Women’s basketball history will be made twice this week in the state of Mississippi.
From Starkville to Oxford, it’s difficult to deny the enthusiasm surrounding the state’s two biggest programs. At Mississippi State, fourth-year head coach Vic Schaefer has his program at new heights again. On Monday, the Bulldogs climbed one spot to No. 7 in The Associated Press Top 25 poll. The ranking eclipses the team’s previous best of No. 8 last week. At 14-1 and 1-0 in the Southeastern Conference, MSU will play host to Auburn at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in its SEC opener at Humphrey Coliseum.
The excitement is building at Ole Miss, too. Coach Matt Insell’s team earned a come-from-behind 55-52 victory against Vanderbilt at Tad Smith Coliseum on Sunday. The victory was especially sweet for the Rebels because it came in the final basketball game in the venue, which served as home for the women’s basketball team for 42 seasons. Ole Miss (9-5, 1-0) will play its first game in the school’s new basketball home — The Pavilion at Ole Miss — at 1 p.m. Sunday when it takes on Florida. The SEC Network will broadcast the game live.
The excitement should be lasting. In 2010, Ole Miss opened the Tuohy Basketball Center, a practice facility for its men’s and women’s basketball teams. In 2011, MSU opened the Mize Pavilion, a practice facility for its basketball programs. At a combined price tag of more than $24 million, the venues reflected a commitment by the schools to be players in the college basketball arms race.
Now the onus is on Schaefer and Insell to deliver.
Combined MSU and Ole Miss only have one senior. With talented transfers and recruits waiting in the wings to join the programs for the 2016-17 season, next season figures to be even more promising for both programs. But that doesn’t mean the Bulldogs and Rebels won’t try to make more history this season. In fact, you probably could get good odds that both teams will make the NCAA tournament in March. If that happens, it will mark the first time MSU and Ole Miss will go to the Big Dance together.
Think about that. For all of the great players who have come through the state of Mississippi — Peggie and Jennifer Gillom, Armintie Price, LaToya Thomas, Tan White — there have been few times in the history of both programs that they have been national contenders. Legendary coach Van Chancellor helped establish Ole Miss as a power in the early days of the SEC. Former Florida coach Carol Ross returned to her alma mater to guide the Price-led Rebels to the Elite Eight in 2006-07. Since then, though, hasn’t been back to the NCAA tournament and hasn’t won 20 games in a season. Insell vows to change that. The hashtag #NoCeilings serves as an ideal catch phrase for a program that thrives on aggressive defense and a free-flowing offense that loves to attack.
Understandably giddy after watching Erika Sisk score on a game-winning layup with 1.5 seconds remaining Sunday, Insell talked about the impending opening of The Pavilion at Ole Miss and how it should be another factor in the continued development of Ole Miss’ men’s and women’s basketball programs.
“Everybody has wanted a new building,” Insell said. “I have heard it for three years and (Ole Miss men’s basketball coach) Andy (Kennedy) has heard it for 10 years, ‘I don’t come to the Tad Pad because the seats are too close or the concession stands are not good,’ or this and that. Trust me, all of that has been fixed, so you have no excuse now. We need you out there.”
Schaefer has the same energy building in Starkville. When a man with the nickname “Secretary of Defense” talks about “toughness” after a win, you know it has to be special. Even though MSU struggled down the stretch, it held on to beat Florida 76-70 on Sunday in Gainesville, Florida. It was the program’s first win in Gainesville since 2007. More importantly, the victory came in a game MSU was supposed to win. It didn’t matter if the Bulldogs didn’t earn a lot of style points because they took care of business. In the past two seasons, MSU has done just that, winning the games it is supposed to win and coming close in the ones it isn’t favored in on paper.
This is the season to take the next step.
MSU will play host to No. 2 South Carolina, a team many consider a national title contender, and longtime SEC power Tennessee, which handed No. 20 Missouri its first loss on Monday night. MSU has never beaten Tennessee. A statement victory against one or both of those schools in front of what should be a sellout at Humphrey Coliseum would be the biggest moment in women’s basketball history in the state of Mississippi.
There’s no reason it can’t happen. MSU has the size, depth, and versatility to play with the best teams in the SEC. The recruiting success Schaefer and his staff have had in their short time in Starkville shows people trust in their ability to build a program. The results are there. From 22 wins two years ago to a program-record 27 last season, MSU is on pace to break that mark again this season. If not for a six-point loss at top-five Texas earlier in the season, MSU would be undefeated and right behind No. 1 UConn and No. 2 South Carolina in the polls. MSU is on track to get there. If you’re ready, it’s time to get on board. With Auburn on Thursday and Arkansas on Sunday, MSU hopes to gain momentum with two home games so it can shatter the attendance marks it set last season.
Whether it’s in Starkville or Oxford, you better get your tickets because there is no denying history will be made this season.
“It’s just getting better and better and better,” Insell said when talking about the future of his program. “You had better get on the wagon now.”
Adam Minichino is sports editor of The Dispatch. You can reach him at aminichino@cdispatch. Follow him on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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