Friday, March 31
Dallas, Texas (American Airlines Center)
9:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
#1 UConn
Bulldogs Set To Face UConn Friday In Final Four
March 30, 2017 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – For the first time in program history, the season's final weekend includes the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
The second-seeded Bulldogs play in the Final Four for the first time on Friday, taking on No. 1 overall seed UConn in a 9 p.m. tip at American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
The contest follows the first semifinal between South Carolina and Stanford. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN2 and the WatchESPN app.
Jason Crowder and Charlie Winfield will have the radio call on the MSU Radio Network and www.hailstate.com/plus.
The national radio broadcast will come on Sirius/XM, College Sports Nation, channel 84 and online on www.ncaa.com. Fans can also listen via TuneIn and the NCAA March Madness app.
The Bulldogs punched their first ticket to the Final Four by knocking off top-seeded Baylor 94-85 in overtime at the Oklahoma City Regional championship.
Junior Morgan William earned Most Outstanding Player honors after knocking down 41 points, the most ever by an SEC player in the NCAA Tournament.
Fellow junior Victoria Vivians, who is averaging 15.5 ppg in the NCAA Tournament, knocked down 24 points in the regional title game en route to earning all-region team honors.
Sophomore Teaira McCowan continued her stellar NCAA Tournament play in OKC. Averaging 13.3 points and 9.8 rebounds in the tournament, the Brenham, Texas, native earned all-region honors after tallying 26 points and 12 rebounds against Washington in the Sweet 16 and 10 points two days later against Baylor.
While the Bulldogs are making their first appearance in the Final Four, UConn is playing in the national semifinal for the 10th-straight season. The Huskies boast a 36-0 record and have won 111-straight games.
BULLDOGS VS. UCONN
QUOTABLE
"We're glad to be here. We're really excited about our opportunity. I'm really proud of my team. We've had really a special year at 33-4. Coming through the schedule that we've had, I believe the comments made when the bracket came out was we were in the 'spicy region', and anyone who come out of that region would be battle-tested and ready. We came out of that region. I'm really proud of our kids for their effort. It took an extraordinary effort to get out of that region, beginning with the two games at our place, then going on to play in Washington, the leading scorer in the history of the game, and having to deal with Kelsey Plum.
"Then beating a really good Baylor team, obviously, that was so talented, with seven McDonald's All-Americans. Obviously they were a team that was favored to get here, but our kids found a way. They have all year. It's been that way all year with this team. They've been great all year long, in the moment. They've embraced those opportunities. We know we have a tremendous challenge in front of us going against a team that's the best program in the history of the game, coached by the best coach in the history of the game, men or women. We know what's in front of us. We've had to deal with it before. Obviously we dealt with it last year, and it wasn't a real good experience. But I think we've grown from that day and we've learned from it. We're going to do our very best to play a really good ballgame tomorrow night.
"Again, these kids have earned the right to be here, make no mistake about it. I'm just proud to be their coach. We're looking forward to an opportunity tomorrow night in Dallas."
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
BULLDOG BITES
The second-seeded Bulldogs play in the Final Four for the first time on Friday, taking on No. 1 overall seed UConn in a 9 p.m. tip at American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
The contest follows the first semifinal between South Carolina and Stanford. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN2 and the WatchESPN app.
Jason Crowder and Charlie Winfield will have the radio call on the MSU Radio Network and www.hailstate.com/plus.
The national radio broadcast will come on Sirius/XM, College Sports Nation, channel 84 and online on www.ncaa.com. Fans can also listen via TuneIn and the NCAA March Madness app.
The Bulldogs punched their first ticket to the Final Four by knocking off top-seeded Baylor 94-85 in overtime at the Oklahoma City Regional championship.
Junior Morgan William earned Most Outstanding Player honors after knocking down 41 points, the most ever by an SEC player in the NCAA Tournament.
Fellow junior Victoria Vivians, who is averaging 15.5 ppg in the NCAA Tournament, knocked down 24 points in the regional title game en route to earning all-region team honors.
Sophomore Teaira McCowan continued her stellar NCAA Tournament play in OKC. Averaging 13.3 points and 9.8 rebounds in the tournament, the Brenham, Texas, native earned all-region honors after tallying 26 points and 12 rebounds against Washington in the Sweet 16 and 10 points two days later against Baylor.
While the Bulldogs are making their first appearance in the Final Four, UConn is playing in the national semifinal for the 10th-straight season. The Huskies boast a 36-0 record and have won 111-straight games.
