Quietly, the Mississippi State women’s basketball team currently sits at 18-1 and is ranked in the top 15 in the country for the first time in over ten years. Led by third-year Head Coach Vic Schaefer, the Bulldogs are beginning to draw the attention of not only the women’s college basketball landscape, but also the city of Starkville.
When driving through the main drag of Starkville, it stands out that many local businesses have started showing their support by writing highly encouraging messages on their signage and boards. Attendance at women’s basketball games at Humphrey Coliseum has seen an increase over the last month of roughly 600 people. This puts average attendance numbers at 2,958 thus far this season, and it is worth noting that their home game against Georgia two weeks ago drew a season-high of 4,114 fans.
Schaefer could not be more proud of the way his players have produced a brand of basketball that fans appreciate watching.
“The 4,114 we had, (fans) are coming because they like how we play,” Schaefer said. “They have a respect for these kids, and I think that speaks volumes for what we’re doing and what they’re doing as a team. I have great pride in these young ladies and the respect they are gaining from our fan base.” 
For those who are just now starting to follow what’s going on with the women’s basketball team on the court, there are a couple of accomplishments this squad has already achieved that should garner respect from the collective masses. It finished its non-conference portion of the schedule unbeaten, making it the best start of a season in the history of the program. During that stretch the Bulldogs were able to hold 11 of their first 15 opponents to an average of 29.7 percent shooting from the field, and the team is starting to demonstrate why Schaefer got his nickname “Secretary of Defense.”
Adding to their impressive start to the season, the Bulldogs were able to take home the Preseason Women’s Invitational Tournament Championship by defeating Western Kentucky 88-77. It was a contest that set the tempo for the season and gave the Bulldogs confidence as well as reassurance that they were one of the best teams in the entire country.
What may be more impressive is the fact that for the first third of their season, the Bulldogs were without their 6’4” senior First Team All-SEC center Martha Alwal and senior guard Kendra Grant. It speaks to the level of depth Schaefer has brought to this Bulldog roster that he could be without a couple of his senior leaders for a good portion of the season and still not miss a beat. 
Schaefer has been able to mold his squad to feature a good blend of young talented players, who fuse well with the already experienced girls on the team. In particular, Schaefer’s 2014 recruiting class featured five highly talented freshman that have been able to contribute in big ways in their short time in the program.
Schaefer’s most hailed recruit this past offseason, Victoria Vivians, was a high school basketball standout at Scott Central High School in Forest, Mississippi. While there, she averaged 46.2 points a game to go along with 14 rebounds over her highly coveted high school career that saw her receive many national awards. Keeping her in the state of Mississippi was Schaefer’s goal, and to say it has worked out for him may be an understatement. Vivians currently scores 15 points a game, leading the team. Both her size and feel for the game allow her to cause nightmares for opponents, as she can shoot from distance with ease or drive into the lane to finish.
Vivians always displays a calm head after games and does not let one performance change the way she views goals. A great example of this was when the team emerged from the WNIT Tournament as champions, and Vivians said her team strived to improve.
“This felt good, but we feel like we have a lot more to do. We are not satisfied. We know it’s a good start, but we can only get better,” she said.
The other major contributor of this year’s freshman class is the speedy guard Morgan William. With one of the quickest first steps in all of women’s college basketball, William has been able to come in and lead the team in assists while also showing an ability to get to the free throw line with her driving ability. She fits perfectly into coach Schaefer’s high-octane style of play that leads to a fast paced offensive attack.
For the Bulldogs in the upcoming months, the main objective is to perform well within their SEC schedule. The SEC is strong in terms of women’s basketball this season, with teams such as South Carolina and Tennessee sitting at the top to date.
Coach Schaefer did not hide the fact his team has made great strides since last season, but it will still be a tough task to remain on its current trend with a conference as difficult as the SEC.
“Obviously, our league is a nightmare. Everybody is good,” he said. “Last year was a turnaround – we beat Vanderbilt, which was a 57-point swing from the year before. We took Kentucky to overtime and should have won; we’ve beaten Georgia back-to-back seasons, so we’ve made big strides. Our recruiting has brought us players with a terrific skill set, and your confidence comes from your skill set.”
SEC play was a problem for Schaefer’s teams over his first two seasons as they struggled to remain consistent with the increase in competition they saw. The task will be no different this year as the Bulldogs have to play Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina on the road over a brutal stretch that also includes going up against Texas A&M at home. Needless to say, the Bulldogs have their work cut out for them going forward, but with the foundation now put into place, expect Coach Schaefer’s team to take the challenge head on.
The Bulldogs return to action Sunday when they host Alabama at 3 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.