No. 11 MSU Tips SEC Tournament Friday Against No. 12 Kentucy
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Postseason action tips off for No. 11/13 Mississippi State on Friday as the Bulldogs open SEC Tournament play on Friday in Little Rock, Ark.
Tip-off from Verizon Arena is set for 8:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally on the SEC Network, with Paul Sunderland, Carolyn Peck and Steffi Sorensen providing courtside commentary. Jason Crowder and Charlie Winfield will have the radio broadcast of the game in the Golden Triangle area on WKBB 100.9 and WXWX 96.3.
As the No. 3 seed, the Bulldogs earned a double-bye directly to the quarterfinals and will face the Wildcats, who knocked off Vanderbilt Thursday night.
In Sunday’s regular season finale, MSU claimed a 55-47 victory against archrival Ole Miss in front of 7,326 fans at Humphrey Coliseum, the largest crowd to ever watch a women’s basketball game in the state of Mississippi. The win improved Mississippi State’s record to 26-5 overall and 11-5 in conference games, both program records for wins in a season.
The stellar season in Starkville brought numerous SEC accolades for the Bulldogs. Head coach Vic Schaefer was chosen as SEC Co-Coach of the Year, only the second MSU coach to receive the honor, while Victoria Vivians and Martha Alwal were selected as Second Team All-SEC members. Alwal was also named to the All-Defensive team, while Vivians and Morgan William earned All-Freshman team honors.
Vivians wrapped the regular season as the league’s leading scorer at 15.0 points per game and was also named a finalist for the Gillom Trophy, presented to Mississippi’s top women’s player.
The Bulldogs are 15-35 all-time in the SEC Tournament, including a 2-3 mark in Little Rock. Last season, MSU defeated Missouri, 73-70, in the opening round in Duluth, Ga. before falling 71-67 to Florida in the second round.
A victory on Friday would clinch Mississippi State’s fourth trip to conference semifinals in school history and the first appearance since 2010. Should the Bulldogs win, they would play at approximately 6:25 p.m. on Saturday in a contest that can be seen on ESPNU.
Following the conclusion of the SEC Tournament, MSU will await its NCAA Tournament destination. The Women’s Basketball Selection Show will air live on March 15 at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN, with the first two rounds of the Big Dance taking place on March 20-23.