Bulldogs Miss a Huge Opportunity at Home Against Tennessee
MSU dropped another quadrant one opportunity against Tennessee on Wednesday night, suffering a 72-63 loss at the hand of the No. 19-ranked Volunteers.
Before the game, head coach Ben Howland spoke to the media about just how much shooting the team had been doing in the preceding practices, saying they knew they had to hit shots.
Whatever they were practicing, though, didn’t translate to the floor, as MSU went 14-23 from the line, a brutal 61%.
The Bulldogs also committed 16 turnovers in the affair, which the Vols scored 20 points off of. All of this, combined with a 12-point deficit early on in the first half, would prove to be the dagger for the Bulldogs, handing them their second home loss of the season.
“We just didn’t make the big plays we needed to,” said forward Garrison Brooks after the game, “I think that’s as simple as I can put it. We have to find a way to be tough and make plays down the stretch.”
If this sounds like a broken record, you’d be right. Across the whole season, MSU has failed to finish strong in some key matchups, and Brooks knows that.
“That’s the difference in winning games like Florida, Kentucky, Tonight, Arkansas. We as a collective unit have to find a way to finish games,” said Brooks.
Before the game, MSU sat at the second team out in Lunardi’s bracketology report, and this game should still keep them on the bubble. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, though, as their next two games are against LSU and Alabama - both on the road.
That last part is the kicker, though, as MSU has yet to secure a road win almost halfway through February - suboptimal if you’re trying to build a tournament resume’.
The Bulldogs are currently predicted to finish the season 18-13, and with that record, an impressive SEC tournament trip will be required to crack the round of 64. They’ll have their chances to beat those odds, though, starting with LSU on Saturday night.
That game will air on ESPN2 and tip-off at 7 p.m. CT in Baton Rouge.
