Host Gators in next opportunity
tough one-point loss on the home court can deal a devastating blow to a basketball team.
Although disappoint that they fell short 56-55 to Texas A&M on Wednesday night, Mississippi State men’s head coach Ben Howland has seen signs that the Bulldogs are ready to move forward and get better results.
MSU hosts Florida today with a 3 p.m. tip on ESPN2 from Humphrey Coliseum.
“Kids their age actually recover real well,” Howland said. “I think after a disappointing loss and a late game, they were subdued (on Thursday), but they did a good job in the weight room. We watched film from the game and tried to learn from mistakes, grow from it and understand our shortcomings and why we lost. We’ve got a great group and great kids and good leadership.”
There some specific areas during the game against the Aggies that the Bulldogs identified and believe are correctable.
Not long after the game against Texas A&M, MSU sophomore forward Tolu Smith was anxious to improve.
“We’ve just got to work on some things and go back to the drawing board so we’ll be fine,” Smith said.
MSU had a walk through and lifted on Thursday and was expected to have a more extensive practice Friday.
The Bulldogs (8-5, 3-2) are led by Southeastern Conference Player of the Week Iverson Molinar with 18.9 points per game, while D.J. Stewart Jr. scores 17.8 points per outing and Smith adds 12.8 points per contest.
Javian Davis has been out of action for MSU for an undisclosed reason, but Howland said he returned for the light day on Thursday and was expected to practice on a limited basis on Friday. He was not anticipated to be available for today’s game.
Keyontae Johnson has led the Gators (6-3, 3-2) in scoring for the four games he’s played with 16 points per game, but Tre Mann has averaged 14 points per outing and Colin Castleton has scored 12.2 points per contest over a nine-game stretch.
“The big kid Castleton had the best game of his career against Ole Miss with seven blocks and a double-double with 20 points,” Howland said. “He really was effective and had huge plays down the stretch. He is really a good player.
“Tre Mann is one of the best guards in our league and is incredibly talented. He’s grown from last year and is probably closer to 6-5.”