On a quick turnaround after a Friday night win over Akron in Philadelphia, Mississippi State improved its record to 3-0 as they dominated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 80-47.
1) Balanced Attack
Mississippi State scored 80 points in Sunday's matchup but it wasn't in typical fashion.
The Bulldogs had only two players (Tolu Smith 10, D.J. Jeffries 10) score in double figures, but they had ten players score 5+ and six score 8+. Shakeel Moore, Cameron Matthews, Kimani Hamilton, and Tyler Stevenson each had eight, and Martavious Russell added seven.
The contributions Mississippi State was able to get from its whole roster gave Pine Bluff a tough time defensively and Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans says that it helps the team camaraderie.
"I've coached a bunch of different teams, and I've had a lot of teams that stat sheets look like that, and I love it," Jans said. "It's really hard to scout against when you have that many people contribute in a bunch of different columns. It's hard to prepare for. Who knows how the season will unfold? I can't imagine it'll look like that that often, but when it does it just helps team camaraderie. Everybody's excited because they're in the game. They feel a part of it."
2) Freshmen stand out
Arkansas-Pine Bluff is a team that Mississippi State should have handled pretty easily. They are ranked the 355th team in the country according to KenPom and were a 22-point underdog at Caesar's Sportsbook.
It allowed Mississippi State to get freshmen Kimani Hamilton and Martavious Russell some key minutes, and both of them impressed in their first extended opportunity.
Russell, a 6'2" guard from Coker, Alabama, had a four-minute stretch in the first half where he drew a charge and snatched two steals that led to a transition bucket for himself and an assist for a Cameron Matthews dunk. In 10 minutes, Russell finished with seven points and had a highlight fastbreak dunk to seal the deal on a Mississippi State victory.
6'7" forward Kimani Hamilton, the son of former Bulldog Tang Hamilton, also made the most of his opportunities with eight points, three rebounds, and two steals. His length was shown as he snagged an offensive rebound for an easy bucket, and he showcased a smooth shooting stroke going 4-5 from the free-throw line.
3) Never Stop Pressing
It didn't matter what the score was. Mississippi State was going to put pressure on the Pine Bluff offense.
The Bulldog defense had 14 steals, and they forced 18 turnovers in total. The defensive mindset was embodied in the whole team as ten players had a steal, with D.J. Jeffries, Cameron Matthews, Kimani Hamilton, and Martavious Russell each having two.
"Coach Jans preaches defense," Hamilton said. "We're gonna bring that energy every game. We're pressing people and just trying to turn people over. That's just how we're gonna play every night."
