Miss St Notes

[Alydar]

Well, this site Women's Basketball has UConn likely 3rd 2nd and Mississippi State 4th, so is there a HUGE difference? Not seeing that. It's one source sure, but the AP put the difference between the two teams at #3 and #6. All I'm saying is I don't think the gap between the 2 teams are gigantic like some people are claiming. (and reading this site, it's pretty clear most people think the gap is gigantic)

And while Rickea is the only player who will start for the Huskies, (Williams, Westbrook, and Bueckers certainly starts over any guard that we have) I do think Cooks has a chance to beat out Makurat and ONO because she was a former #5 overall player. Not saying she will, but she has a chance to.

And this is the least I've been excited about my team in 3 years. I don't feel good at all actually, but overall I think Mississippi State has a slightly stronger roster. Difference of about #4 vs #5 tho so it's not a huge difference. Is that against consensus? Maybe.... but to each his own. It's just my opinion.

I know UConn. Miss St not so much. But being close in the rankings can be deceiving. There have been years when the gap between 1 & 2 was larger than the gap between 50 and 150. UConn has had 20 pt wins against many teams ranked highly. I remember 2017, when No 2 UConn beat No 1 S Car by 20.

 

[bballnut90]

I didn't see Makurat's breakout vs conference opponents, but she didn't really show a lot in your OOC.

A lot was asked of her, perhaps unfairly, but she didn't exactly deliver, IMO.

The skill set theoretically can be good, but I didn't think she looked like a future UCONN star.

Makurat played well vs Oregon (13 points on 5-9 shooting), but laid an egg vs. SC. It took her a bit to find her groove, but she played much better as the year went on. Good passer, unselfish, and more often than not she made good decisions. She was a massive upgrade from Kyla Irwin, IMO. I don't think she'll be a future go to player or star but I think she'll be a very solid glue player which every team needs.

Also, UCONN isn't my team. I usually actively root against the Huskies but try to stay objective when analyzing them.

 

[SimpleDawg]

Maybe I'm just too high on Miss State, but I see a big, deep team, with a potential All American and POY candidate in Williams who will be extremely difficult to handle in crunch time with her height and skill set.

Barring a big bounce back from Williams, I'm not sure UCONN has an All American.

Jackson???

Yeh, I don't think UConn has an all american either.

 

[LoTrader]

Jackson???

Yeh, I don't think UConn has an all american either.

I would consider UCONN's head coach an All-American

 

[bballnut90]

My take, I believe MSST and UConn are comparable in player talent, however I think UConn has a huge advantage in coaching staff. May not be fair to judge MSST staff before they have played a game but we know Geno and his staff has the experience and expertise to produce national championships. my pick, should the two play, as we expect, UConn by less than 10.

The biggest gap between the programs, IMO, is coaching. If Vic was coaching this squad, I think they could make a Final Four since he does more with less than anyone, and he would have had a good roster this year. There is definitely talent in Starkville but can McCray get similar production from her players? Based on her results from ODU and looking at their stats, I don't see it. I would love to be surprised since I always enjoy seeing former Lady Vols coach and I like Mississippi State's program/fanbase, but if I'm being honest I think it might be a tougher transition than fans anticipate.

 

[msupinebelt]

Beat Writer - Ben Portnoy - Commercial Dispatch

“News | Per a source close to the team, doctors found a blood clot in Xaria Wiggins' right lung in Oct. and that's why she isn't available.

She's expected back in Jan. and has participated in non-contact drills, but is limited until she's off the medicine treating her condition.”

 

[HailHoops]

5ft 4 guard-offensive leap. Got it

well we took down Baylor on the offense of a 5’0 guard (and I know bc I’ve stood beside Morgan many times). I’ve seen Myah play since she was 16. She can flat out ball. She was a 5 star out of high school and the 3 time Gatorade POY for MS. The best on-ball defender we’ve got and one of the best in the SEC. She is also BY FAR the most coachable player on that team. She has been Coach McCray’s project. Is her offense going to make or break us...no. just don’t be surprised when teams can no longer take her shot for granted.