BULLDOGS VS. UCONN
- Friday will be the second meeting between MSU and UConn, with the first coming in last year's Sweet 16 in Bridgeport.
- The Huskies won that contest 98-38.
QUOTABLE
"We're glad to be here. We're really excited about our opportunity. I'm really proud of my team. We've had really a special year at 33-4. Coming through the schedule that we've had, I believe the comments made when the bracket came out was we were in the 'spicy region', and anyone who come out of that region would be battle-tested and ready. We came out of that region. I'm really proud of our kids for their effort. It took an extraordinary effort to get out of that region, beginning with the two games at our place, then going on to play in Washington, the leading scorer in the history of the game, and having to deal with Kelsey Plum.
"Then beating a really good Baylor team, obviously, that was so talented, with seven McDonald's All-Americans. Obviously they were a team that was favored to get here, but our kids found a way. They have all year. It's been that way all year with this team. They've been great all year long, in the moment. They've embraced those opportunities. We know we have a tremendous challenge in front of us going against a team that's the best program in the history of the game, coached by the best coach in the history of the game, men or women. We know what's in front of us. We've had to deal with it before. Obviously we dealt with it last year, and it wasn't a real good experience. But I think we've grown from that day and we've learned from it. We're going to do our very best to play a really good ballgame tomorrow night.
"Again, these kids have earned the right to be here, make no mistake about it. I'm just proud to be their coach. We're looking forward to an opportunity tomorrow night in Dallas."
- Vic Schaefer, Mississippi State Head Coach
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
- Connecticut advanced to its 10th-straight Final Four with a 90-52 win against Oregon in Monday's Bridgeport Regional final.
- The Huskies improved to 36-0 on the season and claimed their 111th-straight win behind 28 points from Napheesa Collier and 25 from Gabby Williams.
- Collier paces UConn with 20.6 ppg, while Katie Lou Samuelson follows with 20.3 ppg.
BULLDOG BITES
- Mississippi State will be playing in the Final Four for the first time in program history.
- MSU claimed the Oklahoma City Regional title with a 94-85 win against top-seeded Baylor.
- The Bulldogs make their Final Four debut in their ninth NCAA Tournament appearance. MSU is 13-8 all-time in the Big Dance.
- This will be the second Final Four in MSU's history, as the 1996 men's squad earned the school's first appearance in the national semifinal. State is one of five SEC schools (Georgia, LSU, Arkansas, South Carolina) to have a men's and women's Final Four appearance.
- MSU is the third-straight school Vic Schaefer has helped take to the Final Four. He was part of the staffs at Arkansas and Texas A&M that went to the Final Four.
- State defeated its highest-ranked foe since knocking off No. 2 Georgia on March 4, 2000.
- Sunday's win was MSU's program-best 33rd of the season. MSU has set the single-season wins record each of the last three seasons (27 - 2014-15; 28 - 2015-16; 33 - 2016-17).
- The Final Four appearance adds another milestone for seniors Ketara Chapel, Dominique Dillingham, Breanna Richardson and Chinwe Okorie, who are the winningest class in program history with an SEC second-best 110-33 (.769) career record.
- Vic Schaefer is one of four finalists for Naismith Coach of the Year. He was also named a regional coach of the year by the WBCA.
- Victoria Vivians was named an Associated Press Third Team All-American, while Morgan William was an honorable mention selection. Vivians is also a WBCA All-America region finalist.
- William was named the Oklahoma City Regional Most Outstanding Player after scoring a career-best 41 points and dishing seven assists against Baylor.
- William's 41 points is the most ever by an SEC player in the NCAA Tournament, the eighth-most in MSU single-game records and tied for third-most in an NCAA Regional.
- William also became Mississippi State's all-time career assists leader with 470. She tied the mark against Washington and averaged 6.5 apg in the two contests.
- Victoria Vivians was named to the Oklahoma City All-Region Team along with Teaira McCowan. Vivians averaged 18.5 ppg in the two games, while McCowan averaged 18 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in the games.
- McCowan scored a career-best 26 points in the region semifinal against Washington, tallying 20 points and seven rebounds in the fourth quarter.
- MSU owns school season records for scoring (2,840 points) and assists (555). The Bulldogs' 72.8% free-throw percentage is tied for the top mark in program annals.
- MSU's four turnovers was the fewest a team has had against Baylor this season.
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