STARKVILLE — The start of conference play for the Mississippi State men’s basketball team brought up a bit of history no one affiliated with the program wanted to remember.

Following losses to Auburn, Alabama and LSU, MSU fell to 0-3 in the SEC for the first time since 2015, the first year of the Ben Howland era.

Then, last week put the Bulldogs back on the right side of a historical statistic, recording back-to-back victories of a margin of at least 27 points for the first time since 1946. MSU defeated Missouri 72-45 on Jan. 14, then took down Georgia 91-59 Saturday with both victories coming at Humphrey Coliseum. MSU (11-6, 2-3 SEC) hopes to continue its dominance when it wraps up its three-game homestand against Arkansas at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Starkville.

“There’s no question that our defense is playing the best it’s played all year, and we’re doing a better job than we’ve done,” Howland said. ” … So, they work hand-in-hand. Offense feeds the defense, and the defense feeds the offense. You have to have a good balance at both ends and be effective at both ends. We’ve done a good job at that the last couple games.”

Arkansas (14-3, 3-2 SEC) is a defense-first team, allowing the fewest 3-pointers by an opponent nationally (23.4 shooting percentage) and is the 11th-most efficient defense in the country according to KenPom.com.

“They do a great job of helping defensively, and they really pressure,” Howland said. “They’re going to get out, get into the ball and create havoc, but they don’t gamble. It’s very solid. They’re using their hands, but they’re still keeping their body in front of the ball. When you drive, they’re collapsing. They do a great job.”

Three Arkansas players average double figures, including Mason Jones (18.2 ppg), Isaiah Joe (17.5) and Jimmy Whitt Jr. (14.8). The Razorbacks are coming off a 73-66 home loss to Kentucky and have yet to lose back-to-back games under first-year coach Eric Musselman.

Stewart adjusting to starting lineup

In MSU’s last two games, redshirt freshman guard D.J. Stewart was moved into the starting lineup in lieu of senior Tyson Carter. The move was made for a variety of reasons.

First, Howland wanted to take pressure off Carter as the Starkville native worked his way out of a shooting slump. He did just that against Missouri and Georgia, finishing with double figures in each contest.

“I don’t know (if coming off the bench busted him out of the slump), but I’m sure am happy that he’s playing the way he’s playing right now for us,” Howland said. “He’s playing with the confidence that he’s earned because of all his hard work. No one has worked harder than Tyson Carter – putting the time in, putting the countless hours in working on his shot, working on his ball-handling and working on his game. You earn confidence, and he earned it. So, I’m really excited for him and happy for our team.”

The fifth-year MSU coach also wanted Carter to run the point when junior guard Nick Weatherspoon is on the bench instead of Iverson Molinar, allowing the freshman to play his natural position at the two.

As for Stewart, the 6-foot-6 Grace native is capable of scoring, but is relied on more at the defensive end. Stewart averages 8.1 points per game, but was held scoreless against Missouri and scored just two points against Georgia Saturday. Yet, he was tasked with guarding Georgia freshman phenom Anthony Edwards and held him to 5 of 16 shooting.

“I’ve been enjoying it,” Stewart said of his starting role. “I’m just taking it all in. It’s a little different for me coming off the bench (versus) me starting. With me, I’m going to do whatever I can and help the team win.”

Howland said after the Georgia victory he plans to keep Stewart in the starting lineup moving forward.

Bulldogs in the rankings

Entering Wednesday’s matchup, MSU sits at 57th nationally in the NET rankings, while KenPom.com has the Bulldogs as the 42nd-ranked team in the country. Meanwhile, Arkansas is 32 in the NET rankings and 31st on KenPom.com.

Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.