The Next step for Mississippi State is.......

[Carnac]

...........a national championship, according to head coach Vic Schaefer. Mississippi State is one of UConn's biggest rivals for this year's national championship. Here's the latest "skinny" in the Bulldog's camp for Friday Oct 19, 2018.

Teaira McCowan and Mississippi State women's hoops team are hoping to take that one final step.

The Bulldogs are the favorites to win the Southeastern Conference again but the biggest, most exasperatingly elusive goal remains to win a national title.

McCowan leads a team that has made the past two national championship games only to fall short of a title.

"That's definitely in the back of our minds," McCowan said Thursday at SEC media day. "But first we have to learn how to do the things in order to get back to that point."

Coach Vic Schaefer must replace four starters from a team that won its first 32 games and went 37-2, including first-team AP All-American Victoria Vivians. The Bulldogs are still regarded as the front-runners.

SEC Preview: Mississippi State has a score to settle in 2018-19



[Story]

 

[nwhoopfan]

Losing 4 starters and being considered a National Championship contender is fairly out of the ordinary.

 

[bballnut90]

Losing 4 starters and being considered a National Championship contender is fairly out of the ordinary.

Very true. I think they should be in the mix even if they aren't a favorite. I didn't think they'd be nearly as good in 2018 as they ended up being. There isn't an overwhelming favorite going into this season...feels a lot more open than last year did despite the unexpected outcome. Mississippi State will have the best rebounding duo in the nation and no one does more with less than Vic Schaefer, so I expect they'll be in the hunt once again.

 

[DaBball]

An eligible AEH will make them much more of a contender. She would definitely bring size and shooting to the backcourt which is exactly what they need to replace the 2018 class

 

[Orangutan]

I tend to think they'll miss Vivians quite a bit. Though I guess McCowan is a gameplan unto herself and one that very few teams will be equipped to answer.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I agree Orangutan. Will be interesting to see how McCowan and Howard gel together.

 

[oldude]

I tend to think they'll miss Vivians quite a bit. Though I guess McCowan is a gameplan unto herself and one that very few teams will be equipped to answer.

Last season MS St had a pretty simple plan on offense. They spread the floor with 3 great shooters, rotating the ball, while McGowan worked from side to side in the paint to pin her defender on her back shoulder. Teams couldn’t collapse on McGowan or they were going to get burned from outside. When teams tried to close out on MS St’s shooters, they dumped the ball into McGowan in the paint.

For MS St to be as effective this year, it will be necessary for them to develop new shooters to take the pressure off McGowan in the paint.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I don’t understand the argument for Miss State being title contender.

 

[BostonCanuck]

I don’t understand the argument for Miss State being title contender.

Me either. Realistically, I think the next step would be for them to finally win the SEC tournament, in addition to hopefully also finishing first in conference during the regular season.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Me either. Realistically, I think the next step would be for them to finally win the SEC tournament, in addition to hopefully also finishing first in conference during the regular season.

The SEC Tournament is in Greenville, SC.

It won’t be easy for them.

I think miss state could win the league if no one ends up being elite - very possibly the case - but don’t see them being elite themselves.

 

[DaBball]

We will really get a sense of how good they are when they play Texas and Oregon. Oregon couldnt handle McCowan and adding Howard to the equation makes them a lot more difficult.

I don’t really know who will be the biggest SEC threat. I am not at all impressed with South Carolina’s roster this year. Never was and likely never will be impressed with Jennings. South Carolina has better offensive guards (Cooper, Harris, Henderson), but Holmes and Danberry are terrific defenders. I don’t think she can hang with McCowan unless she gets in foul trouble as she did in the SEC tourney. Mizzou likely won’t have the height to play with them but Sophie is so good...

 

[SCGamecock]

Their guard play is very questionable and I've read a few articles with quotes from Schaefer himself that leads me to believe it concerns him as well.

Shore up the guard play and they'll be fine, quite possibly a contender. When you have McCowan down low and Howard coming from the wing to snag rebounds you probably can miss as many shots as you want and still eventually get a bucket. I wouldn't discount them just yet.

 

[WNBA 09]

Very true. I think they should be in the mix even if they aren't a favorite. I didn't think they'd be nearly as good in 2018 as they ended up being. There isn't an overwhelming favorite going into this season...feels a lot more open than last year did despite the unexpected outcome. Mississippi State will have the best rebounding duo in the nation and no one does more with less than Vic Schaefer, so I expect they'll be in the hunt once again.

I believe Notre Dame is the overwhelming favorite this year to repeat and its not even close.

 

[SCGamecock]

We will really get a sense of how good they are when they play Texas and Oregon. Oregon couldnt handle McCowan and adding Howard to the equation makes them a lot more difficult.

I don’t really know who will be the biggest SEC threat. I am not at all impressed with South Carolina’s roster this year. Never was and likely never will be impressed with Jennings. South Carolina has better offensive guards (Cooper, Harris, Henderson), but Holmes and Danberry are terrific defenders. I don’t think she can hang with McCowan unless she gets in foul trouble as she did in the SEC tourney. Mizzou likely won’t have the height to play with them but Sophie is so good...

Teams are going to sag, sag, sag and sag some more on McCowan. Just as they did Wilson last year. Miss State guards will have plenty of opportunities to prove that they can shoot. If they can, it'll be a good year for them but if they can't.. good luck.

SC's guards are not going to shoot you out of the gym... but they have experience and depth. We have a solid mix of good offensive guards whether it's shooting or getting to the basket, guards that can facilitate and guards that can defend.

Based on matchups, I can see South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri giving Miss State trouble at the guard spots. On the other hand, Miss State is going to be a handful for everybody down low. It balances out.

