Friday, March 24
Oklahoma City, Okla. (Chesapeake Energy Arena)
6:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
#12 Washington
Bulldogs Face Washington Friday In NCAA Sweet 16
March 23, 2017 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State has the opportunity to earn its first Elite Eight appearance in program history on Friday.
To do so, it will have to defeat a talented Washington Huskies team in the Oklahoma City Region semifinals at 6 p.m. in Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Friday's game between the second-seeded Bulldogs and third-seeded Huskies will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and online on WatchESPN.
Fans can listen to the radio broadcast on WKBB-FM 100.9 in the Golden Triangle and WCNA-FM 95.9 in Tupelo. A free live audio stream will be available at www.hailstate.com/plus.
Mississippi State earned a second-straight Sweet 16 appearance by knocking off Troy 110-69 and DePaul 92-71 last weekend in Starkville.
The pair of wins improved State's program-best record to 31-4 overall. Blair Schaefer sparked MSU to the opening-round wins, averaging 19.5 ppg and shooting 57.1 percent from the field and 53 percent from 3-point range.
Schaefer led an MSU squad that showed its versatile scoring ability, with nine players averaging 6.5 ppg or better in the opening two rounds. Junior Victoria Vivians averaged 12.5 ppg last Friday and Sunday, while Breanna Richardson capped her final two games in Humphrey Coliseum by scoring 11.0 ppg.
Washington earned a trip to the Sweet 16 by knocking off Oklahoma 108-82 on Monday in Seattle. The Huskies opened the tournament with a 91-63 win against Montana State.
UW is led by the nation's leading scorer, Kelsey Plum, who averages 31.8 ppg. The Huskies also have the nation's top rebounder in Chantel Osahor, who pulls down 15.4 boards per game to go with 15.8 ppg.
The winner of Friday's game will face either top-seeded Baylor or fourth-seeded Louisville Sunday at 6:30 p.m. in the region championship game.
BULLDOGS VS. WASHINGTON
To do so, it will have to defeat a talented Washington Huskies team in the Oklahoma City Region semifinals at 6 p.m. in Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Friday's game between the second-seeded Bulldogs and third-seeded Huskies will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and online on WatchESPN.
Fans can listen to the radio broadcast on WKBB-FM 100.9 in the Golden Triangle and WCNA-FM 95.9 in Tupelo. A free live audio stream will be available at www.hailstate.com/plus.
Mississippi State earned a second-straight Sweet 16 appearance by knocking off Troy 110-69 and DePaul 92-71 last weekend in Starkville.
The pair of wins improved State's program-best record to 31-4 overall. Blair Schaefer sparked MSU to the opening-round wins, averaging 19.5 ppg and shooting 57.1 percent from the field and 53 percent from 3-point range.
Schaefer led an MSU squad that showed its versatile scoring ability, with nine players averaging 6.5 ppg or better in the opening two rounds. Junior Victoria Vivians averaged 12.5 ppg last Friday and Sunday, while Breanna Richardson capped her final two games in Humphrey Coliseum by scoring 11.0 ppg.
Washington earned a trip to the Sweet 16 by knocking off Oklahoma 108-82 on Monday in Seattle. The Huskies opened the tournament with a 91-63 win against Montana State.
UW is led by the nation's leading scorer, Kelsey Plum, who averages 31.8 ppg. The Huskies also have the nation's top rebounder in Chantel Osahor, who pulls down 15.4 boards per game to go with 15.8 ppg.
The winner of Friday's game will face either top-seeded Baylor or fourth-seeded Louisville Sunday at 6:30 p.m. in the region championship game.
BULLDOGS VS. WASHINGTON
- Friday's Sweet 16 contest will be MSU's first meeting against Washington.
- The Huskies will be State's third Pac-12 foe to face this season. MSU defeated Oregon, another Sweet 16 participant, 75-63 in Honolulu, Hawaii, in the Rainbow Wahine Showdown. It also won at USC 76-72 on Dec. 18 to clinch the Women of Troy Classic.
- Washington comes to Oklahoma City 29-5 overall and 15-3 in Pac-12 action. The Huskies are the No. 3 seed in the OKC region.
- Washington defeated Montana State (91-63) and Oklahoma (108-82) in the first two rounds in Seattle.
- The Huskies are led by the NCAA all-time leading scorer Kelsey Plum, who averages 31.8 ppg and shoots 53.3% from the field and 42.9% from the 3-point line.
- Plum is the nation's leading scorer, while her teammate Chantel Osahor is the country's top rebounder, pulling down 15.4 rpg to go with 15.8 ppg.
- The winner of Friday's game will advance to Sunday's Oklahoma City region championship game to face the winner between top-seeded Baylor and fourth-seeded Louisville.
- Mississippi State heads to the Sweet 16 for the second-straight year and third time in program history. MSU has been to at least the second round in its last eight tournament appearances.
- This is the Bulldogs' ninth NCAA Tournament appearance. MSU is 11-8 all-time in the event.
- State is the No. 2 seed in the Oklahoma City region, the highest seed in school history. The OKC region is the only region that has the Top 4 seeds still in place.
- The Bulldogs earned a trip to OKC after defeating DePaul 92-71 last Sunday. It will be the program's first time to play in the state of Oklahoma.
- Last Sunday's win was MSU's program-best 31st of the season. MSU has set the single-season wins record each of the last three seasons (27 - 2014-15; 28 - 2015-16; 31 - 2016-17).
- Seniors Ketara Chapel, Dominique Dillingham, Breanna Richardson and Chinwe Okorie compiled a 61-9 (.871) career record at Humphrey Coliseum. They are the winningest class in program history, putting together an SEC second-best 108-33 (.766) career record.
- Vic Schaefer claimed his 200th win as a head coach with last Friday's opening-round win against Troy. He was tabbed one of four finalists for Naismith Coach of the Year.
- Schaefer and Mike Neighbors both served together on Gary Blair's staff at Arkansas.
- State averaged 101 ppg in the opening two rounds of the tournament, third-highest among tournament teams, shooting 46.2% from the field and 47.1% from 3-point range.
- Eight MSU players averaged 7.5 or more ppg in the opening two rounds of the tournament.
- The Bulldogs have set a single-season school record for points with 2,671 on the campaign.
- MSU is shooting 45.2% from the field its last five games. It is also making 45.2% from the field this season, the fourth-best percentage in school history and best since 2001-02.
- State held Troy and DePaul to 25% from 3-point range last weekend. The Dawgs are second in the SEC and eighth nationally holding teams to 27.2% from the arc this season.
- MSU set a school NCAA Tournament record with 26 made free throws in each of last weekend's games. State's 539 made free throws this season are second in the nation and third in school history. The Top 4 marks at MSU have been claimed each of the last four years.
- In the opening two rounds of the tournament, Blair Schaefer averaged 19.5 ppg, shooting 57.1% from the field, 53.3% from 3-point range and 87.5% at the free-throw line.
- Schaefer scored 39 points last weekend after notching 36 combined in the 16 games prior.
- Victoria Vivians scored at a 12.5 clip during the tournament's opening weekend. She moved into fourth at MSU in career scoring with 1,685 points.
- Senior Dominique Dillingham capped her final game in the Hump on Sunday by becoming the 25th MSU player to reach 1,000 points. She became the third State player this season to accomplish the feat, joining classmate Breanna Richardson and junior Morgan William.
- William is tied for second at MSU in career assists (457), six back of matching the top mark.
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