Mike Siroky’s SEC Report: Three Move on to Sweet Sixteen

By Mike Siroky

The best conference in women’s basketball, the Southeastern, knows well the importance of the Round of 32.

This is where the field used to start, one game away from the Sweet 16 and real historical presence.

All the pretenders have been dismissed. 

The Final Four is hidden here, eve if it has been identified as 4.1 this season. They still have to win. A new Final Four was seeded when two of them fell into the Albany bracket.

Teams like Stephen F.Austin, Old Dominion, Louisiana Tech, Valdosta State made a name for themselves in this round before the NCAA took over.

UConn has certainly dominated as all those teams did in their title years.

 Someone wins every season, and that’s the fun of one-time champs. Notre Dame elevated itself a little last season. And they are back until they are not.

Next weekend is fun, heady wins.

 Starting with this sweet Sunday, the field is cut in half again.

 The  major conferences are represented quite well. Five from the ACC, four from the Big Ten, four from the Big 12, three from the Pac 12; five from the SEC.

The Southeastern started the day with the top five conference finishers. Kentucky plays Monday but everyone else plays now.

Here’s Day 3:

Mississippi State (32-2) 85, Clemson (20-13) 61

The best representative of the conference took down another ACC entrant.

Clemson was allowing 66 points per game, State averages 20 more than that. Clemson was only averaging 66, three less than the average allowed by State.

So it did not trend positive for the visitors.

Clemson is coached by Amanda Butler, dismissed a few years back by Florida, one of those coaches who are cocky without having reason to be so.

 In successive games this season, she lost to South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.

State closed the showtime season in StarkVegas. Four senior starters in the last home game. The legacy is secure, but not totally defined. They only lost one home game and one road game.

They were rewarded by the Selection Committee with no league opponents in their Regional.

 They won the conference outright and the first conference tournament in program history.

 Teaira McCowan is a legitimate All-American and in the conversation for national Player of the Year. Vic Schaefer was national Coach of the Year last season and may be again this season as he has already won one such designation.

They started off with Jordan Danberry oscillating the scouting report, four points and a block before McCowan even got off. She later made back-to-back layups with two steals.

 McCowan had two  rebounds and a block before she scored. Anriel Howard scored six with a block. It was already a double digit lead and the quarter not yet ended.

 Jazzmun Holmes, the fourth senior starter, closed out the quarter with two scores, 23-10 at the break.

Halftime was 41-22. McCowan had the foundation of a double/double 12 points and eight rebounds, six defensive. Howard had 13 points. 

It was 52-38 with five minutes left in the third. A very workmanlike disassembling of whatever Clemson was trying to do.

For a full minute, State did not score and still led by 20.

They were playing through McCowan as Schaefer has stressed. Let the focus be on her, she’d facilitate the others.

Clemson cut it to 13 in the final minute of the quarter. Howard had 21 points and 10 rebounds. The ’Dawgs had to defend a 16-point lead.

They did. 

McCowan, of course, got a double/double 28 points and 11 rebounds, with five blocks. It ended 85-61.

  Howard had 21 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and an assist. Danberry had 18, with three assists and three steals. They had 10 steals and 17 assists.

McCowan was 14-of-17 from the floor.

“There’s no substitute for experience,” Schaefer said. “She’s certainly got plenty of it. You watch film and when you’re watching, you’re not putting an age on those kids out there. You talk about their skill set and what they can and can’t do well.

“Hoo, headed to the Sweet 16 again.”

As the players danced and clapped for their fans, Schaefer said, “I want to once again thank you for what you’ve done for these kids. You’ve gotten us home on many a night. It is what makes Mississippi State so special. These kids have earned it. We’re not done.”

They again sold out with 9,900.

They get No. 5 seed Arizona State, 22-10, in Portland after they won at Miami by two in one of those great 4/5 matchups. The Sun Devils won by three at Arkansas this season.

 South Carolina (22-9) 72, Florida State (24-10) 64

The No. 4 seed in what would be the Greensboro Sweet 16, the Gamecocks faced the challenge of SEC vs. ACC. 

Te’a Cooper carried them early, two 3s among her 4-of-5 and 10 points as the second quarter slipped away. The two suspended players played. One of them, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, had 13 points off the bench.

 SC led by seven at halftime.

Alexis Jennings, playing on a potential career-ending game, had yet to show. As a result, they were six behind in rebounds as coach Dawn Staley went to work in the locker room.

“The familiar name of Florida State brings a lot of memories back for our fans, so hopefully they can bring their energized selves in here and will us to another victory,” Staley said.

Fifth seeds vs. fourth seeds are supposed to be close.

 The Seminoles did not go away. Herbert Harrigan continued to lead from the post with 15. The lead was down to one at the end of three.

But Staley had ignited Jennings. She finished with a strong 17. Another advantage SC had was State was down to eight players, no seniors, half of them freshmen.

So maybe the close was experience over newbies.

It was closer than eight. It was just a one-point lead when one of Staley’s phenomenal freshmen, Victaria Saxton hit  two free throws with 82 seconds left. She had started at crucial times in the season and is unafraid.

It was down to one again when Ty Harris hit a jumper with 27 seconds left. 

She was fouled and made the free throw. Then Cooper hit a free throw. State’s point guard, got overly demonstrative on a foul call not on her.

