PREVIEW: WBK Hoops at Louisiana

by Josh Lively, Assistant Director/Communications

LAFAYETTE, La. – Mississippi State is back in action after an eight-day hiatus, taking on Louisiana in the Cajundome at 11 a.m. on Monday.

The 15th-ranked Bulldogs (8-2) are looking to extend their 11-game road win streak, the longest active streak in Division I. The matchup kicks off a busy week for State, as the team is set to head to Las Vegas for the 2019 Duel in the Desert tournament afterwards.

Monday's contest will mark the third straight season that Mississippi State and Louisiana have met on the hardwood. The Bulldogs won last year's meeting, 104-36, at home. All time, State is a perfect 11-0 against the Ragin' Cajuns.

The game will be broadcasted online through ESPN+. It will also be carried by the MSU Radio Network and can be streamed free on HailState.com/plus and the Tune In app.

For more information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's basketball on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateWBK."

Bulldog Bites
• Mississippi State is coming off a 2018-19 campaign that saw the Bulldogs post a 15-1 conference record to clinch the second title in program history. State followed that up by winning the team's first ever SEC Tournament Championship with a commanding 101-70 victory over Arkansas and then earning a third straight Elite Eight appearance.
• The Bulldogs entered the 2019-20 season with their sights set on a third consecutive SEC title, a feat that no program has accomplished outright since 2001-04.
• Mississippi State owns the nation's longest road winning streak at 11 games. This season, the Bulldogs own wins at Marquette and Jackson State. (See note on Page 5)
• After being ranked in every AP Top 25 poll this season, State has been in the AP rankings for 100 straight weeks. (See note on Page 4)
• With the departure of SEC Player of the Year Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State had a major void to fill in the post this season. Sophomore forward Jessika Carter has answered that need, leading the team with 14.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. As a sophomore, McCowan averaged 8.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
• Graduate guard Jordan Danberry was granted a fifth year of eligibility by the NCAA in August after not redshirting when she transferred to Mississippi State in January 2017. This season, she leads the team in steals (2.9 spg) and ranks second in scoring (13.4 ppg) and assists (2.7 apg).
• Rickea Jackson has shown why she was one of the top players in last year's signing class. The freshman forward is third on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game and is shooting 46 percent from the field. She has scored in double figures in five of the last six games and had a team-high 15 points against No. 3 Stanford. She's the first true freshman to start the season for Schaefer since Victoria Vivians in 2014-15.
• With the victory at Marquette on 11/25/19, Vic Schaefer's claimed his 200th win at MSU in just his 256 game, making him the second-fastest coach to ever achieve that with an SEC program. (See note on Page 6)
• Mississippi State ranks inside the top 10 in the country in scoring offense (86.8 ppg/3rd), turnover margin (10.7/4th), blocks (6.2 bpg/6th) and scoring margin (28.4/8th).

Bulldogs Own Nation's Longest Road Win Streak
• With the win at Marquette giving MSU 11 straight road wins, Mississippi State extended the nation's longest road win streak.
• UConn is second with a 10-game winning streak followed by Baylor (9), South Carolina (7) and a three-way tie for fifth with six wins.
• So far this season, State owns wins at Jackson State and Marquette.
• Last year, the Bulldogs ended the season by going a perfect 8-0 in SEC Road Games along with securing a victory at Washington in December.
• Since the 2017-18 season, MSU has posted a combined 24-1 record in road games. In that stretch, State boasted a program-record 13-game road win streak before falling at No. 7 Oregon on Dec. 18, 2018.
• As one of the nation's top teams away from home, the Bulldogs have beaten five ranked teams on their home courts since 2017-18, including four top-15 opponents.

State's Offense Among Best in the Country
• Although Vic Schaefer's teams are widely known for their defense, Mississippi State has established itself as one of the best offensive teams in Division I.
• Through 10 games, State ranks third the nation in scoring offense at 86.8 ppg and ranks eighth in scoring margin (+28.4).
• With five players shooting over 50 percent from the field, the Bulldogs rank 11th in the country and top the SEC in field-goal percentage with a .476 clip.
• Another key to MSU's early offensive success has been its ability to take care of the ball and make the extra passes for better shots. State ranks second in the SEC and 31st in the country in assist/turnover ratio (1.20).
• When the Bulldogs aren't knocking down shots, State is crashing the glass to get a second opportunity at a basket. With 158 offensive rebounds on the season, Mississippi State has gotten the rebound on 44 percent of its missed baskets and turned that into 187 second-chance points.

Secretary of Defense
• Vic Schaefer's teams have always had a major emphasis on one area: defense. If you want to play for him, you have to play lockdown, tenacious and suffocating defense for 40 minutes every game. It's this expectation and mentality that has earned Schaefer the nickname "Secretary of Defense."
• So far this season, State's relentless defense has forced opponents into turning the ball over 229 times for an average of 22.9 turnovers per game. That number ranks 15th in the nation and leads the SEC.
• The Bulldogs have been excellent at rejecting shots with an average of 6.2 blocks per game, which is sixth in the Division I. Jessika Carter has led the charge by posting 2.4 bpg this season to rank 19th in the country and third in the SEC. The sophomore forward has four games with three or more blocks on the year.
• State's on-ball pressure has been suffocating all season, especially in the press. MSU ranks second in the SEC and 56th in the country with 10.4 steals per game. Jordan Danberry is pacing the team in the category with 2.9 spg to rank third in league and 30th in the nation.
• While there is no ranking for the stat, Mississippi State certainly ranks amongst the country's best teams at drawing charges. So far, the Bulldogs have taken 33 charges, led by 19 from Myah Taylor.

Bulldogs in the AP Rankings
• On Nov. 24, 2014, the Associated Press voted Mississippi State back into the top 25 for the first time in four years. With MSU earning a spot in the preseason poll heading into the 2019-20 season, the Bulldogs have now spent 100 consecutive weeks inside the AP Top 25, marking the longest streak in program history.
• During the stretch, State was ranked inside the top 10 for 63 total weeks, including five weeks this season.
• Since beginning the streak, MSU has been ranked as a top-five team for 33 weeks, including a stretch of 14 straight weeks during the 2017-18 season.
• When the preseason rankings came out on Oct. 30, Mississippi State earned its eighth preseason ranking in program history, checking in at No. 10 in the country.

MSU Set for Duel in the Desert
• With one tournament in the books, Mississippi State will head to Las Vegas later this month to compete in the Duel in the Desert.
• The Bulldogs won the 2017 edition of the tournament after defeating host UNLV and a ranked Syracuse squad.
• This time around, MSU opens with South Florida, who was ranked inside the top 25 for part of the season, on Dec. 19 at Cox Pavilion.
• Pending on the results, the Bulldogs will then face either host UNLV or Virginia on Dec. 21.

PREVIEW: WBK Hoops at Louisiana

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Players Mentioned

Jessika Carter

Jordan Danberry

Rickea Jackson

Teaira McCowan

Myah Taylor

Victoria Vivians

Mississippi State University Athletics