l.s.u. team that's struggled mightily with the offense. >> joe: they're number one in points allowed in the league. number one in blocked shots, dave. you mentioned, and also number one in field goal defense at about 37%. >> dave: mitchell had that pass out of the way, to show how much trouble l.s.u. has had scoring, they scored 38 in a game you had the other night against alabama. tomorrow, they celebrate the anniversary of marich scoring 53 himself against ole miss to set the all-time collegiate record. >> joe: they could use such a feat. >> dave: yeah. spencer saw the shot clock running down, the second shot clock violation in the half against the tigers. >> joe: l.s.u. in simple terms as you see the frustrated trent johnson right there, last year's s.e.c. coach of the year. they just don't have anyone to manufacture a basket except

tasmin mitchell. the defense will key on him so hard, it's difficult to get him the ball where he can operate. >> dave: varnado can operate, though. that time he miscommunicates with husseo osby. after the loss to alabama, he said he understands that the team -- i hate to use this phrase, but it is, what it is. you can't keep the good back. >> joe: you can't sugarcoat what l.s.u. is going through. they lost five good seniors from a year ago when they won the league title. they're young. they just don't have the talent right now to compete. >> dave: next year we'll be better, though. four guys in the class that are in the sp espn-u top 400. can't get it to go.

talk about mississippi state, riley benock missed the preparation. >> joe: he was another guy that stansbury talked about at the practice. you see spencer there, who had a good season a year ago as the point guard for the championship team but struggling this year. >> dave: you know about "veronica guerin" blocking the shot. how about coming away with a steal on the slap-down. the bulldogs lead it early. uth ,

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world of ability. >> joe: he really has. he's got a lot of talent. 6'9", 240 pounds. and rick stansbury and i talked quite a bit about him last night. they've been frustrated here at mississippi state. they feel like they've done everything they can do to give the ncaa and amateurism committee the information they're looking for to try to clear this young man to play. this is the 21st game that he will have missed. and it is really a bad situation. as soon as he gets clear, rick stansbury will play him right away. he says he's got ability down low to score baskets and that's what they need right now. >> dave: barry stewart, the all-time minutes leader in terms of minutes played at mississippi state. hits that turn-around. l.s.u. looking for the first field goal. getting back to sidney, you're a guy, and you coach and dealt with the ncaa. they want to get it right.

it understand that. >> joe: sure. >> dave: but two things working for you. the situation at memphis last year where they said the kid was eligible and then said he wasn't. then we have the whole thing about how much time does it take to come to a consideration? not only effects the team but it affects the young person, which is what this is supposed to be all about, isn't it? >> joe: he's an 18-year-old freshman dave. you feel for him. he's obviously a talented player who wants to be out on the court. one question you have to ask, what is taking so long? you think they'd come to some type of decision one way or the other. >> dave: off the mis, a three-pointer. varnado had a close look but couldn't get it to go. >> joe: l.s.u. is 0-9 from the field. the struggles continue. >> dave: not only 0-9 from the field, but turned the basketball oveover.

[ loss of audio ] >> dave: we apologize for the minor audio difficulties. mississippi state right there ran a nice set-play. and a down screen. >> joe: for their top three-point shooter ravern johnson. rick stansbury said he's in a slump so let's run some stuff for him, get his confidence back, get him looks. on the three-point attempt, tasmin mitchell the cardinal sin in defensive basketball. don't foul a shee shooter, especially from three-point range. >> dave: at the other end, he can light it up, joe. he got the first field goal for the tigers.

>> joe: ravern johnson, the young man shooting 44% from three-point range, but only 57% at the foul line, which is hard to understand how you can be that good shooting on the floor, but it doesn't convert to the foul line. i think a lot of it is just kids today, dave, they don't spend time in the off-season knocking down free-throws. >> it's not hard to understand, coach. it's where you put your time in. >> joe: you're exactly right. [ whistle ] >> dave: a whistle away from the ball. >> joe: you can see the l.s.u. team on tap with mitchell. every cut through the lane. body checking him. double-teaming him when he catches it. ravern johnson is a good match-up on tasmin mitchell. >> dave: he commits his first foul. right in it goes to mitchell with johnson.

