Division I · Southeastern Conference
Mississippi State University Women's Basketball
Mississippi State, MS · the Bulldogs · Mississippi State University overview
26
Roster
11 over the D-I cap of 15
$6.3M
Team budget
89th percentile in Division I
$243,277
Per roster spot
median $141,297
6
Coaches
1 head · 5 assistant
978
APR
98% of players retained
76%
Admitted
upper half for selectivity
Mississippi State University fields a women's basketball team in the Southeastern Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 26 players, well above the median of 15, with 1 head coach and 5 assistants. Team expenses were $6,325,217, well above the median of $2.2M — $243,277 per roster spot, top quarter of Division I women's basketball programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 15 in force from 2025-26, that is 11 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (145 of 360 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 978, about the median of 986, with 98% of players retained year to year. The school gave $4,611,961 in athletic aid across its women's teams, about $20,681 per roster spot.
Among Division I women's basketball programs
Where this program sits against its 360 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#40Team budgetof 360 · Division I#75Spend per playerof 360 · Division I#39Roster sizeof 360 · Division I#234APRof 360 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I women's basketball program
Roster sizes (cap 15)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster26 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap15 11 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 5 assistant
- Team expenses$6,325,217 for the year
- Operating expenses$1,533,711 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$243,277 division median $141,297
- Academic Progress Rate978 multi-year; 964 latest
- Players retained98% year to year
- Eligible98% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, women's teams$4,611,961 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$20,681 across women's teams
- Recruiting spend, women's$862,158 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Purcell head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
| Fred Castro | Associate Women's Basketball Head Coach / Offensive Coordinator | On file · sign in |
| Samantha Williams | Assistant Women's Basketball Coach / Chief of Basketball Strategy | On file · sign in |
| Anita Howard | Assistant Women's Basketball Coach / Recruiting Coordinator | On file · sign in |
| Tony Dukes | Assistant Women's Basketball Coach / Senior Director of Scouting and Analytics | On file · sign in |
| Brooke Renfroe | Director of Women's Basketball Operations | On file · sign in |
Put Mississippi State University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youJune 1 after sophomore year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school basketball players356,240 2024-25
- Division I roster spots6,175 360 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 58 1.7% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the women's basketball recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →18,230undergraduates · 22,657 students in all
Women 52% Men 48%
- Setting
- Town
- Type
- Public · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →76%admitted · of 20,877 applicants
SAT middle 50%1110 – 1410
ACT middle 50%21 – 29
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 63%
Women's Basketball
Full picture →26on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 1526
11 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate978
98% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $6,325,217 $243,278 per roster spot · top quarter of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 5 assistant
- Athletic aid, women's teams
- $4,611,961
- Recruiting spend, women's
- $862,158
Cost
Full picture →$16,480net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $9,815 in-state · $26,580 out
Campus safety
Full picture →0.73violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 1 burglaries · 17 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 1 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →20%of bachelor's degrees in business · 26 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Mississippi State University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Women's Basketball program26 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions76% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$16,480 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsBusiness · 20%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusTown · 18,230Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety0.73 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Women's Basketball programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi University for Women Division III · St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 22 | 18 | $167k | — | 100% | |
| University of West Alabama Division II · Gulf South Conference | 69 | 15 | $612k | — | 87% | |
| University of Alabama Division I · Southeastern Conference | 74 | 30 | $5.4M | 978 | 76% | |
| University of Mississippi Division I · Southeastern Conference | 76 | 15 | $8.5M | 965 | 98% | |
| Mississippi Valley State University Division I · Southwestern Athletic Conf. | 89 | 18 | $619k | 944 | 51% | |
| Miles College Division II · Southern Intercol. Ath. Conf. | 108 | 16 | $526k | — | — | |
| Belhaven University Division III · Collegiate Conference of the South | 112 | 22 | $184k | — | 53% | |
| Millsaps College Division III · Southern Athletic Association | 112 | 19 | $161k | — | 49% | |
| University of North Alabama Division I · United Athletic Conference | 113 | 15 | $1.4M | 1000 | 96% | |
| Delta State University Division II · Gulf South Conference | 114 | 23 | $429k | — | 100% | |
| University of Montevallo Division II · Gulf South Conference | 114 | 16 | $508k | — | 54% | |
| Jackson State University Division I · Southwestern Athletic Conf. | 115 | 17 | $979k | 974 | 91% |
Other women's basketball programs in the Southeastern Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of South Carolina, Columbia 16 over cap | 31 | $13M | $423,205 | 990 | vs | |
| Louisiana State University room for 2 | 13 | $12M | $930,709 | 981 | vs | |
| University of Texas at Austin 17 over cap | 32 | $10M | $325,008 | 991 | vs | |
| University of Oklahoma 9 over cap | 24 | $8.8M | $364,846 | 990 | vs | |
| University of Mississippi at cap | 15 | $8.5M | $565,288 | 965 | vs | |
| Vanderbilt University 13 over cap | 28 | $8.3M | $297,135 | 989 | vs | |
| University of Kentucky room for 2 | 13 | $7.7M | $589,198 | 1000 | vs | |
| University of Tennessee, Knoxville 15 over cap | 30 | $7.6M | $251,994 | 971 | vs | |
| University of Arkansas, Fayetteville room for 1 | 14 | $6.7M | $480,783 | 965 | vs | |
| Texas A&M University, College Station room for 4 | 11 | $6.6M | $604,157 | 995 | vs | |
| Mississippi State University 11 over cap | 26 | $6.3M | $243,277 | 978 | vs | |
| Auburn University 6 over cap | 21 | $5.8M | $276,772 | 981 | vs | |
| University of Missouri, Columbia 1 over cap | 16 | $5.7M | $359,274 | 1000 | vs | |
| University of Florida room for 1 | 14 | $5.5M | $394,094 | 981 | vs | |
| University of Georgia 8 over cap | 23 | $5.5M | $237,920 | 995 | vs | |
| University of Alabama 15 over cap | 30 | $5.4M | $181,119 | 978 | vs |
Every Southeastern Conference women's basketball program · Women's Basketball budgets ranked