Mississippi State returned to the rankings this week largely because of a 90-57 victory against then-No. 18 Pitt on Dec. 4. It was largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent in school history.
But the Bulldogs (8-1) didn’t play nearly as well in a 91-84 win against 1-8 Prairie View A&M last Sunday.
No. 25 Mississippi State will try to continue winning and find more consistency as the start of SEC play nears when it faces McNeese on Saturday afternoon in Tupelo, Miss.
Bulldogs guard Shawn Jones Jr. said the team was lacking “energy” in the game against Prairie View.
“I’m not too happy about it because that’s not us,” Jones said. “It’s basketball. So, you got to get better. We need to play harder defensively and practice harder and make sure to bring it.”
Starting guard Cam Matthews, a fifth-year player and the team leader in assists (3.8), has been nursing an injured foot. Coach Chris Jans gave him three days off from practice leading up to the game against Prairie View but had him suit up in case he was needed.
He was, and Jans reluctantly played him 22 minutes. Matthews had six points, seven rebounds and six assists to help Mississippi State shake off Prairie View,
“I didn’t want to have to play him, but I knew he would be available if we needed him to win this game,” Jans said. “That asterisk of the plan had to be activated in the first half, and he certainly had a big impact on the game.”
The Bulldogs usually can count on guard Josh Hubbard to have a big impact on games. He exceeded his team-leading average of 19 points by scoring 25, but it was the support he had that was just as important. Four teammates scored in double figures, led by Claudell Harris Jr.’s 21 points.
“It makes it easier for all of us when we’re not just relying on Josh,” Jans said.
McNeese (5-4) had a much easier time in its last game, a 103-69 home victory against Division III LeTourneau last Saturday.
But Cowboys coach Will Wade, like Jans, recognizes that his team still has a ways to go before beginning conference play.
“We’ve got issues,” Wade said. “You don’t need to be a basketball coach to see that.”
McNeese, which went 30-4 last season, has just two more games before beginning the defense of its Southland Conference title.
“We had better get a lot better this week,” Wade said. “We have to figure things out pretty quick. The league has improved, and we have to be ready. It’s different being chased than doing the chasing.”
Six Cowboys scored in double figures against LeTourneau, led by Christian Shumate’s 22 points. Quadir Copeland finished with 20 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and Bryant Selebangue added 14 points, but it wasn’t Selebangue’s scoring that earned Wade’s praise.
“He does the things others don’t want to do,” said Wade. “He sets picks and rolls to the basket. We need that.”
Sincere Parker (15.6 ppg) paces the Cowboys.
–Field Level Media
