Bulldogs Land At No. 16 In Latest Associated Press Poll
February 22, 2016 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State heads into Thursday's road finale at Vanderbilt ranked No. 16 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
The Bulldogs fell at home to Kentucky, who moved up to No. 15, before rebounding on the road with a 60-51 win against in-state rival Ole Miss.
Sunday's victory, State's fifth-straight win in the rivalry, improved the Bulldogs to 22-6 overall and 9-5 in SEC play entering Thursday's 7 p.m. tip in Nashville.
That contest will be part of the SEC Network's second round of whip around coverage. The game will be shown in its entirety online and on the WatchESPN app, while moments from all seven games will be featured in a special SEC Women's Basketball Whip Around on SEC Network.
Vic Schaefer's squad earned its 34th-straight week in the poll, the 11th-most consecutive weeks going back to last season.
South Carolina and Texas A&M come in ahead of MSU and Kentucky at Nos. 3 and 11, respectively.
Missouri moved back in at No. 24, while Tennessee and Florida both fell out of the poll.
Associated Press Top 25 Poll - Feb. 22, 2016
| Rank | Team | Record | Pts. | Pvs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UConn (32) | 26-0 | 800 | 1 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | 25-1 | 756 | 2 |
| 3 | South Carolina | 25-1 | 746 | 3 |
| 4 | Baylor | 27-1 | 704 | 4 |
| 5 | Ohio State | 23-4 | 656 | 5 |
| 6 | Maryland | 25-3 | 623 | 6 |
| 7 | Oregon State | 24-3 | 608 | 7 |
| 8 | Texas | 24-2 | 581 | 8 |
| 9 | Arizona State | 24-4 | 563 | 9 |
| 10 | Louisville | 22-6 | 508 | 11 |
| 11 | Texas A&M | 20-7 | 463 | 12 |
| 12 | Florida State | 21-5 | 421 | 10 |
| 13 | Stanford | 22-6 | 409 | 15 |
| 14 | UCLA | 20-7 | 387 | 12 |
| 15 | Kentucky | 19-6 | 338 | 16 |
| 16 | Mississippi State | 22-6 | 319 | 14 |
| 17 | Miami | 22-5 | 258 | 18 |
| 18 | Syracuse | 22-6 | 241 | 23 |
| 19 | DePaul | 23-7 | 221 | 21 |
| 20 | Michigan State | 20-7 | 134 | 25 |
| 21 | South Florida | 19-7 | 131 | 19 |
| 22 | Oklahoma State | 19-7 | 94 | 17 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | 18-8 | 91 | 20 |
| 24 | Missouri | 21-6 | 76 | NR |
| 25 | Colorado State | 24-1 | 58 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Florida 55, BYU 50, West Virginia 42, Georgia 23, UTEP 14, Oregon 7, Arkansas State 7, Green Bay 5, Florida Gulf Coast 4, Duquesne 3, Washington 2, Tennessee 2.
Dropped from rankings: Florida 22, Tennessee 24.
