Where Mississippi State women’s basketball is in NCAA tournament predictions after Kentucky win

Stefan Krajisnik, Mississippi Clarion Ledger

It took an extra five minutes of action, but Mississippi State women’s basketball fended off Kentucky on Thursday to avoid a bad loss after a stunning win against LSU on Monday.

At this point, with the SEC schedule flipping to February, winning ugly is just fine for Mississippi State (18-5, 5-3 SEC). The Bulldogs are on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, according to ESPN’s latest projections, and have a résumé worthy of March Madness as long as they don’t stack bad losses.

Finding a way at Kentucky, despite trailing by six with less than a minute to play, is enough for coach Sam Purcell’s squad to be in a good position next month.

Here’s a look at MSU’s résumé going into Sunday’s game (3 p.m., SEC Network) at Texas A&M (15-5, 3-4) and where the Bulldogs stand in the latest projections.

Mississippi State women’s basketball’s résumé, NET ranking

NET ranking: 29

Quad 1 record: 4-1

Quad 2 record: 3-4

Quad 3 record: 5-0

Quad 4 record: 6-0

Where ESPN projects Mississippi State in March Madness

After two wins this week, ESPN's Charlie Creme has moved MSU up to a No. 9-seed in his latest projection. Mississippi State would face No. 8-seeded Michigan State in Raleigh, North Carolina. No. 1-seeded NC State would be the host school.

BEHIND THE SCENES: How quiet moment defined win for Mississippi State women's basketball, Sam Purcell vs. LSU

Mississippi State women’s basketball 2024 schedule

Next five games:

Feb. 4: at Texas A&M (3 p.m., SEC Network)

Feb. 8: vs. Georgia (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+)

Feb. 11: vs. Florida (2 p.m., SEC Network+)

Feb. 18: at Ole Miss (3 p.m., SEC Network+)

Feb. 22: vs. Kentucky (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+)

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State women’s bracketology: New NCAA bracket predictions

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