Bulldogs Back In 'The Big House'

Tuesday, December 21

Jackson, Miss. [Mississippi Coliseum]

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

9-3,0-0SEC

Winthrop

6-6,0-0Big South

Winthrop

Mississippi St.

Photo by: Kevin Snyder/MSU Athletics

Bulldogs Back In 'The Big House'

December 21, 2021 | Men's Basketball

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By: Logan Lowery, Assistant Coordinator/Communications

JACKSON – Playing at the Mississippi Coliseum has become an annual tradition for Mississippi State under Ben Howland.

The Bulldogs have hosted a non-conference opponent at "The Big House" every season of Howland's seven-year tenure at State save for last season due to COVID-19. MSU continued its tradition in the state capital on Tuesday night with an 84-63 victory over Winthrop.

"It's more for our fans that are there in Jackson," Howland said. "All of our students are gone right now and a lot of people that work here at Mississippi State have gone off to visit family. I think it's a nice time of year to get down there and play in front of our fans. It's a win-win."

Another benefit of the Bulldogs playing in Jackson is that some players are able to take advantage of having an international airport nearby to return home for Christmas before coming back to start Southeastern Conference play on Dec. 29 against Arkansas.

The Mississippi Coliseum was built in 1962 and has become synonymous with hosting the MHSAA High School state championships. D.J. Jeffries (Olive Branch), Cameron Matthews (Olive Branch) and Derek Fountain (Holly Springs) all had multiple appearances there during their high school careers.

"A lot of kids that are recruits, they've all played in this building because that's where they play the state tournament every year in Mississippi," Howland said. "Some of our kids like D.J., Cam and Derek that have played basketball within the state of Mississippi, that's where they've played at. So that's kind of cool that they're revisiting their childhood."

The nostalgia hit immediately when the bus arrived at the coliseum on Tuesday. It was the first time all three had been back since their prep careers ended.

"When we pulled up to the coliseum, I remembered the feeling," Fountain said. "This was important in high school. It was show time."

Jeffries and Matthews helped Olive Branch capture the school's first Class 5A state championship in 2017-18, defeating Forest Hill 64-44. The Conquistadors returned to the Mississippi Coliseum the following year but finished as the runner up after losing to Center Hill, 75-73.

"I've had a lot of memories here," Matthews said. "My first memories here are good but my last memories weren't so good. We were in the same locker room too so I didn't have a good feeling at first. But we came out tonight and made some big shots and played some really good defense."

Jeffries had a big night for the Bulldogs against Winthrop, finishing second on the team with 19 points. The junior forward shot 8 of 12 from the field and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. He also dished out four assists, grabbed six rebounds and only turned the ball over once in 29 minutes of play.

"It's fun playing in Jackson with the fans," Jeffries said. "Jackson is a basketball town. They really support you. It was fun playing out there."

For Fountain, he was just grateful to finally leave the Mississippi Coliseum with a victory. His Holly Springs teams finished as the Class 3A runner up during his sophomore and junior seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

"It brought a lot of memories back," Fountain said. "I thought about all the times I played here during high school. It was great to be here again and actually thankful to get a win here finally."