Back in 1980, the United States men's hockey team pulled off one of the greatest upsets in the history of sports, beating the U.S.S.R. in the Winter Olympics. What most don't remember about that game is that that was actually the semifinal, not the final. The Stars and Stripes still had to go on to beat Finland in the gold medal match.
Whether the Mississippi State Bulldogs win or lose the National Championship Game against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday night in an All-SEC finale, they'll be remembered most for the game that they won to get to the game. They were the ones who ended the streak, the 111 games in a row in which Geno Auriemma's UConn Huskies came away victorious. Now though, comes the test of all tests and the game of all games.
This war on the floor will go down Sunday, April 2, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at American Airlines Arena. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
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Mississippi State Bulldogs PK
South Carolina Gamecocks PK
Over/Under 138.5
Odds Analysis
Why shouldn't this end up being a pick 'em game? The Gamecocks and Bulldogs played two games earlier in the season, and both were incredibly close. Don't let the 59-49 win for SC in the SEC Championship Game fool you. That was a nip and tuck game until MSU went cold from the field in the fourth quarter and scored a total of just four points. The first game in Columbia was a real barnburner from the get go, a 64-61 victory for the Gamecocks.
What might seem a bit strange is the relatively high total of 138.5. The two games in the regular season netted 125 and 108 points respectively. In the Final Four, Mississippi State played to just 130 points with overtime included against Connecticut, while South Carolina and Stanford combined for just 115.
Battle on the Boards
The reason Mississippi State beat UConn was because of its rebounding. Its offensive rebounding is what really set the stage to take the big 16-point lead in the second quarter, and even when things got a little hairy in overtime and it gave up four offensive boards, it still finished at +11 on the offensive glass and +7 in totality. The rebounds came when they had to be there, and that certainly isn't something that comes easily against a UConn team that picked up a whopping 40 percent of its missed shots on the offensive glass heading into the Final Four.
Keep in mind that South Carolina did just allow 16 offensive rebounds against Stanford, including nine to Erica McCall, and that was arguably the only reason why the Cardinal were able to race out to a 29-20 lead at the break.
All About A'ja
A'ja Wilson scored 13 points and had 19 rebounds against Stanford in the national semi, and she's had herself one heck of a tournament. She's the leader of this team for sure, particularly in the paint, and the battle she faces here against Teaira McCowan is going to be a good one. McCowan had the paint to herself at times against the Huskies, including hitting the shot that ultimately put the Bulldogs up by two at the end of the overtime period.
This though, is going to be a tough draw. Wilson scored 41 points in the two games in the regular season against Mississippi State, and she's the lady to watch out for.
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Let's not forget that Mississippi State missed some opportunities for sure. Blair Schaefer, the daughter of coach Vic Schaefer, didn't hit a single three in spite of the fact that she was one of the best sharpshooters off the bench in the entire nation, and Victoria Vivians shot just 6-of-18 from the floor, while Morgan William went just 6-of-17. The Bulldogs don't shoot 37.3 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from deep often. It's just proof that there's more on the table to be had.
William's final stat line might not have been brilliant, but the woman they call "Itty Bitty" was as big as they get when she plopped in the biggest shot in the history of MSU women's basketball. She has the look of a lady that can lead this team to even greater heights. This title is going back to Starkville.
College Basketball Odds: Mississippi State 69, South Carolina 67
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