Hail State Hoops Ranked No. 6 In Nation By Athlon Sports
September 10, 2015 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A historic 2014-15 season has resulted in early recognition for the 2015-16 campaign as Athlon Sports' college basketball preview magazine had Mississippi State ranked No. 6 in the nation.
The Bulldogs earned the ranking after ending last season with school records for overall (27) and SEC (11) wins en route to claiming the program's first NCAA Tournament nod since 2010.
SEC Coach of the Year Vic Schaefer's squad ranked No. 12 in the final Associated Press poll, the best finish by a Bulldog squad.
MSU returns 10 players from that historic edition and has three of its top four scorers back, including AP All-America Honorable Mention selection Victoria Vivians, who led the team with 14.9 ppg as a freshman.
Schaefer's squad also returns sophomore point guard Morgan William, who earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors after averaging 9.1 points and 3.6 assists, along with junior Breanna Richardson, who tallied 8.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.
UConn topped the poll, followed by Notre Dame, Tennessee, South Carolina, Ohio State and the Bulldogs. Texas A&M at No. 9 and Kentucky at No. 19 rounded out the SEC teams in the poll.
In addition to the four league foes, the Bulldogs are scheduled to face two other foes in the poll. Texas, who MSU faces in Austin on Dec. 2, is ranked 10th, while South Florida, State's Dec. 30 foe in the SEC/AAC Challenge, comes in at No. 23.
Season tickets for the campaign, which kicks off Nov. 13 at home against Samford, are on sale now. Reserved season tickets (sections 114-118) cost $95 each, while general admission tickets are priced at $35.
Fans can order tickets for the Bulldogs' 16-game home slate online at www.hailstate.com/tickets or via phone at 1-888-GO-DAWGS.
