Baylor hoping to get back to Final Four with win over Mississippi State (Mar 25, 2017)
Mississippi State is playing for respect, while Baylor wants to get back to the Final Four, this time in its own backyard.
The Bulldogs and Lady Bears each survived and advanced on Friday night at the Oklahoma City Regional at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The second-seeded Bulldogs fended off third-seeded Washington, 75-64, in the early game on Friday night. In doing so, Mississippi State (32-4) reached the Elite Eight for the first time.
"We were really happy in the locker room," Bulldogs guard Dominique Dillingham said. "Just happy because we know how hard we worked to get to this point. It's a special moment for our team. But we're not done yet. Tomorrow, it's time to get to work and focus on the next team we're playing."
Mississippi State will face top-seeded Baylor (33-3) at 6:30 CT on Sunday evening with the winner moving on to the Final Four in Dallas.
The Lady Bears, who hail from Waco, Texas, know they're close to a chance to play on women's college basketball's biggest stage less than 100 miles from their campus.
Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said her star forward, Nina Davis, in particular showed the drive to get to the Final Four as the Lady Bears defeated Louisville, 97-63, in the late game on Friday.
Davis scored 21 points to pace Baylor in its rout of the Cardinals.
"Yeah, well, this kid (Davis), all she wants today is a Final Four and a chance at a national championship," Mulkey said. "Send me those kind of kids and I'll coach 'em anytime."
Baylor will be attempting to reach the Final Four for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2012.
The Lady Bears cleared a major hurdle in defeating Louisville. The Cardinals defeated Baylor in the Sweet 16 in both of the programs' two previous meetings.
Most recently, fifth-seeded Louisville ousted the top-seeded Lady Bears in the Oklahoma City Regional in the Sweet 16 in 2013.
But Baylor got over that hump by establishing a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never turning back.
Although Mississippi State is new to this stage of the tournament, the Bulldogs feel they're battle-tested and ready for the next challenge.
"I've got a good team," Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer said. "I'm a little disappointed in the country right now that we're not getting the respect that these kids deserve. It's disappointing. This is a heck of a team. We got a bunch of really good players. We've beaten a bunch of really good people. They're not getting a lot of credit right now. That's fine. You know what, we'll fly under the radar the whole way if we have to. These kids work awfully hard. We beat a heck of a team today."
