Want to know why it’s so easy to pull for the Lady Dawgs? HUSTLE.

[1msucub]

Big T is freaking 8 feet tall and is diving after balls like a guard.

Danberry and Holmes are like an extra layer of skin on the opposing offensive players.

NOBODY sits still, and Vic gets in them sideways in the unlikely event that they are even a step behind.

I can cheer for a loser all day long if they are giving it their all, and the men, as a WHOLE, don’t. To me, as a nearly 50-year fan of this school, all I need to see is real effort. These ladies hustle like no team I can remember.

It’s just that simple for me.

[Crazy Cotton]

this crowd is different as well - seem much more responsive to individual plays within the game. How much overlap between the women's crowd and the men's I wonder?

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

BIG T on the floor for the ball! If she keeps playing like this every night she might take this bunch all the way.

[bulldogcountry1]

Yep. Crowd reaction to hustle plays today should tell anyone all they need to know about MBB attendance.

[Leeshouldveflanked]

The women fight thru screens, the MSU men switch...

[DAWGS1]

Vic can flat out coach and his teams are relentless!!! On top of that, they are damn good!
Very fun to watch!!!
Men, meh! They look very lazy and apathetic at times. Never see that with the women.

[TaleofTwoDogs]

I lost interest in the MBB last week when I saw one of our players walking back in transition. The play was already in motion. It was 4 on 5 because our guy didn't hustle. All 5 players need to give real effort not just 2 or 3. Hard for me to understand how an athlete, especially a P5 athlete doesn't give 100% at all times.

[Bulldogg31]

You don’t think it’s partly because they’re 100-10 since February of 2016?

[Lazy Lightning]

The attendance for women's team should never come at the expense of the mens team. Especially since the mens team has a chance at a NCAAT appearance. Nobody besides state fans and maybe some uconn fans actually give a damn about women's basketball.

[TBone]

You could not be more wrong. Women’s BB gets better tv ratings than college baseball.

We are DEF not the norm in our baseball fandom.

[MSUDC11]

The attendance for women's team should never come at the expense of the mens team. Especially since the mens team has a chance at a NCAAT appearance. Nobody besides state fans and maybe some uconn fans actually give a damn about women's basketball.

First off, your last sentence couldn’t be more wrong. More people watched the Women’s Final Four last year than watched the College World Series.

Second of all, people aren’t going to stop caring about the women’s program until the women’s program gives them a reason too. They are at by far the hottest point in their history the last few years. The men’s team being a little bit better than they were last year isn’t enough to make people choose them over a team that beats conference opponents like they stole something, has been elite for three years, and whose tickets are much cheaper. The gender part of it and the fact that men’s basketball has more reach nationally and more revenue potential means absolutely nothing to the average fan.

I’m assuming you are a fan of the men’s team and don’t care about the women’s team all that much, which is perfectly fine. But it’s incredibly easy to see why many of fans feel the opposite way. I would also like to point out that we’ve proven that our fanbase has room for both programs in their schedules (10,000+ crowds for both a men’s and women’s game on the same weekend in late January), so I’m not sure it’s an either or deal for many people. If the men showed any kind of consistency in their execution, hustle, and coaching, I’m sure our fans would be more than capable of strongly supporting both the men and the women.

[theeleven]

Women's basketball as a whole is just not a product worth watching, in my opinion. As frustrating as the men's team is at times, that 2nd half vs Kentucky was more entertaining than anything the women's team will do all year, including going deep into the tourney. I turned on the women's game yesterday late in the 4th quarter and I watched Danberry air ball a 3 when she had about 3 seconds to spot up with no one even remotely close to her. Then, in the remaining minutes of the game, I watched multiple 3 attempts where it looked as if these women had to utilize every ounce of their strength just to get it to the rim. Not to mention, the other aspects of play were not impressive, either.

