STARKVILLE
Vic Schaefer doesn’t have any doubt the Mississippi State women’s basketball team will respond.
Faced with the prospect of a possible season-ending injury to Chloe Bibby, No. 7 MSU answered the call Thursday in an 89-74 victory against then-No. 15 South Carolina before a crowd of 10,006 at Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs had the better part of a week to adjust to the news that Bibby, who was leading the team in minutes, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee and will miss the rest of the season. The first step will come at 6 p.m. Thursday when No. 7 MSU takes on Florida in a Southeastern Conference game in Gainesville, Florida.
Many of the questions Schaefer and Teaira McCowan, Jordan Danberry, and Jazzmun Holmes faced Tuesday focused on Bibby. The media members wanted to know who was going to step up to replace Bibby and how the Bulldogs were going to be able to sustain the momentum from a 17-1 start (5-0 in the SEC).
The doubt was palpable in the questions, but champions thrive in tough situations. Schaefer set the tone at the beginning and at the end of the press conference by saying MSU is ready to move on.
“I am not concerned at all about my team right now or who is going to step into that role,” Schaefer said. “I have a lot of confidence in my team. I have got a lot of really good players. I have got kids that are ready to step into this role, whatever that expanded role is going to be. I know my seniors are going to continue to play and do what they do.
“I could be dead wrong, but I just feel really good about where our preparation has been.”
You shouldn’t have expected Schaefer to say anything else. A sense of panic would have been the wrong message to send, even if it was tinged with an element of concern because MSU will have to go on without arguably its most improved player.
MSU will miss Bibby. She spread the floor with her 3-point shooting. She seemed comfortable in her role as shooter and was aggressive in attacking from the perimeter or off the dribble.
The challenge now is for Schaefer to coach with the same confidence he used in his last press conference. There have been times earlier in the season when MSU’s rotation has shrunk and it has relied on seniors McCowan, Danberry, Holmes, and Anriel Howard. It’s hard to go against experience, but juggling success in non-conference games and developing younger players is a fine line. Schaefer has referenced that by saying he has been careful not to put players in situations that could affect their confidence.
Without Bibby, Schaefer likely won’t have any choice but to try at least a few players in bigger or new roles. The timing for an injury never is right, but Schaefer and the players said the bench players are coming on. Schaefer said freshman Xaria Wiggins has been practicing better. He also referred to sophomore Nyah Tate, who has appeared in only six games. The opportunities likely will be there for those two as well as Jessika Carter, Myah Taylor, Bre’Amber Scott, and Andra Espinoza-Hunter. The Bulldogs will need shooters to space the floor. They will need players who can create shots in an attempt to take pressure off the 6-foot-7 McCowan, who has attracted even more attention midway through a dominating senior season.
The Bulldogs also need help defensively. Opponents have feasted on MSU in transition, pushing tempo and shooting percentages usually unheard of against Schaefer-led teams. Help-side defense also has largely been absent or too late. The encouraging sign against South Carolina was Espinoza-Hunter and Scott took charges. Schaefer said plays like that are going to impress him more than seeing a player come off the bench and jack up a 3-pointer.
It remains to be seen if MSU’s reserves will be able to fill the void left by Bibby. It’s a safer bet that the seniors will embrace the need to do more if they need to. The fine line there is accepting that responsibility and trying to do things outside your comfort zone, or that disrupt the balance with the other four players on the court.
Through 17 games, MSU showed it was “different” but that it could be just as good as the last two seasons, when it advanced to the national title game. Without Bibby, the Bulldogs will look a little more different, but Schaefer hopes the seeds are there for a new MSU to emerge and to reach the same heights.
“I think our kids are prepared,” Schaefer said. “We have seen some really good ballgames from Bre and Andi. Xaria has had her moments. Jessika, obviously, has stepped up and played well if we want to go big. … We have got a lot to choose from. We’re heartbroken for Chloe. At the same time, this is athletics. This provides opportunity for others, so now their time becomes bigger. It’s time to step up.”
Adam Minichino is sports editor of The Dispatch. You can email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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