Mississippi State University second-year men’s basketball head coach Rick Ray found himself under fire following an 82-63 drubbing at the C.M. ‘Tad’ Smith Coliseum in Oxford, Miss., Saturday.
 As Ole Miss Rebel Marshall Henderson walked to his bench in dramatic fashion, congratulating teammates following the end of the game, Ray visibly made an inappropriate comment as Henderson walked by him.
 The interaction quickly blew up on many social media sites, further widening the cavern that separates the two fan bases.
 Ray issued a statement concerning the incident on Sunday.
 “I responded inappropriately to an Ole Miss player (Saturday) in our game,’’ Ray said in a statement. “I reached out to (Ole Miss) coach (Andy) Kennedy immediately to apologize and subsequently to the player, too. There is no reason for a coach to ever have interaction with an opposing player, ever, regardless of the circumstances. I was more upset with our performance than the player. I was totally at fault.’’
 ESPN college basketball writer Andy Katz said on the ESPN website Henderson is known to get caught up in the emotions of the game. 
“Henderson has developed a habit of getting under people’s skins, often motioning to opposing fans and even mockingly performing the Gator ‘chomp’ after beating Florida in last season’s SEC tournament final,” Katz wrote.
 Henderson did not shoot the ball well in the Saturday contest, going only 2-for-12 from beyond the arc. Henderson showed his growth as an all-around player though, dishing out four assists and grabbing four steals as well.
Additionally, in Ray’s weekly press conference held Monday, he said he violated a team rule and personally holds himself accountable for his actions.
“One of our rules in our program is don’t do anything to embarrass yourself, the basketball program, the university or your family,” Ray said. “Obviously, I did that so that’s something I’ve got to make sure I hold myself accountable to.”
The SEC office reviewed Ray’s case and decided not discipline the coach.
 Ray, a coach who has developed a reputation for no-nonsense, has already dismissed multiple players off the team for various reasons. Most recently, senior forward Wendell Lewis was dismissed from the team before the season began.
 The action following the game has been the first incident of its kind in Ray’s tenure at MSU.
 The Bulldogs dropped to 13-6 overall, 3-3 in SEC play following the loss to the Rebels. The Bulldogs have out performed their preseason expectations to this point. MSU will play No. 3 Florida at Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday at 6 p.m.