If you guys enjoy it, fine, but women's basketball as a whole is boring as hell. It's a disgrace to see the upper deck pretty much empty against a top 5 Kentucky team on a Saturday. It tells me one thing, really. State fans have become snowflakes, for the most part and it's an embarrassment, frankly. I, for one, am thankful for our men's team despite their imperfections. How quickly you guys forget the RR days. Shame on you all.

[Wizard]

I lost interest in the MBB last week when I saw one of our players walking back in transition. The play was already in motion. It was 4 on 5 because our guy didn't hustle. All 5 players need to give real effort not just 2 or 3. Hard for me to understand how an athlete, especially a P5 athlete doesn't give 100% at all times.

Wow you hung in longer than most did. I got tired of that a long time ago.

[1msucub]

You don’t think it’s partly because they’re 100-10 since February of 2016?

The attendance? Without question.

In case I wasn't clear in my original post, I wasn't addressing the attendance problem with the men. I was addressing why it's so easy for me to engage with the women's team. They play wide open, and act like they are playing to earn their respective positions on nearly every possession.

[Bulldogg31]

The attendance? Without question.

In case I wasn't clear in my original post, I wasn't addressing the attendance problem with the men. I was addressing why it's so easy for me to engage with the women's team. They play wide open, and act like they are playing to earn their respective positions on nearly every possession.

Agreed. They are easy to root for. They were crushing Tennessee defensively yesterday up 30 points with a minute to go. Incredible how well-coached they are.

I’d like to see the men play like that and I believe we have made progress in that area. Q always looks like he’s loafing but I think thats just how he looks. He’s always around the ball and that doesn’t happen if you’re truly loafing. Holman does look about half stoned out there, but Nick, Lamar, the two “freshmen’s”, Carter, and even Ado we’re going really hard on Saturday. Just need to do it for 40 minutes.

[GTAT]

First off, your last sentence couldn’t be more wrong. More people watched the Women’s Final Four last year than watched the College World Series.

This isn't entirely accurate. Obviously CWS had a bunch more games and had a ton more viewers on the whole, but the average was less. Attendance was actually higher for the CWS too.

TV Viewership:
Women's FF: ND/UConn (2.3 mil) + MSU/UL (1.5 mil) + MSU/ND (3.5 mil) = 7.3 mil viewers
CWS Finals: Game 1 (1.8 mil) + Game 2 (3.1 mil) + Game 3 (1.8 mil) = 6.7 mil viewers

Women barely out-did the CWS in viewership, so you can't really claim that women's bball is some hugely popular sport, unless you claim college baseball is as well. So, the guy before you is accurate in that nobody's really cares. Also tells you that baseball has more hardcore fans but doesn't really play well to the average joe sitting on his couch. Not sure which is best.

[maroonmania]

First off, your last sentence couldn’t be more wrong. More people watched the Women’s Final Four last year than watched the College World Series.

Second of all, people aren’t going to stop caring about the women’s program until the women’s program gives them a reason too. They are at by far the hottest point in their history the last few years. The men’s team being a little bit better than they were last year isn’t enough to make people choose them over a team that beats conference opponents like they stole something, has been elite for three years, and whose tickets are much cheaper. The gender part of it and the fact that men’s basketball has more reach nationally and more revenue potential means absolutely nothing to the average fan.

I’m assuming you are a fan of the men’s team and don’t care about the women’s team all that much, which is perfectly fine. But it’s incredibly easy to see why many of fans feel the opposite way. I would also like to point out that we’ve proven that our fanbase has room for both programs in their schedules (10,000+ crowds for both a men’s and women’s game on the same weekend in late January), so I’m not sure it’s an either or deal for many people. If the men showed any kind of consistency in their execution, hustle, and coaching, I’m sure our fans would be more than capable of strongly supporting both the men and the women.

I wouldn't bother with these folks who are probably OM fans. I mean you've got an 11 post guy and a 5 post guy that take the time out of their busy schedule to come here and bash NCAA women's basketball as a sport which just happens to be something we are elite at right now. Sorry, I don't think these are real Bulldog fans.