>> dave: dee bost, the defense on spencer. the tigers continue to use the shot clock. mitchell couldn't get the roll on the step-back. and varnado controls the rebound. [ cheering ] there is johnson. he had a foot on the line. >> joe: good job of pushing the ball in transition for mississippi state. like to shoot the three early in the offensive possession, if your chance can get the offensive put-back and take in the miss. >> dave: harris got three inside but held for going up to the shot. dotson. >> joe: dave, we talked a lot about the mississippi state three-point shooting woes you see the last three games. 15 of 75. of course, johnson and bost, two of the better shooters really struggled. just been in a slump. >> dave: mitchell. couldn't get it to go.

now garrett green checked in the l.s.u. line-up and is foul and will go to the line. joe, before this last three-game streak, mississippi state has been shooting 39% from outside the three-point line. they are 28th in the nation. >> joe: they're capable. every perimeter player at mississippi state can shoot the ball. in fact, they have six players on their squad that made double-figure threes on the season. so that tells you a lot of guys can knock them down. the last three games, two of which were on the road. normally you don't shoot as well on the road. obviously. unfamiliar surroundings. >> dave: it speaks to what rick stansbury was talking to both of us about, that when you go to your bench -- you know this as a coach -- you are looking for a spark, someone to change the rhythm. he really hadn't had that person when guys get in the shooting slump or somebody is maybe not squaring up the way they should.

he doesn't have that person that he can go to and kind of mix things up. >> joe: that's right. to your point, last year when they played four games in a row at the s.e.c. tournament and won the championship, he had ten-man rotation. there were times when he had different guys on the floor that did not start who advanced and increased the lead while he was out there. he doesn't have it this year. consequently, they struggled a little bit. still having a very good season. 15-5 overall with good non-conference wins over ucla, people like that, 3-2 in the league. just been in a slump the last few games. >> dave: they had so much versatility last year, they have a small line-up in december. dee bost. bost with the help defense.

with two of them, can they convert it? they can't, but ravern johnson can. excellent hustle by benock and bost to keep that ball alive! it leads to three by ravern johnson. [ applause ] there is johnson again on on the run-out. and trent johnson is going to call a time-out. [ cheering ] >> joe: the long shot by l.s.u., the long rebound.

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♪ ♪ >> dave: how about that musical selection? jarvis varnado trying to take us to the top of the all-time blocked shot list. he's got one today. there you see how they're keeping up with it. the block party by the slot. >> joe: nice young man. had a chance to visit with him last night at the practice. the senior, had a phenomenal career here. from brownsville, tennessee. great for the s.e.c. break the all-time record. he has a legitimate shot to do

that. >> dave: you got to see that one ratl in and out, as varnado waits to check back in. >> joe: augustus is actually from baton rouge, louisiana, and cousin of simone augustus, the women's player in lsu who is now in the wmba. >> dave: augustus goes to the bench, as varnado checks in. full court pressure after a made free-throw. force l.s.u. to work to get it up. l.s.u. needs to push it if they can and create easy chances like they had with spencer and storm warren the play before. >> joe: they had the number, there but you saw dennis harris, the freshman, not sure enough. that's the hand that trent johnson has been dealt with at this point. >> dave: spencer. long three. did not draw iron. i know he is coming off the

off-season surgery but he was a guy as much as anybody that responded to well to trent johnson a year ago. >> joe: i agree. he had a great season last year and he was playing alongside temple, a tremendous leader and steady influence on both center as well as the l.s.u. tigers. and now that he's the main man, i don't know if he is up to that. poor shot selection the time before and now they'll take him out of the game. >> dave: that is no disrespect to spencer but it's entirely different being the man and still have someone playing around the man. >> joe: exactly. when you have a great supporting cast around you, and you're not called on to try to make all the plays to win games, you can flourish and make a contribution. now he's the main guy. defenses are keying on him more and it's been difficult for him. >> dave: bass. nice pass in there.

