STARKVILLE — Iowa State could have been 0-20 for all Ben Howland cared.
Nobody was happier to finally be on the winning side after enduring a three-game skid than Howland, regardless of how many stipulations were attached to MSU’s 95-56 victory over Iowa State Saturday at Humphrey Coliseum. Of which, there were plenty.
Howland’s top two players only needed to log 26 minutes apiece. An already putrid Iowa State team was down two double-digit scorers. Mississippi embarrassed Iowa State so badly it was historic; MSU’s 39-point victory against the Cyclones Saturday was the program’s largest margin against a Power Five nonconference opponent (the previous record being a 28-point win against Florida State in 1951).
Nevertheless, Howland and the Bulldogs aren’t apologizing for dominating the matchup any time soon.
“I think that was fun and we got everybody a chance to play,” Howland said. “We got some guys some important minutes that contribute every day in practice that don’t get to play much in the game. So it was a fun game for our team to get a resounding win and hopefully that bodes well for us moving forward.”
Regardless, the sweet taste of victory only lasts for so long with the latter half of a four-game Southeastern Conference road slate on the docket this week. First up, an 8 p.m. Tuesday tipoff against Arkansas (13-5, 5-4 SEC) in Fayetteville.
“I think the last three games we’ve really improved defensively,” Howland said. “I think we’ve played the best three games, defensively, than we’ve done all year. Any time you play good defense you give yourself a chance to win and that is always true, especially on the road. Defense is what travels. So you have to do a good job in transition and do a good job in the half court.
“Arkansas runs a lot of motion and they probably do as good of a job as anybody in our league at cutting without the ball. So it is something we are going to try to emphasize today at practice with the cuts they make and not losing vision of your man. A lot of times people stare at the ball and as soon as you lose vision of your man, the Hogs will back-cut you and burn you. They really do a great job of that.”
MSU has actually dominated the series recently, winning the last six contests against the Razorbacks, including a two-game sweep of the Hogs last year for the first time in about a decade.
“It’s a little shocking because it is such a hard place to play,” Howland said of his 3-1 record at Bud Walton Arena with MSU. “We’ve been very fortunate. We’ve had a lot of good breaks.”
While the Razorbacks have suffered a few blowout losses to LSU and Alabama, Arkansas utilizes a balanced offensive attack, considering it’s one of two SEC teams to have five active players averaging in double figures. Leading that group includes talented freshman guard Moses Moody, averaging 16.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. At his continued pace, Moody may forego a sophomore season with Arkansas and declare for the NBA Draft this summer.
Other double-digit scorers for the Razorbacks include JD Notae (13.9 ppg), Indiana transfer Justin Smith (11.4 ppg), Desi Sills (11.2 ppg) and Jalen Tate (10.9 ppg).
“This is obviously a very tough place to play at Arkansas. We’re going to have to play really well to have success over there tomorrow night,” Howland said. “It’s an exciting challenge. They’re very good and they have a lot of talent. They can really score and they can really defend.”
Fountain ‘close’ to breaking in rotation
Howland has never backed away from playing true freshmen during his tenure at Mississippi State when they’ve proven deserving of those minutes. Another member of the 2020 recruiting class could be on the brink of earning meaningful minutes for the Bulldogs.
After just turning 18 last summer, 6-foot-9 freshman forward Derek Fountain earned the most minutes of his young collegiate career in the Bulldogs’ rout of Iowa State, going 3-for-3 from the field and putting up a career-high seven points.
“I think Derek Fountain is right on the cusp of breaking into the top nine (rotation), which is what we are playing. He is right there,” Howland said. “He can play two positions, he can play some four, he can play some three. He was the first one to come in the other night among the guys who are not playing that much. He is probably deserving of more minutes with the way he’s been practicing. So I am really excited about Derek, in particular, in terms of his future.”
Howland added he’s confident about what Fountain can provide offensively and has put on about close to 20 pounds of muscle since joining the program.
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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