STARKVILLE – In his final regular-season game at Humphrey Coliseum, Mississippi State University senior guard Brian Bryant described his team’s effort perfectly.
“Better late than never,” Bryant said.
The emotion and the effort were equally high Saturday as the MSU men’s basketball team completed the regular season with a 79-59 victory against the University of Arkansas at Humphrey Coliseum in a game that was never in doubt in the final 30 minutes.
“I thought our guys came out and did what they were supposed to do,” MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. “You always worry about the emotions (of Senior Night) and where guys’ minds are. … I thought our team was the most energetic.”
The energy level Stansbury referred to could be the emotion swirling around the excitement of remembering the memories of seniors Bryant, guard Dee Bost, and forward Taylor Luczak. They were honored before a game mixed with the nostalgia involved with the hanging of a banner in honor of legendary broadcaster Jack Cristil and the nervous energy of a program concerned about its status as a NCAA tournament bubble team.
“It’s now or never. It’s my last year and I want to get back to the tournament,” Bost said. “We wanted to prove a point (tonight), and that was something we got done.”
Bost had 16 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. He earned two of his points on an intended alley-oop that went through the basket. The effort symbolized everything that went right for the Bulldogs.
“We had a lot of lobs, and that’s what we were trying to do in their zone,” Bost said. “I think the first time we played them, we as guards played way too fast. We play our best inside-out.”
MSU (21-10, 8-8 Southeastern Conference) shot 51.8 percent from the field and had 10 dunks. Most of the high-flying dunks were on alley-oop passes from Bost to junior forward Arnett Moultrie or Bryant.
Moultrie achieved his conference-leading 18th double-double of the season with a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds in 36 minutes.
MSU’s frontcourt dominated inside, outscoring an undersized Arkansas (18-12, 6-9) 42-22 in the paint. Moultrie, junior center Renardo Sidney, and junior forward Wendell Lewis combined to shoot 11-for-16 from the field.
“The game was simply at their pace,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. “They do a good job of throwing the lob up there every time you lose (Moultrie) on defense. The only way you’re going to negate size is put bodies on people.”
Bryant had his most active game of the season with 15 points (7-of-8 shooting), four rebounds, and three assists in 30 minutes at both guard positions and small forward.
“Brian took advantage of their switching and jumped up to make shots,” Stansbury said. “That’s what you need this time of year from him.”
In a complete reversal of the conference opener for both schools, a 98-88 win by Arkansas on Jan. 7, Arkansas guard Julysses Nobles went scoreless Saturday after severely twisting his ankle and forcing him to the bench after 12 minutes. Nobles torched the Bulldogs for a career-high 24 points at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
Nobles, a junior from Jackson Callaway High School, also was held without a point in a 75-62 loss at the University of Connecticut on Dec. 3.
Despite the lingering questions by fans and national experts about the Bulldogs’ chances to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, the victory allows MSU to enter the SEC tournament on a two-game winning streak. A chance to extend that run could help the Bulldogs solidify their postseason hopes or keep them on the bubble.
“(Wins) help you help get your confidence,” Stansbury said. “We didn’t have to go down to the last horn in this one, and we haven’t had many
of those.”
MSU will face the No. 11 seed University of Georgia in the first round of the conference tournament Thursday. The winner of that game will play Tennessee or Vanderbilt.
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