Sports

Vivians named to four watchlists; Bulldogs slip to No. 5 after loss

Dalton Middleton, Sports Editor • January 26, 2017

Olivia Zeringue | The Reflector

Victoria Vivians has been named to four separate midseason watchlists. She is tied for third in the SEC in scoring with 16.9 p.p.g.

The Mississippi State women’s basketball team dropped one spot in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll. After the 64-61 setback to then No. 5 South Carolina, the Bulldogs swapped places with the Gamecocks and are now ranked No. 5.

The loss not only knocked the Bulldogs back a spot in the rankings, but also ended the Bulldogs’ 20 game win streak, the second longest in the country behind the University of Connecticut’s current 94 game win streak. The game put the Bulldogs at 20-1 overall and 6-1 in conference play.

Victoria Vivians and Breanna Richardson led the Bulldogs in the game with 12 points apiece. Vivians has been named to four midseason watch lists so far this season.

She was named to the 2017 Wade Trophy Watchlist. The Wade Trophy, which has been around for 20 years, is given to the national player of the year. It is the most prestigious trophy in the NCAA.

The watch list is composed of 25 players selected by the NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America Selection Committee.

She was named to the Naismith Women’s Watchlist, which consists of 50 players who are in consideration for the 2017 Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year.

The third watchlist Vivians was nominated for is the John R. Wooden award. The Wooden award is given to the men’s and women’s most outstanding basketball player.

This is the 41st annual presentation of the award and it will be awarded to the winning candidate on April 7, 2017.

The fourth watchlist Vivians was nominated for is the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch List. The award is the Women’s National Player of the Year. The individual awards will take place in March.

Vivians is having an outstanding season as the leading scorer for the Bulldogs. In the SEC alone, Vivians is tied for third with 16.9 points per game. In conference play, she is fourth with 18.1 points per game. She is fourth in the SEC with 37 3-pointers on the season, and a 30.8 3-point shooting percentage.

On the defensive side, she is second on the Bulldogs’ squad with 5.7 rebounds per game and she is third in the conference with 2.6 steals per game.