Inside Tolu's Terrific Performance
January 30, 2023 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE – Tolu Smith was simply terrific last Saturday and was a driving force in Mississippi State's 81-74 overtime win against then No. 11 TCU.
Smith has had plenty of huge games throughout his Bulldog career but that may have been his biggest. The 6-foot-11, 245-pounder provided 27 points and 13 rebounds while also dishing out five assists and adding four blocks.
Smith did a lot of his damage in the first half and was well on his way to a double-double before halftime with 12 points and seven boards.
"He got single coverage most of the game and that certainly helps," said head coach Chris Jans. "For the most part, we felt like he had a little size advantage…He just got going early. Most of us are built that way, if the ball goes in early your confidence soars. Our guys were – almost to a fault – trying to get him the ball because they knew he was cooking."
It was Smith's sixth double-double of the season and the fourth among his last five outings. He now has 19 career double-doubles and Saturday marked the seventh time he has exceeded 20 points and 10 rebounds at MSU.
The Bay St. Louis native scored his personal best in points against the Horned Frogs and set a new career-high in blocks. He also matched his single best shooting performance making 11 of 13 shots from the field and was also 5 of 6 from the charity stripe.
"He was so efficient and that's the thing that sticks out the most if you look at his line," Jans said. "In every category, he just played at a high level. It wasn't just around the basket with his scoring. He created shots for other guys."
But as good as Smith played on Saturday, the win was what was the most important to the senior forward. Entering the TCU game, the Bulldogs had endured back-to-back one possession losses to Florida (61-59) and at No. 2 Alabama (66-63) in addition to several other close calls early on in Southeastern Conference play.
So, to finally come out on the winning end of one of those tight games was what made Smith the proudest as he exited Humphrey Coliseum following his career performance.
"We could not let this one slip away," Smith said. "We've been in those predicaments many times and I'm just happy that we got this win. We had to figure it out and we did."
Smith was also elated for the 8,643 fans on hand that have continued to support this team through thick and thin this season.
"It's been electric in the Hump all year," Smith said. "I'm so happy because they steadily came out, even when we were going through a tough stretch. I'm glad we could give them this gift."
The victory over the Horned Frogs was State's third Quadrant 1 win of the year. The Bulldogs are sitting at No. 54 in the NET rankings and currently have two more Quadrant 1 and four Quadrant 2 opportunities remaining on their regular season schedule.
"Building a legacy starts with winning and finishing those tough games," Smith said. "We've stuck together and I think we have a great chance to do something special this year."