 Harris hit the technical. Herbert Harrigan finished her 20-point effort with a free throw, one of four Gamecocks in double figures.

State won rebounds by 17, 27 rebounds on offense. But it is the third time in five seasons SC had eliminated State.

State had an impressive 27 second chances, offensive rebounds, which kept them in the game.

Staley felt for them, with that effort.

“They fought, they gave us an incredible effort, but I’m happy that our team was real resilient in getting the win.”

She called the play on Harris’ final drive.

“In the timeout we set a play up for Ty to have the ball and make a decision whether she wants to shoot it or dump it to someone.

“What happened was we wanted to run it whether it was man or zone. I didn’t specify if they were in the zone to continue to run it. I just said you know this is what we are running.

“ More times, that’s a man play for us, but you know Ty had the whereabouts to get the ball and create a play. It happened in the same place it should have happened if we were able to get some screening action in there for her.”

She was happy Herbert Harrigan responded from a suspension to impact the game.

“Kiki is a hard guard, she is someone that can put the ball on the floor, her mid-range is efficient enough to where you have to play her, she is long, she gets blocked shots when she’s on the floor.

“ A lot of things can happen out there on the positive side, so having her ready to go and ready to compete always gives us an extra boost.”

Staley revels in a tight game moving forward.

“At this point of the tournament you are just fighting and clawing. Your next game could be your last game.

“Obviously whoever we will face on Saturday will be a tough opponent. We will have to continue to work in practice. 

“Our team is playing some of its best basketball as far as 40 minutes just grinding it out and giving multiple efforts. We are going to have to grit it out with some of the teams that we will play in the round of 16.

“Alexis Jennings is a big part of what we do. We have to get the ball to her. She is an efficient player. She is a hard guard for any post player.

“The offensive rebounds are academic. We had a time out with two and half minutes left in the game, I told them to forget about what took place the first 37 and half minutes, let’s get every rebound from this point on. 

“We only gave up three but it was enough to win the game. We scrapped and clawed and got to loose balls. I was very proud of our team.

“I am extremely proud. I am super proud. It is about sustaining and keeping your program in place that you are competing for National Championships. You have that in front of you. It feels good for our former, current and future players.

“This is where players are made. If you are fortunate enough to continue playing in the NCAA Tournament, you are going to see great players rise to that challenge. 

“I don’t think any of our players are afraid of it. Do I think they will play perfectly, no. I don’t think they are afraid of it.

“ What we have been able to do all season long is compete in practice and compete in the toughest league in the country. We are prepped to play well on the biggest stage.”

Harris said she’s worked on clutch moments: “I mean I just stay focused and try and hit the free throws.

“I think just being resilient, still scrapping after they got the ball, trying to get our hand on it. Just giving three or four efforts.”

Herbert Harrigan said, “Just being ready when my number is called, and going in and preforming.”

SC is off to its fourth Sweet 16 in five seasons. They will likely play top seed Baylor in Greensboro.  They drew 2,030.

  Texas A&M (25-7) 78, Marquette (27-8) 76

The history of Texas A&M makes them the unsteadiest of the four seeds. Marquette, a five, was obviously next in line and was scuffling to make a first Sweet 16.

Chennedy Carter is the difference maker. She had not found her rhythm in the opening quarter a 2-of-7 start. But a shooter must shoot.

 They started out the second quarter 12-5. 

Carter had nine early in the quarter, 16 by the 37-all half. A&M Has no bench. Where was everyone else.

Coach Gary Blair searched for answers at the break.

He did not find any. 

Marquette won the third by two points. Carter had 24 points. She finished with 30. N’dea Jones doubled with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Shambria Washington had 13 points. Ciera Porter doubled with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Kayla Wells scored 11.

With two minutes left, it was a one-point game. 

Almost another minute rolled off  before Jones made a free throw. But then Marquette tied it and went ahead on free throws.

With the focus on Carter, she kicked it out to Washington for a 3. A&M was ahead by a point with 27 seconds left, Marquette had possession.

With one second left, Carter stole the inbounds under the Marquette basket. She made a free throw to end it.

Washington was brought in be the center from a junior college when Anriel Howard fled Carter and A&M for Mississippi State.

 This is all new for her.

“It doesn’t really bother me that I’m in the shadows,” Washington said. “I kind of like it.”

But before she could finish that thought, Carter broke in to laud her teammate.

“Sham is really the backbone of our team,” she said. “She’s the engine. She really gets us going. Without her defensive stops and her leadership as a point guard, we probably wouldn’t even be this far right now.”

The 73-year-old Blair has been at A&M since 2003 and has led the Aggies to 14 straight tournament appearances, including seven Sweet 16s and a national title in 2011. 

He's been irked this season that he thinks people have not given his team the respect he feels it deserves and it also ticks him off that people have wondered if it’s time for him to retire.

All this made leading the Aggies to the Sweet 16 again even more special.

“It meant a lot,” he said. “I’m tired of people second-guessing this team. I’m tired of people trying to figure out when I’m going to retire. If what I do and my staff does it as well as they do, why not let us keep coaching?”

They likely get Notre Dame in the Chicago Regional. They drew 2,767.

 

Iowa (29-6) 68, Missouri  (24-11) 52

The seventh seed Tigers did what they always do, win one and be done.

 Farewell to Sophie Cunningham, whose next tryout should be in WWE development, where her style is encouraged.