 

[SimpleDawg]

The biggest gap between the programs, IMO, is coaching. If Vic was coaching this squad, I think they could make a Final Four since he does more with less than anyone, and he would have had a good roster this year. There is definitely talent in Starkville but can McCray get similar production from her players? Based on her results from ODU and looking at their stats, I don't see it. I would love to be surprised since I always enjoy seeing former Lady Vols coach and I like Mississippi State's program/fanbase, but if I'm being honest I think it might be a tougher transition than fans anticipate.

I'm hoping we can get by even without elite coaching. Because McCray is entering a program with some expectations that feel like they belong in the Starkville bubble only. I've heard many Bulldog guys say "McCray is an equal to Vic" without seeing any of her games. I mean I'm glad Starkville and most importantly the players choose to live in that reality because that palpates excitement and the players really wanna play here and they seem to really believe in Nikki. Also, the fans really wanna see this new era - even though nobody outside Starkville considers McCray elite.

I think all of these are the keys blocks to maintaining success. I know lots of programs have players who really wanna play and fans who really wanna see their team. But if you'll look around the women's college basketball world of 2020.... there's UConn, Tennessee, Baylor, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Louisville who live and die with women's basketball, but most of the other schools can live without it - or if another sport takes precedence there - those probably get higher priority. Just saying, there's more than just coaching that equals success.... being part of that few company of schools with a high priority towards women's basketball I'd argue matters even more than coaching.

 

[visitingcock]

Fan expectations are always crazy.

Dawgs: A first-year coach is gonna dominate and take MSST to the final four (okay, it could happen but it should not be an "expectation)

'Cocks: The loss of Kiki and Tyyesha wont be felt. Our sophomores are so good we wont miss those two floor leaders. We'll be more dominant right off the bat in 2020 than we were at the end of 2019-20.

"Fan" is diminutive for fanatic and often brings in fantasy.

 

[SCGamecock]

Fan expectations are always crazy.

Dawgs: A first-year coach is gonna dominate and take MSST to the final four (okay, it could happen but it should not be an "expectation)

'Cocks: The loss of Kiki and Tyyesha wont be felt. Our sophomores are so good we wont miss those two floor leaders. We'll be more dominant right off the bat in 2020 than we were at the end of 2019-20.

"Fan" is diminutive for fanatic and often brings in fantasy.

I'm not one to publicly admonish other Gamecock fans, especially on another fanbase's board.. but it was crazy seeing some of our fans say things like "we wouldn't miss Ty and Kiki".. Ty was a FOUR year starter at PG and won a national championship as a freshman and came close as a senior. You don't replace that leadership easily just because she had a few talented understudies. It's also interesting how after a few games those same fans are now dialing back their expectations. South Carolina always starts the season slowly lol..

 

[SECbbfan24]

The jury is still out on McCray obviously, she will have to prove herself. That said I do like already that she has made it a big emphasis to be able to shoot efficiently from 3 point land. Having a diverse offense being able to score from all areas of the floor is important. It will make MSU more challenging to guard with kids like Carter, Rickea and Cooks inside when everyone is knocking down 3's. It will open things up inside. MSU certainly has the athletes to do it, Vic was much more restrictive when it came to that.

 

[DefenseBB]

The surprise team in the SEC this year will be Ole Miss. "Mark my words" LOL

BTW, I looked at the box score last night and not a great game by Austin-12 points on 5-12 shooting, 2-5 Free throws, 6 rebounds and 6 turnovers and she had to be the tallest person on the floor by 4 inches...

 

[WFFL]

BTW, I looked at the box score last night and not a great game by Austin-12 points on 5-12 shooting, 2-5 Free throws, 6 rebounds and 6 turnovers and she had to be the tallest person on the floor by 4 inches...

I wasn’t just referring to Austin I’m speaking in terms of the team.

 

[DefenseBB]

I wasn’t just referring to Austin I’m speaking in terms of the team.

Well I wasn't referencing the team, just noting that the big transfer did not do great but while reviewing the overall game, this was McNeese State they played, not Florida, Missouri, Auburn or Georgia who if they are as improved as you think, they should be better than those schools right?

 

[WFFL]

Well I wasn't referencing the team, just noting that the big transfer did not do great but while reviewing the overall game, this was McNeese State they played, not Florida, Missouri, Auburn or Georgia who if they are as improved as you think, they should be better than those schools right?

It's only been 1 game . A little too soon to make that conclusion maybe ?