'Y'all Ain't Seen Nothing Yet'

Photo by: Austin Perryman/MSU Athletics

'Y'all Ain't Seen Nothing Yet'

November 11, 2021 | Men's Basketball

By: Logan Lowery, Assistant Coordinator/Communications

STARKVILLE – If Wednesday night was any indication, Mississippi State men's basketball fans are in for a treat this season.

Ben Howland's bunch opened up the 2021-22 campaign with a 75-49 victory over North Alabama, a game in which the Bulldogs did just about everything right.

MSU shot 48.2 percent from the field, made six 3-pointers, outrebounded the Lions by 10, received 22 points from the bench, recorded 12 steals and had 38 points in the paint – 22 of which came from fast breaks.

"Our objective was to come take care of business," said sophomore wing Cameron Matthews.

And indeed they did. After North Alabama opened the game with a 3-pointer, the Bulldogs went on a subsequent 17-0 run with the first 10 points scored by transfers. D.J. Jeffries and Shakeel Moore both made 3's while Garrison Brooks added a dunk and a jump shot.

"We were just being ourselves," Brooks said. "That's the key to getting the home crowd into it. Once the crowd starts to feel it, you start to feel it and that momentum gets going. I think that's something that we key in on."

A crowd of 6,671 was announced inside Humphrey Coliseum, the largest attendance since the 2020 season finale thanks to last year's COVID-19 restrictions.

"It even sounded like there were a lot more people in there than last year," Matthews said. "It was really exciting to see all of the people back in there and get a real feel for the Hump."

That crowd also created an excellent backdrop for true freshmen Cam Carter, Tyler Brumfield and Alden Applewhite to make their collegiate debuts. Carter shined in his 19 minutes, scoring 11 points on 4 of 4 shooting including a 3-pointer, two assists and a pair of steals.

"Cam Carter gave us huge minutes off the bench tonight," Howland said following the game. "He really played well. He was exceptional today, the young freshman, especially on the defensive end of the floor."

Brooks led the way with 18 points followed by Iverson Molinar with 13. Matthews contributed a career-best 14 rebounds (six offensive), four assists, two blocks and two steals.

"He had a great overall game and played outstanding defense," Howland said of Matthews. "He's arguably the best defender we have on our team."

Maybe the most encouraging aspect of State's opener is that it was able to win convincingly even without four players expected to be major contributors. Andersson Garcia missed the opener while Rocket Watts, KeShawn Murphy and Tolu Smith continue to rehab from injuries.

Smith led the Southeastern Conference with 8.6 rebounds per game last year while Murphy was rated a top 100 recruit by ESPN. Watts has already started practicing with the team and if all goes as planned will make his Bulldog debut against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 17.

And whenever Mississippi State's roster does get to full strength, fans inside Humphrey Coliseum could really be in for a quite a show according to Carter.

"Y'all ain't seen nothing yet," Carter said.