When exams concluded in mid-December many students went home for the holidays, but the Mississippi State basketball team had a different agenda: Defeat any challenger and prove how talented they really are.
From The Big Apple to The Big Easy, the Bulldogs posted five wins including upsets of then No. 11 Xavier and then No. 5 Oklahoma. On the way to the New York, MSU regained a Big ‘Dawg when the NCAA unleashed all-America candidate Mario Austin from a six-game suspension.
Austin responded with a season-high 28 points and snagged a team-leading nine rebounds. Timmy Bowers added 18 points as MSU defeated Xavier 71-61.
Several MSU students made the journeys to follow their beloved Bulldogs over the holidays.
Sophomore John Peters made the 17-hour drive to New York.
“Four of us rode together, two others flew, and then there were some more State fans up there,” Peters said. “I made it to every game over the break except UAB.”
The ‘Dawgs returned to the Magnolia State for a contest with Georgia State and convincingly won 78-54 in Jackson.
MSU headed further south and prevailed in the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic 54-45 over the Sooners of Oklahoma. Stalemated at 23 at intermission, OU took a 36-30 lead with just 12:58 to go. State responded with an 18-2 run to reclaim a lead that would not be relinquished.
The Bulldogs then concluded 2002 with an 85-74 victory at South Alabama and began 2003 with a 68-52 win at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The winning ways of head coach Rick Stansbury’s team earned them a No. 7 rank in the Associated Press poll. This ranking is the highest for MSU since the 1962-63 team that made the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and finished sixth in the poll.
This elevated success fueled a hoops epidemic that began last season with the creation of Rick’s Rowdies.
Sophomore Richard Carroll is a first-year member of the hoops spirit squad that in just a year and a half of existence has helped energize the once sedate crowd at The Hump.
“Everybody was talking about how fast tickets went and how we are going to come out on top,” Carroll said at 5:20 p.m. Tuesday as he waited outside The Hump. Senior Melissa Morton, who claimed her ticket at 8 a.m. Monday, arrived at 6 p.m. Tuesday for the 8 p.m. tip-off with Florida.
“I never miss a home game,” Morton said. “I followed the team on television over the break, and I am going to Alabama next Wednesday.”
The 3,000 student tickets were all gone by 1 p.m. Monday, forcing many students to stay at home.
Senior Brooks West guaranteed his choice of seats by arriving at The Hump at 1:15 p.m. Tuesday.
“I had been on co-op and had not been able to attend a State game all year,” West said. “This brings back memories of 1996. I love my ‘Dawgs no matter what, but winning sure does add to the enjoyment of being a fan.”