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Mississippi State forward RJ Melendez attempts a layup past a block attempt by Mississippi forward Jaemyn Brakefield during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Starkville, Miss. Mississippi State won in overtime 84-81. STARKVILLE — There’s no such thing as a must-win game in mid-January of a Southeastern Conference basketball season that goes well into March. That doesn’t mean it can’t sometimes seem that way.
There are at least two more extenuating circumstances of why this one seemed so vitally important. First, State goes back on the road for two more games this week, beginning Tuesday night with No. 6 Tennessee in Knoxville. Nobody wants to take a three-game losing streak to a place like Thompson-Boling Arena. Second, well, this was Ole Miss, the team Mississippi State folks most love to despise.
It was that close because Ole Miss simply wouldn’t go away. The Rebels got behind 11-0 before they finally scored. They trailed 14-2 early and by as many as 14 in the first half. At the risk of using verbs TV announcers have worn completely out, Chris Beard’s Rebels scratched and clawed their way back into the game and stayed within striking distance throughout. They did so with a suffocating on-ball defense that forced 16 State turnovers.
Instead, Beard pointed to three factors he said led to defeat. First, he said, was State’s fast start and early dominance, which he termed “unacceptable.” Secondly, as Beard put it, “They made more free throws than we shot .” Beard didn’t blame officiating. “They were more aggressive going to the basket than we were,” he said. And, third, of course, the rebounding. “They were more physical than we were,” Beard correctly said.
Both have the potential to play beyond the regular season and the SEC Tournament. And a reminder: These two teams go at it again Feb. 15, the day after Valentine’s Day, at Oxford. Again, there will be no love lost.As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader support to make our work possible. If you enjoyed this article, please consider donating today to support our award-winning journalism. We may write the stories, butLook for the"Republish This Story" button underneath each story.
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