Monday, January 23
Columbia, S.C.
6:00 PM
Mississippi State
at
#5 South Carolina
No. 4 MSU Heads To No. 5 South Carolina For Big Monday Showdown
January 22, 2017 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Big Monday will be huge as the only two undefeated teams in the SEC face off in Columbia, S.C.
No. 4 Mississippi State and No. 5 South Carolina meet at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2 with the top spot in the SEC standings on the line.
The Bulldogs and Gamecocks enter Monday's game at Colonial Life Arena 6-0 in the SEC standings. MSU boasts a 20-0 overall record, the best start in program history, while South Carolina brings a 16-1 mark into the nationally-televised contest.
In addition to the ESPN2 broadcast, fans can listen in the Golden Triangle area on WKBB-FM 100.9 and in the Corinth, Tupelo and Oxford areas on WCNA-FM 95.9. Live audio streams will also be available on www.hailstate.com/plus and the TuneIn app.
Mississippi State continued its program-best start with a 67-54 road win at Alabama on Thursday. That victory not only gave MSU a fourth-straight 20-win campaign but it also notched its school-record ninth road win of the year.
State became the first men's or women's program to reach 20 wins this season. The Bulldogs and UConn remain the only undefeated women's teams. The pair joins Gonzaga as the country's only men's and women's teams without a loss.
South Carolina won its 10th-straight game with a 65-46 home win against Ole Miss. That victory improved the Gamecocks to 9-0 in Colonial Life Arena this season.
SERIES VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
No. 4 Mississippi State and No. 5 South Carolina meet at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2 with the top spot in the SEC standings on the line.
The Bulldogs and Gamecocks enter Monday's game at Colonial Life Arena 6-0 in the SEC standings. MSU boasts a 20-0 overall record, the best start in program history, while South Carolina brings a 16-1 mark into the nationally-televised contest.
In addition to the ESPN2 broadcast, fans can listen in the Golden Triangle area on WKBB-FM 100.9 and in the Corinth, Tupelo and Oxford areas on WCNA-FM 95.9. Live audio streams will also be available on www.hailstate.com/plus and the TuneIn app.
Mississippi State continued its program-best start with a 67-54 road win at Alabama on Thursday. That victory not only gave MSU a fourth-straight 20-win campaign but it also notched its school-record ninth road win of the year.
State became the first men's or women's program to reach 20 wins this season. The Bulldogs and UConn remain the only undefeated women's teams. The pair joins Gonzaga as the country's only men's and women's teams without a loss.
South Carolina won its 10th-straight game with a 65-46 home win against Ole Miss. That victory improved the Gamecocks to 9-0 in Colonial Life Arena this season.
SERIES VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
- Monday will be the 34th meeting between the two teams, the 16th in Columbia.
- South Carolina leads 17-16 and 10-5 in Columbia. The Gamecocks have won the last eight in the series after MSU took four in a row from 2008-10. USC took both meetings last season, winning 57-51 in Starkville and 66-52 in Jacksonville, Fla., in the SEC Tournament title game.
- State's last win in the series and in Columbia came Feb. 11, 2010 (55-53).
- South Carolina has won 10-straight games since its only setback of the season at Duke. The Gamecocks improved to 6-0 in league play with a 65-46 home win against Ole Miss on Thursday.
- South Carolina is 9-0 at Colonial Life Arena this season and has won 29-straight SEC home games.
- Four Gamecocks average double figures this season, led by A'Ja Wilson's 16.1 ppg. Alaina Coates records 14.7 ppg and 10.9 rpg. Wilson and Coates also lead five South Carolina players who average double digits in SEC contests.
- "We obviously have a big one on Monday night and are excited about that opportunity, because if you're a competitor, you love having these opportunities going against one of the best teams in the country, a tremendous coach and coaching staff, and a team that has played well all year long. They are very similar to us. They have had some of this team together for a while and other pieces of it are new, and they have really added on to that. This will be a tremendous challenge for us going in there. There will be 15-16,000 people in there hanging from the rafters, and there will be none of them hollering for us. Again, as a competitor, these are opportunities that you embrace and why you play the game. I am excited as a coach. I know that Johnnie [Harris] is, our staff, and our players are excited to have that opportunity. Hopefully our time on the road this year, as well in years past, and our seniors have prepared us for this opportunity." — Vic Schaefer
- Vs. Texas A&M – Jan. 29 at Humphrey Coliseum (3 p.m., SEC Network)
- at Auburn – Feb. 2 at Auburn (8 p.m., SEC Network)
- vs. Missouri – Feb. 5 at Humphrey Coliseum (1:30 p.m., ESPNU)
- Mississippi State claimed its fourth-straight season with 20 wins with Thursday's 67-54 win at Alabama. It matches the total number of 20-win seasons in program history prior to Schaefer's tenure as head coach.
- Thursday's win was also the Bulldogs' school-record ninth road win, bettering the previous mark set by the 2008-09 squad.
- The 20-0 start is the best in program history. The previous record was 18-0 in 2014-15.
- State is the first team — men's or women's — to 20 wins this season. The Dawgs and UConn are the nation's only undefeated women's teams. Gonzaga is the only unbeaten men's team.
- MSU has also opened SEC play 6-0 for the first time. It is now 28-10 in the SEC going back to 2014-15. That win total is second in the SEC in that span.
- The Bulldogs are now 38-32 in league contests under Schaefer. State has won nine-straight and 13 of its last 15 regular-season SEC games. The nine-game conference win streak is the best in school history.
- State is 97-29 (.770) since 2013-14, the second-most wins in the league in that span.
- MSU has held eight-straight opponents below 65 points. The Bulldogs are 17-0 this season, 92-21 under Schaefer, when doing so. State is tops in the SEC, eighth nationally, holding foes to 53.6 ppg this season.
- The Dawgs are fourth in the nation, first in the SEC, in 3-point defense, keeping opponents to 25.1%. SEC foes are 13 of 51 (25.5%) from the arc.
- MSU's 78.8 ppg scored this season is second in the league and 17th in the nation.
- State forced Alabama into a season-high 29 turnovers, scoring 28 points off those miscues. MSU has out-scored its last three opponents 77-30 off turnovers.
- Victoria Vivians scored double figures for the 14th-straight game on Thursday. She has 20-plus points in six of her last eight contests.
- Vivians is third in the SEC in scoring this season with 17.3 ppg. She is second in league games with 20.2 ppg.
- MSU centers Chinwe Okorie and Teaira McCowan are a combined 54 of 83 (65.1%) from the field in SEC play after combining to go 12 of 15 at Alabama.
- Junior Morgan William is averaging 5.3 assists her last three games.
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