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All for Tennessee Women’s Basketball Jan. 25 SEC Power Rankings: Lady Vols Slip

By Caleb Calhoun

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Mar 6, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs head coach Vic Schaefer yells from the bench in the first quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the women's SEC basketball tournament at Jacksonville Memorial Veterans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs head coach Vic Schaefer yells from the bench in the first quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the women’s SEC basketball tournament at Jacksonville Memorial Veterans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports /

Well, we learned who the best team in the SEC is. However, the Mississippi State Bulldogs are clearly not a fluke with their 20-0 start.

Vic Schaefer’s teams have gotten better every year he’s been in Starkville, and with the No. 23 ranked strength of schedule, their start was for real. Then, the biggest proof that it was came in their first loss.

The Bulldogs were in the game on the road against the South Carolina Gamecocks until the end despite an off-night from Victoria Vivians and Morgan Williams, their two best scorers.

They went toe-to-toe with the Gamecocks on defense and were much smarter and more efficient on offense.

Schaefer’s focus on defense is clearly working for this team, and they should still be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament at this point.

The good news for the Bulldogs is they don’t have to play South Carolina again. However, they still have the Kentucky Wildcats on the road and the Tennessee Lady Vols at home, a team that can win or lose anywhere at any time.

But Texas A&M twice, Auburn, and even Missouri don’t make this schedule any easier. So they still have lots of work to do if they want to maintain that No. 1 seed.

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