Three Takeaways from Mississippi State’s Dominate Road Victory Against LSU
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State Bulldogs have started to turn into the team that had many people hopeful in Starkville at the beginning of the season. They have won five in a row and have jumped to a KenPom ranking of 26.
This is their second road victory all year and a career night from their star freshman, so what are some takeaways from the game?
Josh Hubbard
For most in Starkville, they are glad Hubbard is in a State uniform rather than an Ole Miss one. Hubbard has been nothing short of spectacular for the Bulldogs and this game proved why he is one of the best scorers in the conference.
His career high of 32 points came after a troubled night against Ole Miss, where he only scored five points and was in constant foul trouble. He was perfect from the free throw line and hit six 3-pointers in the blowout victory.
This performance will bring him closer to locking up SEC Freshman of the Year, but in his way is No. 17 Kentucky and their star freshman Rob Dillingham. They will have their chance to battle it out on Tuesday when each team faces each other.
Tolu Smith Off The Bench
Smith coming off the bench for the second straight game has worked wonders for MSU. Like head coach, Chris Jans would say, “It's not about who starts the game but who finishes”.
This transition seems to have lit a fire under Smith and he has played with much more anger and intensity since the move. Maybe that was the goal of Jans, and in this game, he was near a double-double with 19 points and a game-high of nine rebounds.
Jans has always liked a dominant scorer to come off the bench to spark the game whenever things do not start well. Hubbard started his career in Starkville coming off the bench with Jans having the same mindset. Jimmy Bell Jr. has given the Bulldogs great minutes starting and setting the tone for the game but a switch might come against UK.
Turning Defense Up A Notch
After the Blowout loss to No. 13 Alabama, a change was needed for the Bulldogs defensively. Now on a five-game win streak, that change can come down to the intensity and effort given on both ends of the floor for the team.
Alabama was able to light the Dawgs from behind the arc and since then, have started to turn their focus to protecting the 3-point shot. They are the best defensive team in the SEC in guarding the three-point line and are near the top 10 in the country.
A key to this is the depth of the roster and the health of every key player in the lineup. D.J. Jefferies went down during the game against the Crimson Tide with what looked like a major knee injury but after only missing a few games he is back. Outside of Cameron Matthews, he was the team's best on-ball defender for most of the year and is getting back into his groove on both ends.
