Vivians Named Semifinalist For Naismith Trophy
February 25, 2018 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Having the best season of her career, Mississippi State senior Victoria Vivians has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2018 Citizen Naismith Player of the Year Trophy.
Vivians is one of two SEC players in the semifinals for the award, joining South Carolina's A'ja Wilson.
Vivians has led Mississippi State to its first Southeastern Conference regular-season championship and a perfect 30-0 record averaging an SEC third-best 19.7 ppg.
Her prolific scoring ability has helped the Bulldogs to the most wins in the nation, the second-longest win streak in SEC history and the first undefeated season by a conference team since 1997-98.
The Carthage, Miss., native has notched the best percentages of her career from the field (49.7 percent), 3-point range (39.8 percent) and the free-throw line (82.9 percent).
Vivians has scored double figures in 29 of State's 30 games, including 14 20-point outings and a pair of 30-point contests. She has also excelled on the glass, hauling in a personal-best 6.0 rebounds per game.
She led MSU in its school-record 16-straight SEC wins, averaging a league fourth-most 19.6 ppg. She has shot 46.1 percent from the field against conference foes, including a 38.1-percent tally from the arc and an 83-percent clip from the line.
Vivians and the Bulldogs earned the top seed in the SEC Tournament for the first time. State plays either Alabama or Kentucky at noon CT Friday in Nashville, Tenn.
2018 Citizen Naismith Trophy Semifinalists
Vivians is one of two SEC players in the semifinals for the award, joining South Carolina's A'ja Wilson.
Vivians has led Mississippi State to its first Southeastern Conference regular-season championship and a perfect 30-0 record averaging an SEC third-best 19.7 ppg.
Her prolific scoring ability has helped the Bulldogs to the most wins in the nation, the second-longest win streak in SEC history and the first undefeated season by a conference team since 1997-98.
The Carthage, Miss., native has notched the best percentages of her career from the field (49.7 percent), 3-point range (39.8 percent) and the free-throw line (82.9 percent).
Vivians has scored double figures in 29 of State's 30 games, including 14 20-point outings and a pair of 30-point contests. She has also excelled on the glass, hauling in a personal-best 6.0 rebounds per game.
She led MSU in its school-record 16-straight SEC wins, averaging a league fourth-most 19.6 ppg. She has shot 46.1 percent from the field against conference foes, including a 38.1-percent tally from the arc and an 83-percent clip from the line.
Vivians and the Bulldogs earned the top seed in the SEC Tournament for the first time. State plays either Alabama or Kentucky at noon CT Friday in Nashville, Tenn.
2018 Citizen Naismith Trophy Semifinalists
| Brown | Kalani | Junior | C | Baylor |
| Canada | Jordin | Senior | G | UCLA |
| Durr | Asia | Junior | G | Louisville |
| Ionescu | Sabrina | Sophomore | G | Oregon |
| Mitchell | Kelsey | Senior | G | Ohio State |
| Ogunbowale | Arike | Junior | G | Notre Dame |
| Samuelson | Katie Lou | Junior | G/F | UCONN |
| Vivians | Victoria | Senior | G | Mississippi State |
| Williams | Gabby | Senior | F | UCONN |
| Wilson | A'ja | Senior | F | South Carolina |
Players Mentioned
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