STARKVILLE — “Playing with a purpose” is a perfect phrase for Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer to use to describe his team’s next game.
Not only does that phrase highlight how No. 18 MSU will have to play at 8 tonight (SEC Network) against Ole Miss, but it also epitomizes how the Rebels are playing in their second year under coach Matt Insell.
“Those kids are playing really well, really hard,” Schaefer said. “They have had some awfully big wins in the league, and they have gotten better. We have got our hands full. We expect a big crowd over there.”
MSU (19-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) will try to build on a 66-50 victory against Alabama on Sunday. That victory snapped a two-game losing streak in the league. Ole Miss (14-5, 4-2) is coming off a 58-49 loss to then-No. 11 Texas A&M on Sunday. Today’s game at Tad Smith Coliseum is Ole Miss’ third in a row against a ranked opponent.
There’s no denying this one will be a little different than Ole Miss’ 55-52 victory against then-No. 18 Georgia or the Texas A&M game.
For MSU, the game will be another opportunity to solidify its national ranking and to bolster its SEC record in the first half of the season. The Bulldogs will face only one ranked team in the first half of the 16-game league schedule. They will play four ranked teams in the final eight league games.
For Ole Miss, it will be a chance to strengthen its resume for the NCAA tournament. Insell’s team already has eclipsed its win total (12) from last season. A victory tonight would help Ole Miss guarantee a winning record at the end of the regular season. The Rebels started this week with a Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) of 80 and a Strength of Schedule (SOS) of 156, according to the NCAA and RealTimeRPI.com, respectively. MSU’s RPI is 40 and its SOS is 150. The selection committee for the NCAA tournament uses both factors to determine its at-large selections for the 64-team field.
Ole Miss will try to reach that mark with a strong effort by senior Tia Faleru. The 6-foot-1 forward from Ozark, Alabama, is second in the SEC in scoring (15.9 points per game) and first in the league in rebounding (10.6). She is the only player in the SEC averaging a double-double.
“She is a tremendous talent,” Schaefer said. “Faleru has been a constant double-double since she has been there.”
MSU sophomore Dominique Dillingham, who is regarded as the team’s best defender, said Faleru is so tough because she is “always moving.” An athletic player with quick leaping ability, Faleru is just as effective on the wing slashing to the basket as she is in the paint snatching offensive rebounds.
“She rebounds it really hard,” Dillingham said. “I know whoever guards her will have to really focus on boxing her out because I know she gets a lot of points off offensive rebounds, too.”
In addition to Faleru, Ole Miss has a stable of athletic guards, led by sophomore transfer Erika Sisk. With four other freshmen playing key roles in the backcourt, Ole Miss doesn’t have the size or experience MSU had trouble defending in a 71-69 overtime loss to LSU last week. In that game, Danielle Ballard, DaShawn Harden, and Raigyne Moncrief combined for 55 points.
Ole Miss will make up for what it lacks in strength with quickness and athleticism. Insell’s decision to switch to a motion offense that spreads the floor and gives players the freedom to create off the dribble has worked well and has fit well with the team’s aggressive defensive philosophy.
Schaefer and his players realize Ole Miss has confidence entering the game. The Rebels beat the Bulldogs 87-85 in overtime on Jan. 23, 2014, in Oxford. MSU returned the favor with a 72-70 OT win on Feb. 23, 2014, in Starkville.
“Like LSU, I think they attack the rim just as hard,” Dillingham said. “We’re going to have to really focus on keeping them in front of us and not sending them to the foul line, like we did against Alabama.”
MSU limited Alabama to a season-low 13 field goals, but the Crimson Tide were 23 of 31 (74.2 percent) from the free-throw line.
MSU senior guard Kendra Grant, who had a season-high 17 points against Alabama, including her 100th-career 3-pointer, said the Bulldogs will have to make the Rebels score over them and not by them. She said that will give MSU a better chance to control the rebounds.
Schaefer has watched film of Ole Miss in the first part of the season and from games this year. He said the difference between the team’s offenses is “night and day,” which makes it even more challenging to prepare for a rival.
“They have a real understanding of what they’re trying to do,” Schaefer said. “It’s probably a little bit of that philosophy keeping it simple and letting those kids do what they’re good at.
“You can talk about the rivalry all you want. I get it. I am at Mississippi State, and we’re not supposed to like those folks. I understand that completely, but you have to have an appreciation for the job they’re doing and how hard those kids play. They are completely different than a month ago. They are young also on the perimeter, but those kids are doing a good job. It is kind of like what I have said all along with our young kids, sometimes what you don’t know what doesn’t hurt you. I am sure (coach Insell) feels the same way with his youth.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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