As Mississippi State was exposed by the Mountaineers, the team will look to the following three areas en-route to Lafayette.

Foul trouble

In Sunday’s matchup, the Bulldogs found themselves in trouble early, having accumulated 22 for the day. Additionally, four of the five starters combined for 17. As three underclassmen are in the starting lineup, each are relatively new to the game and the Mountaineers took advantage.

Being that a formidable point guard and center are cornerstone positions, the Bulldogs simply cannot afford to lose sophomores Myah Taylor and Jessika Carter together. The majority of the offense runs through them, as both boast an all-around game.

Turnovers

Though the Bulldogs have excelled in forcing the issue, they must take care of the ball. With 17 turnovers against the Mountaineers, expect the Bulldogs limit turnovers in Monday’s matchup with Louisiana.

That said, look for the team to continue to shine defensively. Coach Vic Schaefer lives by defense and has the Bulldogs on point in that regard. The team’s number of forced turnovers should skyrocket throughout the season.

Ruling the Boards

As Jessika Carter stands at 6-foot-5, there is every reason to believe that she should be back on track sooner rather than later, ultimately crashing the boards and imposing her will down low. Look for Carter, freshman Rickea Jackson, and junior Chloe Bibby to be more active in the paint.

In their last two games the Bulldogs lost the rebounding battle, 51-31 to Stanford and 46-34 to West Virginia. Simply put, the Bulldogs must win on the boards if they wish to win games. With Carter, Jackson, and Bibby, that should not be a problem on Monday and beyond.

Hail State!