Veteran players know March is not a time for toying with an opponent. You build a lead, then keep your foot on the gas until the buzzer sounds.
Against Arkansas on Saturday, Mississippi State did just that.
Seniors Dee Bost and Brian Bryant combined for 31 points and Arnett Moultrie added another 20 points to lead MSU to a 79-59 victory over the Razorbacks.
The win earns MSU (21-10, 8-8 Southeastern Conference) the No. 6-seed in this week’s SEC Tournament and gets it back on track for a probable NCAA tournament berth, something that pleased head coach Rick Stansbury said.
“We were very aggressive when we needed to be but, at the same time, played with lot of poise,” Stansbury said.
MSU will play Georgia at 9 p.m. on Thursday in the opening round in New Orleans, and the winner will play Vanderbilt on Friday in the quarterfinals.
“We’ve got to go in there with a mindset like we’ve got to win it all,” Bost said.
Heading into last week, MSU had lost five-straight games and its national ranking. But an overtime win at South Carolina on Wednesday and the home win over Arkansas on Saturday puts the Bulldogs playing sound basketball at the most crucial point of the season, Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson said.
“It seems like when their backs are against the wall, they find a way,” he said. “They’ve shown that they’re capable.”
MSU shot 51.8 percent from the field and hit 15-of-17 free throws. The Bulldogs led 37-23 at the half and really never let up in the closing period. 
“This one came where we didn’t have to go down to the last horn, and we haven’t had many of those,” Stansbury said.
Three of the Bulldogs’ previous six games had gone into overtime, but against a tired Arkansas (18-13, 6-10) team, they set the tempo and held it.
“The game was at their pace,” Anderson said. “It favored them. Dee Bost did a good job of controlling things.”
Bost scored 16 points and was 6-of-12 from the field with six rebounds and seven assists.
“It’s now or never,” Bost said. “It’s my last year, and I want to get back to the tournament. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Bryant, who hit the game-winner in overtime at South Carolina, was 7-of-8 from the field and finished with 15 points.
“He took advantage of the switches and played with a lot of confidence,” Stansbury said. “He played at South Carolina with a lot of confidence. That’s what you want this time of year.”
Bryant has scored 31 points in the last two games.
“I needed to step up with Rodney (Hood) hurt,” Bryant said. “Jalen (Steele) has been struggling also, so I just tried to take pressure off of (Renardo Sidney), Arnett and Dee.”
 Arkansas beat MSU 98-88 in Fayetteville earlier this season but has now lost five of its last six.
“It’s different playing at home and on the road,” Stansbury said. “They sped us up, there on the road. Tonight, we got it inside.”
Arkansas has not won in Starkville since 2000.
“I think that also says we’ve also had some pretty good teams over that stretch,” Stansbury said.