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Iowa State basketball: 4 takeaways from Cyclones’ win over Mississippi Valley State

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Iowa State basketball: 4 takeaways from Cyclones’ win over Mississippi Valley State


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AMES − Iowa State men’s basketball opened its season with a 83-44 win over Mississippi Valley State on Monday night.

The Cyclones had four players score in double figures: Keshon Gilbert (17 points), Tamin Lipsey (16), Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson (10 each).

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“I feel like everyone’s getting their groove back,” Lipsey said. “We’re gonna see a lot more shots going in as we play more games, but just the aggressiveness out of everyone, getting into the paint first and kicking out for threes is something we’re looking for and just staying aggressive, I like to see that.”

Here are four takeaways from Iowa State’s victory:

Starting five unveiled, Momcilovic comes off the bench

There was plenty of discussion among fans surrounding what the Cyclones’ starting five would look like. With a new-look frontcourt and a bunch of key returners, head coach T.J. Otzelberger had plenty of options when choosing his starting five.

Lipsey and Gilbert reprised their starting roles, while Jefferson, Curtis Jones and Dishon Jackson earned the nod as starters.

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Jones served as the sixth man for the Cyclones last season, and Momcilovic was a full-time starter in his freshman year.

“That group’s had great energy together,” Otzelberger said of how he landed on his starting five. “Curt’s probably, since midway through last season, offensively, has been really good. Milan’s been great in practice as we brought him in as a sub with that group. It’s what we’re going with right now.

“Certainly, we have at least six guys, if not more, that we could easily start and that could change at any point, but right now, that’s the lineup that we feel has given us the best energy to start the game.

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New frontcourt looked solid in season opener

It didn’t take long for Iowa State’s new-look frontcourt unit to introduce itself to Cyclone fans.

Jefferson and Jackson were in the starting five, and along with Brandton Chatfield, they accounted for eight of Iowa State’s first 13 points.

Jefferson showed his hustle and dove for a loose ball in the opening moments of the game. He made an impact on both ends of the court, finishing with 10 points, six boards and four steals. Jefferson picked his spots and was efficient scoring in the paint.

Jackson logged nine points, six rebounds and had one block. He had a two-hand slam dunk and showed his athleticism from the low block.

“I think we mesh really well together,” Jefferson said of starting alongside Jackson in the frontcourt. “We play off each other really good. We have a good relationship off the court, so I think it makes it very smooth when we get on the floor and we know what each other likes to play like.”

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Chatfield had four points and five rebounds, all on the offensive glass, through 10 minutes of action.

J.T. Rock also made his first appearance since redshirting last season. He played the final three minutes of the game.

“Dishon and Joshua did a good job of getting us started, they’re both really skilled players that can score the basketball − even better than what we saw tonight − was pleased with how they played for the most part,” Otzelberger said of his frontcourt’s performance. “We got to continue to go into them, especially Dishon’s got a good touch in there. Brandt had some nerves early, but he was awesome on the offensive glass.

“Overall, all three guys are really good players and they’re going to have a huge impact for us, but we got to continue to work and those guys will continue to climb.”

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A glimpse into pecking order for the rest of the Cyclones’ rotation

Aside from the starting five, and Momcilovic as the sixth man for now, it looks like Chatfield, true freshman Nojus Indrusaitis and Northern Iowa transfer Nate Heise are the other go-to guys off the bench.

Indrusaitis got his first collegiate points late in the first half, scoring back-to-back baskets including a fast-break dunk. Indrusaitis had eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, with an assist.

“He had good energy, he’s a good basketball player,” Otzelberger said. “As a bigger guard, he can really drive the basketball, make plays for himself and his teammates and you saw that there today. He’ll continue to grow defensively.

“It was a good first performance for him as a freshman, our lone true freshman, and he’s continued to build confidence.”

Heise had a quieter night on the scoring end, but played 15 clean minutes on the floor. He only took three shots and finished with three points. He also had a rebound, two assists and made two steals on defense.

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Suffocating defense, strong slashing and cold three-point shooting in winning effort

Mississippi Valley State is no offensive juggernaut, but Iowa State flexed its muscles on defense during its two big runs.

