With about four minutes left in Mississippi State’s 5-point loss to Kentucky Saturday night at Humphrey Coliseum, I felt that old familiar feeling creep in. You know, the one that always surfaces when “Big Blue” rolls into town.
In fact, I turned to a friend seated nearby and said, “I’ve seen this game before, and I know how it ends.”
I don’t claim to be clairvoyant or possess any special psychic abilities, but I do watch a lot of college basketball. And what transpired in Saturday’s Top-15 matchup was what happens almost any time the Wildcats and Bulldogs meet on the hardwood, particularly when those matchups are in Starkville: Kentucky makes plays when they have to, Mississippi State doesn’t. Kentucky wins.
The names, numbers and faces are different from year to year. Kentucky even changed coaches, parting ways with John Calipari, who left for the “greener” pastures of Fayetteville, Ark., and replacing him with Wildcat alum and former BYU coach Mark Pope. But, it didn’t matter. It never does.
Want some numbers? Be careful what you wish for. Kentucky has won 19 of the last 20 matchups, with State’s only win coming on a neutral floor in the 2021 SEC Tournament. The all-time series record is 104-21 in favor of the ‘Cats, including a 52-5 mark in games played in Lexington, Ky. MSU has two wins in 34 tries at Rupp Arena. The Bulldogs are 9-26 against Kentucky at the Hump. In fact, Mississippi State hasn’t defeated Kentucky at home since 2008, a span of 10 games.
These games, particularly at home, almost all play out in the same fashion: Kentucky races out to a big lead, State chips away, eventually taking a lead of their own, only to falter at the end and lose. Maybe it’s a consistent talent gap between the two teams. Or, maybe Kentucky is more accustomed to the type of atmosphere they experienced Saturday night. In the past, I might have argued that coaching made the difference. But now, I’m not so sure.
Of course, Chris Jans’ 2024-25 squad isn’t responsible for what came before them. Jans is 0-4 against Kentucky as MSU’s head coach, including 0-3 at The Hump, with 10 total points separating the teams in those three close losses. But Ben Howland also suffered close losses to Kentucky during his tenure just like Rick Stansbury and Richard Williams before him. (Rick Ray’s teams never came close to beating Kentucky.)
Kentucky shot the lights out Saturday night, connecting on 56% of its shots, including 50% from distance. But where they really excelled is at something they’ve seemingly always done – the Wildcats force you to play their game. Pope has a roster full of shooters and he lets them shoot. That’s the way he’s always wanted to play, as evident in his previous stops at Utah State and BYU. The ‘Cats put up 32 3-pointers in the win. The Bulldogs, chasing the game throughout, hoisted an astounding 40 3-point attempts of their own, including 29 from players not named “Josh Hubbard.”
Jans, to his credit, recognized that Kentucky forced MSU into a shooting exhibition the Wildcats would likely win.
“I just was a little surprised by some of the shots we took,” Jans told the media, postgame. “…I thought we had multiple guys take shots that were like, ‘We don’t need that.’”
Of course, one game does not a season make. By the time you read this, the Bulldogs will have played No. 1 Auburn and potentially made a statement. Unless the wheels fall off completely, Mississippi State is going to make the NCAA Tournament. Games like Saturday’s prepare teams for March Madness. The Bulldogs faltered under pressure against Kentucky like they so often have, and, if history teaches us anything, probably always will.
The thing about history, however, is that it’s written by the victors. And there’s always time to start a new chapter.
Philip Poe is sports editor.
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