Mississippi State men’s and women’s basketball teams are preparing for the 2016-2017 season where expectations are as high as possible.
The women’s team is coming off a season where they hosted the first two rounds of the national tournament and made it to the Sweet Sixteen.
The 2015-2016 team was the most sucessful team in history and won a program-best 28 games and matched the school record with 11 SEC wins while claiming the school’s highest SEC finish in second place.
Last year’s team was the first team to ever defeat Tennessee and are looking to build on that this season.
The Bulldogs return 90 percent of their scoring and 89 percent of their rebounding.
Among the players returning, the team will be led by junior guard Victoria Vivians. She was named to the preseason All-SEC team.
Vivians is the SEC’s top returning scorer averaging 17.1 ppg last season. She ranked third in the confrence making 2.2 3-pointers per game, ranked 20th in rebounding (5.8 rpg) and 11th in steals (1.7 spg).
Head coach Vic Schaefer is excited for Vivians and the team for the preseason success.
“We are very proud of Victoria,” Schaefer said. “It is a well deserved honor to be picked as one of the top five players in the SEC. I am sure she would tell you that while it’s a great honor, it is a reflection of her teammates and their hard work as well as her own.”
The team was picked second in the SEC for the upcoming season, generating a hype around the team that many fans truly believe in.
“We are certainly honored and excited to be picked second in what is always a very tough Southerastern Conference,” Schaefer said. “This is another stepping stone for our program, and we are going to give our best effort to live up to that ranking.”
They open up their season on Nov. 3 against Arkansas-Fort Smith at 6 p.m. in the Hump.
The men’s team was picked 10th in the SEC after a 14-17 overall record and a 7-11 SEC record last season.
The reason the team is picked up so low is because they are only returning three players that saw action on the court last season. They welcome 12 newcomers that were part of the No. 4 recruiting class in the country.
Although the Bulldogs are not returning many players, they are returning SEC All-Freshman player Quinndary Weatherspoon. Weatherspoon led the team in steals last season with 42 and was third on the team in scoring, averaging 12 points per game.
To cap off his freshman campaign, he was named to the SEC All-Freshman team and named SEC Freshman of the week twice in the season.
This preseason, he has been named to Preseason Second Team All-SEC team. Weatherspoon gave all the credit to his teammates.
“It’s really exciting to be named All-SEC,” Weatherspoon said. “I’m looking forward to see what this season will bring our team. While this is an individual award, I wouldn’t have accomplished anything without my teammates. There are a lot of great names on this list, and to be mentioned among them is an honor.”
The men’s team will be opening their season with an exhibition game against Delta State Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.
