Chicago - Mississippi State's 2023-24 campaign got off to an impressive start Wednesday night with a dominant 71-56 win over Arizona State in the Barstool Sports Invitational.
The Bulldogs were without All-SEC center Tolu Smith (foot) and starting shooting guard Shakeel Moore (suspension), but head coach Chris Jans has no issues replacing the production with some of the newcomers he brought in.
Howard J.C. transfer Trey Fort had no clue he'd be starting at shooting guard until two minutes before opening tip-off, and ended up leading the Bulldogs with 21 points. Fort was an absolute sniper in juco last season, scoring 24.9 points per game and connecting on 45.2% of his three-point attempts.
"I walked in after warmups and saw my name on the board," Fort said. "I was locked in from the jump, so It's nothing new."
"We didn't make it (the decision) until the last minute," Jans said. "We had discussions about a lot of guys. We got lucky and picked the right one today."
It was uncertain how Fort's sharpshooting would translate to Division I, but after Wednesday there should be no doubts. The confident Fort knocked down 5/10 treys to help the Bulldogs make 10/26 as a team after they had not made double-digit threes once during the 2022-23 season.
The bigger question leading into the season opener was how the Bulldogs would do without Smith, who was the team's leading scorer and rebounder a season ago. Jans made a major addition to the depth at the center position in Jimmy Bell, who was thrust into the starting role with Smith injured.
Bell is no stranger to the starting five, as he started every game for West Virginia a season ago and averaged 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds. The 6-foot-10 center had the perfect mindset in Smith's absence. He just tried to play his game, and he came away with nine rebounds, including three on the offensive glass, and an efficient 13 points on 5/6 shooting and 3/4 from the foul line.
"Tolu's a big part of the team. When Jans recruited me he told me about Tolu coming back," Bell said. "Him being hurt was just a downfall to our team, but I don't come in and try to be like anybody else. I came to do my job and do what I do to the best of my abilities."
The Bulldogs still got some quality production from its returnees. Guard Dashawn Davis scored ten and made five free throws after getting fouled on two three-point attempts while forwards D.J. Jeffries and Cameron Matthews each hauled in nine boards to help outrebound Arizona State 42-27.
Defense remained the Bulldogs' ultimate identity despite the impressive shooting performance. The Sun Devils scored just 18 points in the first half as the Bulldogs exploded to a 39-18 halftime lead, and the Mississippi State defense held them to 32.1% from the field and 5/21 from beyond the arc.
Mississippi State returns to action on Saturday, where they'll have their home opener against UT Martin at 4:00 p.m.
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