The numbers say that an 11 seed knocked off a six seed on Saturday afternoon in Columbus, but in many ways, Mississippi State didn't surprise anyone, despite its victorious performance against a decorated coach and an iconic program.
Behind Alexis Rack's 13 free throws and a suffocating defense, the 11th-seeded Lady Bulldogs knocked off Gail Goestenkors and sixth-seeded Texas, 71-63, on Saturday afternoon in Nationwide Arena. The win carries MSU into Monday evening's second round against third-seeded Ohio State which romped to an easy, 77-63, opening round win against 14th-seeded Sacred Heart, the Northeast Conference champion.
In terms of the pedigrees of the Mississippi State and Texas programs and the women who coach them, this contest featured an upset of considerable proportions. Texas, along with Tennessee, enabled women's college basketball to gain a foothold in the 1980s, as Jody Conradt eclipsed 900 career wins on the Longhorn bench. Mississippi State, on the other hand, hadn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2003. MSU boss Sharon Fanning has won nearly 500 games in her impressive career, but the leader of the Lady Bulldogs has a modest portfolio of achievements when compared to Goestenkors, who made two national title games and four Final Fours in her immensely successful run at Duke.
On the court, however, recent trends told a different story.
Mississippi State entered the tournament 22-9, with an RPI of 41 against a relative weak schedule (SOS 65). The Bulldogs' 8-6 record in the SEC left them in just sixth place in a deep conference, good enough for an at-large bid, but not the stuff of great post-season expectations. The Longhorns did well enough early in the season to finish at 21-11, in sixth place in the Big 12 with an in-conference record of 8-8. While Texas's raw numbers don't look materially better than those of the Bulldogs, the Longhorns faced one of the toughest schedules in the country (SOS - 8) for an RPI of 18 and a national ranking in the Top 25 for much of the season.
But Texas lost six of its previous eight games, averaging just 59 points and shooting a meager 34 percent from the field. The Longhorns were vulnerable against a strong defensive team, and that's exactly what Mississippi State is.
The Lady Bulldogs held the Horns to 31 percent field-goal shooting in this contest. Even more significantly, MSU forced Texas to accumulate more turnovers (20) than made field goals (17).
The Longhorns had one furious flurry, a 13-2 burst late in the second half that turned a 57-46 deficit into a 59-all tie, but other than that one sequence--powered by the three-point shooting of UT guard Brittainey Raven--the No. 6 seed was unsettled by the Lady Bulldogs, who were second in the rugged Southeastern Conference in turnover margin. The Lady Bulldogs did commit 18 turnovers of their own, but by forcing 20, the 11 seed from Starkville gained a few extra possessions, which proved to be the margin of victory in the closely fought contest.
It's on to a battle with Ohio State in Monday's second round for this Mississippi State team. Once again, the Lady Bulldogs will be facing a coach (Jim Foster) and a program with considerable credentials in the world of women's hoops. Unlike Texas, Ohio State (28-5) comes into the tournament on a roll, having won nine-out-of-nine of its most recent matches, including the Big Ten Tournament championship.
Still, you can bet Coach Foster won't be taking the Bulldogs for granted after today's performance. As long as Alexis Rack and Co. can deliver more determined defense, this SEC Cinderella can't be ruled out of the running for the Sweet Sixteen.
Stay tuned to Full Court Press for more Opening Round updates as play proceeds.