In Chris Jans’ third season as Mississippi State’s head coach, the Bulldogs have started to earn some national respect and could find themselves in contention in a Southeastern Conference that looks stronger than ever. But as for all teams, there are still plenty of areas where No. 19 MSU (11-1) can continue to improve. The Dispatch takes a look here at what has gone right and wrong so far for the Bulldogs.
Three up
Offensive rebounding
MSU has been among the top offensive rebounding teams in the SEC in all three years under Jans, and that has continued this year even without former star post player Tolu Smith. The Bulldogs are third in the conference in offensive rebounds per game and offensive rebounding margin, thanks largely to Cameron Matthews, Michael Nwoko and KeShawn Murphy.
Nwoko leads MSU with 32 offensive boards despite playing less than 15 minutes per game, with Matthews sitting just one behind him. Murphy, who has made just three starts, leads the team in overall rebounding and is second in scoring. After returning from a monthlong absence last year, Murphy was a huge presence on the offensive glass, a trend that has continued this season.
Sharing the ball
Last year’s Bulldogs had the ability to get out and run, but this year’s team seems to want to push the pace and get out in transition. MSU is playing at a much faster tempo, and has worn down many of its non-conference opponents. Even in normal half-court sets, the Bulldogs have displayed excellent ball movement despite not having a true point guard with Penn State transfer Kanye Clary still out indefinitely with a lower leg injury.
Only Auburn and Kentucky have more assists per game among SEC teams than MSU. Matthews, who has played a “point forward” role for much of the year, leads the Bulldogs with four assists per game. Josh Hubbard is not far behind him, and he leads all players nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Forcing turnovers
Defensive intensity has always been a staple for Jans’ teams, and that starts in the backcourt with pressuring the ball. Not that frontcourt players can’t get steals — Murphy had four of them in last Saturday’s big win at Memphis, the second time he has reached that mark this year. Claudell Harris Jr. had a career-high five steals in that game, with all of them coming in the first half.
Hubbard has made big steps forward on defense as a sophomore, and Matthews is always a threat to ruin ball-handlers’ days. His 2.4 steals per game put him right up there with the SEC’s leaders, and MSU is fourth in the conference as a team with 10.3 steals per contest. Those live-ball turnovers frequently lead to quick transition buckets on the other end.
Three down
Free throw shooting
The Bulldogs were the worst foul-shooting team in the SEC in each of Jans’ first two seasons in Starkville and are heading for a third straight last-place finish in that category, sitting at 68.7 percent through 12 games. MSU is also struggling to create free throw opportunities, and is 13th in the conference in free throw attempts per game.
After shooting more than 30 foul shots each in narrower-than-expected wins over Prairie View A&M and McNeese, the Bulldogs were a mere 2-for-7 at the stripe against Central Michigan, then were 7-for-10 in the Memphis game.
No player has epitomized MSU’s inconsistency at the line more than Matthews, who was 8-for-10 to help the Bulldogs grab a key early win over Utah and 5-for-6 in the narrow win over McNeese but 0-for-4 against Central Michigan, when he finished without a point. Missed free throws led directly to MSU’s home loss against Alabama last year, so the Bulldogs will need to shore things up heading into SEC play.
Perimeter defense
A year after holding the SEC’s best 3-point defense, MSU is dead last in the conference this season, allowing opponents to make 35.6 percent of their 3-point attempts. That’s due in part to not having on-ball defenders in the backcourt like D.J. Jeffries and Shakeel Moore, and in part to a new identity focused on playing faster and emphasizing the offensive end more.
The Bulldogs’ lone loss, against Butler on Nov. 29 in Arizona, occurred mostly because Butler finished 12-for-22 from behind the arc and MSU kept leaving shooters wide open. Against Prairie View, the Bulldogs fell behind by 15 points in the first half before rallying to win as the Panthers were 10-for-19 from distance.
MSU is showing signs of improvement, though — against a Memphis team that ranked third nationally in 3-point percentage entering last Saturday’s game, the Bulldogs limited the Tigers to 8-for-27 from deep. Similar performances will be needed against an SEC littered with outstanding outside shooters.
Momentary lapses in effort
MSU has made life unnecessarily difficult on itself at times, digging that big early hole against Prairie View and needing to battle for the full 40 minutes against McNeese. This is a highly talented and well-coached team, but sometimes the Bulldogs are bound to lose focus and concentration. They won’t be able to afford to do that against anyone in the SEC.
The good news is that MSU has shown up for its biggest non-conference games, routing Pittsburgh by 33 points at home and jumping out to a 20-point first-half lead against Memphis. If the Bulldogs can bring that level of intensity against the slew of top-10 teams they will face in conference play, they’ll be in good shape heading into the postseason.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
