Coming off a loss at No. 8 Kentucky in which Mississippi State allowed the Wildcats to make more than 55 percent of their field goals, the Bulldogs return to Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday for a must-win game against Vanderbilt.
The Commodores (5-12, 0-4 Southeastern Conference) are currently No. 244 in the NET rankings — 67 spots lower than Southern, MSU’s lone bad loss this year. Head coach Jerry Stackhouse’s team went 11-7 in SEC play last year and played in the NIT, but this season Vanderbilt lost to the likes of Presbyterian, San Francisco and Western Carolina in non-conference play.
After nearly knocking off Alabama in their SEC opener, the Commodores have lost to LSU, Ole Miss and Auburn, currently sharing the conference’s basement with Missouri. Vanderbilt has the SEC’s worst scoring offense, putting up 67.9 points per game, and also ranks last in the conference in assists and blocks and second to last in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
The Commodores’ defense has struggled as well, allowing opponents to make field goals and 3-pointers at the highest rates in the SEC.
Ezra Manjon, in his second season at Vanderbilt after spending three years at California-Davis, leads the Commodores with 16 points per game. Senior Tyrin Lawrence is the only other Vanderbilt player averaging double figures, although freshman sixth man Jason Rivera-Torres has been an occasional bright spot.
Here are three keys to victory for MSU (12-5, 1-3) as the Bulldogs look to avoid what would be a catastrophic defeat.
Force the ball inside to Smith and Bell
Vanderbilt does not have a player who can score or defend in the post at the level of Tolu Smith, who scored 26 points in Wednesday’s loss to Kentucky, 22 of which came in the second half. MSU will need to take advantage of that mismatch and let Smith go to work. This game could also be a good chance to let Jimmy Bell Jr. establish himself in SEC play, as his production has dropped considerably since Smith returned and Bell was relegated to a bench role.
Win the first half by double digits
The Bulldogs have to avoid making Saturday’s game a 40-minute stress-a-thon. The Commodores are unlikely to finish winless in the SEC, and they likely see this game as an opportunity to take down a vulnerable MSU squad. If the Bulldogs can stay active defensively and set up high-percentage shots offensively, they should be able to race out to a comfortable lead.
Let the Olive Branch boys cook on defense
D.J. Jeffries and Cameron Matthews, former high school teammates in Olive Branch, have been MSU’s defensive leaders all season long and can each guard positions one through four. If they can slow down Manjon and Lawrence, that would ease the burden on the Bulldogs’ guards, and players like Dashawn Davis, Shakeel Moore and Josh Hubbard can spend more energy on the offensive end.
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