Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans hopes to get some answers about his team in a nonconference game against visiting Southeastern Louisiana in Starkville, Miss., on Saturday.
After using a 44-11 second-half run to rout North Alabama in their season opener on Nov. 5, the Bulldogs (1-1) dropped a 96-80 decision on Monday night to No. 16 Iowa State in Sioux Falls, S.D. They were buried by slow start that had them down 53-35 at halftime.
Jans used 11 different players in the opener, then tried the same formula against Iowa State.
“We’re in the infant stages of forming what we’re going to be, who we are going to be,” Jans said.
One known commodity is junior guard Josh Hubbard, who has averaged 26 points and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 45.5 % from the field in the early going.
Hubbard’s next task will be to cut down on turnovers as he followed a zero-turnover effort in the opener with seven on Monday night.
UAB transfer Ja’Borri McGhee is adding 10 points per game for Mississippi State, which is averaging 83 points but also committing 16.5 turnovers a game, tied for 330th in the nation.
Southeastern Louisiana is off to an 0-3 start after a 70-60 loss Monday night at Georgia Tech. The Lions owned a 31-29 edge at halftime but the Yellow Jackets went on the build a double-digit lead with 5:03 left and didn’t have the firepower to close the gap.
Isaiah Gaines led Southeastern Louisiana with 12 points on Monday night, while Jaiden Lawrence is its only player in double figures through three games at 11.0 points per game.
The Lions have struggled to score points, averaging only 56.7 per game and sinking a mere 33.5% of their field goal tries.
Seventh-year coach David Kiefer is encouraged with his team’s progress, despite the slow start.
“The guys have remained solid through all the adjustments that come with a fairly new team,” he said.
