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MSU bball enters and exits polls |
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Tuesday, 17 November 2009 |
 Kim Murrell/For the Daily News Mississippi State senior guard Alexis Rack had 16 points in 19 minutes in the Lady Bulldogs season-opening win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 13. For the first time since 2003, MSU has made the Associated Press Top 25 poll. By MATTHEW STEVENS
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Monday will be remembered as a bittersweet day for both Mississippi State basketball programs.
Friday night’s upset 88-74 loss to Rider dropped the MSU men’s team from 18th to out of both the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls.
“I think everybody understands now when I say how good Rider is,” MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said Friday after the loss. “They were just better than us. We just had no answers for them.”
The Bulldogs (0-1) received exactly 16 votes in both polls and were the only team to fall out of the Top 25 this week.
Stansbury has said through MSU spokesman that he will not comment before Thursday night’s game against Southeastern Louisiana about whether or for how long forward Kodi Augustus will be disciplined for his comments following the loss to Rider.
On the other end of the spectrum for the first time since 2003, the Mississippi State Women’s Basketball team has cracked the Associated Press Top 25.
The poll, released on Monday, has the Lady Bulldogs 25th this week after defeating Arkansas-PineBluff and East Tennessee State in dominating fashion to open the 2009-10 season.
“It’s great to begin the season with two wins and a top-25 ranking,” Lady Bulldogs head coach Sharon Fanning-Otis. “Hopefully, we will improve as the season progresses. We realize the challenge of our schedule including our non-conference games and 16 games in SEC play.”
The ranking marks the first time the Lady Bulldogs have been in the poll since the final AP rankings in 2003 when State finished 13th after reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Mississippi State joins four other Southeastern Conference teams in the rankings including Tennessee (6th), LSU (7th), Georgia (16th) and Vanderbilt (22nd).
In the season-opener against Pine Bluff, State’s Tysheka Grimes, Mary Kathryn Govero and Chanel Mokango all had double-doubles, marking the first time in school history a trio has accomplished that feat in the same game.
In a 30-point win against East Tennessee State, senior All-SEC performer Alexis Rack led the way, scoring 14 points while Grimes and Armelie Lumanu added 12 and 11 points respectively.
Rider’s win over MSU not recognized in polls
Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey left Humphrey Coliseum thinking he had just as talented a basketball team as the defending Southeastern Conference Tournament champion Bulldogs. The writers and coaches don’t agree yet.
After defeating MSU 88-74 Friday to start off the season for both schools, Rider received only seven votes in Monday’s Associated Press Top 25 poll and not a single vote by in the USA Today/Coaches poll.
“I know we weren’t on a lot of people’s radar to begin the year so what we need to do now is continue to validate the win throughout the season,” Dempsey said in a phone interview Monday.
The Broncs did just that Monday night by remaining undefeated and beating Lehigh XX-XX in their home opener. Rider (2-0) also has games at Virginia and Kentucky before November is over.
“We’re not at that point yet to be in the Top 25 each and every week,” Dempsey said. “It’s just another thing our coaching staff can use to motivate our players.”
One of the things Dempsey used to pump up his team Friday night was the ring ceremony and Southeastern Conference Tournament championship celebration held before tipoff of the Rider game last week.
It could be argued that the Bulldogs ceremony might have backfired on head coach Rick Stansbury and the MSU players.
“Our approach was they invited us to be part of the party and that’s exactly what we were,” Dempsey said. “We knew they were trying to open the season against a team they could handle and as a coach you use anything between a ring ceremony or a banner being raised as motivation.”
Dempsey knows also that to have a high enough RPI ranking in March to be considered by the NCAA selection committee for a possible at-large berth as a mid-major, Mississippi State must have a very successful season to make the victory in early November look more impressive.
“We’re their biggest fan,” Dempsey said. “Sometimes you get a win early against a big name school that’s not that good but I truly don’t believe that’s the case with what Rick has.”
Dempsey hopes and said that Mississippi State has the talent to challenge for another SEC West Division championship.
“We knew a lot of their young kids were out and when (freshman forward Renardo) Sidney and (freshman center John) Riek get cleared to play, they will be a 25-plus win team that’s a factor in the SEC race all year.”
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 21 November 2009 )
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