The Mississippi State Bulldogs are anxious for the hearty taste of some home cooking.
After two tough road outings this week at South Carolina and Louisiana State, the Bulldogs (12-12, 2-9) now look to avenge their early-season loss in Oxford against bitter rival Ole Miss.
“It’s Ole Miss,” MSU’s Dietric Slater said. “They beat us earlier, and that got to us. No matter if this is a growing team or not, you still don’t want to lose to Ole Miss.”
The Bulldogs dropped the previous meeting with the Rebels this season, 75-65, despite 24 points from forward Charles Rhodes. It was the first time in nearly four years that the Rebels claimed a victory in the series.
However, with a young team going through growing pains in a competitive Southeastern Conference, getting a win is first and foremost in the players’ minds.
“This is extremely important,” Slater said. “We’re trying to break up this losing thing. At some point, you get tired of losing.”
The Bulldogs led LSU by double-digits early in the game on Wednesday but could not hold on, eventually falling 72-59. Rhodes led the Bulldogs with 14 points, while Slater and Jamont Gordon chipped in with 11 each.
Mississippi State shot only 35 percent in the game and was outrebounded 50-35.
Ole Miss (13-10, 3-7) won its first three SEC games for the first time since 1997-98, but it has since stockpiled seven straight losses, the most recent of which was a 14-point drumming at the hands of Alabama in Oxford.
The Rebels have struggled offensively during the skid, averaging only 61 points.
With a raucous crowd expected in The Hump and the added television coverage, the game and rivalry holds a special significance for State’s veterans.
“All games are big in the SEC, for the most part, but this is Ole Miss,” Slater said. “We always want to beat Ole Miss. It brings so much more to the table when you beat the in-state rival.”
As an added bonus for State fans, the teams will help kick off “SEC Throwback Week” donning retro uniforms for the game, which will be broadcast on ESPN Classic.
“I figure the crowd will be behind us 100 percent. I wouldn’t want to be a Rebel fan at the end of the game,” Slater said, with a smile.
Bulldogs on NLI Probation
The Mississippi State men’s basketball program violated National Letter of Intent program rules last summer in recruiting Louisiana high school standout Kenneth Cooper.
Reports by The Clarion-Ledger said Cooper signed a letter of intent with Oklahoma State and then took a visit to Mississippi State, receiving complimentary tickets to last year’s MSU-Ole Miss game Feb. 26.
After a player signs with a school, it is against NLI rules for another school to still recruit him/her.
The probationary period began July 5 and lasts for one year. During that time, if the NLI finds any further violations, the university will not be able to sign any prospects to letters of intent for any sport for one signing year.
Unable to sign players to binding letters of intent, a university risks losing potential signees to other schools before they reach campus that fall.
Since the NLI operates separately from the NCAA, Mississippi State has not violated NCAA policy.