Mississippi State is taking a trip to the Bahamas.
But don’t call it a vacation.
There’s not much relaxing about the field the Bulldogs (4-0) will face at the Baha Mar Hoops tournament in Nassau, Bahamas. Louisville (3-1), Maryland (4-1) and Richmond (2-2) are all ready and willing to give coach Ben Howland’s team a run for its money.
“It’s going to be a very challenging tournament,” Howland said. “No matter who you’re playing, you’re playing a high-level game in both games. That’s what we wanted.”
The Bulldogs have yet to play a team inside the top 150 in the kenpom.com team ratings. Their first four games have all been at home.
That’s about to change.
Each of the three other teams is ranked inside the top 70 in the country, and Howland expects big things from all of them.
“I think the level of competition definitely goes way up when we’re playing Louisville, Maryland or Richmond,” Howland said. “I think all three of those teams will be in the NCAA tournament at the end of the year.”
A date with Louisville at 8:30 p.m. Thursday will open the event for the Bulldogs. Howland made it clear how he feels about the Cardinals, mentioning their depth five times during Monday’s press conference.
“They keep coming at you in waves,” Howland said.
It’s a fair assessment. Louisville has seven players averaging 6.8 points per game or more. Howland talked up defensive whiz Jarrod West — a transfer from Marshall — and strong rebounders like Samuell Williamson and Malik Williams, but he knows the Cards are led by Florida transfer Noah Locke (16.0).
Locke went 3 for 10 shooting for just 8 points at Mississippi State last year, but Howland knows that was an off night for the senior guard.
“He’s a real problem, because if he’s open, he’s going to make it,” Howland said of Locke. “He really spaces the floor for them well.”
The Bulldogs will face either the Terrapins or the Spiders on Saturday. Mississippi State beat Richmond by a point last season in the NIT, and Howland knows what coach Chris Mooney’s team can do.
“There’s no doubt in my mind about them,” Howland said. “They have the most experience, and they’ve been together the longest of any of these four teams.”
Howland said he has divided scouting responsibilities among his assistants so the Bulldogs can be prepared for all three opponents. George Brooks studied Richmond for last season’s matchup and will do so again, Ernie Zeigler will handle Louisville, and Korey McCray will take Maryland.
That way, Mississippi State will be ready. In every way but one, anyway.
Forward Tolu Smith (stress fracture in foot) remains out, although he is nearing a return. Howland knows the Bulldogs aren’t complete without him, but they’re close.
“I wish that I could tell you that Tolu’s playing and he’s starting, but that’s not the case,” he said. “When we get him back, that will be exciting for us to have our whole team finally coming together.”
Howland stresses importance of vaccine
On Monday, Howland also delivered what he sardonically called a few “fun facts to know” about vaccination against COVID-19.
“You’re 12 times more likely to be hospitalized if you’re unvaccinated and you get COVID,” he said. “If you do have it and you’re unvaccinated, you’re more likely to get someone else sick. You’re maybe 10 times more likely to die of it if you’re unvaccinated.”
Howland’s numbers are understated. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said unvaccinated people are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with the virus and 11 times more likely to die with it.
But his point remains: Coronavirus remains an issue, and the Bulldogs don’t want any part of it.
“I read last night there’s been almost 2 million breakthrough cases throughout the United States thus far,” Howland said, referring to confirmed cases in people who are vaccinated. “We don’t want to have any of our players be one of those people, nor any of my staff or anybody associated with our team, because that would be an issue.”
Howland was initially “leery” of going on Mississippi State’s Bahamas trip because of the situation with the virus in the Caribbean country.
“It was Stage 4 just a month ago; now it’s Stage 3,” he said. “It was ‘very dangerous’ a month ago; now it’s just ‘dangerous.’”
The Baha Mar tournament requires proof of vaccination or proof of a negative test to enter the hotel where the event takes place, and Howland said the Bulldogs’ entire traveling party tested negative. He said he was told 60 percent of the workers at the hotel are vaccinated. It’s a start, but not what Howland hoped for.
“I wish that was a little higher, because we’re just all trying to keep safe,” he said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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