STARKVILLE — Mississippi State’s regular season is nearing its end.
Ranked No. 9 in the latest Associated Press poll at 22-4 and sitting at 10-2 in Southeastern Conference play, the Bulldogs enter the final four games of the 2020 season just two games out of first place in the SEC with a chance to play themselves up to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament over the next two weeks.
That said, any late-season surge MSU has in store will begin Thursday at Auburn (9-14, 3-9 SEC).
The second game in a home-and-home set, the Bulldogs outlasted the Tigers in a 78-73 slugfest in Starkville on Jan. 30. Most notably, it was Auburn’s patented press that gave MSU fits — forcing Schaefer’s squad into 18 turnovers.
Speaking with the media Tuesday, freshman guard JaMya Mingo-Young addressed the Tigers’ full-court pressure and how the Bulldogs could learn from their past transgressions to deal with it come Thursday.
“We just have to attack pressure with pressure,” she said. “We can’t get on our heels. (Have to) be smart and know when to pass it and know when to dribble it to break it.”
“You’ve got to take care of the ball against them,” Schaefer added. “If you get on your heels against that press, it’s like blood in the water with piranhas — they’re going to come get you and lay it in. So we’ve got to take care of the ball.”
Beyond the press, Auburn’s Unique Thompson presents a matchup problem in and of herself. Thompson — whose 16.7 points and and 11.7 rebounds per game lead the Tigers — notched 21 points and 11 rebounds in the teams’ previous meeting at Humphrey Coliseum.
“Unique Thompson is really good,” Schaefer said. “She’s having a heck of a year. Let me tell you something about that kid that I’ve really noticed — not only is she a great player, but she’s a great teammate. I have a lot of respect for her and how she handles herself and carries herself.”
Matching Thompson in the paint will be MSU sophomore center Jessika Carter. Carter, who has been hot and cold of late due to persistent foul trouble, finished with just 13 points and three rebounds in the previous meeting and will again be tasked with slowing Auburn’s dynamic forward.
Beyond Carter, the Bulldogs will look to get senior guard Jordan Danberry back on track. A preseason first team All-SEC honoree, Danberry has scored in double digits just twice over MSU’s past six games — including a total of nine points in the Bulldogs’ contests against No. 16 Texas A&M and No. 14 Kentucky.
And while MSU has had its issues of late — including two quarters against Kentucky in which it scored just nine points — history remains on the Bulldogs’ side as they head to The Plains. Since 2015, MSU has won seven straight games against the Tigers after Auburn took home nine victories in a row between 2009 and 2014.
Now hitting the tail end of conference play ahead of next month’s SEC tournament, a win over the Tigers could springboard the Bulldogs into a late season win streak.
“I hold myself fully, completely, 100 percent responsible for Sunday,” Schaefer said in reference to MSU’s loss at Kentucky. “We didn’t play well — that falls on me. And I’ve got to do a better job in the week. If you’re having bad practices, you’re either coaching it or allowing it, and so I’ve got to do a better job in the week, and we’ve got to do a better job on game day.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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