It’s hard to act surprised when a Mississippi State basketball team falters down the stretch during a season.
Inconsistency has been the hallmark of MSU basketball for the better part of the past decade, and, despite signs this season would be different, the last three games indicate that it will be more of the same for head coach Rick Stansbury. Consecutive losses to Georgia, LSU and Auburn would be an annoyance to MSU fans during football season, but to see a basketball team loaded with top-15 talent drop three in a row to middle-of-the-pack SEC teams has been maddening for State fans.
Have some fan reactions been over-the-top? Of course. Searching the mentions for MSU athletic director Scott Stricklin on Twitter will bring up numerous tweets saying it’s time to fire Stansbury. I personally think that kind of sentiment only does more harm than good in mid-February, but it’s clear some fans are beyond frustrated with the underachieving Bulldogs.
Alas, that is the backdrop MSU will be playing in front of when No. 1 Kentucky rolls into Humphrey Coliseum tonight (8 p.m., ESPN) fresh off a comfortable victory over Ole Miss. The Bulldogs have tended to play up or play down to their competition this season, so despite the difference in attitude of the two teams, it’s conceivable that the Bulldogs will compete with Kentucky.
Stansbury’s teams have typically played well against the Wildcats, but they have been the victims of some crushing defeats. I vividly remember drinks going over my head as I sat on press row in 2010 when the Wildcats, led by superstars John Wall and Demarcus Cousins, escaped Starkville with an overtime victory. And, of course, that same year when Kentucky narrowly beat MSU in the SEC Tournament, sending the Bulldogs to the NIT (speaking of the NIT, losses to Kentucky tonight and Alabama on Saturday could leave the Bulldogs on track for a top seed in the annual Tournament of the Not Quite Good Enough).
Tonight’s game does produce one of the more intriguing one-on-one matchups SEC basketball fans will see this year. MSU forward Arnett Moultrie, who is averaging a double-double per game, will square off in the paint with SEC Player of the Year candidate Anthony Davis.
A win against Kentucky would do a lot to make fans forget about the last three games, but a blowout loss followed by a road loss to Alabama could be the tipping point in a season that already feels like it’s on the brink. Regardless, I expect to see a fun atmosphere at the Hump tonight. Let’s just hope all the cups stay in the stands this time.