Shak Moore’s return should bode well for Mississippi State road trip

When Mississippi State men’s hoops takes to the road this weekend to play in the Hall of Fame Classic, they’ll be with their full guard rotation featuring Shakeel Moore for only the second time this season – the first being the 81-54 home win over UNA tonight.

Shak Moore missed the first two games of the season due to a “violation of team rules,” and while Mississippi State managed fine over the course of those two games, Tuesday’s game was a stark reminder of the kind of energy Moore brings to the table.

Moore went 3-4 in his first action on the season and finished with 8 points, 2 rebounds and a pair of assists in just under 15 minutes of playing time. Moore managed all of that coming off the bench.

“We were 2-0 and Trey (Fort) had been shooting the ball pretty well,” said Jans of his decision not to start Moore, “so there really wasn’t much decision about it.”

Moore was +15 on the plus/minus scale on the night as well, another reason his presence was sorely missed. The other thing about Moore that sometimes flies under the radar is his explosiveness. The guy can straight up fly. Plays like this one can energize a team, just like they did against UNA.

It’s these kind of plays that Moore can be responsible for night in and night out at any given time, and against power five schools like MSU has on the non-conference schedule, they’re imperative. Washington State currently ranks 84th on kenpom, whereas Mississippi State ranks 20th after their win against UNA.

State should be favored – heavily so, even – but with Moore back in the lineup, fans should be able to rest even easier on the strength of just how deep this team is. Oh, yeah, and Tolu Smith was off the scooter and in a boot on Tuesday. Buckle up.

The post Shak Moore’s return should bode well for Mississippi State road trip appeared first on On3.