STARKVILLE — Hartford had to break its trend for Tyson Carter.
When Hartford visited the Mississippi State men’s basketball team on Nov. 11, the Hawks wanted a slow game. They were methodical offensively and went under ball screens on defense, making MSU earn its opportunities at the rim and thus earn its shot.
When it was Carter on the ball screen, they had to go on top of the screen.
Carter the shooter has earned respect in the past, but the junior Starkville native is doing more now. No. 17 MSU heads to Las Vegas for the MGM Resorts Main Event, beginning 10 p.m. Monday (ESPNU) against Arizona State (3-0), coach Ben Howland expects Carter to be a big part of MSU’s backcourt going forward.
“I thought Tyson gave us great minutes again, coming in the game and knocking down the shot. Very steadying, plays great defense for us,” Howland said after Carter scored 14 points and added two steals against Hartford. “There’s no question that Tyson is just like a starter for us out there.”
The fact that Carter is not starting adds a layer to his value. He can enter the game, play multiple positions and knock down outside shots, all in a mercenary manner, whenever MSU (3-0) needs it most.
That’s what he did against Hartford, in making four of his seven 3-point attempts and playing a little bit of point guard in a pinch, a contrast from his usual shooting guard.
The games that surrounded it — wins over Austin Peay and Long Beach State — were far from that efficient, 1-for-12 from 3-point range, but Carter is far from crisis. He trusts his offseason shooting program will show results over the full season.
“I felt good the other night, they just weren’t falling. I didn’t put too much thought into it,” Carter said.
Beyond that, Carter is adding value in other ways.
His ability to take minutes at point guard could become more valuable in the coming days, if the injury sophomore guard Nick Weatherspoon suffered in the opening minutes of the Long Beach State game wears on.
Even if he isn’t called to a bigger workload at the point, his development in another area adds value at any position.
Now Howland is pushing Carter for more.
“He’s playing good defense, I’m really impressed with him defensively,” Howland said. “He’s an outstanding passer that can make plays for others that we’d like to see.
“One thing we’ve got to get better at is post feeding. I want him to be one of our best post feeders. We didn’t feel like we got enough post feeds in our second game.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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