#HailStateHoops Ranked No. 16 In USA Today Coaches Poll
February 23, 2016 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A day after being ranked No. 16 by the Associated Press, the Mississippi State women's basketball team also came in 16th in Tuesday's USA Today Coaches Poll.
The Bulldogs dropped three places in this week's poll. After suffering a home setback to Kentucky, the Bulldogs rebounded with a 60-51 road win at Ole Miss to improve to 22-6 overall and 9-5 in SEC play.
Sunday's win kept Mississippi State in third place in the SEC standings heading into Thursday's 7 p.m. road tilt at Vanderbilt. That contest will be streamed in its entirety online and via the WatchESPN app on SEC Network +, while moments of the contest will be shown on the SEC Network television channel as part of a special SEC Women's Basketball Whip Around program.
Vic Schaefer's Bulldogs host Alabama on Sunday to close the regular season. Tip from Humphrey Coliseum is set for 1:30 p.m.
Tuesday's ranking is Mississippi State's 33rd-straight week in the poll going back to last season.
The Bulldogs remained one of five SEC teams in the ranking. South Carolina stayed at No. 2, while Texas A&M and Kentucky came in at Nos. 11 and 14, respectively.
Missouri moved back in the poll at No. 24 while Florida fell out.
USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll - February 23, 2016
| Rank | School (record) | Pts. | Pvs. | 1st-place votes |
| 1 | Connecticut (26-0) | 800 | 1 | 32 |
| 2 | South Carolina (26-1) | 756 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Notre Dame (26-1) | 748 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | Baylor (28-1) | 704 | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | Ohio State (23-4) | 664 | 5 | 0 |
| 6 | Maryland (25-3) | 625 | 6 | 0 |
| 7 | Oregon State (24-3) | 594 | 8 | 0 |
| 8 | Texas (24-2) | 588 | 7 | 0 |
| 9 | Arizona State (24-4) | 541 | 10 | 0 |
| 10 | Louisville (22-6) | 503 | 11 | 0 |
| 11 | Texas A&M (20-7) | 461 | 12 | 0 |
| 12 | Florida State (21-6) | 433 | 9 | 0 |
| 13 | Stanford (22-6) | 390 | 15 | 0 |
| 14 | Kentucky (19-6) | 374 | 16 | 0 |
| 15 | UCLA (20-7) | 335 | 14 | 0 |
| 16 | Mississippi State (22-6) | 319 | 13 | 0 |
| 17 | Miami (Fla.) (22-5) | 291 | 17 | 0 |
| 18 | Syracuse (22-6) | 275 | 18 | 0 |
| 19 | DePaul (23-7) | 229 | 19 | 0 |
| 20 | South Florida (19-7) | 184 | 20 | 0 |
| 21 | Michigan State (20-7) | 159 | 22 | 0 |
| 22 | Brigham Young (23-4) | 84 | NR | 0 |
| 23 | Oklahoma (18-9) | 71 | 21 | 0 |
| 24 | Missouri (21-6) | 55 | NR | 0 |
| 25 | Colorado State (24-1) | 36 | NR | 0 |
Others receiving votes: Duquesne 27, UTEP 24, Oklahoma State 24, Florida 21, Green Bay 20, Seton Hall 11, St John's 11, West Virginia 11, Florida Gulf Coast 7, Auburn 7, Georgia 6, Albany 5, Western Kentucky 3, NC State 3, Arkansas State 1.
Dropped from rankings: No. 23 Duquesne, No. 24 Oklahoma State, No. 25 Florida.
