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What Happened This Weekend: Mississippi State Women’s Basketball is Challenged and then Falls in SEC Tournament

By Ethan Lee

DALLAS, TX - APRIL 02: Head coach Vic Schaefer of the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs reacts against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the second half of the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Women's Final Four at American Airlines Center on April 2, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - APRIL 02: Head coach Vic Schaefer of the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs reacts against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the second half of the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Women's Final Four at American Airlines Center on April 2, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /
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Vic Schaefer and the Mississippi State Bulldogs hiked up to Nashville over the weekend to play in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs arrived on Friday and played all the way up through Sunday. Here’s how the weekend went.

Mississippi State Rises to Occasion During Two Challenges

On Friday and Saturday, Mississippi State had two huge victories. In their first game in Nashville, Mississippi State blew out Kentucky 81 to 55.  However, that win wasn’t the easiest for the Bulldogs to come by. The Wildcats put up a fight, challenged Vic Schaefer’s team, and led the Bulldogs after the first quarter.

As we all know at this point, MSU came back to win big, but Mississippi State received a tough challenge. And Texas A&M followed that same formula.

When the Bulldogs played the Aggies, A&M also pushed back on MSU. A&M, like Kentucky, led Mississippi State after the first quarter of play. But, when MSU was put in a bind, the Bulldogs eventually found their way out of it. Mississippi State went on to win that game 70 to 55. And so, though the Bulldogs were challenged in both of their matchups, Mississippi State still won big.

Then, Mississippi State had to meet up with South Carolina.

The Bulldogs Fall to South Carolina

The Gamecocks were looking to win yet another SEC Tournament Championship, their fourth in as many years. Mississippi State was hoping to remain unbeaten while winning the first SEC Tournament Championship in program history.

Like the previous two games in Nashville, Mississippi State fell behind. Unlike their games against Kentucky and Texas A&M, the Bulldogs were unable to overcome that deficit.

South Carolina’s defense smothered everything Mississippi State attempted offensively. The Bulldogs couldn’t get going and shot worse than they had at any other point in this season. As a result, the Bulldogs’ historic win streak was ended and the perfect season received a blemish. Mississippi State ended the weekend by losing to South Carolina 62 to 51.

If there is anything the be relieved about, it’s that this loss didn’t come in the SEC Tournament. The season isn’t over and Mississippi State will have more opportunities to play. This is a game that the Bulldogs, in theory, can learn from. Especially if they want to win a national title.

Mississippi State is still built to play in the postseason. The Bulldogs have a team that can contend in the tournament and run through opponents like they did in the regular season. They just have to move on from this loss and shift the focus to what is up ahead. They’re already SEC Champs by virtue of their regular season accomplishments. Now it’s time to focus on winning a national championship.

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