How to watch No. 5 Vanderbilt at Mississippi State women's basketball

Is No. 5 Vanderbilt walking into a trap game Thursday night at Humphrey Coliseum?

All the ingredients are there. The Commodores are undefeated and heavily favored to beat Mississippi State, who has lost three-straight SEC games.

It’s a road trip to what has the potential to be a very loud and hostile environment. The Bulldogs have little to lose. Vanderbilt also has a matchup against No. 8 Michigan on Monday in the Coretta Scott King Classic.

“I like the challenge of playing a tough SEC game on the road on Thursday and then turning around to play another high-level opponent on the road outside our conference,” Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph said. “This is what it feels like to be in the NCAA Tournament, and I think it’s important for our team to experience that kind of competition in January.”

That’s a great recipe for a massive upset and it wouldn’t be the first time this week an undefeated Vanderbilt basketball team was upset on the road.

The Commodores’ men’s team suffered its first loss Wednesday night, 80-64 to Texas.

An upset can happen, but will it? That’s why we play the games.

“They’re a very formidable SEC team, extremely athletic, great defensively, and very strong on the glass,” Ralph said about Mississippi State. “We’re on their home court, and they’re well-coached. Sam has done a great job with that program. They’ve only lost a few games, and they’re another example of how tough this league is. Our focus is on their tendencies and how they like to play, but our approach doesn’t change.”

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