As we wrap up January and the first month of conference play, Mississippi State basketball sits in a pretty good spot. At 16-5 with a .500 conference record and some good wins on the resume, they're well on their way to returning to the NCAA Tournament and likely being a higher-seeded team.
But despite being well-positioned overall, the Bulldogs haven't looked particularly impressive lately. They're 2-4 in their last six games with both wins coming in overtime. There's been some issues on both ends of the court, and a strong argument could be made the defense is where the biggest issues lie. However there's a trend offensively that needs addressing, and doing so could get this team playing more efficient ball.
Deemphasizing the three-point shot would benefit Mississippi State basketball
The story of the offseason was Chris Jans' attempt to reinvent the Mississippi State offense, going from an old-school, "get it down low to our big man" approach to a more modernized style, prioritizing the three-ball. He recruited shooters out of the portal to play alongside Josh Hubbard in the backcourt rather than go after someone that could replicate what Tolu Smith had done the prior two years at center.
Throughout the non-conference slate, it looked as though Jans had successfully pulled-off that transition in Starkville. But as the year has progressed, present day MSU looks a lot like the previous MSU when shooting from distance.
On the season, the Bulldogs are connecting on 32.1% of their three-point shots. That ranks 272nd nationally and 14th in the SEC. It's also the same percentage as last year's team. For a team that's supposed to be more perimeter-oriented offensively, that's not at all cutting it.
That average is being hurt significantly by some recent performances. In their last six games, Mississippi State is shooting 48-175 from three, just 27.4%. Even in their best three-point shooting game during that stretch, they finished at 33.3%, which is still below average.
Some of that does fall back on Josh Hubbard's propensity to, at times, be overzealous from beyond the arc and the fact he had been in a major slump. But even during his fantastic display of shooting against Alabama, Mississippi State as a whole finished a lackluster 8-25 from three, right at their season average of 32%.
At their best, this team has shown the ability to have multiple players get hot from distance, but that hasn't happened all the much since the start of the new year. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have been a good team scoring from inside the arc. On the year, the rank inside the Top 60 nationally in two-point shooting.
In the last six games, they're at 54.7% from two and have averaged 33 points in the paint. Those aren't otherworldly numbers, but it's solid. We've also seen State's front court emerge as viable options to run the offense through.
KeShawn Murphy has averaged 15.4 points per game in that stretch. MSU's best looking offense has consistently involved getting the ball in his hands. And while Michael Nwoko and Cameron Matthews have been more up and down, in the games where MSU has been more deliberate about attacking the paint, they've impressed.
When State is consistently trying to play four or even five-out and do nothing but hope that someone gets space to attempt a three, their offense has fallen stagnant and often ugly. When they're working to get the ball down low, however, or run sets specifically meant to free up their bigs, they've been successful. And that only opens up more space on the perimeter for more timely three-point attempts.
Mississippi State isn't going to completely abandon their new style of play offensively and go back to nothing but pounding it inside to the center. But Chris Jans getting a bit more back into his comfort zone would benefit the Bulldogs.