The Sports Bank’s college basketball season previews undergo a face lift this season. Rather than counting down the top 111 teams in 111 days, we will go conference-by-conference. I’ve already counted down the Pac-12 and Big 12 now we turn our attention to the SEC.
After last season’s last place finish in the SEC, there is nowhere to go but up for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. With six of their top seven scorers returning, Rick Ray’s team should be improved this season.
MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS
Last Season: 14th, 3-15 in SEC, 14-19 overall
Predicted SEC Finish: 9th
Projected Depth Chart
C: Gavin Ware (Jr)/Fallou Ndoye (Fr)
F: Roquez Johnson (Sr)/Oliver Black (Fr)/Johnny Zupprado (Jr)
G/F: Fred Thomas (Jr)/Demetrius Houston (Fr)/Elijah Staley (Fr)/Travis Daniels (Jr)/De’Runnya Wilson (So)
SG: Craig Sword (Jr)/Maurice Dunlap (Fr)
PG: I.J. Ready (So)/Trivante Bloodman (Sr)
Gone: PF-Colin Borchert, SG-Tyson Cunningham, PG-Jacoby Davis (transfer), SG-Andre Applewhite (transfer-Toledo)
2014-2015 Outlook:
The MSU roster lacks any real star power and relied on their balance a year ago. Craig Sword is the team’s top returning scorer, averaging 13.7 points per game as a sophomore and technically the team’s go-to option. However, Gavin Ware, Roquez Johnson, and Fred Thomas each chipped in scoring between nine-ten points per game. For the Bulldogs to take a true step forward, this core must continue to improve on both ends of the floor.
The starting point guard position will once again be a battle between I.J. Ready and Trivante Bloodman. Both saw significant playing time a year ago and regardless of who gets the nod in the starting five, each guy will factor heavily into Ray’s rotation. Ready will not only be important as a distributor but is also the team’s top three-point threat.
Outside of that, the bench spots are up for grabs. Freshmen Demetrius Houston, Elijah Staley, and Maurice Dunlap will all compete for minutes on the wing along with junior college transfer Travis Daniels. 6-11 redshirt freshman Fallou Ndoye looks to provide some depth in the middle but freshman Oliver Black and JUCO transfer Johnny Zupprado also look to get in the mix.
There is not a whole lot of disparity among the middle of the pack SEC teams. If the Bulldogs’ six returning contributors show improvement and the young bench figures itself out, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mississippi State become a conference sleeper.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/22 vs. Utah State
11/28 vs. St. Louis (Corpus Christi Challenge)
11/29 vs. TCU/Bradley (Corpus Christi Challenge)
12/6 at Tulane
12/13 at Oregon State
1-2 vs. Florida State
OTHER SEC PREVIEWS:
BIG 12 PREVIEWS:
#1 KANSAS JAYHAWKS
#2 TEXAS LONGHORNS
PAC-12 PREVIEWS:
#1 ARIZONA WILDCATS
#4 UCLA BRUINS
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.