Undefeated Bulldogs Earn Record No. 4 Ranking In AP Top 25
January 02, 2017 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State women's basketball made more history Monday as it rose to a program-best No. 4 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
The Bulldogs earned the ranking after opening SEC play with a 74-48 win against LSU on Sunday. That victory improved the Bulldogs to 15-0 overall, the second-best start in program history. State remains the SEC's only undefeated team and one of just three teams in the nation without a loss.
State's record ranking comes in its 45th-straight week in the poll, the eighth-longest active streak in the nation. That total is the third-most consecutive weeks in the ranking by an SEC team.
Vic Schaefer's team won its SEC opener for the third year in a row behind a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds from Victoria Vivians. Chinwe Okorie added her best effort in an SEC game, tallying 17 points.
The duo helped Mississippi State shoot 57.1 percent from the field, the program's best effort in an SEC game since Feb. 16, 2003.
State owns the second-best start in program history, and it seeks to continue it Thursday as it travels to Arkansas for a 7 p.m. tip. The contest will be broadcast online on SEC Network +.
The highest ranked league team in the poll, the Bulldogs sit one spot ahead of South Carolina. Kentucky slipped to 24th, while Tennessee, MSU's opponent on Sunday in Knoxville, landed just outside the poll.
The Bulldogs earned the ranking after opening SEC play with a 74-48 win against LSU on Sunday. That victory improved the Bulldogs to 15-0 overall, the second-best start in program history. State remains the SEC's only undefeated team and one of just three teams in the nation without a loss.
State's record ranking comes in its 45th-straight week in the poll, the eighth-longest active streak in the nation. That total is the third-most consecutive weeks in the ranking by an SEC team.
Vic Schaefer's team won its SEC opener for the third year in a row behind a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds from Victoria Vivians. Chinwe Okorie added her best effort in an SEC game, tallying 17 points.
The duo helped Mississippi State shoot 57.1 percent from the field, the program's best effort in an SEC game since Feb. 16, 2003.
State owns the second-best start in program history, and it seeks to continue it Thursday as it travels to Arkansas for a 7 p.m. tip. The contest will be broadcast online on SEC Network +.
The highest ranked league team in the poll, the Bulldogs sit one spot ahead of South Carolina. Kentucky slipped to 24th, while Tennessee, MSU's opponent on Sunday in Knoxville, landed just outside the poll.
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballWOMEN'S BASKETBALL | Select Players Media Session
Wednesday, October 08
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | Sam Purcell Media Session - 6/17/25
Tuesday, June 17
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | NCAA TOURNAMENT | Second Round Post Game Press Conference vs. USC 03/24/25
Tuesday, March 25
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | NCAA TOURNAMENT | Second Round Preview Press Conference vs. USC 03/23/25
Sunday, March 23