PREVIEW: WBK Hoops at Duel in the Desert

by Josh Lively, Assistant Director/Communications

LAS VEGAS – Mississippi State is set for its second regular-season tournament of the year, competing in the Duel in the Desert at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Thursday and Saturday.

The 15th-ranked Bulldogs opened with a 86-61 victory against South Florida to earn a spot in the championship game. State will take on Virginia for the title at 4:30 p.m. CT on Saturday.

Fans can stream the whole tournament online through FloHoops (LINK) with a paid subscription. A monthly subscription costs $29.99 per month and can be canceled at any time. NOTE: If fans purchased a subscription for the Greater Victoria Invitational, the month subscription should also cover these games as long as the subscription was purchased after Nov. 21.

The games will also be carried by the MSU Radio Network and can be streamed on HailState.com/plus and the Tune In app.

The last time the Bulldogs played in the Duel in the Desert was 2017, when State brought home the title after claiming wins over a ranked Syracuse squad and UNLV. This also marks the last time MSU won a regular-season tournament, as the team didn't play in one last year.

Mississippi State enters the tournament following a 64-48 victory at Louisiana on Monday. Jordan Danberry notched the first double-double of her career with 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in the game. The graduate guard leads the team in steals (31) and ranks second in scoring (13.3 ppg) and assists (30).

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 12 games. This season, the Bulldogs own wins at Marquette, Louisiana 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 101 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 14.0 points, 10.7 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 (2.8 spg) and ranks second in scoring (13.3 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 11.3 points per game and is shooting 45 percent from the field. She has scored in double figures in five of the last seven 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 won the 2017 edition of the Duel in the Desert, defeating Syracuse and UNLV en route to the title. It marks the last time MSU won a regular-season tournament after the squad didn't play in one last season.

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.

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 11 games, State ranks seventh the nation in scoring offense at 84.7 ppg and ranks ninth in scoring margin (+27.3).
• With five players shooting over 50 percent from the field, the Bulldogs rank 17th in the country and top the SEC in field-goal percentage with a .471 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 fifth in the SEC in assist/turnover ratio (1.07).
• When the Bulldogs aren't knocking down shots, State is crashing the glass to get a second opportunity at a basket. With 177 offensive rebounds on the season, Mississippi State has gotten the rebound on 44 percent of its missed baskets and turned that into 206 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 22.6 turnovers per game. That number ranks 16th in the nation and second in the SEC.
• The Bulldogs have been excellent at rejecting shots with an average of 6.1 blocks per game, which is eighth in the Division I. Jessika Carter has led the charge by posting 2.4 bpg this season to rank 21st 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 with 10.2 steals per game. Jordan Danberry is pacing the team in the category with 2.8 spg to rank third in league and 34th 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 36 charges, led by 20 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 101 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.

Bulldogs Own Nation's Longest Road Win Streak
• With the win at Louisiana giving MSU 12 straight road wins, Mississippi State extended the nation's longest road win streak.
• UConn is second with a 11-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, Marquette and Louisiana.
• 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 25-1 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.

PREVIEW: WBK Hoops at Duel in the Desert

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Players Mentioned

Jessika Carter

Jordan Danberry

Rickea Jackson

Teaira McCowan

Myah Taylor

Victoria Vivians

Mississippi State University Athletics