Women's Hoops Ranked 18th In Final USA Today Coaches Poll
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State closed the 2014-15 season No. 18 in the final USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll that was released Wednesday.
SEC Coach of the Year Vic Schaefer’s Bulldogs claimed a 17th-straight week in the poll after finishing the year 27-7 overall and 11-5 in the SEC en route to advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
MSU earned the No. 18 ranking after finishing the year 12th in the final Associated Press poll, the highest finish in that poll in program history.
Mississippi State set school records for overall and league wins while matching the best SEC finish in program annals with a third-place showing.
The fantastic season earned the program its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010. Playing in Durham, N.C., in the Spokane Regional, MSU won its fifth-straight opening round game 57-47 against Tulane before falling to host Duke 64-56.
Despite slipping four places, MSU stayed in the Top 20 the final 15 weeks of the year. The Bulldogs climbed as high as No. 13 (Feb. 23 and March 1).
Behind Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention Victoria Vivians and Second Team All-SEC selection Martha Alwal, Mississippi State earned its highest finish in the final USA Today Coaches Poll since the 2002-03 squad closed the year at No. 16.
The Preseason WNIT champion Bulldogs opened the campaign with a school-best 18-straight wins en route to claiming back-to-back 20-win seasons for just the second time in program history.
State was the first NCAA Division I men’s or women’s team to record 22 victories and one of the final three unbeaten women’s teams in the nation.
The Bulldogs were one of four SEC teams in the final ranking, joining No. 3 South Carolina, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 16 Kentucky.
Fans can celebrate the historic season April 15 at the Hail State Hoops Awards Banquet.
The event, held in Mize Pavilion starting at 6 p.m., costs $25 per person, and fans are encouraged to RSVP by calling (662) 325-0198 or emailing dbrown@athletics.msstate.edu by April 13.
USA Today/WBCA Coaches Top 25 Poll – Final (April 8, 2015)
Rank Team Record Pts. Pvs.
1 Connecticut (32) 38-1 800 1
2 Notre Dame 36-3 768 2
3 South Carolina 34-3 726 4
4 Maryland 34-3 714 3
5 Baylor 33-4 641 6
6 Tennessee 30-6 637 5
7 Florida St 32-5 635 7
8 Arizona St 29-6 533 9
9 North Carolina 26-9 516 12
10 Louisville 27-7 504 8
11 Iowa 26-8 388 15
12 Duke 23-11 382 16
13 Oregon St 27-5 371 10
14 Stanford 26-10 346 17
15 Princeton 31-1 334 13
16 Kentucky 24-10 328 11
17 Dayton 28-7 318 NR
18 Mississippi St 27-7 256 14
19 Gonzaga 26-8 190 NR
20 Ohio State 24-11 152 23
21 Florida Gulf Coast 31-3 147 21
22 Texas 24-11 133 NR
23 Rutgers 23-10 120 22
24 South Florida 27-8 83 25
25 George Washington 29-4 77 19
Dropped out: Chattanooga 18, Texas A&M 20, Seton Hall 24
Others receiving votes: Chattanooga 61, DePaul 52, Arkansas-Little Rock 51, Texas A&M 49, Seton Hall 20, Syracuse 17, UCLA 8, Iowa State 8, Oklahoma 7, West Virginia 7, California 6, James Madison 4, Western Kentucky 3, Green Bay 3, St. John's 2, Miami (FL) 2, Tulane 1.