Foul trouble, front court depth provide problems for Mississippi State basketball vs. Florida
By Ethan Lee
It would've been nice if the Mississippi State men's basketball team didn't get into foul trouble Wednesday evening. Not that fouls are the only issue that Chris Jans' Mississippi State basketball team ran into, but they were certainly a problem for the MSU Bulldogs. Particularly when it came to depth and trying to match up with the Florida Gators.
And with that said, when Jans was asked foul problems and those depth issues, he made it clear that Florida's depth in the front court provided a few challenges for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Unfortunately, those challenges were a key contributing part as to why Florida won by a score of 79-70.
When asked about battling the Gators without a third quality big off the bench, Jans explained that he had to make some choices and that some were with the intention of creating mismatches.
"Playing Tolu [Smith III] and Jimmy [Bell Jr.] together wasn’t by default. We wanted them to play together because of the matchups that were presented with how Florida plays," Jans explained. "We felt like we could put those guys on the floor together."
But while there was some strategy at play there, foul trouble elsewhere in the lineup caused considerable problems.
Mississippi State basketball foul trouble caused problem vs. Florida
With D.J. Jeffries and Cameron Matthews landing in early foul trouble, the Bulldogs had a wrench thrown in their game plan of attacking Florida's front court.
"D.J. [Jeffries] is our backup four when Cameron [Matthews] is the four," Jans said. "So, when they’re both saddled with foul trouble, it makes for some interesting times on how to figure out how to handle it.”
That's pretty far from an ideal sort of situation.
The Bulldogs need to find a way to either avoid significant foul trouble or they've got to find a way to adjust the lineup. Or, well, more losses. And I don't think anyone really wants more losses. Now, that's all easier said than done. But, if those sorts of adjustments are possible to make, here's to hoping that Chris Jans is able to make them.