Mississippi State faces two key challenges this week in its try to climb up the Southeastern Convention standings, beginning Tuesday evening when the Bulldogs tackle Missouri in Columbia, Mo.
The Bulldogs (18-9, 6-8 SEC) bounced again from final week’s dwelling loss to Kentucky by grinding out a 69-61 time beyond regulation win at Ole Miss on Saturday to maintain alive their long-shot bid of incomes a spot within the 68-team NCAA Match area.
A victory over the Tigers, adopted by a win at dwelling over second-place Texas A&M later this week, would go a good distance in enhancing these tourney possibilities.
Presently tied for tenth with Georgia within the SEC standings, coach Chris Jans’ crew additionally can be taking part in for a extra favorable seeding in subsequent month’s convention event.
That risk practically evaporated after some sloppy play at Ole Miss.
Individuals are additionally studying…
The Bulldogs dedicated a season-high 19 turnovers and trailed the Rebels within the remaining minute of regulation earlier than Tolu Smith made a layup to tie it and Eric Reed pressured Ole Miss’ Matthew Murrell into missed 3-pointer to ship the sport to the additional interval.
“Getting stops down the stretch,” Jans mentioned of the important thing to victory. “We have been taking part in from behind the previous couple of minutes of the sport.”
This would be the second assembly between Mississippi State and Missouri this month. The Tigers (19-8, 7-7 SEC) are 2-2 since their 63-52 loss to the Bulldogs on Feb. 4 in Starkville, Miss., and have misplaced their final two outings, the most recent a 69-60 setback at dwelling to Texas A&M on Saturday.
Tigers coach Dennis Gates lamented his staff’s failure to make the most of 21 Aggies turnovers.
“How are you going to have 14 steals and solely 15 factors off turnovers?” Gates mentioned. “We have got to attract fouls in these conditions or come away with the simple basket, or come away with assists as nicely. And I do not suppose we transformed. “
It goes again to the conversion of making an attempt and making an attempt. We pressured sufficient to win a recreation, however we simply did not execute as soon as we obtained the ball in these conditions.” –Area Stage Media