After a win at home Tuesday night, the Mississippi State men’s basketball team will go on the road Saturday to Rhode Island to play against the Providence Friars.
Providence started well with a 5-2 record and will be a much tougher opponent than Alcorn State. Junior guard Bryce Cotton, who is currently averaging 23.8 points per game, leads the Friars and is known for his 3-point shooting. He’s currently shooting over 40 percent from downtown on the year. 
Last season, Cotton led Providence to a 72-70 upset victory over basketball powerhouse Connecticut with a 22-point effort, 16 of which came in the second half and sparked the rally to come back from 14 down. The Dogs must come out and play with the same intensity they brought in their two home games this season, an intensity that seems to be missing on the road.
After a disappointing showing in Hawaii at the Maui Invitational in which MSU lost all three of its games by double-digits, State bounced back strong in its second home game with a 60-42 victory over Alcorn State Tuesday night. With the win, the Bulldogs improved their overall record to 2-4 and, more importantly, gained some confidence and momentum moving forward.
Freshman forward Gavin Ware said the team is leaving what happened in Hawaii in the past and looking forward, using it as motivation to get better and play harder.
“We’ve been practicing hard the last two days because we had the bad losses in Hawaii,” Ware said. “So we came out and played hard, and our hard work showed on the floor.”
The youth movement this year was on full effect in the game as the three freshmen – Ware, Fred Thomas and Craig Sword – all played huge roles in the win. Ware only had seven points, but he controlled the glass all night coming up with 12 rebounds to lead the team.
Thomas and Sword led the team in scoring with 14 points apiece. Thomas showed some versatility in the game by finding other ways to score after his three-point shot was not falling early in the game, as he shot 0-4 from long range.
Thomas said he feels he is starting to mature more offensively.
“Coach always talks to me about being patient and that my shot will come to me,” Thomas said. “If my threes aren’t falling, I know I need to take two dribbles in or get to the rim.”
Head coach Rick Ray took notice of the maturity of his young freshman shooting guard’s game and said he expects it from him.
“I don’t want Fred Thomas to live and die by his three-point shot,” Ray said. “Obviously he’s a good three-point shooter, but he’s a good overall basketball player, as well.”
Sword said he played what he felt like was his best overall game all season.
“I have a really quick first step, so I feel like I can get past anybody,” Sword said. “When you work hard in practice, it shows, and we really worked hard.”
State did a lot of things well in the game, but rebounding was the biggest factor in the victory. MSU out-rebounded Alcorn State 50-20. It speaks to the physicality and aggressiveness the Bulldogs played with all night. 
Ray did a little shuffling with the starting lineup Tuesday as Ware and walk-on Tyson Cunningham both got their first starts, and normal starters Thomas and Wendell Lewis came off the bench.
Though MSU won handedly, all was not perfect in the performance. Turnovers continue to be an issue that plagues this team, especially its young point guard Sword.
Ray voiced his concerns on the turnover issue after the game.
“The thing I’m most worried about is the negative assist-to-turnover ratio,” Ray said. “We had only six assists to 21 turnovers, and we’ve got to fix that if we’re going to beat a good team in the future.”