Starting Five - Storylines for the #BeachBubble
1) Missouri State begins its 52nd season of varsity competition in Fort Myers, Fla., over Thanksgiving weekend with games against Florida Gulf Coast, No. 12/11 Maryland and Wake Forest at the Gulf Coast Showcase. Ranked 24th by the Associated Press and 25th in the Coaches Poll, the Lady Bears carry a preseason ranking into the opener for the first time since 2000.
2) The Lady Bears set a school record for regular season victories last season by finishing 26-4 overall, and are now 50-7 overall since Dec. 20, 2018, ranking fourth nationally in total wins since that date behind Baylor, UConn and Oregon.
3) MSU returns four starters and 10 players from last season, with 75% of scoring, 87% of rebounds, 89% of assists, 83% of blocked shots, 86% of steals and 81% of minutes played returning to the roster. Missouri State has nine players on its roster who have played in a Sweet 16 game, two more than any other team in the country.
4) Missouri State shot 40 percent or better 24 times in 30 games last year and scored at least 66 points in all but one. The Lady Bears finished the year ranked 17th nationally in scoring offense (77.7), 15th in 3-point percentage (.368), 32nd in field goal percentage (.442), 22nd in foul shooting (.765), fourth in free throws made (501), 11th in rebound margin (+9.3) and first in defensive rebound percentage (.773).
5) MSU's first two opponents, FGCU and Maryland, are two of the 12 teams nationally that posted a better winning percentage than the Lady Bears last season. Saturday's game will be Missouri State's eighth against a ranked opponent in a span of 36 games, with the Lady Bears going 4-3 in the previous seven contests. MSU is 23-28 all time in season openers following last season's 77-69 win at No. 23 Minnesota.
The Opponents
Florida Gulf Coast is the preseason favorite to win its fourth consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference title. The Eagles went 30-3 last season, but lost their top seven scorers from that team.
   Maryland is ranked 11th in USA Today Coaches Poll and 12th by the AP, and is picked to finish second in the Big Ten this year after winning the league's regular season and tournament titles last year on the way to a 28-4 overall record and top-five final ranking. The Terrapins are led by sophomore Ashley Owusu, who is on several national player of the year watch lists.
   Wake Forest is picked to finish 12th in the 15-team Atlantic Coast Conference this season after going 16-16 overall and 7-11 in league play last year. Senior forward Ivana Raca is a preseason all-ACC pick after ranking fifth in the conference in scoring last season at 17.2 points per game.
Series Histories
Missouri State has never played Florida Gulf Coast in women's basketball.
   The Lady Bears are 1-0 against Maryland, winning a second round NCAA Tournament game in College Park by an 86-82 final on March 20, 1993. Coincidentally, the Terps were ranked 11th in that game, as they are in the Coaches Poll this week.
   MSU and Wake Forest have played once, a 69-55 Demon Deacons victory in Springfield in November 1987.
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