I would love to be in the room when the staff reviews the game film with the team. There were some good things to appreaciate and applaud, but as coach said in the presser, “this is by no means a finished product.” They have a lot to discuss.
Mississippi State played without leading scorer Josh Hubbard. This game might have had a dramatically different appearance had he been there.
But the thing that matters most is how it ended. With 2:50 left in the game MSU was up 65-71. The Wolfpack finished on a 11-2 run. They held MSU to 2 made free throws the rest of the way while our two trusty returning players, Paul McNeil and Ven Lubin, scored 5 points each. And the best player in the land that doesn’t score, RJ Keene, hit 1 of 2 free throws. Final score 77-73.
The Good Stuff
Preston Edmead can score! He was the smallest guy on the court, but only missed one shot and one free throw while scoring 16 points.
Darius Adams was the best player on the team tonight. 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and only one turnover in 32 minutes was outstanding. When Edmead was off the court due to foul trouble, he stepped in at point and ran the show better than Edmead. But he was still more of a scorer than a shooter. (33% / 33% / 71%)
Turnovers – Only five turnovers for the game.
The Bad Stuff
- Points in the paint – MSU 36, Wolfpack 18
- Rebounding – MSU 39, Wolfpack 30
- Offensive rebounds – MSU 18, Wolfpack 7
- Kyle Evans did not look good. 4 fouls in 12 minutes, neither any points or rebounds.
Two weeks to go!