Mike Siroky’s SEC Report: Four Teams Inside AP Top 20

 By Mike Siroky

 

 Mississippi State continues to lead the Southeastern Conference of women’s basketball.

They are the last team unbeaten in SEC play at home, following the historical path  of whoever defends the home court wins the regular season in conference.

The Bulldogs are a win away from the magic NCAA entrant number of 20 wins. 

No SEC team has ever been denied a ticket to the big elimination with 20 wins. 

Those 6-7-8 entrants usually get in as first-round visitors for that reason alone because the league competition offers enough RPI. 

No. 19 Kentucky and Missouri with 17 wins each, are next up. Then No. 20 Texas A&M and Arkansas (16) each and Auburn (15).

State is among the top 15 in the country in 11 statistical categories. 

The Bulldogs lead the nation in scoring margin (34) and scoring offense (90). 

State is second in offensive rebounding (19), free throws made (311) and rebound margin (17.7).  The rebound marks are directly attributable to McCowan and Anriel Howard. The Bulldogs are fifth in field goal percentage (50.4).

The ranked teams all get in, of course. A spot in the league tournament elite eight is another marker worth pursuing, which is what happens when the top four seeds earn a double bye.

Tennessee, no longer ranked, followed its home loss to Arkansas with the expected demolition by No. 1 Notre Dame (though they only trailed by four with two minutes left in the third) then stopped the six straight failures against  LSU.

 They need a mighty rush and an upset win to get seven more victories and reach 20 as the league’s last potential NCAA entrant.

 They could hit 20 in the league tournament. ESPN broadcasters have already presented them as dead to the NCAA which will be more motivation.

No. 25 Missouri lost its second straight, then won at home, but dropped off the poll universe.

No. 16 South Carolina had a week off after taking care of Mizzou on Big Monday. They rose three spots in the national poll.

There are 15 finalists for the national Defensive Player of the Year. Five of them are from the SEC.

 Teaira McCowan and Anriel Howard from Mississippi State, Taylor Murray of Kentucky and Caliya Robinson of Georgia are so honored.

Here’s how the league’s ranked teams in the AP Top 20 did in the fourth week.

No. 6 Mississippi State (19-1)

The first order of business was to replace the non-senior starter, sophomore Chloe Bibby, lost to blowing out her left knee against South Carolina.

The immediate answer is classmate Andra Ezpinoza Hunter, the UConn transfer, though coach Vic Schaefer had not made it official two days out.

She is two inches shorter than Bibby. She had 22 3s made. 

At 5-11, she is two inches shorter than Bibby.

That leaves superb sub Breamber Scott available, with 15 3s made, compared to 36 by Bibby.

State had two more wins, at Florida and then against state rival Mississippi.

Of course, the monster in the middle, Teaira McCowan, is the answer to everything in StarkVegas. 

She once again won conference Player of the Week which we have advocated naming after her this season.

She is the only SEC player in the top 10 in the league in both scoring and rebounding average. She has a program-best 1,278 career rebounds.

It was an unsurprising 27-9 opening quarter. It was trending toward being a runaway.

By the time it was 28-10, Anriel Howard already had 19 points, 9-of-12 from the field, and five defensive rebounds.

 If you want to focus defense on McCowan, Howard is always ready. She ended one of four in double figures. Scott ended 5-of-8 from the field and scored 15 in 18 minutes.

But everyone would get plenty of time in this one, the 22nd straight SEC win and a conference-leading ninth straight.

It was 54-22 at the half.

It finished 90-42, yet another near the top of the league high score pile.

.McCowan only had to contribute one basket. Jordan Danberry hit 12, her 14th straight game in double figures.

Florida is scrambling under its second-year coach to merely have a winning record. It won’t happen this season, so maybe the NIT goal next season before real pressure gets on the coach to win in conference.

. They did upset Missouri. They drew 1,242.

“I am just really pleased with my team today”  Schaefer said. “I thought our guard play was really good. We set the tone early.

“ I thought that is where we really dictated the tempo. I thought Jazz (Holmes) was outstanding today defensively and running our team. I thought it started with her energy on the ball.

“The real thing I was pleased with was my bench, 43 bench points. Tonight our bench was really good. When we can score 90 points and Teaira just has two, it is a pretty good day for us.”

When Ole Miss came in to renew the state rivalry, State welcomed the new coach.

It has to be interesting to be in the same state with one team so superlative and the other just getting by with no institutional support.

This game sold out weeks early. 

The crowd was raucously chanting for the defense. It is a great time to be a Bulldog, but its must be even better for Schaeferz.

 He has imposed his plan not only on his team but also his campus.

So the rocking win, 80-49, was his from the jump. A 4-0 run in the second quarter led to a 43-22 halftime. 

State shot better than 56 percent in the 18-10 first 43-22 at half. 

