STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women’s basketball still has a chance to play March Madness basketball, but it will take a turnaround after back-to-back disappointing losses in SEC play.

The Bulldogs (18-10, 5-9 SEC) suffered a 50-point defeat at the hands of former head coach Vic Schaefer and No. 4 Texas on Sunday, in which Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year candidate Madison Francis left with a first-half injury.

Purcell addressed the media in his final weekly press conference of the regular season on Tuesday, and though he didn’t have a clear update on the freshman’s status, he did say that she won’t be out for an extended period and has a chance to play against the Aggies.

“We’ll evaluate today,” he said. “At this time of year, her health and safety are the most important thing, so we’ll see how she feels and go from there.”

Francis is a crucial player for MSU, along with forward Favour Nwaedozi. The pair lead the team in rebounding and scoring, but have been less effective playing apart. Foul trouble and the recent injury forced the team to adapt, but going into College Station without one makes for a difficult task.

The Aggies (12-11, 5-9 SEC) have had a resurgent run with four wins in their last five games, including upsets over Alabama and Tennessee. Star scorer Ny’Ceara Pryor has helped ignite the offense with three games of 20 or more points, posing a difficult assignment for the Bulldogs defensively.

“What I need to see from our team is, again, the journey, it starts with practice. Let’s not overcomplicate this,” Purcell said. “When we start with great defensive practices, which today will provide, you know, last week was three games. We only had one practice. I’m excited to get back to our format, where we’ve got two days to put together, where we feel good about our defensive gameplan. You’re playing (Pryor), who is as good as anybody in the country at point guard, so we’ve got to understand the responsibility it’s going to take to slow it down.”

For the head coach, a renewed focus on ball security and rebounding in practice is essential along with the defensive scout work. The team committed 22 turnovers in a win at Arkansas, 17 in a loss to Florida and a season-high 28 at Texas on Sunday.

“When we do those three things, good things happen for the Bulldogs,” he said. “That’s my focus and energy with them right now.”

Bracketology outlook

MSU still features in the most recent ESPN Bracketology projections by Charlie Creme, dropping three spots to a 12 seed, which would require a play-in game against another Power 4 team. Previous projections had MSU as a No. 8 or 9 seed.

The Bulldogs reached the tournament in Purcell’s first season as a play-in team, defeating Illinois in South Bend, Indiana.

With only two games remaining, on the road at A&M and at home against No. 6 LSU, the chances for the Bulldogs to bolster their postseason resume are running out. Two more losses would be a big hit and likely would require a decent showing at the SEC Tournament in Greenville to lock in a tournament bid.

The Bulldogs and Aggies will tipoff in College Station at 7 p.m. Thursday. The game will be televised on SEC Network.

Posted in College Sports

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