NCAA Tournament preview: No. 8 Cal vs. No. 9 Mississippi State
LOS ANGELES — Here is a preview of Saturday’s NCAA Tournament first-round game at Galen Center pitting No. 8 California (28-5) vs. No. 9 Mississippi State (21-11):
STAR PLAYER
Cal: Ioanna Krimili, a fifth-year senior wing from Herkalion, Greece, led a balanced scoring attack averaging 14.2 points per game and was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference second team. Krimili’s 95 3-point baskets paced a team that took 294 from long-distance, the most in the ACC. Krimili and fellow “Splash Sister” Lulu Twidale have made six in a game
Mississippi State: Jerkalia Jordan, a 5-foot-10 guard, leads the Bulldogs in scoring with a 16.1 average and a 40-point explosion on Jan. 27 against Missouri. She also is second on the team in rebounding (5.8) and with 37 3-point baskets has shown she an be a force inside and out. Madina Okot, a 6-6 post from Kenya, averages 11.6 points and 9.6 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game.
STORYLINES
Cal is participating in its first NCAA Tournament since 2019 and went 12-6 in the ACC despite the brutal travel schedule that accompanies their new conference home. Los Angeles area natives who will be playing near home are point guard Kayla Williams and post Michelle Oniyah. If Cal were to win, it would set up a likely showdown from pod host USC on Monday.
Mississippi State is back in the NCAAs after painfully being left at the altar last year on selection Sunday. They were 6-6 in the Southeastern Conference and like Cal have one main inside presence but also do damage from outside. The Bulldogs have only four players back from that team after the transfer portal took its toll, but rebuilt quickly enough to get back in the tournament.
STAT TO KNOW
All five starters from Cal average in double figures in terms of scoring, ranging from Krimili (14.2) to Williams (11.3). The only starter who isn’t a 3-point threat is Oniyah, who hasn’t attempted a shot from long distance.
TOURNEY HISTORY
It’s the 15th NCAA Tournament appearance for Cal since 1990 but first since 2019 when the Bears beat North Carolina 92-72 and then lost 103-62 to top-seeded Baylor in the second round. Cal last reached the Final Four in 2012-13, beating Georgia in the Elite Eight before losing to Louisville 64-57 in their first Final Four game.
Mississippi State has a 24-12 record in 13 NCAA Tournaments with their most noteworthy game being a 66-64 win over UConn in overtime of the Final Four in 2017, a game that ended the Huskies’ 111-game win streak. The Bulldogs lost to South Carolina that season 67-55 in the title game and also played in the title game the following season, losing 61-58 to Notre Dame.
QUOTES
“They’ve got a 6-6 presence inside. They’ve got explosive guards on the perimeter with Jordan being their leading scorer. We’ve got to get in our stance and guard, we’ve got to play transition defense and we have to box out. They’re really good team.” — Cal coach Charmin Smith
“When you look at ’em on paper, there’s a storyline where they get to go right up to the road, an area they’re familiar with, and the story’s already written that it’s going to be Cal and USC. I love it. Nobody’s picking the Bulldogs. We’re going to show up, nobody thinks we’re going to win and like any good movie let’s see if we can come with some energy and flip the script,” — Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell