“It feels really good to see how far we have come. Making it to the Elite Eight of the WNIT tells us that we have come a long way. It feels really good to know that we are making a difference and becoming a really good team.”
— Mississippi State’s Kendra Grant following a last-second 60-58 loss to South Florida that ended the 2013-14 season
STARKVILLE — It’s time to put the expectations to the test.
The Mississippi State women’s basketball team has been looking forward to a new campaign ever since it suffered a season-ending loss to South Florida in the quarterfinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament on March 30. While the postseason run — the program’s first since a trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament in 2010 — reflected the growth of the players in the second year under coach Vic Schaefer and his staff, the Bulldogs had even more to be excited about considering a talented recruiting class led by Victoria Vivians, the state’s all-time leading high school scorer, was on its way.
In August, MSU showcased all its parts by going 4-0 on a high-scoring exhibition trip to Belgium and France. Since then, the anticipation has been rising to see how the new teams fares when the games count. MSU will get that opportunity at 8 tonight (SEC Network +) when it plays host to Mercer in the opening round of the Preseason WNIT at Humphrey Coliseum. The game is one of three guaranteed games MSU will play in the event. The winner of tonight’s game will play the winner of the Jackson State-Arkansas State game on Sunday.
“It’s going to be a good test for our young kids,” Schaefer said.
Last season, MSU’s WNIT run included victories against Tulane, Southern Mississippi, and Auburn. Growing crowds at Humphrey Coliseum greeted the Bulldogs at each game and nearly helped spur them past the Bulls, only to have Courtney Williams hit a game-winning 3-pointer as time expired to end their season.
“I don’t want these kids and this staff to feel like this again,” Schaefer said after the game. “They work too hard and they have given their all. This team is on its way. The people who walked out of the arena tonight now have a connection with this team. They know this team is fun to watch.”
A recruiting class ranked No. 20 in the nation has added to the expectations for a program that hopes to rise above being picked eighth in the Southeastern Conference preseason polls by the media and the leagues’ coaches. Schaefer feels his team also is capable of returning to The Associated Press Top 25 rankings because it has experience and depth at every position. That depth will be put the test early in the season, as first-team All-SEC performer Martha Alwal, a senior center, and classmates Kendra Grant and Savannah Carter likely will be out as they recover from injuries. Schaefer has said in the past week that he expects the players back “sooner rather than later.”
On Sunday, MSU showed it is quite capable of moving on without them as it defeated Division II Arkansas-Fort Smith 114-58 in an exhibition game at Humphrey Coliseum. Vivians scored a team-high 20 points to lead four players in double figures. Two of those players — Blair Schaefer (15 points) and Morgan William (11) — are freshmen, while junior Sherise Williams went 8 of 9 from the field en route to a 19-point performance.
Despite the offensive fireworks, which included 23 assists, Schaefer said there are plenty of defensive things the Bulldogs need to address. He also said the team’s transition defense needs to improve, especially if MSU is going to use a smaller lineup to press as much as it did Sunday. The Bulldogs forced 33 turnovers and had a 39-7 edge in points off turnovers.
William said she heard her name being called five times when she watched film of the game. The 5-foot-5 point guard from Birmingham smiled and said there are plenty of areas for the team to get better defensively.
“We gave up a lot of easy buckets to them and coach was upset,” William said.
Sophomore Dominique Dillingham admitted there were plenty of nerves prior to the Arkansas-Fort Smith game. Part of that might be because of the expectations the team faces this season, but Schaefer and Dillingham said the team is going to attack those expectations head on.
“I think it will be a lot easier (against Mercer) because everybody’s nerves will be a little better,” Dillingham said. “I know that they’re going to play us in a zone more, probably, so that will be challenging to have ball movement and not to stay in one spot. I know our transition defense will be better.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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