MSU 13th In AP Poll; Vivians On Drysdale Midseason Watch List
January 25, 2016 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Sophomore Victoria Vivians was named to the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Year Midseason Watch List Monday, the same day the Bulldogs landed at No. 13 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
Vivians was one of 16 players named to the watch list. Monday's honor came after she was placed on the midseason watch list for the Wooden Award.
The Carthage, Mississippi, native was one of four players named to the list, joining Tennessee's Diamond DeShields and South Carolina's Tiffany Mitchell and A'ja Wilson.
Vivians and the Bulldogs host DeShields and the Lady Vols Thursday at 8 p.m. on the SEC Network.
In front of a school and state of Mississippi record 10,626 fans on Sunday, Vivians paced MSU with 19 points as the Bulldogs fell in a tough contest against the second-ranked Gamecocks.
Vivians' 19-point effort followed a 20-point performance on the road against Georgia on Thursday. The stellar week kept her atop the SEC scoring lead at 17.7 ppg and third in league contests with a 16.6 average.
Sunday's showing moved her into 25th place in MSU history with 876 career points. She is 134 points from matching her rookie season total (505).
Vivians also rates in the Top 15 in rebounding in conference play, hauling down 6.9 per game. She also records 2.0 steals per game for the year, ninth-most in the league.
Sunday's setback dropped MSU to 17-4 overall and 4-3 in league play. MSU fell three spots in this week's Associated Press poll, snapping a run of 10-straight weeks in the Top 10.
Vic Schaefer's squad did claim a 30th-consecutive week in the poll, the 11th-longest streak in the nation.
South Carolina remained at No. 2, while Texas A&M jumped up to No. 10. Kentucky fell just ahead of the Bulldogs in 12th, while Tennessee, State's foe Thursday, dropped one place to No. 19.
Missouri rounds out the SEC teams in the poll at No. 22.
Tickets for Thursday's Top-20 showdown at the Hump cost $5 for adults. Youth 17 and under get in free, as do MSU students with a valid student ID.Ann Meyers Drysdale Midseason Top 16 Watch List
Jillian Alleyene, Oregon
Rachel Banham, Minnesota
Nina Davis, Baylor
Diamond DeShields,Tennessee
Moriah Jefferson, Connecticut
Niya Johnson, Baylor
Jonquel Jones, George Washington
Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State
Tiffany Mitchell, South Carolina
Kelsey Plum, Washington
Azura Stevens, Duke
Breanna Stewart, Connecticut
Morgan Tuck, Connecticut
Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Maryland
A'ja Wilson, South Carolina
Associated Press Top 25 Poll - Jan. 25, 2016
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UConn (32) | 18-0 | 800 | 1 | |||
| 2 | South Carolina | 19-0 | 765 | 2 | |||
| 3 | Notre Dame | 19-1 | 739 | 3 | |||
| 4 | Baylor | 19-1 | 700 | 4 | |||
| 5 | Maryland | 17-2 | 659 | 5 | |||
| 6 | Texas | 18-1 | 651 | 6 | |||
| 7 | Ohio State | 15-4 | 592 | 7 | |||
| 8 | Arizona State | 17-3 | 582 | 8 | |||
| 9 | Oregon State | 16-3 | 539 | 11 | |||
| 10 | Texas A&M | 14-5 | 473 | 13 | |||
| 11 | Florida State | 15-4 | 467 | 14 | |||
| 12 | Kentucky | 14-3 | 434 | 9 | |||
| 13 | Mississippi State | 17-4 | 408 | 10 | |||
| 14 | Louisville | 14-5 | 352 | 17 | |||
| 15 | UCLA | 14-5 | 317 | 20 | |||
| 16 | Stanford | 15-5 | 290 | 12 | |||
| 17 | Miami | 17-3 | 240 | 16 | |||
| 18 | Michigan State | 14-4 | 219 | 21 | |||
| 19 | Tennessee | 12-6 | 209 | 18 | |||
| 20 | South Florida | 13-5 | 193 | 15 | |||
| 21 | Oklahoma | 13-5 | 143 | 19 | |||
| 22 | Missouri | 16-4 | 140 | 23 | |||
| 23 | DePaul | 15-6 | 123 | 24 | |||
| 24 | West Virginia | 16-4 | 108 | 25 | |||
| 25 | Washington | 15-4 | 80 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Florida 46, Green Bay 34, George Washington 18, Purdue 17, Oklahoma State 15, Duke 10, UTEP 10, San Diego 9, Colorado State 8, BYU 7, Albany 2, Syracuse 1
Dropped from rankings: Florida 22
