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Mississippi State needs a "Get Right" game in Atlanta vs. Tulane

IMG_4594by:Tanner Marlar•12/07/23•

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Mook
Dec 3, 2023; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Cameron Matthews (4) dunks during the second half against the Southern Jaguars at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Road Ahead

It’s been a rough few weeks for Mississippi State men’s basketball fans. Not only did the Bulldogs miss out on a chance at a quality road win against Georgia Tech, but they also suffered arguably the worst loss of the still-young head coach Chris Jans era against Southern at home.

Now, MSU takes to the road back to Atlanta to take on the Tulane Green Wave this weekend as part of the Holiday Hoopsgiving Tournament. Tulane comes in with an impressive record of their own at 6-1 and a high powered offense to boot. They haven’t scored less than 77 in a game, and that was in a three-point loss to Bradley. While somewhat struggling defensively, the Green Wave can put up points in bunches.

This is the kind of game a Mississippi State team has to come in to and fall back on what’s made it so good under Jans – the defensive intensity. Tulane’s zone defense will also provide a different look for the Bulldogs, but Jans mentioned something else the Green Wave do exceptionally well.

“You know, (Tulane is) known as a three-point shooting team, but really their strength this year is their two-point field goal percentage,” Jans said in his Tuesday press conference, “and their ability to score fast, and then they play that zone, which can be tough to play against, so we’ll have our hands full for sure.”

Mississippi State needs a “Get Right” game

The “Get Right” game is a phenomenon that gets thrown around a lot this time of year, but nobody in the country may need one worse right now than Mississippi State. According to KenPom.com, Southern was ranked 309 coming into the game against the Bulldogs. Now, at 2-6 with wins over State and UNLV, Southern sits at 269, while State still sits at 37.

By those metrics, it’s the worst loss that Mississippi State has suffered in a long time, and it came at home after a road loss to Georgia Tech – the worst possible time. However, Jans and company still have plenty of time to right the ship. Tulane is ranked 92nd on KenPom, and has the potential to be a solid quad two win for Mississippi State down the road.

MSU needs that win more than ever now, as fans will blink and non-conference play will nearly be over. State returns home on Dec. 13 to take on Murray State, who’s had some early season struggles of their own. They need to do it with a win under their belt in Atlanta, though, to bring some confidence back to Humphrey Coliseum.

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