STARKVILLE — Mississippi State has been close.
The Bulldogs had a chance to win all five Southeastern Conference games they’ve played this season, but they struggled down the stretch and saw victory fall through their hands.
The Bulldogs are hoping to put the tough losses behind them and find a victory. MSU (7-10, 0-5 SEC) plays host to in-state rival Ole Miss (12-6, 2-4) 1 p.m. (SEC Network) Saturday in Humphrey Coliseum.
“We have our biggest game of the year coming up, so I expect our guys to be resilient, bounce back and get better,” MSU coach Ben Howland said after Tuesday’s loss to Florida.
The five conference losses have come by a total of 29 points, but MSU suffered an 82-68 loss at Arkansas Jan. 9. The Bulldogs were within three points of the Razorbacks with just over five minutes remaining, but Arkansas found the mark on nearly every 3-point shot it attempted down the stretch.
In the loss to the Gators, the Bulldogs led 42-37 at halftime and 56-45 with 15 minutes, 30 seconds remaining, but couldn’t hold on down the stretch as Gavin Ware, Johnny Zuppardo and Aric Holman all fouled out.
“We matched (Florida’s) intensity, and we got defensive stops, but I think rebounds hurt us,” junior point guard I.J. Ready said. “We played half the game with all guards in the game–well, probably 80-90 percent of the game. All of our big men played 42 minutes together, and they all fouled out.”
The Gators out-rebounded the Bulldogs 45-33.
MSU lost 61-60 to Texas A&M in the league opener, 80-74 at Kentucky and 80-75 against Tennessee last Saturday.
After the loss to the Volunteers, first-year coach Howland said they were going to go back to a man-to-man style defense. He implemented a zone defense in December because of the lack of size and the foul trouble his big men were getting into. But the Bulldogs played zone against Florida and Ware eventually fouled out.
“I talked about not playing zone because it’s a tough way to lose. I hate it,” Howland said. “One of the reasons we played zone was to keep Gavin Ware in the game, so that’s something we just continue to improve and get better.”
The Rebels have had similar luck as the Bulldogs in conference play. After opening with a 2-1 record, Ole Miss has lost it’s last three conference games by a combined 21 points. The Rebels began conference play with an 83-61 loss at Kentucky, but then beat Alabama (74-66) and Georgia (72-71) at home.
Ole Miss lost at LSU (90-81) and then to Florida (80-71) and South Carolina (77-74) in overtime at home.
The Rebels have been hurt by injuries, as Sebastian Saiz (12.8 points) and Martavious Newby (five points) didn’t play in the loss to the Gamecocks. Both are suffering eye injuries and have had surgery. Saiz is out, while Newby’s status is still unknown.
Ole Miss’ leading scorer Stefan Moody (24.3 points) left the South Carolina game with a hamstring injury. He will be a game-time decision.
“You’ve just got to deal with it,” Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. “The effort was there. Our guys showed a lot of effort, a lot of courage. Unfortunately in this game, that’s not enough. You have to make a play.
“Offensively when Moody grabbed his hamstring, we were trying to get somebody else to step up. We couldn’t get that.”
If Moody is unable to play, Ole Miss leading scorer will be junior guard Rasheed Brooks, who is averaging 8.4 points per game.
n The Bulldogs and Rebels will meet for the 253rd time, with MSU holding a 141-111 edge in the series.
Ole Miss has won the last four, including sweeping the season series last season.
The Bulldogs have a commanding record of 93-25 against their rival in Starkville.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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