Bulldogs Meet McNeese State In Dallas Friday To Open NCAA Tournament Play
May 25, 2016 | Men's Basketball
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| Michal Ignerski launches a shot over Alabama's Rod Grizzard during the SEC Tournament Championship Game. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) |
Ranked in the national polls at No. 17 by The Associated Press and 18th in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll, coach Rick Stansbury's 26-7 Bulldogs received an automatic bid into this year's NCAA Tournament field by virtue of claiming the school's second SEC Tournament championship this past weekend at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Upon knocking off 11th-ranked Florida, 62-52, in quarterfinal-round action and getting by a gritty LSU ballclub, 57-51, in the semis, Mississippi State then matched the school's all-time, single-season standard with its 26th win of the year by posting a hard-fought 61-58 victory over eighth-ranked and SEC Champion Alabama in the title game.
As has been the case throughout the team's current eight-game winning streak, defense paved the way for the Bulldogs' tournament success this past weekend. During the three tourney games in Atlanta, Mississippi State limited the opposition to an average of only 53.7 points per game on collective 35.8 percent field-goal shooting. MSU held high-scoring SEC foes Florida (52 points) and Alabama (58) to their second-lowest and third-worst scoring efforts of the season, respectively. Defensively as a team, the Bulldogs enter NCAA Tournament competition leading the SEC in rebounding margin (+7.1), while ranking second among league leaders in rebounding offense (39.3 rpg), rebounding defense (32.2) and three-point field goal percentage defense (29.9%).
| Mario Austin cuts down the Georgia Dome nets after the Bulldogs won the SEC Tourney. (HIG Photo/Jim Wilkeson) |
Guided by former New Orleans and Memphis head coach Tic Price, the 21-8 Cowboys of McNeese State ride into Dallas sporting a 14-game winning streak after claiming both the regular season and tournament titles of the Southland Conference. With a trio of players scoring in double figures on the year, McNeese is paced by junior guard Jason Coleman at 14.8 points per contest. Forwards Damond Williams and Fred Gentry average 11.2 and 10.8 points, respectively.
The winner of Friday's Mississippi State-McNeese State first-round regional contest will advance to take on the winner of the Texas-Boston College game Sunday afternoon in Dallas. Tip-off time for the second-round regional game is slated for 1:15 p.m. at the American Airlines Center.
