Duke, Mississippi State women prepare for 2nd-round game

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke is a traditional power in women’s basketball.

Mississippi State is trying to become one as well.

The fourth-seeded Blue Devils (22-10) face the fifth-seeded Bulldogs (27-6) on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament’s Spokane Region.

The Blue Devils have 15 appearances in the Sweet 16 in the past 17 years. The Bulldogs have seven NCAA Tournament wins in their history.

Mississippi State center Martha Alwal said Saturday that “I look at them as like a Tennessee or a South Carolina” because they always seem to appear high in the national polls.

Even if the Bulldogs actually have a higher ranking — they were 12th in the final AP poll, four spots ahead of Duke.