Mississippi State basketball gets intense road victory over SMU

Mississippi State basketball stayed undefeated Friday night. The Bulldogs took down SMU, 84-79, in Dallas for a non-conference road win over a high-major team, their first road win of the year. For the second-straight game, State had to overcome a sluggish start and double-digit deficit to get the win, and also for the second-straight game, they controlled things overall in the second half. The Bulldogs are now 5-0

Mississippi State's success on the glass should inspire confidence going forward

Coming into the year, one of the biggest concerns for this Bulldog team was rebounding because of fielding a smaller lineup and having less experience at center. In the first few games, rebounding was in fact an issue. But now over their last two games, against high-major teams that are good on the glass, State has won the rebounding battle.

State didn't run away with the final total rebound margin (they were +4). But they had a 16-6 edge in offensive boards and a 16-5 edge in second chance points. That was a huge key in winning this game. Even when State was trailing big and not scoring, they kept the game in reach by not allowing SMU to win on the glass. I don't expect State to be dominant rebounding, but they should be more than capable of winning that phase of the game against most teams.

KeShawn Murphy has removed any doubt about who needs to start at center

It was trending this way after a career performance against Utah, but tonight he confirmed it. KeShawn Murphy is the guy at the Five for State. Murphy led State with 16 points, seven boards, and three blocks. He's got great athleticism and provides shooting the other bigs on the team don't. We did see a few times tonight where having a more physical big to guard can give him some issues, but I'm not overly concerned about that. He's been far too productive and is giving you good defense the vast majority of the time. Michael Nwoko can step in when they need a traditional Five, but Murphy is who you lean on.

Riley Kugel needs to be on the floor in the majority of State's lineups

Another guy who has got to be on the court for State is Riley Kugel. The Florida transfer has quickly become one of the most consistent players on the team and has acted like a steadying force when the Bulldogs haven't been able to get things going offensively. Coming off the bench, Kugel provided 12 points and six boards. He finished with a +/- of +18, the best of any player in the game. Perhaps Chris Jans likes him best off the bench, specifically to help settle things in when necessary. But whether he starts or not, Kugel needs to be on the court as much as possible every game.