The Cyclones went on a 23-2 run late in the first half, a stretch that spanned over nine minutes in which they also forced seven turnovers.

Iowa State also opened the second half with a 20-7 run.

All in all, the Cyclones forced 24 turnovers and converted them into 26 points. They also held Mississippi Valley State to shooting 19-of-51 overall (37.3%), including a 1-for-12 clip from long range (8.3%).

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Offensively, Iowa State looked best when it was aggressive in getting to the basket. The Cyclones shot 23-of-38 (60.5%) inside the arc and they got to the free-throw line at a high clip, where they made 22-of-29 foul shots (75.9%).

It was a cold-shooting night from long range though, as the Cyclones shot just 5-of-21 (23.8%) from deep, but the Cyclones generated a lot of good, open looks.

“Lot of things to work on,” Otzelberger said. “Offensively, we practice great with rhythm and flow. Tonight, it felt like the ball didn’t move as well as it needed to, it got stuck at times, so offensively we have to be more intentional about moving it.”

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.





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Mississippi

What channel is Mississippi State football vs Missouri on today? Time, TV schedule to watch Week 13 game

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What channel is Mississippi State football vs Missouri on today? Time, TV schedule to watch Week 13 game


Mississippi State football comes off a bye week with a chance to earn a win over nationally-ranked Missouri on Saturday.

The Bulldogs (2-8, 0-6) last played on Nov. 9 in a loss at Tennessee and have two more games against SEC opponents this year.

The Tigers (7-3, 3-3) lost a back-and-forth game at South Carolina last weekend.

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Here’s how to watch the Mississippi State football vs. Missouri game today, including time, TV schedule and streaming information:

Mississippi State vs. Missouri will broadcast nationally on SEC Network in Week 13 of the 2024 college football season. Taylor Zarzour and Matt Stinchcomb will call the game from the booth at Davis Wade Stadium, with Alyssa Lang reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers. 

  • Date: Saturday, Nov. 23
  • Start time: 3:15 p.m. CT

The Mississippi State football vs. Missouri game starts at 3:15 p.m. CT Saturday from Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville.

Clarion Ledger reporter Sam Sklar’s prediction: Missouri 37, Mississippi State 20

The Bulldogs are allowing 41 points per game in SEC play, and it’s difficult to see Missouri not having the same level of success. Expect big days from Burden and/or Wease, plus running back Nate Noel as MSU loses another game by double digits. 

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Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, Nov. 22

  • Odds:  Missouri -7.5
  • O/U:  61.5 points
  • Money line: Missouri -300, Mississippi State +240
  • Aug. 31:  EKU, W 56-7
  • Sept. 7:  at Arizona State, L 30-23
  • Sept. 14:  Toledo, L 41-17
  • Sept. 21:  Florida, L 45-28
  • Sept. 28:  at Texas, L 35-13
  • Oct. 5:  OPEN DATE
  • Oct. 12:  at Georgia, L 41-31
  • Oct. 19:  Texas A&M, L 34-24
  • Oct. 26:  Arkansas, L 58-25
  • Nov. 2:  UMass, W 45-20
  • Nov. 9:  at Tennessee, L 33-14
  • Nov. 16:  OPEN DATE
  • Nov. 23:  Missouri, 3:15 p.m. on SEC Network
  • Nov. 29: at Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+

Record: 2-8 (0-6 SEC)

  • Aug. 29:  Murray State, W 51-0
  • Sept. 7:  Buffalo, W 38-0
  • Sept. 14:  Boston College, W 27-21
  • Sept. 21:  Vanderbilt, W 30-27 2OT
  • Sept. 28:  OPEN DATE
  • Oct. 5:  at Texas A&M, L 41-10
  • Oct. 12:  at UMass, W 45-3
  • Oct. 19:  Auburn, W 21-17
  • Oct. 26:  at Alabama, L 34-0
  • Nov. 2:  OPEN DATE
  • Nov. 9:  Oklahoma, W 30-23
  • Nov. 16:  at South Carolina, L 34-30
  • Nov. 23:  at Mississippi State, 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network
  • Nov. 30: Arkansas, TBD

Record:  7-3, 3-3 SEC

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SMU drops nonconference game at home as Mississippi State finds bench-led boost

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SMU drops nonconference game at home as Mississippi State finds bench-led boost


Reserve KeShawn Murphy scored 16 points and led a quartet of Mississippi State bench players in double-digit scoring and the Bulldogs beat SMU 84-79 on Friday night.

