STARKVILLE — The disappointment didn’t last long.
With all the Mississippi State women’s basketball team has accomplished in a record-breaking season, the announcement Monday that MSU was heading back to the NCAA tournament was plenty of reason to celebrate for coach Vic Schaefer, his coaching staff, his players, and the fans at Dawg House Sports Grill.
And while the sting of missing a chance to play host to the first and second rounds in Starkville hurt, earning a No. 5 seed and a matchup against No. 12 seed Tulane (22-10) at 1:30 p.m. Friday in Durham, North Carolina, tempered the news and helped everyone re-focus on the next game.
“I am so excited for our players, for my staff, for our great university,” Schaefer said. “It is a tremendous opportunity. I have got a little experience going to Duke and playing.”
Schaefer’s latest experience came as an associate head coach for Gary Blair at Texas A&M. On Dec. 6, 2010, Duke beat Texas A&M 61-58. The loss was one of five the Aggies suffered that season en route to the program’s first national title. Schaefer spent one more season at Texas A&M before taking the job at MSU. He went 13-17 in his first season, but he and his staff landed a nationally rated recruiting class. They backed that up with a top-20 recruiting class while leading the Bulldogs to a 22-14 finish in their second season and a trip to the quarterfinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
This season, MSU (26-6) has recorded a program-record for overall wins and Southeastern Conference wins (11) and has shattered single-game and season attendance marks. The fact that MSU had a Ratings Percentage Index of 29, according to the NCAA, that it figured to attract a big crowd to Humphrey Coliseum, and that it is ranked No. 12 in The Associated Press Top 25 and it was ranked No. 14 in last week’s USA Today poll added to the optimism about earning a chance to play host to the NCAA tournament for the first time.
Now, though, MSU will get back to work to focus on an opponent it defeated 77-68 last season in the opening round of the WNIT. MSU also played Tulane in preseason closed-door scrimmages in Schaefer’s first two years at the school and didn’t fare very well. Schaefer reminded everyone Monday that Tulane “kicked his team’s butt” in those meetings and that it would have a challenge later this week.
Schaefer lamented the fact that the rest of the country wouldn’t see the level of enthusiasm that the Bulldogs have generated at home. MSU drew a record crowd of 7,326 for its regular-season finale against Ole Miss. That crowd was part of a single-season record total of 67,598.
“I am disappointed that the country will not see The Hump with 10,000 Bulldog fans in there,” Schaefer said. “I think we had earned the right. I think our team is good enough. We finished third in the SEC, all by ourselves. I am disappointed, no question, but you have to turn around and get ready to play. You have to be like that duck on the water and let that water rub off your back and feathers and go on.”
The NCAA tournament selection committee awarded Kentucky, a team that beat MSU twice, a No. 2 seed, which was higher than most analysts thought, and gave Arkansas, a bubble team, a No. 10 seed after it finished 6-10 in the SEC. Those seeds added to the excitement as MSU waited until the fourth regional — Spokane — to see its name on the big-screen television. The winner of the MSU-Tulane will play the winner of the Albany-Duke game Sunday at a time to be determined.
For seniors like Martha Alwal, Kendra Grant, and Jerica James, who played for coach Sharon Fanning-Otis and had to transition to a new staff and a new way of doing things, the announcement was the culmination of a journey that included losing seasons in their first two years at the school. Last season laid the foundation for the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2009-10, when MSU advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history.
The NCAA tournament selection is MSU’s seventh overall. The No. 5 seed is its second-highest in school history.
“We have worked so hard,” Alwal said. “Practices are so tough, but we do it. I think that is what has prepared us, and coach Schaefer does a great job with us, so I am so excited.”
Alwal said the Bulldogs won’t worry about not getting a chance to play host to the NCAA tournament. She feels the team will be fine playing away from home as long as it plays like it can.
Tulane is making its 11th NCAA tournament appearance, and first since 2010 when it won the Conference USA tournament. It is the program’s first at-large bid since 2003.
Tulane finished 11-7 (tied for fifth) in its first year in the American Athletic Conference. It had a RPI of 52 and a Strength of Schedule (SOS) of 57.
“I’m really happy for our three seniors that have been with us all three years, and for Savannah Carter our other senior,” Schaefer said. “You have to give credit to our entire team for continuing to work and get better. Our freshmen have come in and injected a skill set and added some pop that we desperately needed. I’m really proud for my staff, our players and Mississippi State University. I really believe the best is yet to come.”
NOTE: At 11:30 a.m. today, MSU will celebrate its NCAA tournament invitation with a Hail State Hoops luncheon. The luncheon, which costs $12 per person, will be in Mize Pavilion. Fans can RSVP by calling 662-325-0198 or emailing [email protected].
n Ole Miss, Southern Mississippi will play in WNIT: Ole Miss and Southern Mississippi received at-large bids to the 64-team postseason Women’s National Invitational Tournament on Monday night.
Ole Miss (17-13) will play host to Tennessee-Martin (22-10) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Tad Smith Coliseum, while Southern Miss (22-10) will play host to Texas Southern (19-10) at 7 p.m. Thursday Headed to Postseason WNIT
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
