The cross-country road trip is over, and the Bulldogs will look to Saturday’s game to get back on the winning path.The Bulldogs (3-3) hope to bounce back from the two losses they suffered at the Thanksgiving weekend Anaheim Classic tournament when they begin a three-game homestand Saturday against the Murray State Racers (3-1).
The Mississippi State squad hopes to regain its form by returning to the friendly confines of Humphrey Coliseum, a venue in which the team has won eight of its last nine contests.
The one blemish in that impressive statistic was an 84-82 loss to the now No. 18 Clemson Tigers.
That loss combined with the two losses suffered against Southern Illinois and Ohio’s Miami University at the Anaheim Classic comprise the three setbacks that the team has experienced this season. In comparison, the Bulldogs have lost two games out of their first six games during the previous two seasons.
The additional loss so far this season can be attributed to the more difficult schedule that the team has played so far this season.
“When you play this kind of competition early, it’s going to make you a better basketball team,” head coach Rick Stansbury said in a post-game press conference at the Anaheim Classic.
As the Bulldogs enter their upcoming homestand, becoming a better team will, of course, be a main focus.
Another focal point will be continuing to enhance team chemistry on the basketball court.
Bulldog point guard Jamont Gordon said one of the main differences between this season’s team and last season’s team is that there are many new players on the team and some of last season’s players have changed positions on the court.
“We are a lot different because we have a lot of new faces,” the Nashville native said. “We also have people playing new positions.”
Gordon was named to the Anaheim Classic all-tournament team based on his performance in the three games the Bulldogs played in the tournament.
The junior averaged 18 points and five rebounds per game during the three-game span.
Though they did not make the all-tournament team, fellow Bulldogs Charles Rhodes and Jarvis Varnado had individual accomplishments of their own during the three games.
Rhodes gathered 27 rebounds during the tournament, which tied him with University of Southern California player Taj Gibson for the most rebounds collected in the tournament.
Varnado blocked nine shots in the three-game span, which was easily the best individual performance of the tournament.
“We have a great shot blocker in Jarvis,” Gordon said after the team’s first game of the tournament. “He can intimidate big people underneath. It is fun to watch him sometimes.”
The team will attempt to put forth a concentrated effort when it faces Murray State on Saturday.
The Bulldogs’ Ohio Valley Conference foes will arrive in Starkville eager to improve upon its 3-1 ledger early in the season.
The team’s lone loss was an 87-63 setback against Western Kentucky.
Murray State is led by sophomore forward Danero Thomas, who leads the team in several statistical categories.
He has averaged 16 points and six rebounds in the four games in which he has participated this season.
Junior guard Tyler Holloway is a close second in the scoring category, averaging 14 points per game this season.
Mississippi State holds a 6-2 edge in all-time meetings between the schools.
Saturday’s contest will mark the first meeting between the two teams since the 1962 season.