Last year at this time, Rick Stansbury’s club needed to win four games in four days in the SEC Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament. This year, they find themselves in the same position, with only one difference: this time they only need three wins.
The Bulldogs are the first seed in the West in this weekend’s tournament, and will receive a bye in the first round, something Stansbury said is a good advantage to have.
“The positive thing is you don’t have to win but three,” Stansbury said. “That’s a positive thing. All we can control is take it one at a time . To win that championship, it now becomes a three-game, three-day event for us. Knowing we’ve done it, I guess it could help some.”
Because of MSU’s bad losses last week (a road loss to Auburn and a thrashing at the hands of Tennessee on senior day), the general consensus among all NCAA Tournament field projections is that the Bulldogs, unless they win the SEC Tournament, will not receive a bid to the Big Dance.
A recurring theme in the season has been the lack of depth for the Bulldogs, and with the fatigue that accompanies a deep tournament run, the bench may be a deciding factor in the outcome of the games. Last year, it was Kodi Augustus who came off the bench and sparked the Bulldogs championship run. With Augustus now in the starting lineup, senior Barry Stewart said there are guys on the bench that can step up and help spark a run.
“Definitely Phil [Turner],” Stewart said. “We know he can bring some big minutes. We gotta find a couple players that can give us some more. Riley [Benock] is capable of giving us something off the bench. Romero [Osby] is, too.”
One player the Bulldogs will not have available off the bench is freshman center Wendell Lewis, who broke his foot and is out for the rest of the season, however long that turns out to be.
Senior Jarvis Varnado, who was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year by the league coaches, shared his concerns about the Mississippi State bench.
“You’re gonna need your bench for a tournament,” Varnado said. “Last year, we had our bench, and they added to every game we played. The bench is gonna be a key for us. Our starting five cannot do it by itself.”
Another concern for the Bulldogs is the health of point guard Dee Bost. The sophomore missed the beginning of the second half of Saturday’s game against Tennessee after suffering a hip pointer. Bost practiced Thursday and is expected to play in Friday’s tournament opener, and Stewart said he is key to the team regardless of his health status.
“Dee’s our point guard, so he’s gonna have to run the show,” Stewart said. “Whenever he’s going it helps get the team going, regardless of who we may put out there . He’s an important asset, whether he’s certain or uncertain.”
The Bulldogs will play the Florida Gators, the winners of Thursday’s game with Auburn; both teams beat MSU in the regular season.
Florida beat the Bulldogs in Gainesville in early February by a score of 69-62, while MSU split its two games with Auburn, winning in overtime at home and losing on the road in the final game ever at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum.
In Monday’s press conference, Stansbury addressed his concerns with the Gators.
He said Florida will be dangerous because they have more to play for.
“Florida will be playing probably with a little more edge, having to win [to get to the NCAA Tournament],” he said.
The Bulldogs have won the SEC Tournament twice under Stansbury, and they look to do it one more time this weekend. If they don’t, they may hear the three letters every team hates to hear: N-I-T.