“The Bulldogs capped a potentially program-changing season with wins in three of their final four games and earned a No. 3 seed, plus the double-bye, in the SEC tournament.”
— Charlie Creme’s comment about Mississippi State on his latest “Bracketology” on March 2 on ESPN.com.
STARKVILLE
It’s statement time.
Five months ago, expectations was the operative word associated with the Mississippi State women’s basketball. With another nationally ranked recruiting class coming in, many expected MSU to build on a 22-14 season that saw it reach the quarterfinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
A school-record 26 victories later, MSU will put its No. 3 seed to the test at 8:30 tonight (time approximate) against No. 6 seed Kentucky in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference. A 15-0 run through the non-conference portion of the schedule sowed the seeds of belief for the Bulldogs. A program-best 11 wins in the league strengthened the confidence of a team that is pointed toward the future with five first- or second-year players in the top six in minutes played.
But MSU coach Vic Schaefer doesn’t want the Bulldogs thinking about next season or the following year. That’s why the third-year head coach said Tuesday his team is going to “dare to dream.” Schafer was referring to the national talk that has MSU in the mix to earn a top-16 seed and the right to play host to the first and second round of the NCAA tournament.
If things play out right this weekend for MSU, it’s possible Schaefer’s team could move up to a No. 3 seed. After all, MSU’s Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) has crept from 32 to 28 to 25 prior to games played Thursday. While MSU’s Strength of Schedule (SOS) likely will remain a factor of discussion for the NCAA tournament selection committee, it can bolster its resume with a win against Kentucky and, if seeds hold, a win against Tennessee in the semifinals.
In the past few weeks, we have discussed MSU’s chances of playing host to its first NCAA tournament games at Humphrey Coliseum. With MSU coming off a school-record crowd of 7,326 in its 55-47 win against Ole Miss on Sunday, there’s no telling how many people would show up to support MSU if it plays in Starkville. A victory tonight likely would make that dream a reality because MSU has remained steady while other teams across the country have suffered “bad” losses.
ESPN.com’s Charlie Creme said the size of MSU’s crowds likely won’t be a factor the tournament selection committee considers. He also said last week a number of factors will influence MSU’s seed and region. He said the number of SEC teams that receive bids to the tournament is one of them. That makes all of today’s action even more intriguing because Arkansas, which is on the NCAA tournament bubble even after its win against Ole Miss on Thursday, will take on top-seeded South Carolina, while fourth-seeded LSU, another NCAA tournament bubble team, will play fifth-seeded Texas A&M. The results of those games will impact MSU’s fate next weekend when the tournament selection committee picks the at-large schools for the 64-team field.
Just as Schaefer has said he has been surprised things have changed this quickly for his program, it’s surprising how quickly MSU has climbed into the national debate and that it appears to be comfortable there. But the closer you look, it’s really not surprising because the Bulldogs haven’t allowed outside expectations or past performances define them. Instead, they have carved out an identity as a charge-taking, train-wreck making, big-shot taking group of Bulldogs that has made history in a number of ways. Schaefer, the SEC’s co-Coach of the Year with South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, deserves a lot of credit.
“I am so proud of him,” MSU senior Martha Alwal said. “He has turned this program around completely, and he is finally getting recognition for that. I just think it is amazing. He does such a great job with us. He knows who plays well together and he has the right plays at the right time. He does a really good job. I am really happy for him.”
Alwal wasn’t happy nearly two months ago when Schaefer opted not to play her in what turned out to be a 71-69 double-overtime loss to LSU on Jan. 15 in Starkville. Since then, Schaefer has played Alwal more minutes and has continued to push her to get back to the form she showed last season when she was a first-team All-SEC performer.
This season, Alwal was named second-team All-SEC. She has scored in double figures in five of the past six games and has recorded two double-doubles. That bodes well for MSU if it is going to dare to dream to win tonight and continue on the road to a SEC title and a chance to play at home in the SEC tournament.
Regardless of the seed or their destination, Schaefer will lead the way. If you listened to Alwal and freshman Victoria Vivians talk about their coach Tuesday, it was easy to tell the Bulldogs have bought in to the “Secretary of Defense’s” plan, and are ready to execute it with a statement that befits a season filled with record-setting performances.
Adam Minichino is sports editor of The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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