JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer remembers his first season in Starkville in 2012-13. The empty stands at Humphrey Coliseum. The 13-17 record.
"I knew what 13-17 looked like," Schaefer said. "I had built them (programs) before. But we didn't panic."
In his fourth season in Starkville, Schaefer has turned the Bulldogs from a sub .500 team into one of the SEC's upper echelon programs. That was made evident when third-seeded Mississippi State defeated No. 7-seed Tennessee 58-48 to advance on Saturday night in front of 5,632 fans at Veterans Memorial Arena. The win moves the Bulldogs (26-6) onto just the second SEC Tournament title game appearance in program history, and first since 2000.