While Sunday’s loss to Duke may have ended its season, the women’s basketball team went leaps and bounds beyond anywhere it had been in recent memory. Making its first NCAA Tournament appearance under Head Coach Vic Schaefer, the team did the university proud by having one of the most successful seasons in the history of the program and also by igniting a fan base that had failed to support the team over the last couple of seasons. That all has changed now, as students at the university and fans of the program have realized the women in Maroon and White deserve their support.     
The defining moment of the season may very well have been against Ole Miss at home on March 1, the last conference game of the year. In what turned out to be a very hard fought contest all the way to the end, the Bulldogs’ pulled out the 55-47 victory over their rival, but this time around there was something different about the atmosphere at  Humphrey Coliseum. Unlike in years past in which you could just about hear a pin drop from the rafters, there were words of encouragement being screamed by the 7,326 fans, the new school record, which made their presence felt on that particular Sunday. 
I remember after the game hearing senior Martha Alwal describe how much it meant to her, after enduring all of those down years, to see the crowd’s support of the team’s success. Alwal went on to say she believed it made the team play better as a whole. At that moment, you could sense that matters had truly changed with the relationship between the fans and the women’s basketball team. A certain respect now resonates between the two sides, and that could never have occurred if it not for the change in culture brought about by Schaefer.
Under his stewardship, the women’s basketball team has begun playing with a high level of passion, toughness and energy that is contagious, not just to the girls on the court but also to the fans in the stands. The program has taken a step forward each season in the right direction, and the roster is beginning to take shape as one filed with a plethora of young talent that should keep them competing in the NCAA Tournament for seasons to come. 
Starting with Victoria Vivians and Morgan William, the freshmen duo proved all season long they are capable of carrying a team on offense, as they were the top two leading scorers at the end of the year. Vivians, in particular, showed flashes of extreme potential, which at times made you wonder if she could turn into one of the best players in the country over the course of her college career. It will be incredibly fun for Bulldog fans to watch the growth of these two over the next three years.
It does not just stop there, though. Schaefer will also have the likes of his starting power forward back in Breanna Richardson, as well as his starting two guard Dominique Dillingham, who has emerged as a real defensive presence for his squad. Losing Alwal, one of  the greatest players to ever wear Maroon and White, will be a hard blow for the Bulldogs, but do not underestimate Schaefer’s ability to soften the blow a tad with some of the depth he has gathered up on this roster. Most of the season saw Schaefer refer to Chinwe Okorie as a “project” at the center spot, but with another year under her belt, do not be surprised to see her logging some real minutes next season.
Lastly, there still remain a lot of players not featured as heavily this season that will soon see their numbers called in due time. Most of the attention was given to both Vivians and William, but the other three freshmen Schaefer brought to Starkville all flashed moments of real quality and will be itching to prove they can contribute on a high level to the team as well. This would include Kayla Nevitt, Blair Schaefer and LaKaris Salter, all young and very talented at certain skills. 
At the end of the day, what Vic Schaefer has been able to do with the program has been nothing short of spectacular, and it was truly special to see people take notice of what he has built on this campus. Now that the foundations have been put in place, it should be special to watch this program continue to grow as a team.