No need for MSU fans to simmer down

By By Tony Krausz/assistant sports editor
January 31, 2004
Mississippi State University coach Rick Stansbury is doing what coaches do when a team gets on a roll ground the team, before the players get to high.
Following the No. 11 Bulldogs' dismantling of Tennessee on Wednesday, Stansbury talked about being worried his team may have overlooked the Volunteers.
A reasonable concern after MSU held just a 10 point-lead after the first half, despite 12 Tennessee turnovers in the opening 20 minutes. Of course, the Bulldogs put all concerns to rest opening the second half with a 17-6 run and never led by less than 19 points after the run.
Still, Stansbury and members of the Bulldogs' squad avoided talking about how great the team is after the game. Instead they opted to talk about not overlooking everybody, how there were still nine games left on the conference schedule and the typical tempered enthusiasm that follows with a team on a roll.
Well, we already played that game last week in this space. On the theory that upsets in college basketball are as common as Dick Vermeil crying at press conferences this scribe wrote about how Georgia could pull off a third big win of its season over MSU on Jan. 24.
In front of this writer's eyes, MSU threw eggs all over that theory, scoring 19 unanswered points to start the game and not allowing Georgia a field goal until eight minutes into the contest.
The homestanding Bulldogs went on to claim a 71-58 win over the visiting Bulldogs, which proved to be MSU's third double-digit victory over a SEC opponent in as many games. MSU went on to claim its fourth straight double-digit win against Tennessee on Wednesday.
So now it's time to roll out the top 10 reasons (David Letterman style in descending order) of why there are great things ahead for the Bulldogs.
No. 10 through 8 Lawrence Roberts. The 6-foot-9 transfer forward gets the first three reasons all to himself.
Roberts is leading the team in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game. He is the team's top rebounder with 9.9 per game, a mere 10th of a percentage point off a double-double average. That's just unfair.
So those two stats alone fill the No. 10 and 9 reasons in the list, but Roberts is also just amazing. The Houston native has quickly blossomed into one of the best players not just in the Southeastern Conference, but in college basketball.
No. 7 Ball swiping defense of abnormal proportions. The Bulldogs are combining for a ridiculous 10.2 steals per game. Against Tennessee alone, MSU swiped 10 balls and forced a total of 21 turnovers. You just can't lose if you don't let the other team shoot.
No. 6 Where did this guy come from? Wesley Morgan's appearance off the bench against the Vols was like finding a pearl in your oyster sandwich. Morgan, who had played a whopping 13 minutes before Wednesday night, scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds in nine minutes. One more surprise reserve player like Morgan would make MSU nearly unstoppable.
No. 5 Power factor. Since forward Shane Power was named a starter against LSU on Jan. 17, MSU has won four straight games by double digits. Power isn't exactly the sole reason for the current run, but the transfer from Iowa State is a calming force on the floor for the Bulldogs. He is the yin to the high energy yang of guards Winsome Frazier and Timmy Bowers.
No. 4 The balloon stays in the air. Inside Humphrey Coliseum a MSU balloon floats around the roof during a game. Prior to tip off, the balloon buzzes the crowd and drops free giveaway items to fans. Against Kentucky, the balloon floated down from the roof in the closing seconds, and MSU lost on a last second shot. Coincidence? We think not.
No. 3 Roberts is from Houston. When you have a team member from the same place that is holding the Super Bowl, how can anything possibly go wrong?
No. 2 Favorable stretch run. Aside from South Carolina on Feb. 11, a game that should be a hum-dinger, no opponent left on MSU's schedule has a winning conference record. The closest is Alabama, with a 3-3 mark in the SEC.
No. 1 The Bulldogs are just freaking good. Go over all of the statistical data you want. It all looks good. But the main thing is, this team is finding ways to win each and every game. Whether on defense, rebounding or shooting the lights out, MSU has won.
There it is, that's the list. No more wondering if MSU can keep rolling this season.
Leave that for Stansbury to worry about.