Mississippi State women’s basketball freshman Madison Francis picked up two conference postseason honors on Tuesday, marking the end of a memorable regular-season campaign for the forward. She was selected to the SEC All-Defense and All-Freshman teams after a breakout season in which she emerged as one of the premier defensive players in the country.
Francis is the only underclassman to be named to the SEC All-Defense team, and the first freshman since 2020 to make the cut.
Francis, who has also been recognized on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year midseason watchlist, averaged 13.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, 1.5 steals and 1.4 assists per game. Her blocks per game average is the best in the SEC, and her 84 total blocks are most in the nation.
She has at least one block in 28 games this season, the most of any Division I player, and has 16 games with three or more blocks. She also has four games with at least six blocks, also the most in the country.
Francis and the Bulldogs will begin their postseason at the SEC Tournament, taking on Florida in the first round in Greenville, South Carolina today at 12:30 p.m. The game will air on SEC Network.
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