PREVIEW: #6 WBK Hoops at South Florida

TAMPA, Fla. – No. 6 Mississippi State hits the road for the first time this season, as the Bulldogs face South Florida at the Yuengling Center on Saturday, Dec. 5, for a 6 p.m. CT tip.

The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with Jim Louk (play-by-play) and Leah Secondo (analyst) on the call. The matchup can also be streamed on the MSU Radio Network with Jason Crowder.

Mississippi State moved to 2-0 on Wednesday, as the Bulldogs dominated New Orleans in a 106-51 victory. Jessika Carter recorded her first double-double of the season after leading all players with 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting, 10 boards and three assists. JaMya Mingo-Young continued her hot start, notching a career-high 18 points to go along with eight rebounds, a career-high-tying five assists and two steals. The sophomore guard was nearly perfect from the field, knocking down eight of her nine shots.

This will be the fourth meeting between State and the Bulls (1-1), with MSU leading the all-time series 2-1. Last year, the two squads battled it out during the first game of the Duel in the Desert tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. After USF pulled within one point in the third quarter, the Bulldogs used a 35-11 run to end the game wo win 86-61.

USF, the preseason favorites to win the American Athletic Conference this season, are coming off a tough 67-62 loss at home to No. 4 Baylor on Tuesday. The Bulls return a lot of key pieces from last year's team and offer a quality non-conference test for MSU before going into SEC play.

Bulldog Storylines

Mississippi State enters a new era during the 2020-21 campaign, as women's basketball hall of famer Nikki McCray-Penson takes the helm of the women's basketball program. The Collierville, Tenn., native boasts a decorated resume to this point in her career.
- 2017 National Championship
- 2x Olympic Gold Medalist
- 2x SEC Player of the Year
- 3x WNBA All-Star
- 1997 ABL MVP
- 1997 ABL Championship
Since the start of the 2016-17 campaign, Mississippi State owns 133 wins, which is tied for the second-most victories in all of Division I. The Bulldogs are tied with Baylor for second, while UConn leads the way with 136 wins.
With MSU being tabbed No. 6 in the most recent poll, the Bulldogs have now spent 116 consecutive weeks inside the AP Top 25, continuing the longest streak in program history and the fifth-longest active streak in the country.
During the last few years, Mississippi State has developed into one of the top scoring offenses in the nation. The Bulldogs ranked inside the top 25 in scoring during each of the last four seasons.
State returns three starters from last year's squad, and they've each earned preseason recognition for their talent. Rickea Jackson and Jessika Carter are both candidates for the Naismith Trophy and Wade Trophy, while point guard Myah Taylor made the Nancy Lieberman Award preseason watch list.
Rickea Jackson led the Bulldogs in scoring last year with 15.1 ppg. The second team All-SEC selection posted eight games with 20-plus points and recorded four double-doubles.
After stepping into a starting role last year, Jessika Carter led the team in rebounding (8.7 rpg), blocks (1.8 bpg), field goal percentage (.585) and double-doubles (11) and was second on the team in scoring (13.0 ppg).
Myah Taylor quietly put together a strong season in 2019-20. The Olive Branch, Miss., native ranked eighth in the country and led the SEC in assist/turnover ratio at 2.80. She paced the Bulldogs in assists (151) and ranked second in steals (63) while also averaging 5.6 points per game on 46 percent shooting.
Prior to the 2019 class, the Mississippi State women's basketball team had never signed a McDonald's All-American. Entering this season, the Bulldogs boast three All-Americans in National Player of the Year candidate Rickea Jackson, Michigan State transfer Sidney Cooks and five-star freshman Madison Hayes.

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