MSU’S season over with no spot in postseason
Two years removed from being a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Mississippi State is left out in the cold of the Big Dance in women’s basketball.
The NCAA Selection Show revealed the field on Monday night without the Bulldogs for the first time since 2014. It continues what has been a disappointing downturn for
MSU women’s hoops after Vic Schaefer had taken the program to new heights with five-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, four Sweet 16 trips, three Elite 8 trips, two Final Four appearances and national championship games.
The Bulldogs had been to just six NCAA Tournaments prior to Schaefer’s arrival and one Sweet 16. This year has been a tougher pill to swallow for MSU fans as the
Bulldogs suffered through a 10-9 season, a first-game exit in the Southeastern Conference Tournament and a 5-7 league record. The program also turned down a WNIT bid and will end their season outside of the postseason for the first time since 2012-13.
The NCAA didn’t even have MSU as the first four teams left out of the tournament so it wasn’t close to getting into the dance. ESPN Bracketologist Charlie Creme had State as the last team out in his projections for the last week after steadily dropping with losses to Missouri to end the regular season and LSU in the SEC Tournament.
First-year head coach Nikki Mccray-penson and her team weren’t without obstacles. The team had two long layoffs between games in conference play and nine different postponements or cancellations. Still, the Bulldogs struggled to find positives during the final two months of the regular season.
MSU has since had junior forward Xaria Wiggins enter her name in the transfer portal and she is no longer with the team. Preseason ALL-SEC selections Rickea Jackson and Jessika Carter also had a season of setbacks as neither was able to duplicate selections in the postseason. Jackson led the team with 14.9 points per game and adds 4.4 rebounds. Carter averaged 14.3 points and a team-leading 8.7 rebounds.
Notably, former Bulldog player Chloe Bibby’s Maryland team was picked as a No. 2 seed in the tournament while Schaefer’s Texas squad is a No. 6 seed. The SEC had seven teams selected with No. 1 seeded South Carolina, No. 2 seeded Texas A&M, No. 3 seeded Georgia and Tennessee, No. 4 seeded Arkansas and Kentucky, No. 7 seeded Alabama making the cut.