What Happened to Mississippi State Women's Basketball and What is Next?
STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State Bulldogs finish the regular season with 21 wins but miss the NCAA tournament. Bulldog head coach Sam Purcell's second season was wild, riddled with injuries, sickness, and confusion.
The Bulldogs came into this season with great expectations after winning two games in the NCAA tournament last season. MSU also returned significant contributors from that team, such as Jessika Carter, Jerkaila Jordan, and Debreasha Powe.
Purcell was also active in the portal, bringing in three highly coveted transfers: Lauren Park-Lane, Darrione Rogers, and Erynn Barnum. MSU started the season 8-0 with nice wins over Belmont and Clemson, but then the Bulldogs' lousy luck began.
The Bulldogs were set to take on Miami in the SEC/ACC challenge, and they would be without Barnum and Carter and down to only seven players. Miami would hand MSU its first loss of the season, and the Bulldogs dropped their next game, 59-53, to UT Chattanooga.
However, Mississippi State would bounce back as it carried a five-game winning streak heading into conference play. The Bulldogs got off to a rocky start in SEC play with frustrating losses to Tennessee and Vanderbilt, but they picked up a nice road win at Arkansas and a big win over Ole Miss at home.
Despite the 2-3 start-to-conference play, it was clear that this team had potential, and they just needed time to build that chemistry. The chemistry began to show on the road at Florida as the Bulldog offense exploded for 89 points.
The excitement of the defending national champion LSU Tigers coming to town was contagious. The fans responded to that excitement and gave Purcell what he desired: a sold-out Humphrey Coliseum.
"The Hump" was electric that night, and the Bulldogs pulled the upset Purcell was overcome with emotion postgame. The Bulldogs rode that momentum into three more wins to extend their winning streak to five.
However, the good times would not last as the Bulldogs welcomed the Gators to Starkville, and they ran MSU out of the gym as they cruised to a 90-70 win. The win streak was over, and it was a sign of more to come.
The Bulldogs had a week off before traveling to Oxford for their second game against their rival. Mississippi State had the lead against the Rebels in the fourth quarter, and for the first time under Purcell, MSU lost a game where they led with under five minutes to go; looking back, that loss seemed to deflate this team.
Mississippi State would lose three more games, all by double digits, to extend their losing streak to five. The Bulldogs did bounce back on Senior night with a 90-75 win over Missouri, and it seemed like this team had their swagger back.
However, MSU went one-and-done in the SEC tournament as they were embarrassed by Texas A&M 72-56. The Aggies dominated a lifeless MSU team.
It seemed like the Bulldogs were ready to take a step forward as a program under Purcell after their win over LSU, but suddenly, the team lost their swagger. It was almost as if two teams were suiting up in maroon and white.
Given the talent on their roster, MSU's disappointing end to the season was surprising, but sometimes, it is, addition by subtraction, losing veteran players. Purcell is a tireless recruiter, so the Bulldogs will be back in contention next year and avoid a collapse at the end of the season.
The Bulldogs will make postseason play as they will host Georgia Tech on Thursday. Mississippi State is the number two seed in the tournament and has a chance to host two games.
Georgia Tech finished their season with a 17-15 record.
