STARKVILLE — A five-game winning streak came to an end Sunday for Mississippi State women's basketball. However, the Bulldogs are still on the right side of the latest NCAA Tournament projections.

MSU's streak was snapped by Florida in a 90-70 defeat, but the victories paved a strong path where not every game is a must-win for the Bulldogs (20-6, 7-4 SEC). In the streak, they picked up key wins against No. 11 LSU and at Texas A&M.

Last season, coach Sam Purcell's first at the helm, the Bulldogs made it to March Madness but had to partake in a play-in game. As things stand before MSU plays at Ole Miss (16-7, 6-4) on Sunday (3 p.m., SEC Network+), the Bulldogs wouldn't have to play their way into the field of 64.

Here's a look at where the Bulldogs stand in the latest projections.

Mississippi State women's basketball résumé, NET ranking

NET ranking: 31

Quad 1 record: 5-1

Quad 2 record: 3-5

Quad 3 record: 6-0

Quad 4 record: 6-0

Where ESPN projects Mississippi State in March Madness

ESPN's Charlie Creme has Mississippi State projected as a No. 8 seed facing No. 9 seed Penn State in the first round of the Raleigh Regional. No. 1 seed NC State would be the host school.

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Mississippi State women's basketball 2024 schedule

Next five games for MSU:

Feb. 18: at Ole Miss (3 p.m., SEC Network+)

Feb. 22: vs. Kentucky (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+)

Feb. 25: at Alabama (4 p.m., SEC Network)

Feb. 29: at Auburn (7 p.m., SEC Network+)

March 3: vs. Missouri (2 p.m., SEC Network+)

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State women’s basketball: Latest NCAA bracket predictions