Bigs Coming Up Big
January 22, 2024 | Men's Basketball
Tolu Smith III and Jimmy Bell Jr. keep giving State success in the post.
STARKVILLE – For 40 minutes on Saturday, the Mississippi State Bulldogs controlled the paint on their way to an impressive 68-55 victory over Vanderbilt.
Behind a pair of productive performances from the big-man duo of Tolu Smith III and Jimmy Bell Jr., the Bulldogs outrebounded the Commodores 45-33 and scored 36 points in the paint. Smith notched his second double-double of the season with 25 points and a season-high 11 rebounds while Bell provided four points and seven boards in 10 minutes off the bench.
"I think the coaching staff and my teammates did a good job of getting me and Jimmy the ball," Smith said. "I knew there were mismatches down low. I feel like most nights it's going to be a mismatch regardless of how big and how tall [the opponent is]. We put a lot of work in on the low block and a lot of work in on our game in general. The results showed tonight."
The two graduate centers complimenting each other was just what Mississippi State envisioned when they added Bell through the transfer portal. Welcoming a player like Bell, who started 34 games for West Virginia last season, to compete alongside an All-SEC center like Smith gave the Bulldogs high expectations for the position.
Mississippi State had to wait to see the duo in action together however, with Smith missing the beginning of the season with an injury. Now that Smith is back, the Bulldog big men can dominate inside from start to finish.
"It's been feeling good," Bell said. "I started off the year without him. That was the expectation that me and him would be playing together at the beginning. We rotate and beat up on the other team's bigs, and it feels good."
Head coach Chris Jans needed Bell to slot into that starting role with Smith sidelined, and his proficient play down low helped get the Bulldogs off to a 10-2 start. The 6-foot-10, 280-pound center is averaging 7.8 points and 7.4 rebounds which are both career highs, and he was even named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week last month after overpowering Rutgers for 17 points and 18 rebounds in a 70-60 win in Newark, New Jersey.
"I'm on record multiple times saying that I'm not sure where we'd be if we didn't have Jimmy Bell," Jans said. "Certainly, you can't plan for any sort of injuries, etcetera. I just don't know where we'd been, where our team would be and what our record would be. Jimmy was a Godsend for us."
Smith's return has put Bell back in the role he was expected to play when he came to Mississippi State, and he's embracing it. His minutes have decreased since Smith returned, but he's more focused on helping Mississippi State win than any individual statistics.
"It's been good for me. That's what I came here to do – do my role," Bell said. "Starting off, I had a bigger role in the beginning of the season. Now, I'm back to where the expectation was. Now, it's time to get rolling for the rest of these games and win some games. Me and Tolu need to continue to dominate the other team's bigs."
A player like Bell who puts the team first is just what Jans wanted in a second center. Smith has returned to his All-SEC form by averaging 19.7 points and 7.7 points, while Bell has come off the bench and been the high energy guy they've needed to hold down the interior when Smith's off the floor.
"I knew once Tolu got back that it would be no issue with [Bell]," Jans said. "He's all business. He's a great kid, and he gets it. He's going to have big games. We all know it, and he knows it. So, we're really glad he's with us."
