It has not always come easy, but Mississippi State has handled its business in non-conference play, sitting at 12-1 with one game left before the start of a challenging Southeastern Conference schedule. The Dispatch takes a look at what has gone right and wrong so far for the Bulldogs.
Three up
Overall defense
MSU was carried by its offense last season and was among the better shooting teams in the SEC, while the defense often lagged behind. This year, head coach Sam Purcell’s team has made defense a key component of its identity. Only rival Ole Miss allows fewer points per game among SEC teams than the Bulldogs, and MSU leads the conference in field goal percentage defense and opponents’ 3-point percentage.
Adding guards like Eniya Russell, Denim DeShields and Destiney McPhaul via the transfer portal helped the Bulldogs defend the perimeter. Mainstays Jerkaila Jordan and Debreasha Powe have also taken steps forward defensively, and Madina Okot and Quanirah Montague give MSU a strong interior defensive presence.
The Bulldogs have held all 13 of their opponents under 40 percent shooting, and their only loss was a three-point defeat to a Georgia Tech team that is undefeated and ranked No. 13 in the latest AP Top 25.
Second-half energy
MSU has not played the most daunting non-conference schedule, but even when leading at the half, the Bulldogs have often blitzed opponents coming out of the break. And in closer games, MSU has found a second wind in the third quarter several times. The Bulldogs held six of their first eight opponents under 10 third-quarter points, and rallied from behind in the second half against South Florida and Belmont.
Purcell would certainly like his team to start faster against teams like Belmont, Louisiana-Monroe and Maryland-Eastern Shore, but MSU has found an extra gear later in games that should serve the Bulldogs well against a slew of ranked opponents in the SEC.
Madina Okot
Purcell and his staff were tasked with replacing Jessika Carter, one of the best post players in program history, as well as her frontcourt mate from last year, Erynn Barnum. MSU coaches were high on Okot, a center from Kenya, prior to the start of the season, and she has more than justified that praise as she learns the subtle differences in how the game is played and officiated in the United States as opposed to Africa.
Okot has started every game and is averaging nearly a double-double, with 12.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest. She had three straight double-doubles before Friday’s game at UMES, when she scored a career-best 26 points and was 13-for-16 from the floor. Starting next week, Okot will test herself against the best bigs in the SEC.
Three down
Ball security
Before the season, Purcell said he felt his team was sometimes too unselfish and would try to make the “home run” pass, which would often go long or wide. He wanted the Bulldogs to turn the ball over fewer than 14 times in each game, but MSU has only done this three times, and not since a season-low 11 turnovers on Nov. 29 against South Florida.
The Bulldogs are committing 16.4 turnovers per game, fourth-most in the new 16-team SEC. MSU had 22 turnovers against Utah, a game in which the Bulldogs blew a large lead but pulled out a four-point win. Turnovers were MSU’s undoing in the Georgia Tech loss, a game in which the Bulldogs turned the ball over 17 times and only forced six. This is MSU’s most glaring issue, and one that will need to be cleaned up against the upcoming schedule.
Slow starts
In recent games, the Bulldogs have had a hard time getting going against mid-major opponents during their lengthy stretch of games away from Starkville. MSU trailed South Florida for most of the first half before rallying to win, then needed a fourth-quarter rally to defeat Belmont in Tupelo earlier this month. The Bulldogs led at the half against ULM and UMES, but were unable to put those teams away until late.
With eight SEC teams in the current AP poll and in the top 25 of the latest NET rankings, more slow starts in conference play could bury MSU in holes too big to climb out of.
Bench production
Definitely nit-picking here, as the Bulldogs have largely played well for the first two months of the season and haven’t needed to go deep into their bench. But outside of McPhaul and Montague, MSU has had a hard time finding production from its second unit, relying on Russell, Jordan, Okot, Powe and DeShields.
Chandler Prater, formerly of Kansas and Oklahoma State, has been an effective 3-point shooter in her limited playing time. But Terren Ward, a prolific scorer last year at Georgia Southern, has not played much, and Kayla Thomas has been inconsistent in the post during her time on the floor. An eight-deep rotation could be enough — it was at times last year — but there will come a time when the bench will need to win the Bulldogs a game.
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 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