McCowan had 17 at intermission, including 5-of-6 from the line. Howard continues to back up her decision to spend her graduate student season here from Texas A&M, with 13.

 Danberry had five rebounds and five assists. That intensity remained in the third quarter with the Rebels not edging much closer.

McCowan got up to 25 points and strolled to the training room for the end of the third after turning her ankle a bit. 

She returned after a tape job, a season-high 33 points and 11 rebounds. 

Howard had taken a knee to the thigh in the rough and tumble underneath but responded with her double/double, 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Schaefer said. “Our defense picked it up in the second quarter. We made our move on defense and that got us going. There are certain triggers. I think we can do more and get better and that’s my job.

“I thought (McCowan) looked as good as she has in a while. I call it being interested. I am still trying to get the best I can out of my kids, to get my kids ready every night. I can’t just play my kids 13-15 minutes a game. We have gotta be ready for when we need 40 minutes.

“I thought Jazz set the pace, especially on defense.”

State has been in the AP poll 87 straight weeks, including 51 weeks in a row in the Top 10. They have 31 straight home wins.

The ’Dawgs are the nation’s top scoring offense, averaging 90 and allowing 56.7, for the the highest scoring margin (34.2) in Division I.

This week, they are on a two-game road trip, against LSU and Alabama as they reset their sites on 30 wins before the NCAA eliminations.

 Rockin’ steady, they moved up one spot in the national poll.

 

No. 16 South Carolina (13-5)

This week, the only game is Ole Miss at home.

But then looms the annual confrontation with once and future No. 1 UConn.

 Like Tennessee-Notre Dame, these in-conference confrontations make little sense. Neither team needs the publicity. They’ve been in Final Fours recently.

 UConn, assured of dominating its weak conference, needs an RPI win, but a win helps neither in their leagues and a demoralizing loss is not worth the risk.

Muffet McGraw finally said the UT series would sensibly move to the fall from now on.

But back to business. SC is closer to 20 and one of four top SEC tournament seeds for the double bye,

Coach Dawn Staley works all this out.

No. 19 Kentucky (16-3)

Senior Maci Morris (16.3 points per game) is the consistent key for Matthew Mitchell.

It was homecoming after four road games, against No. 25 Missouri, one game after senior guard Taylor  Murray and freshman Rhyne Howard, the other two top scorers, missed a game with injuries. 

Howard is averaging 16.2 points and a team-best 7.1 rebounds per game with 43 3s made, 50 assists, 40 steals and 16 blocks. Murray is the only other Wildcats averaging double figures with 12.3 points per game while leading UK with 68 assists and 64 steals. 

Murray (12.3) is trying to build on limited play with a left knee injured against Tennessee. She has a bone bruise. She missed the previous game entirely.

But she was back to starting, hitting her first 6-of-7 for 13. Howard also returned.

Murray’s 21 were so important as Morris and Howard only scored four each.

Missouri was following a loss at South Carolina. They allow 56.4 points per game and score 65.8.

Senior aggravation is Sophie Cunningham but  15.9 points with a team-best 64 assists and 27 steals. She had 13 at the end of three. But she only scored two more baskets and was 5-of-12 from the field. 

The Tigers fell to the superior defense without a basket in the final five minutes.

UK had shown its defensive determination from the start, 12-10 after one and 21-18 at the half, when each side scored single digits.

 It was UK’s lowest output in a half, but they were willing to live on defense in the 52-41 win. They controlled the boards, 37-25. They gained 11 baskets off 20 turnovers.

 They drew 4,174.

“Tonight was going to be a lot about our grit,” said coach Matthew Mitchell. “It says a lot about our toughness, so much about our intensity and our defense and I thought they just really showed up on all four categories.”

He said Murray’s play was all self-motivation.

“I’m not taking credit for her spectacular play. She came out. We talked about how we had to get more disruptive and we had to make something happen with our defense because they were packing that lane and they were making it tough to score around the basket and her ability to force some turnovers up high on the floor where they couldn't transition back and we were able to get some layups off of our defense -- I thought that really sparked our team. 

“You know, she’s been struggling with her knee and I just thought she just started rounding into some form that you all have seen from her this season. It was an outstanding performance and she really was a catalyst that sparked the entire team, so a great performance.”

He addressed the injured players rounding back into shape.

“Well, you just think, the time that they missed from practice and games has affected them. Maci gutted through the game last Thursday night and then we tried to get her some treatment. She's really been off. We've been trying to get her feeling better.

“And so, I think it's going to take a little time to knock the rust off. I think tonight was a good step toward that. Rhyne was in a difficult game for her tonight. The strength of her game is shooting 3s and the mid-range jumper. It's tough for her around the basket right now. That's what I told her, these are the games she grows up in. This is where you learn how tough the game is, how physical it is.”

