MSU coach Vic Schaefer: A’Ja Wilson is the best player in the country

Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer is thrilled his team is playing in the national championship game for the first time in program history. He isn’t happy the Bulldogs will have to face South Carolina – again.

Mississippi State has faced the Gamecocks twice this season, losing both matchups. South Carolina won 64-61 in a home game in January and topped the Bulldogs 59-49 last month in the SEC Tournament.

While Schaefer is proud to have two SEC teams in the title game, he would rather face an opponent from a different conference.

“Personally, I’d rather be playing somebody else, to be honest. They know us better than anybody,” Schaefer said. “I think that’s what the NCAA Tournament gives you, is you finally are going to get to play somebody that isn’t one of your 16 rivals. I’d much rather be playing somebody that might not know me quite as well.”

South Carolina has won 10 consecutive games over Mississippi State, dating to 2011. Gamecocks All-American A’Ja Wilson was a part of five of those wins.

Schaefer said trying to slow her down will be key for the Bulldogs.

“She’s the best player in the country. I mean, I’ve had to deal with her for three years. I ought to know,” Schaefer said. “She’s very active. She’s physical. She’s not going to stop working. Just a competitor. She wants to be in the moment. She wants the big shot.”

One player Mississippi State won’t have to deal with is center Alaina Coates, who was lost for the season when she re-injured her ankle in the SEC Tournament.

Coates didn’t play in the matchup between the teams in the SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs led the game entering the fourth quarter before being outscored 19-4.

Schaefer notices a difference in the way USC is playing now as opposed to when Coates was on the floor.

“They’re fast. They’re getting up and down the floor. They’re playing those guards. Those kids are just in attack mode,” Schaefer said. “They do a great job, for the most part, they can stretch you and shoot it. What it gives them is spacing on the floor that maybe with Alaina they didn’t have. That’s the piece that you’ve got to deal with, for us, is dealing with that spacing. When it’s created, you’ve got to try to not give them as much room as they want, which is extremely difficult. If you back off somebody, they’ll knock down shots.”

This story was originally published April 1, 2017 at 5:47 PM with the headline "MSU coach Vic Schaefer: A’Ja Wilson is the best player in the country."