STARKVILLE — South Carolina basketball had just started to show signs of life late in the first half. 

Mississippi State had led by 22 points only a few minutes earlier, but the gap shrunk to 15. Any more cuts to the lead, and the Gamecocks would be the ones with momentum entering halftime. That’s when MSU locked it down. 

The Bulldogs finished the half on a 10-0 run in two minutes of game time. All five baskets were layups — three of them off turnovers and on the fast break. Defense was turned to offense. It was a crucial moment in Mississippi State’s 85-50 dismantling of South Carolina (10-4, 0-1 SEC) that got the Humphrey Coliseum crowd on its feet in the SEC opener. 

It also epitomized how No. 16 Mississippi State (13-1, 1-0) can be at its best.  

“When we’re at our best, we’re very active on the ball, we’re handsy and got frenetic activity off the ball,” MSU coach Chris Jans said after the win. “They’re all wired and bought in. And when we are lethargic and not in stances, which obviously we’ve done a ton this particular season, we’re just getting exposed. And so hopefully this will make them feel good about what we’ve been trying to preach to them and get them to buy in even more in this particular group, so we can play that style of basketball.”

Mississippi State self-identified a weakness

There aren’t many stats that indicate the Bulldogs have a weakness except for one: 3-point defense. They entered Saturday’s game allowing 35.5% on 3-pointers, No. 294 in the country. No. 13 UConn was the only other ranked team in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll with a worse mark. 

Jans said Saturday that Mississippi State is at the bottom of the SEC in contesting 3-pointers, and it has been a point of emphasis in the past few weeks. 

MSU’s two other baskets during the 10-0 run came off missed South Carolina 3-pointers. Both of them were contested. 

“I think that just comes down to us wanting to just sacrifice and do what it takes to win,” said Josh Hubbard, who led Mississippi State with 21 points. “It all starts with Jans’ game plan, and we all believe in it. When we have that connectedness and that toughness, it shows on the court.” 

South Carolina made only two 3-pointers on 19 attempts, the fewest Mississippi State has allowed since coach Ben Howland’s last game on March 16, 2022. 

“You hear me say this all the time like a broken record, but it usually goes back to, in that particular possession, to the point of attack, and what we did or didn’t do,” Jans said. “It’s usually a mistake that happens there that maybe doesn’t show up for a pass or two, and then they get a wide-open look. 

“The last three or four games, we’ve been better. Tonight, obviously was really good numbers-wise, but even the other games, we’ve been getting slowly better at it.”

MORE: The stories of why Mississippi State basketball players chose their jersey numbers

Mississippi State’s win vs South Carolina broke records

Mississippi State’s blowout win set two records:

• Largest margin of victory for an SEC game in the Jans era.
• Fewest points allowed in an SEC game in the Jans era.

It was also the second-largest margin of victory in all games in the Jans era, two points behind the 2022 win against South Dakota.

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.