Where the men’s basektball team struggled last season, the Bulldogs (1-0) have already showed they can finish a game with a 78-74 victory in the season opener over Norfolk State (0-1).
Being one of the youngest teams in the SEC, it is good news that the Bulldogs can close out games when needed.
With so many freshmen playing, the Bulldogs are not very experienced. Only playing in a few exhibition games together, they are still learning what is what with each other on the court.
Five Mississippi State players made their collegiate debut with two of them, Tyson Carter and Mario Kegler, making their first career starts.
Head coach Ben Howland was pleased with how his team performed, but knows the youth of the team can hurt them along the way. He stated that they will have to learn to not play like freshman and steadily improve as the season goes on.
“We had too many turnovers against the (3-2) zone,” Howland said. “We had to learn how to pass against their zone. But it starts with our defense, because we were getting driven into way too much. They keep driving and driving, and we have to learn how to back off the pressure to the point where we can still stay in front of the ball.”
Carter impressed in his first game as a Bulldog and scored 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting with five 3-pointers. He wanted to get his first shot off his shoulders so he could get his team going and pull out a win in the team’s opener.
“After the first one (3-pointer) went in, it calmed my nerves a little; but then the next one felt really good,” Carter said. “I wanted to get it going in the second half and help my teammates out so we could come out on top. It was a good team win. We came out and found open spots in their defense. I felt more comfortable as the game went on.”
Sophomore Aric Holman shined during his sophomore year debut for the Bulldogs. Holman finished the game with his first-career double-double with career highs in points (11), rebounds (11) and blocks (5). He also had his career high in minutes (26) and steals (2).
After a struggling first year at MSU, Holman felt comfortable on the court and said he is getting back to playing like his normal self.
“I was 100 percent last year; I just didn’t have my confidence,” Holman said. “I didn’t feel right on the court after being out for six to eight months. It just didn’t feel normal. I began to feel more like myself this spring. When we got back into the weight room and started doing individual workouts, I started to feel like myself again.”
Quinndary “Q” Weatherspoon, who led the team in scoring with 22 points, said he felt Holman looked more comfortable on the court and saw his confidence sky-rocket in the game from last season.
“I can tell his confidence has really built up,” Weatherspoon said. “He would always tell me last year that his knee didn’t feel right and that he couldn’t wait for his knee to get better. I feel like his knee has gotten a lot better and his confidence is sky-high.”
Weatherspoon took charge of the team and led them to a win. He scored 22 points after only scoring over 20 points twice last season. Towards the end of the game, he had to come off the court after enduring some cramps.
The first half of the game was back and forth with the Spartans grabbing a small lead right before half, but that did not hold for long because I.J. Ready scored with 15 seconds left in the half to tie the game up at 39.
In the second half, the Bulldogs took control and kept the lead until the final buzzer. Norfolk State battled back to pull it to a one-possession game, but the Bulldogs showed they can finish a game and finally put the game away and won 78-74.
The Bulldogs head to Charleston, South Carolina, and play Central Florida on Thursday, Nov. 17. They return to Starkville to play in the Hump on Nov. 25 and play host to LeHigh.
