STARKVILLE — Consider the lesson learned.
For the last two seasons, Vic Schaefer had to listen to all of the pundits talk about the strength of his team’s non-conference schedule. The Mississippi State women’s basketball coach didn’t care for much of the talk. He made his case to dispute the fact the Bulldogs had played weak non-conference schedules with too many games against opponents in the lower regions of Division I.
As much as Schaefer tried to prove his case, the NCAA tournament selection committee didn’t see it his way. As a result, MSU received No. 5 seeds in the NCAA tournament the last two seasons. Two years ago, MSU beat Tulane in the first round of the NCAA tournament and then lost to No. 4 seed and host Duke on its home court in Durham, North Carolina. Last season, Schaefer felt the Bulldogs had a better case, but they still were denied. Fortunately, No. 4 seed Michigan State wasn’t able to play host to the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament due to a scheduling conflict with its home venue. MSU capitalized on the opportunity to play at Humphrey Coliseum and beat Chattanooga in the first round and edged Michigan State 72-20 in the second round to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history.
A lot of things will shake out for MSU with six regular-season games and the Southeastern Conference tournament remaining, but it is likely Schaefer and the Bulldogs will get a chance to stay at home as a top-four seed when the seedings for the NCAA tournament are released Monday, March 13. MSU has been ranked No. 1 in each of the first two NCAA Reveals by the NCAA tournament selection committee. The rankings list the top 16 seeds at this point in the season that could earn a chance to play host to the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament.
MSU staked its claim to one of those spots in the first two months of the season by traveling 17,190 miles and going 14-0 against a non-conference schedule that included trips to Maine, Hawaii, Iowa, Arkansas, and California. Along the way, MSU won on the home courts of Maine, Hawaii, Iowa State, Southern Mississippi, Arkansas-Little Rock, and Southern California. Those victories have helped the Bulldogs notch a program-best 10 road wins.
Overall, No. 4 MSU is 23-1 and 9-1 in the SEC as it prepares to play host to Vanderbilt (11-12, 1-9) at 8 p.m. Thursday (SEC Network) at Humphrey Coliseum. On Tuesday, MSU added another first to its ledger of accomplishments as it climbed to a program-best No. 3 ranking in the USA Today Coaches Top 25.
Schaefer credits the non-conference schedule for preparing his team for adversity and the expectations that went with this season. Still, he said Tuesday he didn’t have a number of wins in mind when he set up arguably the toughest schedule in the nation.
“I just knew we were going to go to some places that were going to challenge us and get us ready for this schedule in the SEC,” Schaefer said. “I knew we would have some tremendous challenges, but I felt like if I ever was going to do what we just did, this was the team to do it with.”
Schaefer pointed to the fact that MSU returned seniors Ketara Chapel, Dominique Dillingham, Chinwe Okorie, and Breanna Richardson and an experienced junior class led by Victoria Vivians and Morgan William. He said he was anxious to see how the Bulldogs responded to situations to gauge the maturation of his players and his program.
Through games played Tuesday, MSU is No. 4 in Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and has a Strength of Schedule (SOS) of 19, according to RealTimeRPI.com. Those are two factors the NCAA tournament selection committee uses to pick its 64-team field. MSU is ranked so high in each category because it has played only four teams — San Jose State, Hawaii, Alabama State, and Northwestern State — with RPIs of 150 or higher. In the last three seasons, MSU played 10 games against teams with RPIs of 150 or higher, according to RealTimeRPI.com. The resulting RPIs of 85, 30, and 24 helped the NCAA tournament selection committee come to the conclusion MSU didn’t deserve a top-four seed.
This season, anticipation is building for MSU’s shot to play host to the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament as a top-four seed. Whispers also have started about where MSU could have to go for the Sweet 16. As a lowest No. 4 seed, MSU likely would be sent to Carson, California, and likely would be paired with the team the NCAA tournament selection committee determines to be the strongest No. 2 seed.
Schaefer isn’t worrying about any of that. He is focused on getting the Bulldogs one play and one minute better every day. He reiterated Tuesday he feels the team is a long way away from playing its best and most consistent basketball of the season, but he feels the non-conference schedule has helped the Bulldogs answer every challenge and has mentally prepared his players to go after all of the goals they set at the beginning of the season
“I think you’re in knock-down, drag-outs at Iowa State in front of 10,000. You’re in a knock-down, drag-out at USC on their home floor against a really good team,” Schaefer said. “I think those kinds of ballgames, true road games, put you in a position where you can either get comfortable and respond like a veteran team is supposed to, or you can get uncomfortable and maybe disappear.
“I think what we saw in each of those games is you saw kids step up, different kids step up. I think that’s our team. I think we have different kids that have stepped up throughout the course of the season and made plays that have allowed us to win.”
NOTE: The Phoenix Club of Philadelphia announced Monday that William was named to the Dawn Staley Award Midseason Watch List. She is one of 19 players on the list for the award, which is presented to the nation’s top collegiate guard who exemplifies the ballhandling, scoring, ability to distribute the basketball, and will to win Staley, the coach at South Carolina, possessed in her career. The winner will be announced during Final Four weekend, while the ceremony will be held in April at the Union League of Philadelphia. William is second on the team in scoring at (10.3 points per game) and second in the SEC in assists (4.6) and seventh in the league in steals (2.0).
Follow Dispatch sports editor on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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