STARKVILLE — Mississippi State has been without Kanye Clary since the end of November due to a season-ending lower leg injury, and with the Penn State transfer unavailable, head coach Chris Jans and the Bulldogs have needed to employ a “point guard by committee” approach.
Josh Hubbard, as the smallest healthy player on MSU’s roster, was the most logical candidate to fill that role. But while Hubbard is capable of creating his own shots, he is at his best playing off the ball, where he can take dribble handoffs or get behind screens for open 3-point attempts. Claudell Harris and Shawn Jones have brought the ball up at times but are more effective as cutters than ball-handlers.
“When most of our guys get a defensive rebound, they have a license to push the basketball,” Jans said. “When our (post players) get the rebound, we prefer they outlet it to whoever is manning the point guard position, but there are times when we’re trying to push the pace, (usually) after a made basket.”
When that happens, Cameron Matthews will start the offense as the Bulldogs’ “point forward.” The results have been mixed — Matthews’ 70 turnovers are nearly twice as many as anyone else on the team, but his speed and physicality make him hard to stop on the fast break. He has impressive court vision for a forward and actually leads MSU with 3.9 assists per game.
RJ Melendez, who typically plays on the wing as a classic “3-and-D” player, also ran the point at times during Tuesday night’s win over No. 7 Texas A&M.
“The thing about (Matthews) that I love the most is his number one priorities are his teammates, this program and winning,” Jans said. “He can play any position that we have. Normally, that’s reserved for a point guard, but leadership and organization can come from everybody. He’s earned tons of respect from his teammates because of his competitive spirit, his stature, how he plays with that fire and passion.”
The No. 21 Bulldogs (19-7, 7-6 Southeastern Conference) have won back-to-back games against ranked teams and have improved offensively from a year ago by roughly five points per game despite not having a prototypical point guard.
Clary’s injury has forced Hubbard to handle the ball more, and he has made significant progress in that area — against the Aggies, he scored 25 points with just six 3-point attempts, instead consistently attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. He also had four assists against just one turnover.
“Having 25 on 10 shots, that’s about as efficient as you can be from an offensive standpoint,” Jans said. “It was one of his most complete games that he’s played since he’s been here.”
Scouting Oklahoma
MSU heads back on the road Saturday for an early afternoon tip-off against the Sooners (16-10, 3-10), who were one of the hottest teams in the country to start the season but have struggled to keep pace in the mighty SEC. Oklahoma earned quality wins in non-conference play against Arizona, Louisville and Michigan, all of which are currently ranked in the AP Top 25.
Jalon Moore leads the Sooners in scoring with 17 points per game, and Jeremiah Fears is one of the top freshmen in the conference, averaging 15.5 points and 3.7 assists. But although Oklahoma is the SEC’s best free throw shooting team, the Sooners do not have much size in their rotation compared to most of their opponents, and are last in the conference in both offensive and total rebounding.
Saturday’s game will be the Bulldogs’ first meeting with Oklahoma since a 63-62 Sooners win in Oklahoma City in January 2020. That was the first-ever MSU loss to Oklahoma in four all-time matchups.
“They haven’t won as many games as they would have liked, but from the film, you wouldn’t know it,” Jans said. “They’re competing at a high level. They’ve lost some really tough, close games, and like all of us, they’re coming down the stretch. They’re fighting for every inch, for every ball, for every opportunity. I know they’ll be prepared and ready on Saturday.”
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