Honestly, if you're looking at the current record for Mississippi State Bulldogs women's basketball, it’s easy to feel a little bit of whiplash. One minute they're 14-1 and looking like a dark horse in the SEC, and the next, they’re staring down a four-game skid that has fans checking the NET rankings every five minutes.
It’s stressful. But that's life in the SEC.
Right now, Sam Purcell’s squad is sitting at 14-5 overall and a tough 1-4 in conference play. On paper, that 1-4 looks ugly. It looks like a collapse. But if you actually watch the games—especially that absolute dogfight against No. 5 Vanderbilt on January 15—you realize this isn't a team that’s falling apart. They’re a team that's basically running a marathon through a minefield.
The Gauntlet: Why the Record is Deceiving
You’ve got to look at who they’ve played. The Bulldogs didn't just lose to "some teams." They lost to No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 20 Tennessee, No. 18 Ole Miss, and No. 5 Vanderbilt. That is a brutal stretch of basketball. Most teams in the country would come out of that bruised, and State is no exception.
Take the Vanderbilt game. 89-84. The Commodores were 17-0 coming into Starkville, and the Bulldogs had them on upset alert for 27 minutes. The Hump was rocking. Madison Francis and Kharyssa Richardson were a force down low, outscoring Vandy 42-32 in the paint.
But then Mikayla Blakes happened. She dropped 38 points. Sometimes, you just run into a buzzsaw.
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What’s wild is that this was the first time in 15 games that the Bulldogs outscored an opponent in the paint and still lost. Usually, if State wins the battle inside, they win the game. This time, a 14-2 run by Vandy at the end of the third quarter just sucked the air out of the building.
The Freshmen are Actually Legitimate
Most people expected a rebuilding year. Sam Purcell basically turned over the whole roster, leaving only three returning players from last season. You don’t usually win 14 games by mid-January with that kind of turnover unless you hit the jackpot in recruiting.
And they did.
Madison Francis is a problem for the rest of the SEC. She’s a freshman leading the league in blocks (3.1 per game) and she’s already got five double-doubles. She had 15 points and 8 rebounds against Vanderbilt, and she’s been the leading scorer six times this season.
Then there’s Jaylah Lampley. She’s one of the few freshmen in the SEC averaging double digits while shooting over 50%. Seeing two freshmen like Francis and Lampley contribute this much, this early, is rare. Usually, freshmen hit a wall in January when the SEC physicality kicks in. These two? They're the ones hitting back.
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Sam Purcell and the "20-Win" Standard
There is a lot of pressure on Purcell right now. He’s the first coach in program history to lead his first three teams to 20 or more wins. He’s currently at 81-39 in his fourth year.
The standard in Starkville is high—Vic Schaefer made sure of that years ago—and Purcell is trying to maintain it while the conference gets exponentially harder. Adding Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC didn't exactly make his life easier.
The Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 36 in the NET. In the world of bracketology, that’s "In," but barely. They are the team on the bubble that nobody wants to play because they have the size to ruin your night.
Key Players to Watch Right Now:
- Kharyssa Richardson: She’s been on a tear in conference play, averaging nearly 14 points and 7 rebounds, which is a massive jump from her non-conference stats.
- Favour Nwaedozi: A physical presence who unfortunately struggled with foul trouble against Vandy but remains their most efficient interior finisher.
- Trayanna Crisp: The floor general. She tied her career high with seven assists recently and is the emotional heartbeat of the backcourt.
What Really Happened in the Ole Miss Game?
The loss in Oxford (93-68) was the low point. Let’s be real. Losing to your rival is one thing; getting handled by 25 is another. Ole Miss shot the lights out, and State looked step slow.
But that’s the thing about Mississippi State Bulldogs women's basketball—they tend to bounce back. After that blowout, they came home and nearly knocked off a top-5 team. That shows character. It shows they haven't checked out.
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The Path to March
The schedule doesn't get easier. They’ve got No. 7 Kentucky coming to town next, then a trip to No. 21 Alabama.
If they can steal one of those two, they’re fine. If they go 0-2? The panic meters in Starkville will start hitting the red zone. A seven-game losing streak is a hard thing to explain to the selection committee, even if every loss is to a ranked team.
The reality is that this team lives and dies by the three-point line. Defensively, they allow opponents to shoot about 29% from deep. When they keep teams under that number, they win. When they let guards like Mikayla Blakes or Cotie McMahon get comfortable? It’s a long night.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts:
- Watch the foul count: Favour Nwaedozi is vital. When she fouls out early (like she did in 20 minutes against Vandy), the defense collapses.
- The 4th Quarter Fade: Keep an eye on the end of the third and start of the fourth. State has been getting outscored in these "bridge" minutes against ranked opponents.
- Support the Hump: The Bulldogs are 11-2 at home. The crowd energy is genuinely a factor in how those freshmen play.
Keep an eye on the turnover margin in the next few games. If State can keep it under 12, they have the rebounding talent to beat anyone left on their schedule. The talent is there; the consistency just needs to catch up.
Check the upcoming schedule and try to catch the Kentucky game on January 18. It’ll tell you everything you need to know about whether this team is destined for a deep run or a stressful Selection Sunday.