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FINAL: No. 20 MSU 70, Ole Miss 60

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:52 GMT

Recapping No. 20 Mississippi State's 70-60 win over Ole Miss at Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday night. • The buzz: MSU (19-5, 6-3 SEC) got its revenge in dominant fashion, opening up an 18-po...

Postgame: No. 20 Mississippi State 70, Ole Miss 60

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:09 GMT

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State wasn't playing around from the start tonight at Humphrey Coliseum.

The Bulldogs (19-5, 6-3 SEC) started the game with an 8-0 run and never trailed as Dee Bost set a career high with 13 assists as the they cruised to a 70-60 win over Ole Miss (14-9, 4-5).

“They knocked is right to the mat from the jump,” Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said.

It was also the first complete game of the SEC season for the Bulldogs, who had not defeated an SEC team by more than five points.

WHAT HAPPENED? | Mississippi State never trailed, and Dee Bost dished a career-high 13 assists.

This may have also set a record for alley-oop dunks by the Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Arnett Moultrie peeled off screens and had easy paths to the basket. Bost and Rodney Hood had no problem finding him as he finished with a game-high 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting.

“He was really, really aggressive,” Kennedy said.

STAT OF THE GAME | 13 — Assists by Bost.

TURNING POINT | Let's go with the first two shots of the second half. Dee Bost drilled a 3-pointer and Renardo Sidney connected on a pretty hook shot. It encapsulated this night and pushed MSU ahead by 18 points, its largest lead. The Bulldogs did whatever it wanted inside and outside tonight.

PLAYER OF THE GAME | Dee Bost. Thirteen assists give him this honor but he also scored 15 points and drilled three 3-pointers. More impressive was his ability to handle the ball against Ole Miss' traps. He had only three turnovers and also had three steals, including one which led to one of several emphatic dunks by these Bulldogs.

After the game, Kennedy called Bost the best point guard in the SEC.

“I hate to sound like his agent,” Kennedy joked.

UP NEXT | MSU hosts Georgia Saturday at 12:30 p.m on the SEC Network.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT | “If I just had to play against him and he did that to me, I'd probably say the same thing”

MSU coach Rick Stansbury, when asked if he agreed with Kennedy's belief that Bost is the best point guard in the SEC

For more coverage, pick up a copy of Friday’s Clarion-Ledger.

In-Game: Ole Miss vs. No. 20 Mississippi State

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:57 GMT

Follow along tonight as in-state rivals hook up for one last regular season game on the court. It's Ole Miss and No. 20 Mississippi State. The tip is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

Follow the action from courtside with Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello), Rick Cleveland (@rick_cleveland) and Hugh Kellenberger (@hkellenbergercl).

In-Game: Ole Miss vs. No. 20 Mississippi State

DeVille Smith ‘probable' for tonight's game

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:53 GMT

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State received good news Monday when DeVille Smith returned to the team, and it could get better news tonight when the freshman point guard suits up for the Bulldogs.

DeVille Smith

Smith, who has missed the last four games and sought treatment for headaches, dizziness and memory loss in Jackson, is available and has been listed as “probable” for tonight's game, according to a team spokesman. The 20th-ranked Bulldogs host Ole Miss at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

Smith, a Callaway High graduate, was averaging 5.4 points and 2.4 assists a game before his departure. He returned to campus Monday.

Smith hasn't played since MSU's 75-68 loss at Ole Miss on Jan. 18. He was held scoreless with one assist in seven minutes.

Smith's return should help the Bulldogs' short bench. State's seven-man rotation has tired late in games without Smith. Smith backs up senior Dee Bost, who leads the SEC in minutes played (34.6 per game). Three of MSU's starters lead the SEC in minutes.

“He'll probably be back playing soon,” Bost said Monday. “He's just got to work his way back in.”

— Brandon Marcello
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Video: Catching up with Matt Balis (post-Hell Week edition)

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:27 GMT

STARKVILLE — Matt Balis showed some restraint in January. He waited and waited, and then put his pupils through hell.

Mississippi State's strength coach has nearly reached legendary status on campus for his intense workouts that are often talked (and tweeted) about among the Bulldogs' football players. Three weeks into the Bulldogs' return to campus for spring classes, the team began its annual “Hell Week” offseason conditioning program.

So, how was Hell Week, which, not coincidentally, coincided with signing day earlier this month?

“It was hell,” Balis deadpanned.

If you look below, you can hear much more about Hell Week, the former Bulldogs on campus preparing for the NFL Combine and how a few of the early enrollees are faring in MSU's workouts.

To view this video on your iPhone or iPad, click here

What we're talking about heading into tonight's game

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:29 GMT

STARKVILLE — We didn't have to wait long for the rematch.

Less than one month ago, Ole Miss quieted Mississippi State's trash-talking guard Dee Bost and rendered forward Renardo Sidney ineffective on defense. It was the proverbial punch int he face for the Bulldogs, who seemingly played catch up before falling 75-68 at Tad Smith Coliseum.

The 20th-ranked Bulldogs get one more shot at the Rebels tonight (6 p.m., ESPN2). At stake is a bit of history. Rick Stansbury has never allowed an Ole Miss team to sweep him in his 13-plus years as MSU's coach. Stansbury is also 12-1 against the Rebels at Humphrey Coliseum, and the Bulldogs are 24-3 in the last 27 meetings.

We previewed the game in Oxford and Starkville in this morning's Clarion-Ledger. My man Hugh Kellenberger set the unfamiliar mood in Oxford — one of confidence and swagger.

“It'll be the first time that I think we're better than them,” Ole Miss junior forward Murphy Holloway said.

Here in Starkville, mum is the word. No smack talk, no promises, no declarations. Bost knows what happened the last time he played these Rebels. That's the focus of our story from Starkville in this morning's paper.

I'm off to do yet another radio interview (I chatted with Hugh on Rebel Sports Radio and the guys at Mississippi Sports This Morning already today). I'll check back in later today.

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