[theeleven]

I wouldn't bother with these folks who are probably OM fans. I mean you've got an 11 post guy and a 5 post guy that take the time out of their busy schedule to come here and bash NCAA women's basketball as a sport which just happens to be something we are elite at right now. Sorry, I don't think these are real Bulldog fans.

I can assure you I'm not an OM fan, but I'm also not a fan of the women's basketball team. Does this disqualify me from being a real Bulldog fan? Certainly no more than disqualifying you guys from being real Bulldog fans because you refuse to support the men's team.

[maroonmania]

I can assure you I'm not an OM fan, but I'm also not a fan of the women's basketball team. Does this disqualify me from being a real Bulldog fan? Certainly no more than disqualifying you guys from being real Bulldog fans because you refuse to support the men's team.

A guy that uses his first ever posts on SPS to bash women's basketball? Which just happens to be the best sport on campus at the moment. Yea, probably disqualifies you until you have a little more cred on the board. At least it does to me. I personally support both teams but the men's team has been very frustrating lately with all of the continued close losses.

[theeleven]

A guy that uses his first ever posts on SPS to bash women's basketball? Which just happens to be the best sport on campus at the moment. Yea, probably disqualifies you until you have a little more cred on the board. At least is does to me.

I've never cared about women's basketball. I never considered attending a women's game when I attended State. To think I'm going to start supporting them now just because they are "elite" in a sport that, to me, gives me absolutely no pleasure to watch is just not going to happen. Yeah, I lurk the boards often and don't post until something really hits home, and the attendance at the men's games this year has done just that. Simply shameful.

[KentuckyDawg13]

Easy to support a team that dominates almost everyone they play.

[maroonmania]

I've never cared about women's basketball. I never considered attending a women's game when I attended State. To think I'm going to start supporting them now just because they are "elite" in a sport that, to me, gives me absolutely no pleasure to watch is just not going to happen. Yeah, I lurk the boards often and don't post until something really hits home, and the attendance at the men's games this year has done just that. Simply shameful.

OK, whatever, there are some MSU fans that are fully apathetic about college baseball even with all our history in the sport. They just don't normally jump on the message board to make a point about it. Just being blunt I want to fully support both basketball teams but I'm personally getting much more enjoyment from watching the women's team right now. Always more fun to watch a team in any sport that overachieves and plays to their potential than one that does not.

[She Mate Me]

I've never cared about women's basketball. I never considered attending a women's game when I attended State. To think I'm going to start supporting them now just because they are "elite" in a sport that, to me, gives me absolutely no pleasure to watch is just not going to happen. Yeah, I lurk the boards often and don't post until something really hits home, and the attendance at the men's games this year has done just that. Simply shameful.

If you actually watched the 4th quarter of the women's game and weren't impressed with the team that put up 30 points and finished off the worst beating Tennessee, one of the 2 best programs in WCBB history, has had in it's SEC history, your kind of hopeless and don't appreciate great basketball.

Our men suck ass compared to Golden State, how do you keep from puking while watching them play?

[Big Sheep81]

It's your loss, Sport...

[maroonmania]

If you actually watched the 4th quarter of the women's game and weren't impressed with the team that put up 30 points and finished off the worst beating Tennessee, one of the 2 best programs in WCBB history, has had in it's SEC history, your kind of hopeless and don't appreciate great basketball.

Our men suck ass compared to Golden State, how do you keep from puking while watching them play?

Yep, our women just blew a team away that I'm sure has a much higher average recruit ranking than we do. Vic really does maximize what he has at his disposal.

[patdog]

You might want to try watching them play a game or two. I never cared about women's basketball much either until a couple of years ago. Now, I'd rather watch our women's team than our men's team. As for attendance at the men's games, as I kept saying all December, once we hit conference play in January, it has been good.

[StarkVegas Steve]

Easy to support a team that dominates almost everyone they play.

