? When the NIT bracket was announced last week, Ben Howland sounded like a coach who really wanted his team to play inside Madison Square Garden.
?I?ve coached in the Garden and I?ve been blessed to do that, and that?s a great experience,? Howland said. ?There?s nothing more special than getting to MSG and having a chance to play at the Garden. Every great player in the history of the game has played at Madison Square Garden.?
Mississippi State is now only one win away from doing just that, but it has to overcome a significant challenge. The Bulldogs will visit Louisville in an NIT quarterfinal on Tuesday (8 p.m., ESPN). Louisville, of course, is a traditional powerhouse and is playing in the NIT after Rick Pitino?s firing and amid a recruiting scandal.
Here are three things to watch when Mississippi State takes on the Cardinals (22-13).
Good guard play paramount
Nick Weatherspoon (hip) returned against Baylor and looked sharp in 24 minutes, making his first two shot attempts and finishing with six points. Quinndary Weatherspoon hit the game-winner against Baylor, Lamar Peters racked up 10 assists and Tyson Carter scored 19 points. The Bulldogs hit 13 of 22 3-pointers, including three from Xavian Stapleton.
That?s how MSU was able to beat Baylor despite getting outrebounded 34-21. The same kind of performance may be needed against Louisville and its bigger lineup. Louisville may decide to use its 2-3 zone to try and keep MSU?s guards from driving and getting higher-percentage looks. MSU has been a better 3-point shooting team lately than its season-long statistics would indicate, but Louisville has the size and ability to block shots (its 15.1 block percentage ranks No. 11 in the country) and will test MSU?s growth in that area.
To underscore that point, teams are shooting only 45.6 percent on 2-pointers against Louisville. MSU has thrived in the half-court offense that produces 2-pointers, so it will be worth watching to see if Louisville can take that away.
Defending Spalding
The first name Howland mentioned when discussing Louisville on Monday was 6-foot-7 guard/forward Deng Adel. That made sense, considering Adel is Louisville?s leading scorer at 15.1 points per game. But the bigger matchup problem may be 6-foot-10 forward Ray Spalding. Spalding can shoot from the outside and is good in the paint. Depending on Louisville?s lineup, he can stretch Abdul Ado away from the paint, or have an advantage inside against Aric Holman or Xavian Stapleton.
?He?s a real matchup problem for us,? Howland said.
Defending 3-pointers
Louisville has a deep backcourt and several of its guards are dangerous from beyond the 3-point line. The Cardinals are shooting 37.4 percent on 3-pointers (No. 57 in the country) and have five players shooting higher than 34 percent. MSU has been for the majority of the season at defending 3-pointers and teams are shooting only 32.9 percent on trey against it.
?I?ve coached in the Garden and I?ve been blessed to do that, and that?s a great experience,? Howland said. ?There?s nothing more special than getting to MSG and having a chance to play at the Garden. Every great player in the history of the game has played at Madison Square Garden.?
Mississippi State is now only one win away from doing just that, but it has to overcome a significant challenge. The Bulldogs will visit Louisville in an NIT quarterfinal on Tuesday (8 p.m., ESPN). Louisville, of course, is a traditional powerhouse and is playing in the NIT after Rick Pitino?s firing and amid a recruiting scandal.
Here are three things to watch when Mississippi State takes on the Cardinals (22-13).
Good guard play paramount
Nick Weatherspoon (hip) returned against Baylor and looked sharp in 24 minutes, making his first two shot attempts and finishing with six points. Quinndary Weatherspoon hit the game-winner against Baylor, Lamar Peters racked up 10 assists and Tyson Carter scored 19 points. The Bulldogs hit 13 of 22 3-pointers, including three from Xavian Stapleton.
That?s how MSU was able to beat Baylor despite getting outrebounded 34-21. The same kind of performance may be needed against Louisville and its bigger lineup. Louisville may decide to use its 2-3 zone to try and keep MSU?s guards from driving and getting higher-percentage looks. MSU has been a better 3-point shooting team lately than its season-long statistics would indicate, but Louisville has the size and ability to block shots (its 15.1 block percentage ranks No. 11 in the country) and will test MSU?s growth in that area.
To underscore that point, teams are shooting only 45.6 percent on 2-pointers against Louisville. MSU has thrived in the half-court offense that produces 2-pointers, so it will be worth watching to see if Louisville can take that away.
Defending Spalding
The first name Howland mentioned when discussing Louisville on Monday was 6-foot-7 guard/forward Deng Adel. That made sense, considering Adel is Louisville?s leading scorer at 15.1 points per game. But the bigger matchup problem may be 6-foot-10 forward Ray Spalding. Spalding can shoot from the outside and is good in the paint. Depending on Louisville?s lineup, he can stretch Abdul Ado away from the paint, or have an advantage inside against Aric Holman or Xavian Stapleton.
?He?s a real matchup problem for us,? Howland said.
Defending 3-pointers
Louisville has a deep backcourt and several of its guards are dangerous from beyond the 3-point line. The Cardinals are shooting 37.4 percent on 3-pointers (No. 57 in the country) and have five players shooting higher than 34 percent. MSU has been for the majority of the season at defending 3-pointers and teams are shooting only 32.9 percent on trey against it.
