STARKVILLE — The gauntlet continues.
The only relief the Mississippi State women’s basketball team has received following its victory against Tennessee on Sunday in Knoxville, Tennessee, is that it will play its next game at home.
No. 2 MSU (20-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) will have that chance at 7:30 tonight (SEC Network) when it plays host to Florida (10-10, 2-5) with an even bigger bull’s eye on its back.
That’s why MSU coach Vic Schaefer opened his remarks to the media Wednesday by saying Florida is the only team MSU is focused on. It doesn’t matter that a victory tonight would help MSU set a new program standard for wins to open the season. The only thing Schaefer wants his players to understand is he doesn’t need to lose to earn a reality check or to snap him back to attention.
If anything, MSU’s 71-52 victory against then-No. 6 Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena raised the bar for a team that is one of two remaining unbeatens (Connecticut) in the nation and the only undefeated team left in SEC play.
Expectations are higher because MSU held Tennessee to a season-low point total and a season-low shooting percentage (35.8 percent). The defense was a welcome sight to Schaefer, who has commented repeatedly about the need for the Bulldogs to improve on that end of the floor. On Sunday, Schaefer praised his team’s toughness and said former longtime Tennessee coach Pat Summitt would have been proud of the Bulldogs for the relentless nature they displayed.
Senior guard Morgan William said the Tennessee name might have helped MSU be a little more focused and a little more energized for the nationally televised game on ESPN2. The result was an effort in which MSU held Tennessee to eight points in the fourth quarter and without a 3-pointer (0-for-8). The Bulldogs also took the Lady Vols’ best punch in the fourth quarter after their lead was cut to 57-50 and punched back. As a result, Tennessee missed its final 10 shots from the field.
“We had to earn everything we got point wise, getting a block out, or going to get a rebound,” William said. “I felt the physicality on my body. I guess you can say that was toughness. I feel our experience with four seniors helped.”
Said junior guard Jordan Danberry, “Our mind-set was to dominate.”
Schaefer attributed the different level of focus and intensity to improved play in certain areas, especially on defense. It’s not light praise when Schaefer says, “We really put together some pretty good minutes (on defense) and strung some minutes together where we were really effective.”
In some ways, MSU’s performance evoked memories of the 2016-17 team and how the Bulldogs scrapped and fought for every loose ball. Schaefer credited his players’ focus on blocking out and rebounding against Tennessee, which led to a 44-33 rebounding edge and a 20-11 advantage in second-chance points.
“I did see a difference in our kids that ballgame,” Schaefer said. “Whether we took two days off last week and got a little juice back, or we had a little extra focus because we had the bye date, I am not sure what it was, but I can definitely say there was a difference.”
When you have won 27, 28, and 34 games the last three seasons and are coming off a loss in the national title game, there isn’t much more room for improvement. But Schaefer and his coaches have worked hard to get the program to a point where one more step will achieve the ultimate goal. Along the way, MSU will have a chance to win its first SEC regular-season and tournament titles. But after an impressive road victory against one of the nation’s most talented teams, MSU will have to keep that focus and intensity and try to find a way to hit another gear because things are only going to get tougher.
“If we stub our toe, stub it going all out doing what we do as hard as we can do it,” Schaefer said. “Twenty-and-0 is not normal. These kids continue to play at a really high level. That is a credit to them. That is a credit to my staff that they continue to get them ready and these kids continue to play at that level.”
When William was asked if she sees the difference in how MSU played against Tennessee compared to the other five SEC games and if there is more the Bulldogs can do, she said, “I felt like we were more focused and dialed in defensively.”
William said she wasn’t really sure what the Bulldogs had to do to get “dialed in” for longer stretches, possibly even 40 minutes. The answer might be embracing the effort against Tennessee.
When asked if she felt MSU could become a team that plays with the grit and defensive focus it had against Tennessee every night, William looked to her right at coach Schaefer and said, “If coach Schaefer is coaching us to be like that, I feel we can definitely do it. It might take a little time for us to get out of our way and change and get all in, but we can definitely do it.”
Possibly by April 1, the date of the national title game?
“If coach Schaefer thinks so, yeah,” William said.
NOTE: MSU will hold its “We Back Pat” game tonight, which is designed to bring awareness and recognition to The Pat Summitt Foundation and the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. It also will be Victoria Vivians’ Senior Night. This season, MSU has used regular-season games to honor seniors Vivians, William, Blair Schaefer, and Roshunda Johnson. Fans wearing a crown to the game will receive a free ticket. The promotion coincides with Vivians being named Homecoming queen last year. … MSU announced Wednesday the game against South Carolina at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5 (ESPN2), is sold out.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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