STARKVILLE — Mississippi State men’s basketball coach Ben Howland said last week he felt his young team was taking steps in the right direction.
Although Howland said he wants the Bulldogs to improve on their rebounding and to get to the free-throw line, he is happy with how his team had meshed together.
After 12 non-conference games and 18 Southeastern Conference games upcoming, Howland doesn’t know if his team. He will find out at 7:30 tonight (SEC Network) when MSU (9-3) plays host to Alabama (7-5) at Humphrey Coliseum in the SEC opener for both teams.
“It doesn’t matter. We are playing. It’s coming,” Howland said when asked where his team stands entering SEC play. “We are one of the youngest teams, but that’s over now. We have playing time under our belt. The big thing for them is the quality of opponent steps up. Every game we are playing, someone is very talented.”
Three of the four upperclassmen on MSU’s roster played last season. Sophomore guard/forward Quinndary Weatherspoon is fourth in the SEC in scoring at 19.1 points per game. Sophomore Aric Holman is averaging 10 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds. He played in only 12 games last season due to a knee injury. Sophomore guard Xavian Stapleton, who is averaging 7.3 points in three games, missed last season after transferring from Louisiana Tech and suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Senior point guard I.J. Ready is averaging 10.7 ppg.
The Bulldogs have six scholarship freshmen (Lamar Peters, Eli Wright, Mario Kegler, Tyson Carter, Schnider Herard, and E.J. Datcher) playing significant minutes. Carter has started every game, while Kegler has started 11 games. He didn’t start against Morehead State because of undisclosed disciplinary reasons. Carter is averaging 10.1 points, while Kegler is averaging 9.4.
KenPom.com has MSU as the least experienced team in NCAA Division I basketball.
“As much as we are talking about them learning from experience, we have the least amount of experience,” Howland said. “It is always helpful to have older guys. It has really helped Lamar having I.J. there to tutor him. When they are in together, it is one of our best lineups.”
Peters, who has been suspended for two games, is averaging 9.3 points and leads the team with 23 3-pointers. Peters said he has changed his attitude and has become more of a team player after he was suspended for the game against Northwestern State on Nov. 28 for oversleeping.
Ready has tried to teach Peters the importance of coming to practice every day with a good attitude and wanting to learn. Ready has seen all the freshmen make strides since playing four games in August in Italy.
“They have a lot of minutes under their belts now,” Ready said. “From the time they played in Italy up to now, it is a totally different bunch. I think their confidence is a lot better. I think the game has slowed down to them. I have seen them develop in every aspect — shooting the ball, taking care of the ball and defense-wise. I think the biggest thing right now is rebounding. We still have to box out every possession because teams are a lot bigger than us even though we have better size since I have been here.
“There are going to be ups and downs. There are a lot better teams and better players than we have been playing so far. They are going to hit a wall sometimes, so they need to be level-headed. Night in and night out you are going to play against players just as talented as you. You just have to stick with it and stay on the right track.”
Howland gave his players three days off for Christmas because he wanted them rested for what he called the “gauntlet.” That journey began last Thursday with a 77-54 victory against Missouri-Kansas City. Howland said he has added things offensively in practice as the Bulldogs have continued to work on fundamentals like blocking out.
Peters said recent practices have been different from ones in the first two months.
“It’s been a lot more intense, and coach Howland has really been trying to get his point across, telling us we have to grow up fast, be ready and be more mature because it’s that time of the year,” Peters said. “Things are about to get tougher.”
The Bulldogs have won three in a row and six of their last seven against the Crimson Tide. Alabama has won back-to-back games and three of its last four. Redshirt freshman Dazon Ingram and freshman Braxton Key are averaging 9.7 ppg. to lead the Crimson Tide.
“We know we’ve got an uphill climb, and we’re going to play against a young Mississippi State team that has a lot of guys that can score the ball (with) Weatherspoon, Ready, and Carter,” Alabama coach Avery Johnson said. “They have some experience with Weatherspoon and I.J. Ready and a bunch of guys that can make the 3-point shot.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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