Schaefer, Vivians, McCowan Collect National Honors
March 31, 2018 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After an overtime win to advance to the national championship game for the second-straight year, Vic Schaefer, Teaira McCowan and Victoria Vivians earned more national accolades on Saturday.
Schaefer was named the Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year and McCowan was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year presented by Bona.
Vivians won the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award for the nation's top shooting guard.
Schaefer guided this season's Bulldog squad back to the national championship game after leading MSU to the program's first Southeastern Conference regular-season championship, the first for any Bulldog women's program.
Mississippi State claimed the school's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Friday's win against Louisville notched MSU its 37thwin of the season, a school record and the most victories in the nation.
The Bulldogs began the year winning 32-straight games, the second-longest win streak in SEC history. State also completed the regular season 30-0, the first SEC team to do so in 20 years.
His 2017-18 Bulldog squad scored a school-record 3,106 points, an 81.7 average that would also be tops in program annals.
State has also posted the second-best field goal percentage in school history (47.1 percent) while hitting a school-record 274 3-pointers at a program-best 39.3 percent clip.
The Dawgs have also been stellar on defense, rating in the Top 15 in the country in scoring defense, allowing 56.3 ppg. MSU has turned foes over an SEC third-best 18.4 per-game clip. While it turns foes over at one of the country's best clips, it also has been one of the best in Division I at protecting the basketball, committing an NCAA third-fewest 10.7 turnovers per game.
Schaefer was also named WBCA and USBWA Coach of the Year.
McCowan was named the first Defensive Player of the Year after an All-American season that saw her average 18.2 ppg and an NCAA Division I second-most 13.9 rpg.
The SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year recorded a school-record 527 rebounds this season, the second-most in SEC history. McCowan claimed an SEC record for double-doubles in a season with 21 points and 25 rebounds in Friday's win against Louisville.
The 25 rebounds were a Final Four record and the second-most in NCAA Tournament history. That performance was also her 28thdouble-double of the season, an SEC single-season record and second-most in the country.
Friday was her fifth 20-point, 20-rebound game of the season.
McCowan has also averaged 2.1 blocked shots per game, fourth-most in the SEC.
Offensively she has reached double figures 31 times, including 15 20-point efforts, five 30-point showings and a 41-point tally.
Vivians' latest accolade comes after she was named a First Team All-American by USA Today, the Associated Press and the WBCA. She was also a second team honoree by USBWA and a third-team selection by ESPNW.
The senior from Carthage, Miss., has averaged a career-best 19.8 ppg, scoring 752 points that rank third in MSU history.
Vivians has enjoyed her most efficient season from the field, knocking down 48.6 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3-point range and 80.9 percent at the line.
The Kansas City Regional Co-Most Outstanding Player has averaged 21.2 ppg and grabbed 6.4 rpg in the NCAA Tournament while hitting 49.4 percent from the field and 52.6 percent from the 3-point arc.
She has scored double figures in 37 of MSU's 38 games this season. Vivians recorded 20 points 19 times on the year, including 25 on Friday against Louisville after netting 24 in MSU's Elite Eight win against UCLA.
Mississippi State faces Notre Dame in Sunday's NCAA national title game. Tip from Nationwide Arena is set for 5 p.m. CT on ESPN, the MSU Radio Network and Westwood One Radio.
Schaefer was named the Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year and McCowan was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year presented by Bona.
Vivians won the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award for the nation's top shooting guard.
Schaefer guided this season's Bulldog squad back to the national championship game after leading MSU to the program's first Southeastern Conference regular-season championship, the first for any Bulldog women's program.
Mississippi State claimed the school's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Friday's win against Louisville notched MSU its 37thwin of the season, a school record and the most victories in the nation.
The Bulldogs began the year winning 32-straight games, the second-longest win streak in SEC history. State also completed the regular season 30-0, the first SEC team to do so in 20 years.
His 2017-18 Bulldog squad scored a school-record 3,106 points, an 81.7 average that would also be tops in program annals.
State has also posted the second-best field goal percentage in school history (47.1 percent) while hitting a school-record 274 3-pointers at a program-best 39.3 percent clip.
The Dawgs have also been stellar on defense, rating in the Top 15 in the country in scoring defense, allowing 56.3 ppg. MSU has turned foes over an SEC third-best 18.4 per-game clip. While it turns foes over at one of the country's best clips, it also has been one of the best in Division I at protecting the basketball, committing an NCAA third-fewest 10.7 turnovers per game.
Schaefer was also named WBCA and USBWA Coach of the Year.
McCowan was named the first Defensive Player of the Year after an All-American season that saw her average 18.2 ppg and an NCAA Division I second-most 13.9 rpg.
The SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year recorded a school-record 527 rebounds this season, the second-most in SEC history. McCowan claimed an SEC record for double-doubles in a season with 21 points and 25 rebounds in Friday's win against Louisville.
The 25 rebounds were a Final Four record and the second-most in NCAA Tournament history. That performance was also her 28thdouble-double of the season, an SEC single-season record and second-most in the country.
Friday was her fifth 20-point, 20-rebound game of the season.
McCowan has also averaged 2.1 blocked shots per game, fourth-most in the SEC.
Offensively she has reached double figures 31 times, including 15 20-point efforts, five 30-point showings and a 41-point tally.
Vivians' latest accolade comes after she was named a First Team All-American by USA Today, the Associated Press and the WBCA. She was also a second team honoree by USBWA and a third-team selection by ESPNW.
The senior from Carthage, Miss., has averaged a career-best 19.8 ppg, scoring 752 points that rank third in MSU history.
Vivians has enjoyed her most efficient season from the field, knocking down 48.6 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3-point range and 80.9 percent at the line.
The Kansas City Regional Co-Most Outstanding Player has averaged 21.2 ppg and grabbed 6.4 rpg in the NCAA Tournament while hitting 49.4 percent from the field and 52.6 percent from the 3-point arc.
She has scored double figures in 37 of MSU's 38 games this season. Vivians recorded 20 points 19 times on the year, including 25 on Friday against Louisville after netting 24 in MSU's Elite Eight win against UCLA.
Mississippi State faces Notre Dame in Sunday's NCAA national title game. Tip from Nationwide Arena is set for 5 p.m. CT on ESPN, the MSU Radio Network and Westwood One Radio.
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