Skip to main content

Magnolia State rivals clash as MSU hosts Ole Miss

The Bulldogs and Rebels have been going opposite directions of late

It's a Magnolia State clash inside Humphrey Coliseum on Tuesday night as Mississippi State plays host to Ole Miss. 

The Bulldogs are off to a strong start in Southeastern Conference play this season with four wins in their first six games. Meanwhile Ole Miss has lost three games in a row. However as the old sports cliche goes, you can throw out the records when these two teams get together.

Here's a quick look at how you can follow along with Tuesday's game, along with some selected comments from MSU head coach Ben Howland. You can also watch full video of Howland's pre-Ole Miss media session above.

  • What: Ole Miss (6-6, 1-4) at Mississippi State (9-5, 4-2)
  • Where: Humphrey Coliseum – Starkville, Mississippi
  • When: 8 p.m. central on Tuesday, January 19, 2021
  • TV/Video: SEC Network, Online via ESPN.com/ESPN App
  • Radio/Audio: Mississippi State Sports Radio Network (click here for full list of affiliates), online at Hailstate.com and the TuneIn radio app

Howland on Ole Miss: “I tell you what, they are really a talented team. I think their team has so much depth, which is one of the many things that makes them difficult. They can play a lot of guys, and they all have great bodies. Also, they are a really good defensive team. They have been in the top of all the defensive stats, looking at defensive field goal percentage and forcing turnovers. They really get out and pressure you. Not only is that 1-3-1 zone a part of what they do, but just really just good man-to-man. They are doubling the posts more than they have done in the previous two years with [head coach] Kermit [Davis].

“They have added some more things to what they are doing. They are forcing it more baseline within their man-to-man defense. Their personnel is really good with great guards. I think, the kid that sat out last year, [Jarkel] Joiner is a very good player that has been playing fantastic form the past two games. He shoots the ball and does a really great job scoring it. [Devontae] Shuler is a really good player and their leading scorer. He was great last year and a really good player.”

“When [Luis] Rodriguez got hurt a year ago, they really had high hopes for him a year ago. Now, he is playing like it now. He is a good defender, a great shooter, a good rebounder and a big, strong physical presence. I think [KJ] Buffen is playing great form, and he is a key guy with a lot of experience in his third year now. He started his first two years. So, he has the most experience of anybody in the program other than [Devantae] Shuler.”

“I think the addition of Romello White inside has been huge, he is their second leading scorer. We played against Romello when he was at Arizona State a couple years back. We were in a tournament out there [in Las Vegas] when Quinndary [Weatherspoon] was a senior. He is a very good player. I think he was all league and led the Pac-12 [Conference] in rebounding last year. He is a real presence. They also have depth and good size. [Khadim] Sy is back at the five. They have a kid [Robert] Allen who transferred from Samford who is a very good player and a lefty at the four. They also have [Matthew] Murrell and [Austin] Crowley as the backup guards who are both good players that have very bright futures. One is a freshman and one is a sophomore. They have a lot a depth and a lot of guys that we need to be prepared for.”

Howland on his team coming together and playing well: “Yeah, you know what, we had a really good win against Florida after a disappointing loss against Texas A&M. I think our guys have great chemistry and really like each other. There’s a real good bond within this group. There’s good role definition. We’ve got one of the best trios in terms of scoring in D.J. [Stewart Jr.], Iverson [Molinar], and Tolu [Smith]. In the SEC, I think they’re second in terms of points per game with those three guys.

“Abdul [Ado] is no question our leader and the best defender in the league. He protects the paint and does a great job ball screening. I thought he had his best game this season against Florida the other night with 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocks – all the other things [he does] that don’t show up on the stat sheet. It was interesting – I watched the replay of the game, and I was doing edits of it to show the team yesterday. I listened to the announcers from ESPN2 talk about their conversation with Mike White saying how impressed Mike was with Abdul going into the game prior to when we played. He does so many things that don’t show up on the stat sheet that makes his team win.

“I thought Deivon [Smith] played well the other night. He had 25 big minutes. His minutes and the uptick in his minutes are really helping our team perform better, I think. But this is a huge game for us against Ole Miss. Obviously, not only is it a rivalry game, but this is our last home game for a while. We have four road games coming up, so this is a critical game for us as we get ready to embark on two straight weeks of playing everything on the road in the conference.”

Howland on his team improving as the year goes: “I think it has been good. I think we have been doing a good job of learning. We watch a lot of film. This is probably the most film we have watched with a team since I have been here. We watch a lot of film trying to use it as teaching moments – both positive in showing all the good things and also showing things that we need to get better at. That is something with a young team that you really need to do. So, I think our team is getting better.”

Thank you for coming to Cowbell Corner for coverage of Mississippi State sports. Be sure to follow Cowbell Corner on Twitter (@SIBulldogs) by clicking here, and like it on Facebook by clicking here