Andra Espinoza-Hunter ruled eligible for Mississippi State basketball

Vic Schaefer and the No. 6 Mississippi State basketball team got some incredibly good news from the NCAA regarding a key player’s eligibility. Andra Espinoza-Hunter is now able to play for the Bulldogs.

With the sheer number of starters that graduated from the No. 6 Mississippi State basketball team last season, there’s plenty of reasons to be skeptical about what the Bulldogs might be able to do on offense this season. However, it looks like MSU might be getting some help that was previously unexpected.

Andra Espinoza-Hunter is eligible to play right now and that could be a huge game changer for Vic Schaefer’s team.

According to an official announcement yesterday evening from the Mississippi State athletics department, Espinoza-Hunter is able to play after an appeal to the NCAA for her eligibility.

From the announcement:

"On Wednesday, the NCAA approved the waiver of Mississippi State sophomore guard Andra Espinoza-Hunter, making her immediately eligible to play this season"

You can watch Andra Espinoza-Hunter reveal the big news herself right here:

The Mississippi State basketball team didn’t need much help on offense to get the season started against Southeast Missouri State, but that was Southeast Missouri State. While the Bulldogs were able to score with ease, racking up 88 points, MSU will need more help on offense moving forward.

Andra Espinoza-Hunter should be able to help with that.

Espinoza-Hunter was the No. 16 recruit from her recruiting cycle, per ESPN, and seemed to specialize in scoring. She was the third highest ranked recruit to sign with UConn in 2017 and was the 2017 New York Gatorade Player of the Year. During that season in which she was given that award, Espinoza-Hunter averaged an astonishing 38.2 points per game.

If the Mississippi State basketball team is going to compete for a national title this year, it’s going to need all of the star power it can get. Andra Espinoza-Hunter can be a star for this team and can give the Bulldogs a great advantage in the backcourt.