Friday, November 11
Orono, Maine
6:30 PM
Mississippi State
vs
Villanova
No. 10 Bulldogs Tip Season Against Villanova Friday In Maine
November 10, 2016 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – All of the preseason practices and preparation culminates Friday when the 10th-ranked Mississippi State women's basketball team opens the 2016-17 campaign against Villanova in the Maine Tipoff Tournament.
Tip from Cross Insurance Center in Bangor is set for approximately 6:30 p.m. CT, following the opening contest between Maine and Purdue. That game is set for a 4 p.m. CT start.
The Bulldogs wrap the event Saturday against either Purdue or the host Black Bears at 4 or 6:30 p.m. CT.
Both games will be broadcast on WLZA-FM 96.1 in the Golden Triangle and surrounding areas.
Following this weekend's opener, the Bulldogs travel to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest against Tulane. State opens the home slate Sun., Nov. 20, against No. 8 Texas at 5 p.m.
Tip from Cross Insurance Center in Bangor is set for approximately 6:30 p.m. CT, following the opening contest between Maine and Purdue. That game is set for a 4 p.m. CT start.
The Bulldogs wrap the event Saturday against either Purdue or the host Black Bears at 4 or 6:30 p.m. CT.
Both games will be broadcast on WLZA-FM 96.1 in the Golden Triangle and surrounding areas.
Following this weekend's opener, the Bulldogs travel to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest against Tulane. State opens the home slate Sun., Nov. 20, against No. 8 Texas at 5 p.m.
BULLDOG BITES
- The 2016-17 season is the 43rd for Mississippi State, the fifth under Vic Schaefer. MSU opens the season at the Maine Tipoff Tournament, facing Villanova to begin the year.
- The Bulldogs are 30-12 all-time in season openers and have won 12-straight season lid-lifters. The last time MSU began the year on the road was the 2013-14 season, Schaefer's second at State, when the Dawgs won at Houston 72-66.
- This weekend marks the first of an extensive road non-conference slate that will see MSU travel 17,190 miles.
- Mississippi State travels to Orono, Maine, for the second time. The first was 2004-05 when MSU lost to Saint Joseph's and beat Loyola-Chicago in the Dead River Company Classic.
- The Bulldogs enter the campaign boasting Top 15 rankings in both preseason polls. State begins the year No. 10 in the Associated Press and No. 11 in the USA Today Coaches polls.
- State's No. 10 AP ranking is the program's highest preseason ranking in the poll.
- The Bulldogs have been in the Associated Press poll for 37-straight weeks, the ninth-longest active streak in the nation. It is the third-longest active streak among SEC teams, rating behind only Kentucky (124) and South Carolina (74).
- MSU was ranked 12th by ESPNW and 10th by the USBWA, while Sporting News and Athlon Sports each placed State at No. 7. Slam Magazine had State at No. 8, and Lindy's Sports tabbed the Dawgs at No. 12.
- The SEC media predicted Mississippi State to finish second in the league this season, the highest predicted finish ever for a Bulldog squad.
- This year's team returns all five starters and nine letterwinners from last season's group that won a school-record 28 games, tied for second in the SEC with an 11-5 record and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the second time in program history.
- With last season's 28 wins, Mississippi State set the school record for victories in a season for the second-straight year, eclipsing the 27 notched in 2014-15.
- Last year's 11-5 SEC record equaled the program best for league wins set in 2014-15. It is the first time State has won double-digit league games in back-to-back seasons.
- MSU returns 90% of its scoring and 89% of its rebounding from a year ago.
TOURNAMENT BREAKDOWN
- Mississippi State is a combined 1-3 against the three teams in the field. The Bulldogs' only meeting against Villanova came in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in 1994, a game the Wildcats won 73-58.
- Villanova is coming off a 20-12 2015-16 campaign that ended in the second round of the WNIT.
- The Wildcats return three starters and nine letterwinners from that squad, including second-leading scorer Alex Louin (11.3 ppg), who did not play in the team's exhibition contest.
- The only meeting between MSU and Maine came in Starkville in 2005. The Bulldogs claimed that contest 80-55.
- Maine is picked third in the America East conference after finishing last season 26-9 and in the WNIT. The Black Bears return one starter, leading scorer Sigi Koizar from that squad that tied for first in the conference with a 15-1 record.
- State and Purdue could meet for the third time during this weekend's event. The other two meetings were both Boilermaker wins. Purdue won the first meeting 61-42 at the Hump in 2005. The following year it defeated State 75-49 in West Lafayette.
- The Boilermakers return three starters from last year's team that went 20-12 and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
- Purdue lost top scorer April Wilson (14.5 ppg), but brings back second- and third-leading scorers Ashley Morrissette (13.0 ppg) and Bridget Perry (10.5 ppg). Perry also led Purdue on the boards (5.8 rpg).
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