by ravern johnson. >> dave: really nice recognition by benock. but if ravern johnson doesn't continue out on the floor -- and rick stansbury knows he's struggling. keep your head up, keep playing. keep taking it like that. >> joe: he told me that

yesterday after practice. he said how are you doing? rayburn said, "coach, i'm good." he said hey, keep shooting the basketball. trying to give him the confidence of his head coach, he knows he's good and knows what his abilities are. just got to keep doing it. >> dave: we talk a lot about mississippi state three-point shooting but they're an excellent defensive team. >> joe: we talked about giving up only 61 points a game. >> dave: that is an example right there, where bost got a hand on it and forced bass to the turnover. >> joe: it's interesting. they deny the passing game. they're very good on-ball defenders. right there, he just got a deflection on it. stepped on the sideline. you see pat adams with the call right there. and the defense continues to force l.s.u. to take tough shots and shoot poor per ten

saj. >> dave: a lot of folks built with pressure and gimmicks but this is straight man-to-man. >> joe: they're last in steals. they're not trying to pressure and turn you over. they do it inside out. >> dave: a pretty spin move by osby. again, not able to convert. "hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" -- mitchell. got his feet squared up. >> joe: he won't like that because osby gamble and allowed them a free look at the basket can. rick wants them playing inside-out defense. osby gamble and it did not pay off. >> dave: osby commits the foul on the baseline. he's called for the charge. l.s.u. battling. but the bulldogs continue to be in control. here at the hump.

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back in the studio, i'm whit watson. coming up at the break, first half highlights and stats. duke at georgetown today and preview of florida and tennessee tomorrow. all of that coming up in a moment. right now, back to joe and dave. >> dave: thanks, whit. we appreciate it. barry booker no doubt in the green room there getting warmed up for halftime activity. take a look at jarvis varnado. the dad of jarvis the high school coach just up the road at west point, mississippi. >> joe: we were talking west point, mississippi, close here to starkville, part of the golden triangle with columbus and the site of the women's u.s. open a few years ago. >> dave: a beautiful track. i had the pleasure of playing in it myself. if it's a good track, i'm sure you had the pleasure of playing it. >> joe: after the time-out, mississippi state guess to zone trap. a 1-2-2 zone trapping defense. designed to give a young team

a different look. contact connect. >> dave: stewart. >> joe: contested by kinsley. good job defensively by kinsley. barry stewart probably should have reversed the ball one more time and wait for a better one. >> dave: louisiana state is two of nine from outside the arc. three of 17 overall. >> joe: again, just really struggling on the offensive end. which is obvious if you have been watching the entire first half. >> dave: populist. populist. 5'10", 150-pound freshman from slidell, louisiana. >> another walk-on for the lsu tigers. a number of walk-on, scholarship players who made the squad.

because of the lack of depth that trent johnson has for the team. johnson has always had walk-on try-outs wherever he's been. if the walk-ons are on the floor too much, it ain't a good thing. >> joe: not a good thing at all. you're exactly right. no disrespect to the young men. they work very hard. >> dave: they do. >> joe: they're giving their best effort. but in this league, the talent level is so good you've got to match it with good players. johnson has done that. four excellent high school players including darrenbecker from metarie park, right outside new orleans, will be a freshman next year. and turner out of muckalshoot, alabama. and the freshman out of the same metarie park high school. teammates. then you have malcolm white sitting out. 6'9", 240-pound post player transferring from ole miss this year to help l.s.u. considerably next year.

