scored a career-high 20 and Richbow played 38 minutes.
No matter how they produce on the stat sheet in the coming weeks, the senior group has the rest of the team focused and ready for game one.
“As a whole they have stepped up with the team and [kept] us focused on the goal we have at hand,” junior forward Shakara Jones said Sunday. “This is their last go-around and we want to make it special for them.”