MSU meets challenges one by one
One by one the Mississippi State Bulldogs keep meeting the challenges in Southeastern Conference women's basketball.
MSU won again on Monday night when it defeated Georgia 67-53 in the second battle of the Bulldogs this season.
Head coach Vic Schaefer's State team has once again reached the 20-win mark, remains on track for another NCAA Tournament appearance and stays in contention for another SEC regular season title.
Schaefer often calls the SEC “the biggest, baddest conference in the country.” It's hard to dispute that claim.
The SEC continues to produce some of the best teams in the women's game.
Just look at this week's poll. South Carolina is the No. 1 team in The Associated Press rankings and has played like the best team in the nation. Schaefer's Bulldogs come in at No. 8 and continue to be a consistent top 10 team. Kentucky, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Arkansas can be found in the top 25 this week.
Even though Georgia isn't ranked, the Bulldogs of coach Joni Taylor can be considered one of the most physical teams in the league.
It was a very hard-nosed game against Georgia at Humphrey Coliseum as several players hit the court in pain, but MSU found a way to be the tougher group of Bulldogs.
Even though it may not have been its best game played this season, State took care of the basketball on the way to the victory. The Bulldogs of the Magnolia State only had one turnover at halftime as they took a 34-25 lead.
MSU'S Jessika Carter, a native of Waverly Hall, Georgia, recorded another double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The sophomore continues to round her game into form as the next quality post player for Schaefer, following in the footsteps of Teaira Mccowan and Martha Alwal.
This is another big week for State with three games in seven days. The Bulldogs travel to No. 23 Tennessee on Thursday and host No. 16 Texas A&M on Sunday.
There's no rest for the weary. Monday's game took a great deal out of MSU, but it has to refocus in a hurry for the next test in Knoxville.
It's always difficult to go into the house where coach Pat Summitt experienced so much success and defeat the Lady Volunteers, while many connections exist for Schaefer and his staff whenever the Bulldogs take on coach Gary Blair's Aggies.
“Having two top 25s is a real challenge this week,” Schaefer said on Monday night. “I know our team will be excited about going to play on Thursday. I know (Tennessee) will be ready for us.”
Weeks like this is what you sign up for when you play in the SEC.
Danny P. Smith is the sports editor and columnist for The Starkville Daily News. The opinions in this column are his and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SDN or its staff.