STARKVILLE
Teaira McCowan and Jazzmun Holmes were sophomores in 2016 when the Mississippi State women’s basketball team logged 17,190 miles of non-conference travel.
The Bulldogs traveled to Maine, Biloxi, Hawaii, Iowa, and California and came out with a 12-0 record, which was good for the third-best start in school history. At the time, the Bulldogs were the only undefeated team in the Southeastern Conference, and one of 11 nationally.
The tests in that non-conference gauntlet included victories against then-No. 8 Texas, up-and-coming Oregon, Iowa State that snapped the Cyclones’ 96-game non-conference home winning streak, Little Rock, and USC. MSU faced opponents with different styles in venues that were rocking and other that were significantly quieter. Through it all, MSU answered every challenge and emerged with a No. 5 ranking in The Associated Press poll. At the time, the ranking was the highest in school history. The start top that season set the stage for back-to-back appearances in the national title game.
MSU is in a similar position as it winds down the non-conference portion of the 2018-19 schedule. The first step will come at 6 p.m. Friday when No. 5 MSU (9-0) takes on Southern Mississippi (6-3) in Hattiesburg.
From there, MSU will leave for the West Coast, where it will face No. 7 Oregon on Tuesday and Washington on Thursday before breaking for the holidays.
MSU has posted arguably its two most impressive victories in its last two games. A 67-49 victory against then-No. 10 Texas on Dec. 2 in Austin, Texas, gave MSU its first win against a ranked team this season. The Bulldogs set the tone with a solid defensive effort that left MSU coach Vic Schaefer with a good feeling.
Schaefer wasn’t as satisfied following an 87-82 victory against then-No. 18 Marquette on Dec. 6. The Golden Eagles’ 21 fast-break points was a primary irritant for Schaefer. Despite giving up 82 points, the Bulldogs had an answer every time the Golden Eagles threatened to pull away. The multiple immediate responses were a positive sign for a team that is still trying to establish an identity and to grow comfortable with roles, especially in tight games.
Each of the next three games should put the Bulldogs in the same situation.
The matchup against Southern Mississippi is a trap game. Even though MSU only leads the all-time series 23-22, it has won the last six meetings. It enters the meeting with a 46-game winning streak in regular-season non-conference games. A victory would be the program’s 700th.
Off the court, senior Jordan Danberry will walk Friday morning in MSU’s commencement ceremony before joining the team. Suffice to say there are more than a few distractions.
That’s why this stretch of games will be the best indicator of what to expect from MSU this season. It will give Schaefer a chance to move closer to solidifying a rotation. In the last two games, Schaefer hasn’t went to his bench as often or as long, so the next three games will give players like Myah Taylor, Andra Espinoza-Hunter, Jessika Carter, and Xaria Wiggins to make an impression. Sophomore Bre’Amber Scott already appears to have carved out a bigger role and emerged as a player Schaefer has confidence in to play defense and to provide a little scoring. She hit a clutch 3-pointer from the corner to help MSU rally past Marquette.
Oregon and Washington will test whether MSU has learned its lessons from the game against Marquette. The Pac-12 teams likely will push tempo and try to beat the Bulldogs down the court so they don’t have to contend with the 6-foot-7 McCowan in the middle or the Bulldogs’ player-to-player defense. Even if Schaefer hasn’t had many kind words for his team’s defense, MSU still is holding opponents to 51.2 points per game, which ranks fifth in the country.
Expect Oregon to pack Matthew Knight Arena for the matchup, which will be at 9 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN2. The Ducks have averaged 5,734 fans for their three home games, but the No. 5 Bulldogs likely will attract plenty of fans for a matchup that could be a preview for the Final Four.
The fact that Oregon is coming off arguably its two toughest tests of the season — a loss to Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan, and a victory against South Dakota State in Brookings, South Dakota — should make the game even more appealing.
On the back end, MSU can’t overlook Washington simply because the Huskies have slipped since the graduation of Kelsey Plum and the departure of former coach Mike Neighbors to Arkansas.
All in all, the road trip has a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs. Most importantly, Schaefer should return to Starkville with a much better idea about the makeup of the 2018-19 squad and whether it has the mettle to make another run at a national title.
Adam Minichino is sports editor of The Dispatch. You can reach him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.