Losing is never fun. Ask any athlete or anyone who has ever had
even a spark of competitive fire in their belly and they’ll tell
you the same–which makes what I’m about to say seem
oxymoronic.
Reading through some posts on the ever-popular Gene’s Page (yes,
I do pay attention to that thing) I came across a thread that
shared opinions on Sunday’s MSU/Kentucky basketball game, and one
gentleman made a great point. There is a difference between being
proud of Sunday’s outcome and being content with Sunday’s
outcome.
Proud is what you should be after watching that game. The
Bulldogs trailed by 19 at one point and by 18 in the second half.
After all that, MSU had their chances. They cut the lead to 5 at
60-55 and had the ball a couple of times.
All this in front of 23,000 rabid, blue-clad Wildcat fans who
were celebrating their 100th year of basketball. The Dawgs could
have lost by more. It could have been worse–a lot worse, but it
wasn’t. Final score, UK 70, MSU 62.
Content shouldn’t be an option for Bulldog fans right now. I
know it’s not something the team is. They still have an SEC West
title in their sights. They still have an SEC Championship to
defend. They still have a third trip to New Orleans in mind.
Content they are not. They will only be content when they’re
cutting down the nets in the Superdome. Not in March, but in
April.
Judging from past Rick Stansbury-coached ball clubs, this is one
of those losses that actually helps. MSU learned how to play under
intense pressure and how to score against the country’s best
defense, and the nation learned just how hard these Dawgs can fight
no matter the odds.
Besides, what would you rather have? A regular season win in
Rupp Arena, or a win over the same team in New Orleans for the SEC
Championship or better yet the national championship? Yeah, thought
so. See you in the Big Easy, ‘Cats.
Pack the Hump II
This is a chance you don’t want to miss out on.
Go ahead, laugh at me for saying this, but Thursday night will
be one of those things to tell the grandkids (assuming they’re into
basketball). You’ll be able to tell them you saw LaToya Thomas’
last game at Humphrey Coliseum.
Thursday night, when the Lady Dawgs take on Georgia, it will be
the last home game for three seniors–Renea Jones, Keisha
Stringfellow and LaToya Thomas. Not only should you be there to
honor your seniors, but it’s also a chance to see the No. 12 team
in America that features the No. 1 player in America.
The current attendance record (broken against LSU earlier this
month) is 6,055. It should be broken, and students, don’t give me
the “I have homework” excuse. You can take a two hour break to
watch basketball. So get yourself to The Hump Thursday night at 7
p.m. and watch State and Georgia battle for SEC position.
By the way, with her 37 points against UM, LaToya Thomas drove
her career scoring total to 2,828 points, only trailing Tennessee
legend Chamique Holdsclaw by 197 points for the all-time lead in
scoring in the SEC. If she passes Holdsclaw, she will move into
fourth all-time in the NCAA.