STARKVILLE — Evansville created quite a stir in the college basketball world Tuesday night by beating No. 1 Kentucky in Rupp Arena.
While Mississippi State isn’t ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, the Bulldogs would nevertheless like to avoid being another Southeastern Conference team to get upset on their home floor when they take on the University of Louisiana Monroe at 6 p.m. Thursday at Humphrey Coliseum.
“Coach Howland always tells us we can’t go in just thinking we’ll beat them,” MSU forward Reggie Perry said. “There’s no off nights in Division I basketball.”
The Warhawks (2-1) nearly made headlines of their own by pushing Texas A&M to the brink in College Station Monday night, leading by eight points at halftime, but ultimately fell 63-57.
“It’s another tough game,” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “They have two experienced, really high-level guards, so it’ll be a tough test for us.”
In KenPom.com’s rankings, Louisiana Monroe enters Thursday’s contest as the No. 227th ranked team in the nation (out of 353 Division I teams), while MSU (2-0) sits at 57th. ULM is a guard-heavy team, relying on contributions from junior Michael Ertel and senior JD Williams. Both players have scored at least 15 points in every game they’ve played this year.
MSU has played single-digit contests with Florida International and Sam Houston State, and also needed an 18-point comeback victory to survive the Bearkats’ upset bid Friday. Howland is cognizant of results around the country, noting South Alabama nearly took down Auburn in a one-point loss Tuesday and Murray State led Tennessee at the half.
To sum up, the fifth-year MSU coach thinks there’s more parity around the game than ever before.
“That’s what makes our tournament so exciting,” Howland said. “Anyone can beat anyone on a given night … Nothing surprises me in early November. Advantage in these early games usually goes to the experience.”
Ball security a focus
Through two games, the Bulldogs are averaging 20.5 turnovers a night. That’s not a number anyone affiliated with MSU can accept.
MSU committed 18 turnovers against a press-heavy FIU team on Nov. 5, then gave it away 23 times against Sam Houston State, partly due to the Bearkats’ pressure.
Turnovers might continue to mount while MSU waits eight more games for junior point guard Nick Weatherspoon, considered to be one of the team’s best ball handlers, to return from suspension.
“We have to learn how to handle pressure better,” MSU redshirt freshman guard D.J. Stewart said. “We also have to learn how to not be so tight with the ball and make better decisions.
Stewart making steady improvements
It’s early in Stewart’s collegiate career, but the guard delivered his best performance as a Bulldog against Sam Houston State. In the team’s nine-point win, Stewart came off the bench and scored 15 points on a 5 of 9 shooting effort.
When Weatherspoon was suspended for the team’s final 10 games a season ago, Howland considered burning Stewart’s redshirt and adding him to the rotation. But MSU refrained, and Stewart thinks he’s better from sitting the entire year.
“I think redshirting was the best thing possible for me,” Stewart said. “I learned a lot from older players, just watching them and learning from their mistakes. It’s made me a better player.”
Perry hoping for faster starts
It’s early, but the next basket MSU’s preseason first-team All-SEC selection makes in a first half will give him a higher scoring output than either of his last two first halves combined. Perry struggled to find his shot immediately against FIU and got into early foul trouble against Sam Houston State, leading to one combined first half point in those games. While Perry finished in double figures in each contest, the 6-foot-10 sophomore knows more is expected of him moving forward.
“(I think I) just need to come out and play a little bit harder,” Perry said. “I’ve been getting after it in practice and getting ready for the next game.”
The Thomasville, Georgia native is coming off a double-double (10 points, 14 rebounds) against Sam Houston State.
Smith signs with MSU
MSU announced the signing of four-star guard Devion Smith Wednesday after receiving his national letter of intent.
Smith, 6-foot point guard from Loganville, Georgia, is the nation’s 42nd best prospect according to 247Sports. He’ll be a freshman for the Bulldogs’ 2020-2021 season.
“He was one of the best point guards I saw all summer,” Howland said. “I think he’s really a huge addition for us. He’s an incredible athlete.”
Smith posted 17.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.1 blocks and two steals per game during his junior season at Grayson High School. Howland added Smith’s burst is what makes him a dynamic player.
“He’ll dribble through a press by himself. You like to have that kind of quickness and explosiveness,” Howland said.
A MSU media relations staffer said another signing may be announced this week, but the school is still waiting on the paperwork to come through.
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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