'A lot of similarities': How Mississippi State, South Carolina have developed deep rivalry

STARKVILLE – It hadn't been done in over nine years. 

Colonial Life Arena was not kind to the Mississippi State women's basketball team during the 2010s. Not even after Vic Schaefer took over as the program's head coach in 2012. 

The Bulldogs lost four-straight games at the home arena of the South Carolina Gamecocks from 2012-17, three of which came under Schaefer's watch. Seven other losses were sprinkled into that stretch, bringing the Gamecocks' winning streak in the series to an all-time best 11 games. 

Quite simply, South Carolina owned Mississippi State. 

"The thing about rivalries, it's hard to call something a rivalry if you don't win one every now and then," Schaefer said. 

The Bulldogs finally got a victory on Feb. 5, 2018. There were 10,794 people inside Humphrey Coliseum to watch Mississippi State beat South Carolina 67-53. 

The Dogs got another one on Jan. 17 of last year. There were 10,006 people at the Hump to see Mississippi State beat South Carolina, 89-74, for the second time in three meetings. 

But something was still missing. 

Mississippi State still hadn't beat South Carolina on the road since Feb. 11, 2010. They knew an opportunity to end the streak was coming a month and a half after the Jan. 17 game. 

So Schaefer took his Bulldogs into Colonial Life with the chance to snap the streak and win the regular season SEC championship. They did both with a 68-64 victory on March 3, 2019, and they did it in front of a staggering crowd of 18,000. 

"I do remember it being really loud in there," MSU senior guard Jordan Danberry said. "It was really loud." 

It'll be loud again Monday night at 6 p.m. CT when Mississippi State (16-2, 4-0 SEC) battles South Carolina (17-1, 5-0 SEC) for first place in the SEC. The Gamecocks are ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll and No. 2 in the USA TODAY poll, while the Bulldogs are No. 10 in the AP poll and No. 9 in USA TODAY.

MSU and USC are the only undefeated teams remaining in conference play. These two programs have combined to win each of the last four outright SEC championships. Mississippi State has won the last two, and South Carolina won the prior two. 

A championship isn't on the line in Monday's game, but it's the only time the two will face each other in the regular season. A win would go a long way in determining who wins this season's title. 

"It's been fun to be a part of a rivalry that's become meaningful," Schaefer said. "We've grown accustomed to having some really great battles with them." 

Schaefer said he sees a lot of similarities between the two championship-caliber programs, most notably the way the two fan bases have supported them. 

Schaefer expects some heckling when he's roaming the sidelines. 

"Seems like when we go there there's always some guy behind the bench that knows my history," Schaefer said. "He's got all the info about me and he's constantly talking to me the entire game. And that's fine. That's part of college athletics going on the road." 

Schaefer said he lets it go in one ear and out the other at this point. But he has a roster full of young players who have never played in an environment like the one they'll see Monday night.

Are freshmen guards Aliyah Matharu and JaMya Mingo-Young ready for the raucous atmosphere? Do sophomores Myah Taylor and Jessika Carter know what it takes to silence that crowd the way Jazzmun Holmes and Teaira McCowan did last year? 

"No, I don't think we know," Schaefer said. "I think until we experience it, whether we are here at home or on their turf, I just really think you don't understand what you're getting into until you experience that." 

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Two of South Carolina's most experienced starters, meanwhile, are seniors. Forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan is averaging 12.8 points per game while point guard Tyasha Harris averages 11.8 points and 5.0 assists per game. 

"In my mind, those are the two most important positions on the floor," Schaefer said. "I think they provide real stability for that team." 

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They know what they have to do to win this game. Mississippi State will have to figure it out along the way. Schaefer is excited to see how his players respond. 

"What I'm hoping that we'll show is that we'll show tremendous poise and great chemistry in that environment," Schaefer said. "If we do that, we'll have a chance. But if you don't play with poise and have a presence about you on the road against No. 1 in the country, it's going to be hard for you. I promise." 

Contact Tyler Horka at thorka@gannett.com. Follow @tbhorka on Twitter. To read more of Tyler's work, subscribe to the Clarion Ledger today!