It's easy to dominate when there's only about 10 good teams. Not taking away from what we have because I think Schaefer is a hell of a coach. I just understand where people are coming from saying it doesn't interest them. I watched two minutes of Tennessee and Vandy a couple of weeks ago and it made me physically ill. In that time I saw 3 airballs, and both teams hit the underside of the rim more times than I can count. Now I was also at the game Saturday and watched our guys miss 6 layups in 3 possessions, but I also saw Tyson and Robert Woodard "slam the ball in the goal" and the crowd was instantly energized. It's just a different set of fans for each. It doesn't interest me personally, but I also understand why so many people go to the women's game. Schaefer is a likable Southern guy and he's marketed his team in the same way. Whereas Howland is your typical men's coach in that he lets the on court product do the marketing. And unfortunately for us, we make two or three dumbass plays a game that cause fans to think our team is a bunch of undisciplined street ballers. This couldn't be further from the truth, being that we're actually a very good fundamental team if you pay attention and actually watch. It's a shame fans won't support both, but unless our men are Number 1 in the country and kissing babies and posing for pictures after every game it isn't going to happen.

[theeleven]

If you actually watched the 4th quarter of the women's game and weren't impressed with the team that put up 30 points and finished off the worst beating Tennessee, one of the 2 best programs in WCBB history, has had in it's SEC history, your kind of hopeless and don't appreciate great basketball.

Our men suck ass compared to Golden State, how do you keep from puking while watching them play?

I'm sorry if this offends you, but I don't appreciate women's basketball on any level, really, regardless of who it is. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I'll be the first to admit that the men's team has been very frustrating, at times, this year. The close losses kill me and I probably take them as hard as anyone. Does this warrant dismissing them altogether and abandoning ship? Nope, not if you're a real fan of MSU men's basketball. The title of this thread is simply an absurdity. It implies the men's team doesn't hustle, which is a ridiculous notion on all accounts. Is the Hump really half empty most home games because of a lack of hustle? I really don't think so. I'd argue because most of you are fair weather fans to the highest degree.

And why would you bring up Golden State? That has nothing to do with anything. I'm not an NBA fan, but I will watch the playoffs because it's entertaining and I enjoy men's basketball. Women's not so much, so I don't watch nor support it in any other way.

[tcdog70]

I've never cared about women's basketball. I never considered attending a women's game when I attended State. To think I'm going to start supporting them now just because they are "elite" in a sport that, to me, gives me absolutely no pleasure to watch is just not going to happen. Yeah, I lurk the boards often and don't post until something really hits home, and the attendance at the men's games this year has done just that. Simply shameful.

Ok Due--you don't like Women's BB--we get it--You haven't posted much--so why come on here and bash the best team in MSU history. We don't really care who you like or don't like--but just don't post. If you think Danberry sucks you are pretty much a Basketball Moron.

[She Mate Me]

And why would you bring up Golden State? That has nothing to do with anything. I'm not an NBA fan, but I will watch the playoffs because it's entertaining and I enjoy men's basketball. Women's not so much, so I don't watch nor support it in any other way.

The Golden State reference is to point out that until you get to the NBA, any level of basketball is flawed to deeply flawed. It doesn't mean I can't watch a good HS team and appreciate the things they do well and how hard they play.

I'm not offended, I just think you're missing out and choosing to be stubborn. If you don't like WCBB, don't watch and don't post about it. I think the rabid following of football recruiting is kinda ridiculous, but I see no point in trying to convince those who enjoy it otherwise, so I mostly just stay out of those threads.

Our women play harder and smarter than our men, they just aren't as athletic. If that offends you, it shouldn't IMO.

[fader2103]

I know this will never happen but I wish we could move Vic to head coach of the Men's and let Johnnie Harris take over the women's team. I do would hate to lose Vic but I honestly think Keeping Johnnie Harris is key each and every year.

[MSUDC11]

I know this will never happen but I wish we could move Vic to head coach of the Men's and let Johnnie Harris take over the women's team. I do would hate to lose Vic but I honestly think Keeping Johnnie Harris is key each and every year.

