STARKVILLE — As productive as Madina Okot has been this season in her first year as Mississippi State’s starting center, the native of Mumias, Kenya, is still learning the nuances of how basketball is officiated in the United States.
Okot has started all 32 games for the Bulldogs and is nearly averaging a double-double with 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds. But she has also committed 78 turnovers, a high number for a player who does not handle the ball much, and her 83 personal fouls are easily the most on the team.
“Early in the year, she had some travel turnovers and some frustrations,” MSU head coach Sam Purcell said. “She didn’t even know some of the calls of the game. I was learning with her as we went, forgetting how different (things were), like a three seconds in the lane. (She’d say), ‘Coach, why is this referee calling that weak foul?’ And I’m like, ‘That’s America.’”
Against weaker opponents in non-conference play, Okot was a dominant force in the post, putting up 14 points and 17 rebounds in her Bulldogs debut against Memphis. She had three straight double-doubles in December against Chicago State, Belmont and Louisiana-Monroe, then scored a career-best 26 points in a win at Maryland-Eastern Shore.
Things have been more up and down in Southeastern Conference play, though Okot still had some huge games against teams like Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas A&M. She helped will MSU to victory in a double-overtime game at Vanderbilt, finishing with 21 points and 23 rebounds in a career-high 34 minutes.
Okot will check off another milestone Saturday when the No. 9 seed Bulldogs (21-11) play No. 8 seed California in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“I don’t think it’s much pressure,” Purcell said. “Experience is awesome. Some of that growth has occurred, and that’s where I don’t think it’s so much pressure, it’s just every game she plays, she’s figuring it out at the collegiate level and we’re watching a star be developed right in front of our eyes.”
Scouting Cal
The Golden Bears (25-8) are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 in their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Cal has improved steadily under head coach Charmin Smith, and this year’s team has impressive wins over Alabama and North Carolina State.
All five Golden Bears starters are averaging at least 11 points per game, led by Ioanna Krimili, Lulu Twidale and Marta Suárez, who are all effective 3-point shooters. Ugonne Onyiah is Cal’s center and leads the team in rebounds and blocks, and Kayla Williams is statistically the Golden Bears’ best 3-point shooter despite far fewer attempts than Krimili or Twidale.
“They have a great head coach in Charmin Smith who I have a ton of respect for,” Purcell said. “They have wins over common opponents that we’ve played (in) Alabama, Georgia Tech and Auburn.”
Cal attempts the most 3-pointers in the ACC, but overplaying the perimeter against the Golden Bears can be dangerous as they are third in the conference in overall field goal percentage. The Bears’ biggest issue is the same as MSU’s — turnovers. Cal turns the ball over more than 18 times per game, most in the ACC, and also sometimes has difficulty defending the 3-point line.
Depth has also been an issue for the Golden Bears, who have received very little production from their bench. So if the Bulldogs can stay close heading into the fourth quarter, they could be able to wear Cal down late.
“Cal is unbelievable in multiple ways,” Purcell said. “They’re in California, and their stats are skewed because they have hard travel. A lot of their losses were away. At Clemson, Louisville, Notre Dame, those are hard road trips. When you look at them on paper, there’s a storyline that they get to go right down the road, back to an area they’re very familiar with.”
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