STARKVILLE — Statistically, Aric Holman entered the Mississippi State men’s basketball team’s against Nebraska on Wednesday as the Bulldogs’ best 3-point shooter.
Holman had attempted only 78 treys, but he was shooting a team-high 42.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Still, Nebraska coach Tim Miles didn’t believe. After seeing Holman not be a factor in 18 Southeastern Conference regular-season games and go 5-for-12 from beyond the arc in the last six games, Miles decided to test his luck. Holman made him pay.
Holman made both of his 3-pointers on his way to a 16-point, 10-rebound, four-blocked shot performance that helped MSU earn a 66-59 victory against Nebraska in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) at Humphrey Coliseum.
“I knew Holman could make threes, but in the league he’d made 13 in 18 games,” Miles said. “I wasn’t convinced. Then he hit his first two tonight and I was convinced.”
Holman first 3-pointer broke a 19-19 tie midway through the second quarter. His second gave MSU a five-point cushion late in the third quarter.
Life without Nick Weatherspoon
Sophomore guard and former Starkville High School standout Tyson Carter started in place of Nick Weatherspoon, who suffered a hip injury in the SEC tournament.
Carter responded with nine points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal in 31 minutes.
Weatherspoon is uncertain for MSU’s next game against Baylor at 11 a.m. Sunday (ESPN) in Waco, Texas.
“Up in the air, but I tend to say no,” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “He has recovered a long way in a short amount of time already.”
Nebraska’s road block
The Big Ten Conference’s participants in the NCAA tournament might have to fear rust.
The Big Ten usually plays its conference tournament the week leading up to Selection Sunday for the NCAA tournament. This year, the Big Ten moved its conference tournament up a week to play in Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Big East Conference plays in the venue the week leading up to Selection Sunday. As a result, postseason-bound Big Ten teams faced a much longer break between games than usual, which Miles said affected the Cornhuskers.
“The one thing I’ll bail our guys out for: this is our third game in 22 days,” Miles said. “You lose some of your competitive edge. You lose some of your sharpness. To be sitting around and waiting to play for this long was hard.”
We meet again
Nebraska’s season began and ended in Humphrey Coliseum.
Nebraska and MSU met for a preseason scrimmage on Oct. 22. The NCAA allowed the scrimmage to take place as long as proceeds from the event went to relief efforts for Hurricane Irma, which was the first Category 5 hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. Irma caused widespread and catastrophic damage from the time it former Aug. 30 and dissipated Sept. 13, particularly in the northeastern Caribbean and the Florida Keys.
Nebraska won that scrimmage 76-72, but it saw a vastly improved MSU team Wednesday.
“They’re sharper. They run their stuff better,” Miles said. “I think Tyson Carter made some big plays tonight. I don’t recall seeing that out of him the first time. I thought Holman was really improved.”
History
MSU earned its 19th home win of the season, which is the most of any team in Division I. MSU played all but two of its non-conference games at home and won all of them.
The win also MSU’s 23rd, its most since 2010 when it won 24, a mark it can tie Sunday.
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