Earlier this season, one of the biggest problems facing the Mississippi State Bulldogs was a lack of productivity from its bench players.The problem seemingly resolved itself sometime during the team’s current nine-game winning streak and has seen the most resolution during the team’s conference games.
One of the best examples of the team’s improved bench play came in Saturday’s win over Ole Miss when freshman Riley Benock went four-for-five in 3-pointers to help extend the Mississippi State lead late in the game.
And there’s no doubt the Bulldogs (14-5, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) will seek to keep their bench play at its zenith as they travel to Fayetteville, Ark., on Wednesday for a showdown with the Arkansas Razorbacks (14-5, 3-2 SEC).
One of the primary players coming off the bench in recent weeks has been sophomore guard Ben Hansbrough.
Hansbrough began the season in the starting line-up but missed one game after breaking the middle finger on his left hand in the Georgia game.
Stansbury began playing him as one of the first players off his bench against Alabama, but a bout of mononucleosis will sideline him for anywhere from one to three weeks.
That means the Bulldogs will be looking for continued production from their other key bench players, who are all first-year Bulldogs–junior transfer Brian Johnson, freshman Ravern Johnson, freshman Elgin Bailey and Benock.
The four players have played considerable minutes during the team’s SEC schedule but perhaps none more valuable than those in the Ole Miss win.
“Our bench was huge,” tenth-year head coach Rick Stansbury said after the game. “I thought all those guys who came off the bench added to [the game], and that’s what you have to have.”
The 3-pointers that Benock nailed in the Ole Miss game were big shots and came from working hard to free himself from defenders and then connecting on those open shots to increase the Mississippi State lead late in the game.
“He did what we needed him to do tonight,” Stansbury said of Benock after Saturday’s game. “[His role is to] come in, play smart, play hard, get open shots and knock them down. And he did that.”
Bailey and Johnson’s roles on the bench are primarily to serve as a big body down in the post and to spell starting frontcourt players Jarvis Varnado and Charles Rhodes during the game, and Stansbury said they have been doing that well as of late.
The bench players will continue to serve as vital parts of the team as it continues to keep its unblemished SEC record.
“We’ve got people coming off that bench adding to [the game], and that helps the team,” Stansbury said.
When the Bulldogs visit Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville on Wednesday, they’ll lean on starters and reserves alike to carry the load of facing the team that many chose to win the SEC West this season.
Following the win over now No. 24 Ole Miss, the Bulldogs find themselves making their first appearance in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll at No. 25.
While they did not make an appearance in the Associated Press poll, the Bulldogs received 112 total votes, highest among non-top 25 teams. Arkansas is currently unranked.
The Razorbacks are coming off a 68-52 Saturday triumph over the LSU Tigers, which they captured after forward Sonny Weems’ perfect day from behind the arc.
The senior was a perfect 5-for-5 in 3-point shooting and had a game-high 21 points.
Weems leads the team in scoring, averaging 14 points per game.
Sophomore Patrick Beverley led the team in rebounding by grabbing 15 boards.
He averages six rebounds per game and is ranked 15th in the conference in that category.
The Bulldogs will have their hands full with the team that defeated them 67-58 last season in the same arena, and they know the Razorbacks will be looking to put a blemish on the team’s perfect conference record.
But Mississippi State senior Charles Rhodes said he realizes everyone is gunning for his team and said the Bulldogs are still focusing hard in every game.
“We’ve just got to keep it up,” Rhodes said. “We have to take it one game at a time, and we just have to stay humble.