State Up To No. 6 In AP Poll Heading To Jackson On Wednesday
November 27, 2017 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Fresh off a three-game sweep to win the Mayan Division of the Cancun Challenge, the Mississippi State women's basketball team moved up to No. 6 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
The Bulldogs jumped one place in the ranking after improving to 6-0 on the season with wins against No. 24 Arizona State, Columbia and a Green Bay squad that was receiving votes.
MSU notched its 59th-straight week in the poll, the seventh-longest active streak in the country. The Bulldogs' 23-consecutive weeks in the Top 10 rates fifth nationally.
Mississippi State takes its No. 6 ranking to Jackson on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip against Louisiana at Mississippi Coliseum. Tickets for the game, which is sponsored by American Medical Response (AMR), First Commercial Bank and The Westin Jackson, are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.hailstate.com/tickets.
Admission to Wednesday's game is $5 for adults and $3 for youth age 17 and under. Bully's Kids Club members get free entry into the game with their membership ID card.
Tuesday evening, the Central Mississippi Alumni Association chapter will host a Meet and Greet with the team at the Westin. The event begins at 6 p.m., with the team arriving at 6:30. Valet parking will be available for $7.
Wednesday's game will be the second time MSU has played at the "Big House," with the first coming in 2006. The Bulldogs come to Jackson ranking in the Top 40 nationally in 12 statistical categories. MSU rates 11th in the country in scoring defense (52.7 ppg) after holding all six of this season's foes below 60 points.
The Dawgs also rate sixth in the country in scoring margin (+28.5) and eighth in turnover margin (+8.83).
Victoria Vivians, who won two high school state championships in Mississippi Coliseum, was named Cancun Challenge Mayan Division MVP after averaging 19.0 ppg. The Carthage, Miss., native rates sixth in the SEC this season in scoring with an 18.8 per-game clip.
Teaira McCowan was named to the all-tournament team in the Mayan Division after averaging 15.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in the three games. McCowan, who has three double-doubles over the last four games, is scoring at a 14.7 clip this season while rating fifth in the SEC with 10.5 rebounds per contest.
The Brenham, Texas, native also rates third in the league with a 59.4 field goal percentage, and she tops the conference and rates 10th nationally in offensive boards with 5.2 per game.
Roshunda Johnson has also seen a stellar start to her senior campaign, rating second on the team with 15.5 ppg. The Little Rock, Ark., native has been dangerous from the 3-point arc, rating third in the SEC with 2.3 3-pointers made per game and a 50 percent conversion rate from the arc.
That trio has benefitted from the distribution skills of senior Morgan William, who has dished an SEC second-most 6.2 assist per game while leading the country in assist/turnover ratio with a 9.3 mark.
Associated Press Top 25 Poll - Nov. 27, 2017
Others receiving votes: Green Bay 31, Arizona State 26, Oklahoma 25, New Mexico 19, Iowa 17, Michigan State 16, DePaul 8, Syracuse 6, Minnesota 5, Oklahoma State 5, Kansas State 4, Georgia 3, Southern California 3.
The Bulldogs jumped one place in the ranking after improving to 6-0 on the season with wins against No. 24 Arizona State, Columbia and a Green Bay squad that was receiving votes.
MSU notched its 59th-straight week in the poll, the seventh-longest active streak in the country. The Bulldogs' 23-consecutive weeks in the Top 10 rates fifth nationally.
Mississippi State takes its No. 6 ranking to Jackson on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip against Louisiana at Mississippi Coliseum. Tickets for the game, which is sponsored by American Medical Response (AMR), First Commercial Bank and The Westin Jackson, are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.hailstate.com/tickets.
Admission to Wednesday's game is $5 for adults and $3 for youth age 17 and under. Bully's Kids Club members get free entry into the game with their membership ID card.
Tuesday evening, the Central Mississippi Alumni Association chapter will host a Meet and Greet with the team at the Westin. The event begins at 6 p.m., with the team arriving at 6:30. Valet parking will be available for $7.
Wednesday's game will be the second time MSU has played at the "Big House," with the first coming in 2006. The Bulldogs come to Jackson ranking in the Top 40 nationally in 12 statistical categories. MSU rates 11th in the country in scoring defense (52.7 ppg) after holding all six of this season's foes below 60 points.
The Dawgs also rate sixth in the country in scoring margin (+28.5) and eighth in turnover margin (+8.83).
Victoria Vivians, who won two high school state championships in Mississippi Coliseum, was named Cancun Challenge Mayan Division MVP after averaging 19.0 ppg. The Carthage, Miss., native rates sixth in the SEC this season in scoring with an 18.8 per-game clip.
Teaira McCowan was named to the all-tournament team in the Mayan Division after averaging 15.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in the three games. McCowan, who has three double-doubles over the last four games, is scoring at a 14.7 clip this season while rating fifth in the SEC with 10.5 rebounds per contest.
The Brenham, Texas, native also rates third in the league with a 59.4 field goal percentage, and she tops the conference and rates 10th nationally in offensive boards with 5.2 per game.
Roshunda Johnson has also seen a stellar start to her senior campaign, rating second on the team with 15.5 ppg. The Little Rock, Ark., native has been dangerous from the 3-point arc, rating third in the SEC with 2.3 3-pointers made per game and a 50 percent conversion rate from the arc.
That trio has benefitted from the distribution skills of senior Morgan William, who has dished an SEC second-most 6.2 assist per game while leading the country in assist/turnover ratio with a 9.3 mark.
Associated Press Top 25 Poll - Nov. 27, 2017
| RNK | TEAM | RCD | PTS | PVS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut (31) | 5-0 | 775 | 1 |
| 2 | Texas | 5-0 | 723 | 2 |
| 3 | Notre Dame | 6-0 | 698 | 6 |
| 4 | Louisville | 6-0 | 695 | 4 |
| 5 | South Carolina | 6-1 | 611 | 3 |
| 6 | Mississippi State | 6-0 | 610 | 7 |
| 7 | UCLA | 5-1 | 609 | 5 |
| 8 | Ohio State | 7-1 | 569 | 9 |
| 9 | Baylor | 5-1 | 557 | 8 |
| 10 | Oregon | 5-1 | 470 | 10 |
| 11 | West Virginia | 6-0 | 446 | 11 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 6-0 | 428 | 12 |
| 13 | Florida State | 6-0 | 380 | 13 |
| 14 | Duke | 5-1 | 351 | 16 |
| 15 | Maryland | 5-2 | 324 | 15 |
| 16 | Stanford | 4-3 | 310 | 14 |
| 17 | South Florida | 6-1 | 259 | 17 |
| 18 | Texas A&M | 4-1 | 215 | 19 |
| 19 | Missouri | 5-1 | 207 | 23 |
| 20 | Kentucky | 6-0 | 174 | 22 |
| 21 | Oregon State | 3-2 | 166 | 18 |
| 22 | Michigan | 4-1 | 107 | 25 |
| 23 | Marquette | 2-2 | 101 | 20 |
| 24 | California | 3-2 | 66 | 21 |
| 25 | Villanova | 5-0 | 56 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Green Bay 31, Arizona State 26, Oklahoma 25, New Mexico 19, Iowa 17, Michigan State 16, DePaul 8, Syracuse 6, Minnesota 5, Oklahoma State 5, Kansas State 4, Georgia 3, Southern California 3.
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