Everything Bulldogs' Coach Sam Purcell at Weekly Media Availability

Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell praised his team’s toughness and growth despite a road loss at Alabama, while also highlighting the behind-the-scenes work of his staff and the resilience of his players during a challenging stretch of SEC play.

He addressed late-game execution, road struggles and upcoming matchups as the Bulldogs continue navigating one of the toughest schedules in the country.

Opening statement...

First of all, thoughts and prayers to everyone in Mississippi dealing with these weather conditions. It’s terrible to see some of the news, especially little kids without jackets in this cold. We’re praying for those people and will continue to do so.

I also want to give a quick shoutout to my staff. I have one of the best trainers in the country in Taylor Pitts, along with our strength coaches and Katie Jones. The hours they put in behind the scenes to get this team ready are unbelievable.

Kharyssa Richardson literally turned her ankle five minutes into practice before Alabama, and the amount of time they spent trying to get her ready was incredible. Along with Kharyssa, we have multiple kids battling through things — Madison playing through bumps and bruises. I couldn’t be more inspired as a head coach.

And when I talk about being inspired, a bus full of our fans drove through icy conditions to come support us in Alabama. That’s why I do this job.

So I just wanted to thank the people working behind the scenes during this part of the season. With that, I’ll take questions.

On team's response to Alabama loss...

Obviously we didn’t start well, but to come back, take the lead, lose it, then come back again showed a toughness we’ve talked about — something we haven’t had on the road.

Now it comes down to what we’ve talked about before: that last 10 percent. The final five minutes against top-25 teams are an absolute dogfight. Alabama took it to us there, and some of our inexperience showed. They seized the moment, and we didn’t.

We hate losing — I keep saying that — but you have to learn from it. We’re going to address the elephant in the room and hopefully grow from it so that when this moment comes again, especially on the road, we seize it.

On young players learning experiences against experienced opponents...

That’s what top players do — when the moment presents itself, they close the game. Weathers wasn’t a huge offensive factor most of the game, but she’s an excellent defender and doesn’t get enough credit. She made a great rotational steal on Madison.

When we left her open late, she capitalized with three threes. That’s what good players do when their number is called, and you have to tip your hat to her.

I’ll also say this — I’m not going to point the finger at my team without pointing it at myself. Saniyah King deserved more minutes. When I went back and watched the tape, I beat myself up over that. She should have been in the rotation more in the second half, and that’s on me.

But we’re in this together. I couldn’t be more proud of the young women I’m coaching. This league is historically loaded — the AP poll just showed the SEC has more top-25 teams than ever. You’re playing elite competition every night.

Bracketology still has us in, but you’ve got to seize moments. You’ve got to steal a big one. When your back’s against the wall, you have to fight, claw, scrap, dig — whatever word you want to use — every single night.

On preparing to face Tennessee again...

First, credit to them. They’re first in the SEC and probably have the deepest, most talented roster top to bottom.

It helps that you’ve already played them. Your practice team has a better visual now when you’re trying to simulate actions and tendencies. But at the end of the day, you still have to execute.

We have to knock down open shots — we’ll get them. I thought Favour made huge strides against Alabama, finishing with two feet and making tough layups. Madison was unbelievable as well. I’m seeing growth that we’re going to need again at Tennessee.

On Favour Nwaedozi's growth...

It’s huge, and that’s why I’m proud of both her and Madison. They’re not just contributing with points — they’re rebounding, blocking shots, and winning hustle plays.

Kids get caught up in scoring, but what are you doing when you’re not scoring? That’s what I’m most proud of with those two. They bring effort and attitude every night, take on tough assignments, and do it with a smile. That’s why we’re competitive in these top-25 games.

On Melissa Guillet...

I couldn’t be more proud of her. We’ve gone from one minute to three minutes each week, and she’s earning more opportunities. When you watch the film, even defensively, she’s been really solid.

If you give up as many points as we did against Alabama, that tells me others need to step up defensively. She’s doing that, so she’s going to continue to get more opportunities.

On freshmen handling large amounts of minutes...

I think they’re in a good spot. In my fourth year, I’ve learned the importance of managing them. Off days need to be off days.

We set the schedule over Christmas to give them six days during that off week. I gave them three days completely off and we still beat Kentucky, so that worked. We’ll manage the next off week the same way.

They haven’t shown signs of hitting a wall. What I love is all three freshmen keep telling me, “Coach, I just want to win.” When you’re winning-focused, you don’t think about days off, and that’s what I’m most proud of.

On the SEC...

That’s the perspective we’re trying to keep. Don’t lose sight of who we’re playing. You sign up for this in the SEC.

You’re possibly playing multiple Final Four teams, Elite Eight teams, Sweet 16 teams — it’s insane. So we learn from it and grow from it.

That starts with me. I’m not going to throw basketballs or lose my mind like old-school coaching models. We’re competing against elite teams. We just have to learn what it takes to win these games consistently.

Right now, we’ve shown we can do it at home. The challenge is finding and sustaining that identity on the road.