(St. Joseph Missouri Sports Commission) – A landmark event is set for Saturday, December 9 as the commission will host the inaugural Bill Snyder Basketball Classic which will feature the Kansas State Wildcats against the Missouri Tigers in a marquee, non-conference women’s basketball game on N.S. Hillyard Court at Civic Arena. Tip time for the game is currently set for 5 PM.
Kansas State, from the Big 12 Conference finished the 2022-23 campaign 19-17 which included a victory over national runner-up Iowa and concluded with advancing to the Sweet 16 round of the WNIT. They are led by Head Coach Jeff Mittie who has several ties to St. Joseph including being a Missouri Western alum and Hall of Fame coach for the Griffons in leading them to two NCAA Elite Eight appearances in the 1993-95 seasons. Mittie, who will enter his 10th season at K-State and 33rd season overall as a Head Coach, eclipsed the prestigious 600 win plateau this past season and is the 16th active Division I coach to achieve the milestone. The Wildcats roster features a name familiar to those in Northwest Missouri as to be junior guard Serena Sundell helps lead the Cats averaging 12 points per game which garnered her Honorable Mention All-Big 12 status. The Wildcats also anticipate the return of center Ayoka Lee who missed the past season with injury. Lee was named first-team, All-American by two different outlets in 2021-22 averaging 22 points a game including an NCAA record 61 points scored in a single game during that season.
Mizzou from the SEC finished 2022-23 18-14 overall and advanced to the round of 32 of the WNIT. Head Coach Robin Pingeton will begin her 14th season in Columbia and 27th overall as a Head Coach. Her 560 career wins make her just 1 of 16 active Power Five head coaches to achieve 500+ wins and ranks 3rd among SEC coaches. On the court, the Tigers were led by All-SEC selections senior forward Hayley Frank who was named to the second team averaging 15 points per game and freshman guard Ashton Judd who was a member of the leagues All-Freshman Team.
This will be the 84th all-time meeting between the two schools including the 8th time on a neutral floor with Kansas State holding a 45-38 advantage in the series. Mizzou holds a three game winning streak in the match-up the most recent of which, a 73-59 victory in Columbia during the 2018-19 season.
Ticket information will be released in early summer in which all sales will be facilitated through the Civic Arena Box Office. Sponsorship opportunities for the event are available by contacting the sports commission.
For more information, visit stjomosports.com.