 

[UConnCat]

Miss State made 278 three-pointers last season and the players responsible for 257 of those made three graduated. Vic should be concerned.

 

[stwainfan]

I think Tennessee will have better guard play. Than Mississippi State who lost both starting guards.

 

[DaBball]

Chloe Bibby proved she can shoot the ball during their trip to Italy. Everyone here knows Andra can shoot the ball. Freshman Xaria Wiggins has a nice stroke but is obviously unproven at this level. RS Freshman Myah Taylor also has a nice stroke. Andra would have an immediate impact IMO.

 

[UConnCat]

Everyone here knows Andra can shoot the ball.

Yes, we saw Andra shoot the ball; we didn’t see the ball go in the basket although the sample size was small. She shot often and poorly when she played for USA basketball’s U16 team a few years back. She has the reputation as a shooter which I guess is based on high school. I’m skeptical. Is she eligible?

 

[oldude]

Chloe Bibby proved she can shoot the ball during their trip to Italy. Everyone here knows Andra can shoot the ball. Freshman Xaria Wiggins has a nice stroke but is obviously unproven at this level. RS Freshman Myah Taylor also has a nice stroke. Andra would have an immediate impact IMO.

Umm...AEH is redshirting this year, so any impact she has at MS St will be next season after McGowan & Howard graduate.

 

[southofnorth]

They would most likely have to face Norte Dame, UConn, or Oregon in the finals in order to win a championship. All of those teams have something that Mississippi State does not have—great guard play. With all that MS lost to graduation I don’t know that they have the kind of guards for McCowan to be effective. Posts win games but guards win championships. As good as Brittney Griner was, the first two years she played, the guard play around her was lacking and it made it impossible for her to move without getting double or triple teamed. She was still effective, but it made winning a lot more difficult than it should have been with a player of her caliber.

 

[DaBball]

Miss State sent in a waiver for AEH and Promise Taylor to be immediately eligible. They are expecting to hear next week.

 

[Charliebball]

Yes, we saw Andra shoot the ball; we didn’t see the ball go in the basket although the sample size was small. She shot often and poorly when she played for USA basketball’s U16 team a few years back. She has the reputation as a shooter which I guess is based on high school. I’m skeptical. Is she eligible?

I know Miss State requested that she be cleared to play but don't remember if the NCAA said OK................AEH is a streaky shooter but when she's on she's really on...................I've seen her hit 5 or 6 three pointers in a row from NBA range on multiple occasions and I think at one point she went on a pretty long streak averaging close to 40 points a game in high school..........she certainly has the skills to be a 15-20 point scorer in the SEC......

 

[SCGamecock]

Miss State sent in a waiver for AEH and Promise Taylor to be immediately eligible. They are expecting to hear next week.

Any info on what kind of waiver they’re submitting?

Judging by the harsh words said at the time I can’t imagine Geno is running through walls to help her out.. and as we’ve learned recently, a lot of it (whether a waiver is approved or denied) depends on how much support you get from the departing school.

 

[UConnCat]

I know Miss State requested that she be cleared to play but don't remember if the NCAA said OK......AEH is a streaky shooter but when she's on she's really on....I've seen her hit 5 or 6 three pointers in a row from NBA range on multiple occasions and I think at one point she went on a pretty long streak averaging close to 40 points a game in high school.....she certainly has the skills to be a 15-20 point scorer in the SEC.

I don’t think she does.

 

[Bigboote]

Miss State sent in a waiver for AEH and Promise Taylor to be immediately eligible. They are expecting to hear next week.

Let's see if Vic has the Muffet Magic. If those two are eligible this year, MS St could be very good.

Jordan Danberry shared the PG duties with Itty Bitty 50-50 last year. She has a good handle and a good motor. They don't need a point guard, but they do need a shooting guard or two.

 

[Charliebball]

I don’t think she does.

she's a volume shooter..................if Coach Vic keeps her on the court and gives her the green light she will score plenty

 

[DaBball]

I’m guessing he will play her similarly to Victoria Vivians, giving her a greenlight most of the time. We saw VV’s % go up drastically over the course of her collegiate career. Espinoza will have more help than VV originally had

 

[oldude]

Miss State sent in a waiver for AEH and Promise Taylor to be immediately eligible. They are expecting to hear next week.

Didn’t know that. Well that’s a horse of a different color.

As for AEH’s shooting, she knocked down 3x3’s during mop-up time in one UConn game. Subsequently she earned some meaningful PT in several games and missed just about every shot she took. She had a particularly rough time vs DePaul with several TO’s and 0 pts. Soon thereafter she was gone. Hopefully she settles down and contributes at MS St whenever she is eligible.

 

[shiverz45]

We will really get a sense of how good they are when they play Texas and Oregon. Oregon couldnt handle McCowan and adding Howard to the equation makes them a lot more difficult.

I don’t really know who will be the biggest SEC threat. I am not at all impressed with South Carolina’s roster this year. Never was and likely never will be impressed with Jennings. South Carolina has better offensive guards (Cooper, Harris, Henderson), but Holmes and Danberry are terrific defenders. I don’t think she can hang with McCowan unless she gets in foul trouble as she did in the SEC tourney. Mizzou likely won’t have the height to play with them but Sophie is so good...

You didn't even mentioned Cuevas Moore, Jackson and Perry who are probably more offensive than the three you named.

 

[Shmermerer]

Let's see if Vic has the Muffet Magic. If those two are eligible this year, MS St could be very good.

Jordan Danberry shared the PG duties with Itty Bitty 50-50 last year. She has a good handle and a good motor. They don't need a point guard, but they do need a shooting guard or two.

Actually Jazzmun Holmes was the backup PG. Danberry played the off guard or wing last year.