Close games shaping Mississippi State’s early-season story

Close losses, close wins and lingering questions surround Mississippi State as the Bulldogs prepare for a revealing matchup against Memphis.

Mississippi State Bulldogs center Quincy Ballard (15) looks for the play as Utah Utes forward James Okonkwo (32) defends during the first half at Delta Center. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Mississippi State men’s basketball has had a rocky start to its season but has won its last two games and three of its last four.

Like Bulldogs’ coach Chris Jans said Thursday morning, the Bulldogs have played a lot of close games. Some they’ve won. Others they haven’t. Three of the Bulldogs’ five losses this season have been by a margin less than seven.

If those close losses were close wins, we’d be looking at Mississippi State in a different way.

“It's nice that we've been able to win some close games,” Jans said. “We lost some close games prior to winning three out of four. If we had won those close games, the narrative would be slightly different, but it’s not.”

The narrative isn’t entirely doom and gloom for Mississippi State, but there isn’t much sunshine and rainbows to be found either. For one, Jans is still working through the team’s rotation and minutes.

“Everybody wants to play. Normally if you'd ask someone before the season started how many minutes they think they should play, it's usually a bigger number than they actually play,” Jans said. “It isn’t just Mississippi State, it's everywhere in the country. This year is no different. Then you do the math and it doesn't add up. There's only 200 minutes.”

Jans and the Bulldogs are running out of time to figure things out. They have just two games left until the Christmas break and the start of SEC games right after.

And they’ll be getting a good test this Saturday when Penny Hardaway and Memphis come to Humphrey Coliseum.

Tigers went 29-6 last season, won the American Athletic Conference championship, and was a No. 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament. One of the Tigers’ losses though did come at the hands of Mississippi State in a 79-66 contest in Memphis.

However, Memphis has almost an entirely new roster this season.

“It’s entirely different,” Jans said about the Tigers’ roster. “They've got different strengths and weaknesses than their team did last year. Playing them last year won't have anything to do with playing them this year.

“The things that jump out at first glance about them is just their depth. They've got to be one of the leading programs in the country in terms of how many guys they play on a consistent basis, how many double-digit minute averages they have. You've got so many guys that can hurt you, so it's difficult to prepare for.

“Then you look at their numbers, and defensively they're a top 40 defensive team in the country with their athleticism and their length. Then on the offensive glass, that's probably one of their best attributes is just how they attack the offensive glass and create second and third opportunities for their team.”

Dug McDaniel is the leading scorer for Memphis with 13.0 points per game (.380 field goal percentage) and three other players (Zach Davis, Sincere Parker and Julius Thedford) are averaging at least 9.0 ppg.

Davis and Thedford are the leading rebounders with 5.3 and 5.1 rebounds per game, respectively.

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s game if you’re not able to make it to Humphrey Cloiseum:

How to Watch: Memphis at Mississippi State

• Who: Memphis Tigers (4-6) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-5)
• When: 3 p.m., Saturday
• Where: Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, Miss.
• TV: ESPN
• Radio: Live Radio
• Stats: Live Stats
• Series History: Memphis leads the all-time series 14-12
• Last Meeting: Mississippi State 79, Memphis 66 (December 21, 2024)
• Last time out, Bulldogs: def. Long Island, 87-83
• Last time out, Tigers: lost to No. 13 Vanderbilt, 77-70 OT