MSU Notches Highest AP Preseason Ranking At No. 6
October 31, 2018 | Women's Basketball
By Brock Turnipseed, Associate Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – As it prepares to open the 2018-19 season, Mississippi State women's basketball finds itself in familiar territory: the Associated Press Top 10.As Vic Schaefer and Teaira McCowan made the rounds at NCAA National Media Day in Bristol, Connecticut, on Wednesday, the reigning SEC champion and back-to-back National Finalist Bulldogs garnered their highest ranking in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 Poll as they debuted at No. 6.
The No. 6 ranking betters last season when MSU started the year at No. 7.
Schaefer's Bulldogs were picked to repeat after winning the first league title by an MSU women's program. MSU won a nation's-best 37 games, the second-most in SEC history, and did so behind the second-longest win streak in conference annals (32 games). State posted the first undefeated regular season by a league squad in 20 years.
State returns seven letterwinners from that squad, led by McCowan, who was named SEC Preseason Player of the Year and a candidate for the Lisa Leslie Award as the nation's top center.
McCowan is the nation's leading returning rebounder, pulling down 13.9 boards to go with 18.2 ppg last season. Newcomer Anriel Howard grabbed 12.2 rpg a year ago at Texas A&M, putting her third nationally among the top returning rebounders in Division I.
Mississippi State hosts NCAA Division II National Champion Central Missouri in a 6 p.m. exhibition on Nov. 2. The Bulldogs officially open the 2018-19 campaign in The Hump Nov. 6 against Southeast Missouri State.
General admission upper level season tickets can still be purchased online at www.hailstate.com/hoopsor by calling the MSU Ticket Office at 1-888-GO-DAWGS.
Players Mentioned
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