On3 Mississippi State Reporter Previews Kentucky Matchup: ‘They Have to Make Kentucky Play Their Style’
Kentucky is back in action on Tuesday night for a road matchup against Mississippi State. After defeating the Bulldogs at home in January, Kentucky is looking to complete the season sweep in Starkville. It won’t be an easy task. While the Bulldogs were battling injuries in January, Mississippi State is now back to full strength heading into Tuesday’s matchup and has won five straight.
KSR+ talked to On3’s Paul Jones of Maroon and White in October to preview the 2023-24 Mississippi State Bulldogs. Jones is back again to talk to KSR+ about MSU’s Tuesday night matchup against Kentucky in Starkville.
“It’s easier said than done, but they have to make Kentucky play their style,” Jones said. “They can not get into a shootout against Kentucky or they’ll end up like Alabama did, and Alabama has the horses and the offensive firepower to stay with Kentucky. Obviously, they couldn’t that night. [Mississippi] State just doesn’t have that offensive firepower.”
The biggest keys to this game will be who controls the tempo and who plays more to their style; whichever team does that is likely to come away with the win.
“I don’t want to say they have to make it a complete rock fight,” Jones said. “But they’ve got to control the tempo, get stops, and score when opportunities present themselves.”
‘Unique Story’ of How Mississippi State Got to Where They Are
Mississippi State enters Tuesday’s game at 19-8 on the season and 8-6 in SEC play, which about matches expectations heading into the season. However, it’s been far from the expected route to get there.
“They’re about where most people expected them to be. How they got there is a unique story,” Jones said. “There have been a lot of obstacles and adversity overcome for this group. Pretty much for the first time since the SEC opener against South Carolina, they have all their pieces again and they’re healthy.”
Tolu Smith missed the first 12 non-conference games of the season for MSU battling back from a foot injury. DJ Jeffries was out a couple of weeks with an injury. KeShawn Murphy left the team for a little while right after the start of the SEC season. Murphy, most notably, didn’t play in MSU’s loss to Kentucky earlier this year. With him back, Mississippi State has some added offense off the bench.
“He’s a guy that has above-average offensive talent and can score at all three levels,” Jones said. “Of course, he’s got to play defense. That’s where he was lacking and that’s where he’s made his biggest stride.”
Smith is also in more of a rhythm than he was in the first MSU-UK matchup (where he finished with 26 points and eight rebounds). He’s been doing it coming off the bench.
“When something is working, he’s going to stick with it until they lose a couple of games,” Jones said. “I imagine Tolu Smith will come off the bench again and Jimmy Bell will start. Of course, Jimmy Bell was the starting center when Tolu was out for the non-conference start of the schedule. I think that part is different with Tolu and his play.”
Another lineup switch has seen freshman guard Josh Hubbard starting over grad senior DaShawn Davis. The switch has resulted in Davis improving his game.
“He was in a bad funk for about five, six, or seven games in the SEC,” Jones said. “He’s back playing good defense and directing the offense.”
Feb 21, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Tolu Smith (1) reacts after a basket during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Mississippi State is a Better Offensive Team Than in Years Past
Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans has long been known for his team’s defensive prowess. This season, however, they’ve had more offense than in previous years.
“The difference in this year’s team, in my opinion, is the ability to score more and have more offense than just Tolu Smith,” Jones said. “I mentioned KeShawn Murphy earlier and the different offensive looks he brings. He’s a guy that’s 6-10, 6-11, but he can put it on the floor and shoot from the perimeter.”
After being a 26.5 percent three-point shooter last season, Mississippi State’s starting shooting guard Shakeel Moore has seen his shooting percentages improve. He’s now shooting 39.7 percent from deep this season.
“Probably the biggest beef with him is that he doesn’t shoot it up,” Jones said. “He’s averaging like 12 points over his last six or seven games. That’s been a huge boost for the offense.”
Josh Hubbard offers a big scoring push, especially now that he’s in the starting lineup. Still, being a freshman, he can be streaky at times. In MSU’s first matchup with Kentucky, Hubbard went 1-for-11 from the field, and 1-for-9 from three-point range. However, he improved since then, recently scoring 32 points in a 20-point win over LSU and earning SEC Co-Freshman of the Week honors.
“The increased offense is one difference and one strength they’ve had this year,” Jones said.
However, this team’s bread and butter is still their defense. That’s what’s helped them rack up five straight wins.
“I think their defensive effort has stepped up,” Jones said. “It’s not quite the elite defense we saw from them last year. I don’t want to say it’s a night and day difference, but it’s very much a different defense than you saw in the first meeting against Kentucky this year.”
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