STARKVILLE — Twice in January, Mississippi State let games reach overtime after leading throughout regulation. Twice more, the Bulldogs have been neck and neck with elite teams at home only to fade in the final minutes.
No. 14 MSU scored just two points in the final two minutes of Wednesday night’s loss to No. 4 Alabama, further highlighting the Bulldogs’ late-game shortcomings as they approach the halfway point of the grueling Southeastern Conference schedule.
“Experience is the best teacher,” MSU head coach Chris Jans said. “Having those types of situations at this point, 21 games into the season, just great teaching moments. You try to break down to them what we did well, what we didn’t, so we can learn next time we’re in those situations.”
The Bulldogs were right with Kentucky at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 11 before going scoreless in the last two minutes, missing four straight 3-pointers in that stretch. A week later against Ole Miss, MSU allowed the Rebels to score seven points in the final two minutes of regulation to extend a game they had once trailed by 14. And a week after that at South Carolina, the Bulldogs let a nine-point lead with four minutes left in the second half slip away.
MSU (16-5, 4-4 SEC) managed to beat Ole Miss and South Carolina in overtime, but whether it’s tired legs, lack of depth or just poor situational basketball, the Bulldogs have not played their best during some of the most critical moments of their season.
“At this point, to try to replicate all of the scenarios that could happen in the last minute or two of a game is hard to do when you’re not practicing as long as you would in the fall,” Jans said. “It’s not a video game. The clock is moving, the players are moving, and you have to make a play.”
Scouting Missouri
The No. 20 Tigers (16-4, 5-2) are the surprise of the conference this year, currently tied for third place after going winless in SEC play last season. Missouri won 25 games two years ago under head coach Dennis Gates but finished 8-24 last winter. Gates has already doubled that win total this year before the start of February.
Tamar Bates leads the Tigers’ balanced offensive attack with 13.5 points per game. Mark Mitchell and sharpshooting sixth man Caleb Grill can also light up the scoreboard, with Anthony Robinson II averaging double figures as well. Missouri is one of the deepest teams in college basketball, with 11 players playing at least 10 minutes on average.
“Coach Gates has done a tremendous job since he’s arrived. I’m sure they were very motivated and hungry once the season was complete last year,” Jans said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they play 11, 12, 13 guys. They shuffle them in and out. I’m sure a part of their mantra is, ‘Don’t hold anything back. You have subs coming. You know you’re not going to play 35 minutes.’ That’s a great luxury to have, especially given the style they play.”
The Tigers earned a signature win at home over Kansas in early December, then held off a top-5 Florida team on the road in mid-January. Their only conference losses were at top-ranked Auburn in the SEC opener and at Texas on Jan. 21. Missouri comes to Starkville well-rested off its conference bye after defeating a ranked Ole Miss team at home last Saturday.
Led by Grill and Bates, the Tigers are second in the SEC behind Kentucky in 3-point percentage, and they are active on defense with a conference-leading 10.1 steals per game.
“They’re as good as anybody in the league at turning you over,” Jans said. “They’re just relentless with their denial of passes and with their contesting of ball reversals. And once you catch it, they don’t give you any room. They’re constantly trying to frustrate you, speed you up, get you to throw errant passes. We’re best when we ignite offense from our defense, and that’s what they’re best at too.”
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