Reserves RJ Melendez scored 15 points, Riley Kugel 13 and Claudell Harris Jr. 10. Josh Hubbard was the lone Mississippi State (5-0) starter in double figures with 14 points on just 4-for-18 shooting. The Bulldogs’ starters went 10 for 33 from the floor compared to the 18-for-35 effort from the bench.

Why was former NBA star Dwyane Wade at Moody Coliseum for SMU-Mississippi State?

Cameron Matthews made a layup with 5:13 remaining to break a tie at 66. Murphy made a 3-pointer and Kanye Clary made 1 of 2 free throws and Mississippi State led for the remainder.

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Reserve Kario Oquendo scored 13 points for the Mustangs (4-2), Matt Cross, Boopie Miller and Samet Yigitoglu all had 12 points and B.J. Edwards scored 10.

Mississippi State will get almost a full week off before returning to action on Thanksgiving night at the Arizona Tipoff in Tempe. The Bulldogs play their first game of the event against UNLV.

The Mustangs will head to Palm Springs, California, for the Acrisure Holiday Invitational, where they face Cal Baptist on Tuesday.

Find more SMU coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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Attorneys want the US Supreme Court to say Mississippi’s felony voting ban is cruel and unusual

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Attorneys want the US Supreme Court to say Mississippi’s felony voting ban is cruel and unusual


By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court should overturn Mississippi’s Jim Crow-era practice of removing voting rights from people convicted of certain felonies, including nonviolent crimes such as forgery and timber theft, attorneys say in new court papers.

Most of the people affected are disenfranchised for life because the state provides few options for restoring ballot access.

“Mississippi’s harsh and unforgiving felony disenfranchisement scheme is a national outlier,” attorneys representing some who lost voting rights said in an appeal filed Wednesday. They wrote that states “have consistently moved away from lifetime felony disenfranchisement over the past few decades.”

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This case is the second in recent years — and the third since the late 19th century — that asks the Supreme Court to overturn Mississippi’s disenfranchisement for some felonies. The cases use different legal arguments, and the court rejected the most recent attempt in 2023.

The new appeal asks justices to reverse a July ruling from the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which said Mississippi legislators, not the courts, must decide whether to change the laws.

Stripping away voting rights for some crimes is unconstitutional because it is cruel and unusual punishment, the appeal argues. A majority of justices rejected arguments over cruel and unusual punishment in June when they cleared the way for cities to enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outside in public places.

Attorneys who sued Mississippi over voting rights say the authors of the state’s 1890 constitution based disenfranchisement on a list of crimes they thought Black people were more likely to commit. A majority of the appeals judges wrote that the Supreme Court in 1974 reaffirmed constitutional law allowing states to disenfranchise felons.

About 38% of Mississippi residents are Black. Nearly 50,000 people were disenfranchised under the state’s felony voting ban between 1994 and 2017. More than 29,000 of them have completed their sentences, and about 58% of that group are Black, according to an expert who analyzed data for plaintiffs challenging the voting ban.

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To regain voting rights in Mississippi, a person convicted of a disenfranchising crime must receive a governor’s pardon or win permission from two-thirds of the state House and Senate. In recent years, legislators have restored voting rights for only a few people.

The other recent case that went to the Supreme Court argued that authors of Mississippi’s constitution showed racist intent when they chose which felonies would cause people to lose the right to vote.

In that ruling, justices declined to reconsider a 2022 appeals court decision that said Mississippi remedied the discriminatory intent of the original provisions in the state constitution by later altering the list of disenfranchising crimes.

In 1950, Mississippi dropped burglary from the list. Murder and rape were added in 1968. The Mississippi attorney general issued an opinion in 2009 that expanded the list to 22 crimes, including timber larceny, carjacking, felony-level shoplifting and felony-level writing bad checks.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote in a 2023 dissent that Mississippi’s list of disenfranchising crimes was “adopted for an illicit discriminatory purpose.”

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