UK went on to No. 24 Texas A&M in a traditionally tough battle. They allow 56 points per game while scoring 70.

They start five sophomores, leading off with nationally ranked Chennedy Carter the best scorer in conference a 21.6 points per game. Guard Aaliyah Wilson is averaging 13.8 while another guard, Kayla Wells, is at 13.4. Forward N’dea Jones leads with 11.5 rebounds. Center Ciera Johnson averages 11.6 points and 8.3 rebounds.

A&M started quickly, 14-5, with Mitchell trying to alter momentum.

 Howard hit two 3s to and Morris another to keep UK in striking distance. The shooting percentages were 58-23 percent, reflecting the 19-11 A&M lead. 

The Aggies did not go to the bench yet. UK cut it to one, based on Howard’s four 3s.

A&M scored on six straight possessions make it 31-23, 18-4 points in the paint. But seven 3s led an 8-0 run. 

It was 33-31, Aggies, at the break. 

UK’s Howard led everyone with a dozen points. But no one was truly in control. UK had seven turnovers, A&M five steals.

Down the stretch, A&M built the lead to 10, but UK finished strong and cut the lead to one again.

 Significantly, the Aggies never lost the lead. Their strong shooting continued finishing at 56 percent, including 6-of-8 3s.

  

With less than four minutes left, Morris got hot, scoring 12 in a row to cut the lead to 72-67. 

On UK’s next possession, Morris found McKinney, who converted a layup to cut the lead to 72-69 with 1:40 to play. Carter missed a shot. 

The crowd roared when UK had the ball, was silent as Sunday church when A&M had it.

 Both coaches stood for the final few minutes. Blair was miming plays, his coat on the bench.

Howard was fouled on a 3 attempt with 9.9 seconds remaining. She made the first and third free throws and there was the one-point advantage, 72-71. 

Kentucky fouled A&M's Jones, who made one of two for the 73-71 final lead with 8.5 seconds to play.

The Wildcats called a timeout to advance the ball and set up the final possession. 

Howard attempted a mid-range jumper that rimmed out and A&M grabbed the rebound. 

Carter missed two free throws with 0.7 seconds left, but Kentucky's full-court heave at the buzzer came up short. The 4,753 in attendance were likely hoarse.

Morris scored 22, with five rebounds and four assists. Howard had 21 points, eight rebounds, four steals and two assists. No other Wildcat scored in double figures.­­­ They hit 11 of 29 3s. Howard had five – but only one after half as the team hit to after intermission -- and Morris four.

Carter and Kayla Wells led Texas A&M with 20 points apiece. Johnson had a career-high 19 points. At 5-2, they are in second place in the league. 

The five straight wins are the most in conference since 2016. They have clinched a winning season for the 15th season and have won three straight against the Kats, 5-4 since joining the league. 

A&M is tied for third in conference with Arkansas at 5-2. UK is next at 4-3.

“You have to give Texas A&M all the credit,” Mitchell said. “They really fought hard today and made the plays necessary to win. This was obviously such a close game, and they made one more play than we did. 

“We got into some real difficult situations in the game. I was proud of the fight our team showed. We gave ourselves the chance to win the game and possibly go into overtime.

“I am surprised on how we dominated the offensive glass. 13-6, double them up, we had more offensive rebounds than they did. That was a great development for us. We out-rebounded them, but you just have to give Ciera Johnson so much credit. She just stepped up and I thought the biggest difference in the game. Credit her for having an amazing offensive game.”

A&M coach Gary Blair was just as enthusiastic.

“This was a carbon copy of the Auburn game -- we got the big lead and let them back in. At the same time, with how hard both teams were playing, if we would have been down, I think we would have come back and had to make the decision at the end.

“Morris got hot, that is why she is a first-team All-SEC performer. Rhyne Howard will be the Freshman of the year in our league, she is that good. 

“I do not know if we did anything shut down Taylor Murray, last game she carried them to the win, but this game it was Howard and Morris. They have got three of the top 20 players in the league. So give them credit, you can imagine what the game is going to be like when we go back to Lexington. It is like this every time we play Kentucky.”

 At the end, he said, “We were trying to foul on the floor, and Shambria Washington fouled a three-point shooter. We have got to be more disciplined than that and we were lucky that was a lot of pressure because Howard missed one of the free throws.

“Then we ran our perfect inbounds play that we get all the time, and I called the wrong number. Defending the last play, we had a foul to give, so the ball was on the other side of the court. 

“We took Maci Morris away, Rhyne Howard had to make a play, that was not a great shot because she was not on balance. Give us a little credit for that. We contested, we did not foul, and we got the rebound.”

A&M center Johnson said, “I give a lot credit to the guards for just giving me the ball in the right place at the right time. All I really had to do was just go up. I think I really just did two moves in the paint, where some of them were shot fakes and layups.”

