Since his arrival in 2016, Ben Howland hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire at Mississippi State. But he sure does have Missouri’s number.
The Bulldogs only have one NCAA Tournament appearance in Howland’s five years — a first-round exit in 2019 — but he has set a moderately high floor. They’ve been at worst a borderline Top 50 KenPom team for each of the past three seasons and have finished in the top six of the conference each of the past two seasons. Not to mention in that time, Howland’s teams are 1-5 against Missouri, with the one loss coming in a controversial overtime loss in 2017 (ah, Jordan Geist; I miss how you sell charges.