STARKVILLE – It was the most frustration Craig Sword has shown all season.
Standing just outside the visiting locker room at Tad Smith Coliseum on the heels of a 79-73 loss to arch-rival Ole Miss on Jan. 29, Sword did not have the look of a player who had just scored a season-high 27 points. Instead, his expression was despondent as he looked back on a game that got away from he and his teammates.
“We got close,” said Sword. “We just didn’t finish. We have to be better next time.”
Next time has arrived.
Just over three weeks removed from a disappointing six-point loss in Oxford, MSU returns home as the season series shifts to Starkville. The Bulldogs will take the court having had plenty of time to decipher exactly what went wrong in the first game between the two teams, when the Bulldogs allowed a 13-point second half lead to evaporate in their third-straight loss to the Rebels.
For MSU coach Rick Ray, who is 2-0 at home against the Rebels, the answer is simple. Asked if his team had learned anything from the previous loss, Ray’s answer was succinct.
“I would hope so,” said Ray. “Obviously we were on the road, but we got up big and played well. I just think Ole Miss has more weapons at this point and time.”
The Rebels certainly did that night. Ole Miss (17-8, 8-4) used a 22-point performance from senior guard Jarvis Summers – all 22 coming in the second half – and an overwhelming advantage at the free throw line, hitting 29 of 35 foul shots to MSU six of 11, to notch the comeback win.
Still, there were positives for MSU. The Bulldogs shot 56 percent from the floor and owned a double digit lead in both halves, giving Ray his first real shot at victory in Oxford.
“That was the first time we’ve played well up there since I’ve been here,” said Ray. “We have to figure out how to carry that over.”
For Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy, the win was the second of six consecutive for the Rebels, a streak that ended last Saturday at home against Arkansas. But while Ray figures to use the Jan. 28 showdown as an example of how well his team can play, Kennedy likely won’t be doing the same.
“It was probably our poorest defensive effort of the year,” Kennedy said. “We were fortunate to survive it. … They’re shooting the ball better (since). They’ve always played hard. When you look at them statistically, defensively they’ve been solid. They rebound the ball. They’re just making shots at a much-higher rate from the perimeter. They’re getting to the foul line a lot. They’re in attack mode. They’ve played much better over the last month.”
The rivalry, the most frequently played series in the Southeastern Conference, has belonged to MSU in Starkville in recent years, as the Bulldogs have won 15 of 16 at Humphrey Coliseum. But Ole Miss has won three straight games in the series, and the Rebels are looking for their fourth consecutive win over the Bulldogs for the first time since 1999.
For MSU’s players, the name on the front of the opponents’ jerseys Thursday night is motivation enough for a Bulldog team looking to climb back to .500 on the season.
“This is a big game, one of the biggest games of our season,” said MSU forward Gavin Ware. “It’s a rivalry. If you aren’t ready for this game, you need to have your heart checked.”
Guard Fred Thomas, a junior like Ware, agreed. He also believes the experience of the near-miss in Oxford will help the Bulldogs once they return to a friendly environment.
“It’s huge,” said Thomas. “We know a lot about them because we played them the first time. Hopefully we use that.”
Both teams enter tonight’s meeting needing a victory. The reasons behind the need for each team, though, are completely different. For the Bulldogs, a win would provide continued proof that Ray’s group is improving in his third season. After taking several positive steps this season – a five-game winning streak to open the year, winning four of six in SEC play – the Bulldogs have followed with missteps, such as a two-game slide last week that saw MSU average just 46 points in a 61-41 loss to Arkansas and a 55-51 setback to Alabama.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, finds itself firmly in the conversation for an NCAA Tournament berth. And at 8-4 in SEC play, the Rebels are currently in position to receive a first-round bye in next month’s SEC Tournament. A loss in Starkville, however, would put both of those accomplishments in jeopardy.
“I would hope that this group understands, again as we approach the stretch run, how vital each and every game is,” said Kennedy. “Simply because you run out of opportunities. We only have six games left.”
For Ray, the goal for tonight – and for MSU’s games going forward – is learning how to finish. That means starting with a 13-2 run like the Bulldogs did in Oxford without earning a win is unacceptable as the Bulldogs continue to look for a corner-turning moment under Ray.
“Learning how to deal with success is big for us,” said Ray. “Not just game to game, but within the game, when we have a lead. If we start off hot, we have to maintain that lead and finish with a win. We are still learning how to play the right way.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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