A&M sophomore guard Wells said of her opportunity, “That is basically every game. They are trying to take away Chennedy first, and then try to take away me. With them trapping Chennedy, and focusing on her, that gives me a lot of looks especially early.

 “We really focused on paint points this game because we knew that Maci Morris was a beast, especially driving. We wanted to stop her driving and slow their offense down. They came out pretty early hitting with Rhyne Howard, and she is a great player. We just had to try to take away her and Maci Morris’s touches too.”

Blair said the fouls his team had to deal with at the end limited aggressiveness on rebounds, but that Carter’s four fouls were legitimate.

“She has to earn to be aggressive without fouls,” he said. “It is tough being Chennedy Carter, with what she has to go through. She had only been to the line two times until the end, when usually it is 10 times.

“Cierra missed her first shot – the first all year -- when her shoulders weren’t square then hit her next eight. We though we could go inside. Remember, she is just a sophomore.”

This week, UK is home again for South Carolina, then Florida. The Kats dropped as much as anybody, four spots in the national poll.

No. 20 Texas A&M (14-4)

The Aggies started the week at unranked Auburn, a nice little 15-win team in that next group after the top four with at least three SEC wins: Kentucky, LSU, Alabama and Arkansas.

 They had already piled on Tennessee. So a win would take one away from that logjam.

The Aggies were playing their fourth of a five-game set with a three-game win streak.

“We don’t ever want to see .500 again in SEC play,” said junior guard Shambria Washington. “We’re going into every game now like it’s a must-win and trying to really get it going.”

Sophomore forward N’dea Jones had just set a school record with 21 rebounds and another for a second 20-plus  rebound game in the same season.

Auburn, already with 15 wins, had a week off to prepare after rallying from 20 points down at Vanderbilt.

Four Tigers — Janiah McKay (14.1), Daisa Alexander (12.8), Unique Thompson (12.7) and Crystal Primm (11.6) — average double figure points. But it is Auburn’s full-court pressure, the SEC leader  in steals per game (12.7) and an average 25.8 points off turnovers that makes them deadly.

 “We need to take care of the basketball and not turn the ball over,” said Jones. “Auburn is a really good basketball team, and they press basically the entire 40 minutes of the game.”

 The Aggies had won all 11 previous meetings with Auburn, sweeping  two last season with Chennedy Carter surpassing 20 points in each.

Auburn surprised them with a 17-12 first. And a 13-12 second. No Tiger was doing a lot but all the Tigers were doing enough in pursuit of a 16th win.

 Carter had two 3s among her 10 points but is locked into the “shooter must shoot” mentality and was 4-of-12 with little support.

 Auburn was hitting was hitting 36 percent from the field, A&M 37.

A&M shot 55.6 after intermission.

At the end with less than 17 seconds left and tied, Carter knew it was her game. Coach Gary Blair knew it was her game. The 1,656 in the stands knew it was her game. The guy in the popcorn stand knew it was her game.

Carter drove the length of the floor and made a game-winning runner in the 69-67 emphatic win.

  She scored.

Auburn had rallied from 11 down in the final four minutes after the Aggies won the third, 25-14.

 They tied it with 17 seconds left with a Janiah McKay layup. 

A&M had no timeouts left. 

“Coach had said ‘Move your feet don’t foul,’ but I ended up giving up the layup and AI knew I wanted to take the shot,” Carter said.

“I believe in myself and my teammates believe in me and I just to go make it. I couldn’t stress about it. At first, I was going to take the 3 but I said to myself, ‘Nah, take it to the rim.’ I have a good first step.

“Ciera Johnson, Kayla Wells, Sambria being a true point guard and then there’s me.”

Carter scored 28, her fourth of more than 20 in the past five games. She had 15 in the second half. She has been in double figures for 26 straight games, 51 of 52 career games.

 She hit a season best five 3s.

Wells scored 19, Johnson doubled for the third straight game with 11 and Jones had her sixth double/double of the season, 11 points and 15 rebounds. They only used six players, the first time in two seasons.

The Aggies had 11 offensive rebounds in the second half and scored 13 off those.

“I thought our young ladies played extremely hard,” Auburn coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. “We continued to fight. We did everything we needed to do to win the basketball game, except at the end. We needed to make a stop at the end. Janiah did a great job to get us in the position to win the basketball game  and we needed to get a stop.”

“When she’s in the open floor, I’ll take my chances,” A&M associate head coach Kelly Bond-White said. “But even if she had missed it, our kids had ran the floor and I thought we were in rebounding position.”

 “We finally started running a little bit of offense in the second half instead of freelancing and hully-gullying, which is what we were doing in the first half,” A&M coach Gary Blair said.

This week, A&M stays home for Vanderbilt then is at Ole Miss, two winnable games. The win over UK bumped them the most of anybody, back into the Top 20, up four.