Kellie Harper’s first season as coach of the Missouri women’s basketball team will see her leading the Tigers into an early season tilt against an old rival.
MU Athletics announced Tuesday, June 24 that the Tigers will take on the Kansas Jayhawks on Nov. 15 at T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City, Mo. It’ll mark the 82nd matchup in the archrivalry between the women’s basketball teams, with the Jayhawks leading the series 43-39. Mizzou won the last regular season matchup between the two in February 2012 at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, 70-65, ahead of Mizzou’s move to the SEC. The two faced off in the second round of 2023 Women’s NIT, which saw KU defeat Mizzou 75-47 en route to the tournament title.
Earlier this month, the Tigers announced they would host the California Golden Bears in the second year of the SEC/ACC challenge on Dec. 4. Mizzou will also play a game at Walt Disney World in Orlando on Nov. 24, squaring off against Washington State in the WBCA Showcase. The Tigers’ conference schedule this winter will see them hosting Arkansas as well as Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Texas. They’ll also travel to Arkansas as well as Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
The schedule updates come amid a flurry of transfers for the Tigers as Harper establishes her presence at Mizzou Arena. Seven transfers will make their way to Mizzou, crafting a new lineup that retain Grain Valley’s Grace Slaughter as one of their main starters.
Two recent graduates of the University of Missouri are set to sign undrafted free agent deals after the conclusion of Thursday night’s NBA Draft.
Neither Tamar Bates or Caleb Grill heard their names called during the two-night draft in Brooklyn, but will receive an opportunity to continue their playing careers. Posts made on the Mizzou men’s basketball social media channels indicate that Bates, a guard originally from Kansas City, Ks., will sign with the Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets did not have any picks in this year’s draft because of trades made in previous years, leaving team president and Mizzou alum Josh Kroenke to scout the pool of undrafted talent. In his two seasons at Mizzou, Bates started in 60 of the 67 games he played in and averaged 13.3 points per game, including 88 baskets from behind the arc at a 3.3 percentage. He recorded 70 steals at Mizzou.
Meanwhile, Grill is on his way to Chicago to join the Bulls. The Wichita native and graduate transfer made his presence known this past season as the SEC Sixth Man of the Year, coming off the bench in 27 of the 29 games he appeared in. Grill averaged 13.7 points per game, including 78 baskets from three-point range and 104 rebounds.