STARKVILLE — So much has changed for the Mississippi State men”s basketball team since it lost its league opener to the University of Alabama.
In their home debuts after serving suspensions in the fall, point guard Dee Bost and center Renardo Sidney were sluggish in a 75-57 loss on Jan. 8. The Bulldogs trailed by one point halftime before the Crimson Tide pulled away. Bost scored 14 and had five assists, but was fatigued in the second half, while Sidney had two points and five turnovers in 26 minutes.
In five games following that game, the Bulldogs have experienced the growing pains of having Bost and Sidney enter the fold in the middle season but are a better team.
Bost leads the team in scoring (18.3 points) and assists (6.2) per game, while Sidney has provided an inside-outside element at center.
MSU has won three of five games since the Southeastern Conference opener and played Vanderbilt close until falling in the final minutes.
MSU (11-9, 3-3 SEC) doesn”t put too much stock into its first round against Alabama, who will play host to the Bulldogs at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
“I feel like we”re a lot better,” Bost said. “It was Sid”s first game back, and we didn”t really have too much time to work together. It”d be real crucial (to beat Alabama). It”d be important for us to go get a win on their home court because they”re leading the West.”
Alabama can make a similar argument to MSU. After losing six of its first 11 games, it leads the SEC Western Division with a 5-1 record.
The Crimson Tide (13-7) have developed one of the more productive frontcourt”s in the league with JaMychal Green, who scored 16 points in the first game against MSU, and Tony Mitchell. The duo is averaging 30.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Alabama also owns a win against No. 10 Kentucky and leads the SEC in defensive scoring (56.8 points per game), which is five points ahead of second-ranked Florida.
“It”s going to be a grind-out game,” MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. “They”re gonna make it an ugly game because defensively they”re really good. They”re gonna get into us. I”m sure, knowing Dee”s gonna play a lot of minutes, they”re gonna try to get into him a little bit in his legs.”
Alabama coach Anthony Grant said the biggest difference he has noticed in MSU is players understanding their roles and Bost playing at a high level
Despite their improved play, the Bulldogs have had lapses in between big wins. MSU beat Ole Miss and Auburn before being blown out at Georgia. It struggled to maintain a nine-point lead in final-minutes loss against Vanderbilt.
Sidney has fouled out of two games and finished with four fouls in two others, which has strained the Bulldogs” limited post depth.
MSU is last in the SEC in points given up per game with 70.2.
“I don”t think we could have done what we”ve done the last two games January 8th,” Stansbury said. “Are we where we need to be? No. Are we making progress? Yes. It”s like November for us — we”re tweaking every day.”
Depth still an issue
Only four players scored Saturday in a 71-64 win against Florida.
The last team to accomplish that feat was Ohio on March 12, 2010. Still, the Bulldogs aren”t panicking about their lack of depth.
MSU has dealt with starters playing 30-plus minutes in each of the past two seasons, so its elder statesmen like Bost, Ravern Johnson, and Kodi Augustus are physically conditioned to play extended minutes.
Stansbury lamented a string of missed layups by John Riek and Wendell Lewis against Florida, but he isn”t concerned with getting points from his bench players.
MSU”s lack of scoring punch from its second string has been glaring in league play. The bench players have failed to break three points in three of six games. MSU won two of those games (Florida and Ole Miss).
“Coach tells us come in, do what we can, play hard, come in with effort,” Lewis said. “Sometimes, the bench, we”re up and down. But I feel like we”re doing better. That”s just how the bench is sometimes.”
Lewis is shooting 58 percent but has gone scoreless in three of the past five games. He has provided a needed defensive presence and is averaging 3.9 rebounds a game.
Points are a major factor in generating confidence when coming off the bench, and former substitute turned starter Riley Benock said it”s important for bench players not to get discouraged when they don”t get shots.
“It”s just kind of human nature to think about it, but you got to do what you can to tell yourself that”s not the only way you can help the team,” Benock said. “A big part of it when you come in is not necessarily scoring and stuff, just kind of maintaining the flow of the game and doing whatever you can to add to (the game). As long as you”re not taking away from the team in those limited minutes you have, it”s not a bad thing.”
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