Ben Howland’s group desperately needed a victory against Tennessee to help get the season back on track. Experts would’ve said was imperative for the Bulldogs to come out hot from the opening tip. No way could a team with this much youth and inexperience, and without there senior point guard, afford to fall behind early.
But fall behind is exactly what the Mississippi State basketball team did Saturday afternoon at Humphrey Coliseum.
Tennessee opened the game on a 17-2 run with the Bulldogs missing their first nine shots. MSU’s largest deficit would come late in the first half as they found themselves down 29-10.