COLUMBUS, OH — The Mississippi State Bulldogs have transitioned from afterthought in the Southeastern Conference to a household name in the sports conversation across America. And perhaps no one is better-known on Vic Schaefer’s roster than Morgan William, whose shot over Gabby Williams did more than any single moment to mark the official transition of the program into one even casual sports fans noticed.
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But while the Bulldog run last season required some transcendent efforts from William—in addition to that shot, of course, there were the 41 points she put up against Baylor in the Elite Eight just to get the Bulldogs to the Final Four—she’s been asked to do less this time around.
This is not to say she’s struggled—the shooting slump of midseason has come and gone thanks to endless hours in the gym, and her signature pace has picked up this month with the trophy finally in sight.
“Morgan’s been playing good all year,” her teammate, Teaira McCowan, told High Post Hoops on Saturday. “Last year, she hit the big shot and had that big game against Baylor. But when we need Morgan, Morgan will show up. She’s been playing good defense all year. She’s been guarding point guards, making them uncomfortable, and doing everything we need from her to be successful.”
For William, that varies by game. It means 17 shots against Oklahoma State. It means controlling the game offensively against N.C. State with eight assists. It means attacking the rim against UCLA, getting to the line seven times (and making them all).
And in a critical moment against Louisville Friday night, it meant sinking free throws, both of the technical and personal variety, and utilizing her unexpected reach (5’11 on a woman who doesn’t stand much more than 5’2) to knock away a Louisville pass in transition during a regulation where every single point was necessary just to force overtime.
“That’s my job at this point,” William said when it was over, surrounded by celebrating teammates in the locker room Friday night. “I’m in the big game, but there’s no pressure.”
There is something delightfully matter-of-fact about these Bulldogs, who take joy in the heights they reach but view the work required to get there as simply what they expect of themselves. And so it is with William, whose life-changing shot didn’t change her, didn’t allow herself to coast, or even object when less has been asked of her, scoring-wise, this year.
Still, her customary March rise is apparent in the numbers already. She averaged 7.1 points per game in February, but that reached 12.1 this month, with her shooting percentage surging as well despite (or, perhaps because of) the higher stakes and superior competition.
Typically, Mississippi State keeps games relatively low-scoring. But no one has stopped Notre Dame’s offense all season, really, not since the Fightin’ Irish discovered their identity in a season-defining win over Tennessee. Third in the country in points per game, fifth in offensive efficiency per HerHoopStats, the task of winning a national championship may require one more outburst from a woman whose legacy is secure no matter what happens.
“I think their legacy is etched in stone. Certainly it would add… to their legacy. But, look, they’ve won 128 games now in their career. They’ve won the Southeastern Conference championship, the first one in the history of the school in a women’s sport. They did what one other team has done going 32-0 in the Southeastern Conference.”
No one has done more than William, even among this group of elite seniors who have built a permanent foundation for success in women’s basketball at Mississippi State. And Sunday evening, all of America can tune in and see just what transcendent moment she’ll leave us with, her final time in a Bulldog uniform.