I’m sure there’s a reason Vic prefers to coach the girls. Coaching men and women has to be a different dynamic. I’m sure there are certain areas Vic would improve us in but there would also likely be some other areas he wouldn’t be as experienced at handling. Male and female personalities have their own unique quirks that are totally different from the opposite sex.

[PineGroveBully]

Women's basketball as a whole is just not a product worth watching, in my opinion.

Yea well opinions are like assholes, everyone has them and most of them stink.

[Len2003]

Women's basketball as a whole is just not a product worth watching, in my opinion. As frustrating as the men's team is at times, that 2nd half vs Kentucky was more entertaining than anything the women's team will do all year, including going deep into the tourney. I turned on the women's game yesterday late in the 4th quarter and I watched Danberry air ball a 3 when she had about 3 seconds to spot up with no one even remotely close to her. Then, in the remaining minutes of the game, I watched multiple 3 attempts where it looked as if these women had to utilize every ounce of their strength just to get it to the rim. Not to mention, the other aspects of play were not impressive, either.

If you guys enjoy it, fine, but women's basketball as a whole is boring as hell. It's a disgrace to see the upper deck pretty much empty against a top 5 Kentucky team on a Saturday. It tells me one thing, really. State fans have become snowflakes, for the most part and it's an embarrassment, frankly. I, for one, am thankful for our men's team despite their imperfections. How quickly you guys forget the RR days. Shame on you all.

Who are you to shame anyone about how they spend their time and money?

[blacklistedbully]

Damn, dude. Don't you get that nobody here is, "offended that you don't appreciate our WBB team"? I can't imagine anybody here gives a shit about what you like or don't like. The only reason you're getting attention here is because you post critically about a team of which we have damn good reasons to be proud. They represent our university every bit as much as any other program we have...every one that has a, "Mississippi State University" emblazoned upon their jersey. And they have established a standard of excellence in their sport that is both noteworthy and national...deserving of respect and admiration from any who truly love our university.

One need not be a fan of a sport to appreciate and honor the fact that they are at or near the pinnacle of their sport, particularly when so much of that is due to hard work, sacrifice, hustle, a willingness to put team-before-self, great coaching, etc. Add to that their positive attitude and grace, both on and off the court and you have something that any true fan of our university should at least embrace, if not specifically follow. One need not be a fan of, or watch the play itself to admire and praise them for their accomplishments and how well they represent us.

But to go out of your way to get on a public MB specifically to criticize and/or belittle them even as they are doing all of the above is not something a true fan would do, IMO. Your, "contribution" to this thread is either a troll attempt (weak if it is), or the kind of attitude that invites ridicule from this board. In short...you suck!

[Len2003]

The truth of the matter is that we have some scolds who are threatened by the women's basketball team. I have no idea why. If we are dominating in any sport, I will be supporting the players. If it is tennis, softball, whatever, I'm not going to scold other fans about what they enjoy. It's not like we've had a lot of elite teams in our school's history. Maybe just let some of us enjoy being elite for however long it lasts without having to insert an opinion that no one asked for.

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

The truth of the matter is that we have some scolds who are threatened by the women's basketball team. I have no idea why. If we are dominating in any sport, I will be supporting the players. If it is tennis, softball, whatever, I'm not going to scold other fans about what they enjoy. It's not like we've had a lot of elite teams in our school's history. Maybe just let some of us enjoy being elite for however long it lasts without having to insert an opinion that no one asked for.

Tennis is currently ranked #3 in the nation. How many matches have you been to or plan to attend ?

I think the same as you. I am not going to criticize anyone for their interests. The problem here is the original poster trying to imply that the women have better attendance than the men because they hustle and the men don't which is BS. People go to the women's games because they win. I guarantee when we lose the tallest player in the country and our best player next year, we will cease to "hustle" as much as we do now, and attendance will fall off sharply. The OP also took a dig at the men's team for no reason. The men's game actually has parity, which makes it virtually impossible to win every game, especially by 30.