STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State women’s basketball team will face its biggest test of the season tonight.
No. 2 South Carolina (26-1, 14-0 Southeastern Conference) will present only one of the obstacles No. 11 MSU will have to overcome at 6 tonight (Fox Sports Net) when the teams meet at Colonial Life Arena.
In addition to facing a league leader that has eight players on its roster who are listed at 6-foot or taller, MSU (25-4, 10-4) likely will encounter its biggest crowd of the season. South Carolina is the nation’s leader in average attendance (12,347). Last season, it ranked first in largest attendance increase (a rise of 2,419 to 6,317), and likely is on pace to finish first again this year.
Tonight, South Carolina’s crowd figures to be at a fever pitch to honor seniors Olivia Gaines, Elem Ibiam, and Aleighsa Welch. While Gaines is a junior college transfer and is in her second season with the program, Ibiam and Welch have helped South Carolina win at least 25 games in each of the past four seasons. Prior to that, South Carolina had only one four-year stretch with consecutive seasons of 20 wins.
“I think they are very, very talented and, obviously, well coached,” MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. “(Coach) Dawn (Staley) has done a tremendous job there. You’re talking about going in and changing a culture and turning around a program. Dawn and her staff are to be commended for what they have done there. Now they are drawing incredible crowds, and they have their community really excited about women’s basketball.”
South Carolina is coming off a 71-66 victory against No. 6 Tennessee on Monday. The victory moved the Gamecocks within one victory of clinching at least a share for their second-straight SEC regular-season title. A win also would help South Carolina set a school-record for SEC victories in a season (15) and would tie the mark for longest home winning streak (32).
The only blemish on South Carolina’s resume is an 87-62 to then-No. 2 Connecticut on Feb. 9 in Storrs, Connecticut. That loss cost South Carolina its No. 1 ranking, but it continues to set the pace in terms of attendance. The Gamecocks had a record crowd of 17,156 for their win against the Kentucky Wildcats on Jan. 11. South Carolina had a crowd of 14,390 for its win against Tennessee. That marked the seventh-straight time South Carolina has had a crowd of more than 11,927.
It has taken Staley seven years to elevate South Carolina to the top of women’s basketball. The former All-American at Virginia and gold medal-winning member of the United States Olympic women’s basketball team coached at Temple. Staley arrived at South Carolina in 2008-09 and had two sub-.500 seasons before leading the team to an 18-15 record and a trip to the WNIT in 2010-11. South Carolina has won at least 25 games in each of the past four seasons.
“I think there are a lot of similarities (between the rise of South Carolina and MSU’s recent success),” said Schaefer, who is in his third season as head coach in Starkville. “The fan base thing is just off the chart, and I would say it is off the chart here.”
One of the similarities revolves around the competitive nature of the coaches. In 2013, Staley was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. She earned her reputation for being a tenacious point guard for coach Debbie Ryan at Virginia. Schaefer, whose nickname is the “Secretary of Defense,” had success as an assistant and as an associate head coach at Arkansas and as an associate head coach at Texas A&M with legendary coach Gary Blair before coming to MSU.
“I would say we are really competitive,” Schaefer said. “I think you can see that in watching her coach. She is a very competitive coach. She also is a coach that holds kids accountable. I think the same could be said about me, so I think we’re probably really similar in those two areas from a coaching, competitive, wanting to win, passionate about our job, love what we do, love our players.”
Schaefer hopes his program is on a similar progression to South Carolina’s. Last season, MSU finished 22-14 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. MSU’s success helped it finish seventh in the nation in average attendance increase (a rise of 1,004 to 2,321). Buoyed by a 15-0 record in non-conference play, MSU has climbed back into the national rankings, has all but locked up its first big to the NCAA tournament since the 2009-10 season, and has shattered its attendance marks. With a home game remaining Sunday against Ole Miss, MSU is sixth in the SEC in attendance (3,545).
MSU needs one win in its final two games to wrap up a double bye in the SEC tournament next week in North Little Rock, Arkansas. MSU is tied with Texas A&M for third place in the league. The Bulldogs hold the tiebreaker against the Aggies. LSU (9-5) could forge a three-way tie with MSU if it beats Ole Miss tonight and defeats Texas A&M on Sunday in its regular-season finale. If MSU wins one of its final two regular-season games, it still would finish fourth if LSU beats Texas A&M. A top-four finish would mean MSU wouldn’t have to play until Friday in the tournament quarterfinals. The event begins Wednesday.
Each victory will be a program record. MSU eclipsed the previous mark of 24 Sunday with a 57-55 victory against Alabama on Sunday. It also helped the Bulldogs match the program record for wins in the SEC.
Victoria Vivians had a team-high 14 points in the win. On Monday, the league recognized her performance by naming her the SEC Freshman of the Week. The honor is the fourth Vivians has won. Vivians leads SEC freshmen in scoring (14.9 points per game). She is tied with South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson for the freshman points lead in SEC play (13.5 ppg.).
South Carolina also has reigning SEC Player of the Year Tiffany Mitchell, a junior guard. Along with Welch, Ibiam, and sophomore center Alaina Coates, the Gamecocks have plenty of depth, athleticism, and size on the front line to challenge the Bulldogs. That’s why Schaefer hopes his team, which left Starkville on Tuesday to get out of town ahead of the snow storm that hit the area, is ready tonight for its biggest challenge.
“If you’re not competitive and willing to be in a fight, it’s going to be a hard night for you,” Schaefer said.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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