>> dave: mitchell with a tough, tough shot. that as much or anything is indication of how difficult is it for l.s.u. to put points on the board. showing no sign of going in. the only solace for stansburick stansbury today, as bad as the team is shooting, he is taking on a team that has even more difficult time putting the ball in the basket. mitchell got that one to go. >> joe: starting to heat up. getting the ball on the perimeter. he's must better from there with varnado lurking in the lane area. mitchell is a very, very good perimeter shooter. now leads all scorers with

ten. >> dave: the question is did stansbury say go ahead and shoot ourselves out of this while we have the game in a little perspective, or when you do that, do you go ahead and say we have to pound it inside. populist is called for the ten-second violation. >> joe: a good question. watch mitchell on the fade-away jump-shot. his talent level against varnado right there. steps back. you really have to step back away to make sure that varnado doesn't get the block. the point well taken. varnado has not made a field goal. not gone to him in the low post. stansbury wants to see the perimeter shooting improve and get the confidence back. that's what they've tried to do in the first half. >> dave: in the final minute in the first half.

the score is one you might expect to see with 45 seconds left when lsu and state are teague it up in football -- teeing it up in football. stewart. a good look at it. >> joe: set play off the inbounds. >> it was. underneath out of bounds, ran a double screen down in the lane and brought stewart off the double. the senior knocked it down. an excellent shooter. >> dave: mitchell geven. wide open for the three. somebody got lost. varnado switched out there a little bit. mississippi state with a basketball and chance to take the last shot. osby. [ whistle ]

way off to the side. augustus is whistled for the foul. >> joe: that's the ninth team foul against mississippi state. with four seconds to go, rick stansbury won't like that fouling from -- that's what he is telling him. 94 feet away we are going to foul the guy with four seconds to the go and send andy to the foul line. >> dave: the second foul against augustus. mitchell to the bench and make sure he doesn't pick up a cheappy in the final four seconds. ludwig is a freshman. 6'9" out of metarie park high school. 2500 points in his high school year, under mike mcguire the coach there. he has a sister caroline who is a junior at l.s.u. i think probably destined where he was going to go from day one. >> dave: l.s.u. shot well from the free-throw line.

>> joe: as poorly as they shot, they are only down eight points and are very much in the game. >> dave: absolutely. bost. at the buzzer. ravern johnson with a big first half. one of the mississippi state bulldogs trying to shoot his way out of the slump. he has 11 of the dogs' 23. it's 23-15. the dogs over the tigers. whit watson, ask your buddy, barry booker if he can find some offense back there in the studio! >> whit: it's funny. we're doing math here as t cellular south halftime report begins on the s.e.c. network. they had 14 in the first half of this game. what do you do now? >> barry: it's struggle for l.s.u. offensively heifer time they step on the court. they're still in the ballgame. not out of reach.

mississippi state needed a confidence boost. they're not playing that great. l.s.u. has a shot in the game. >> whit: we have a lot more to get to as the halftime report begins. duke and georgetown. dukies at georgetown for the first time since 2006. highlights of that contest coming up on the s.e.c. network.

this halftime report is brought to you by -- >> whit: top 25 action. the first ban on hand as duke goes to georgetown for the first time if four years. chris wright goes coast-to-coast. nine-point game in the first half. freeman off another turnover. the lay-up. georgetown is up 11 at home.

greg monroe makes it 46-43 at the break. georgetown won that game four years ago. syracuse at depaul. 18-6. the jam, and syracuse down 18-8. from the offense. 21-8. walker, you might want to guard this guy. it's barry booker out there! >> shooting from depaul. >> west virginia hosting louisville. early second off the steal. bryant to wellington smith. tied at 48 in the first half. and delk had 16 in the game. kevin jones, the bucket and the foul.

11-nothing run. jones had 16. under 20 to go. butler had 27. west virginia up by one. one more chance for lewis. no good. they have not beat an ranked team all season. connecticut number 19. the golden eagles on the round. diceson. from out there on the logo. and yukon takes a 68-65 lead -- uconn takes a 68-65 lead. and butler, tied at 68. connecticut one more chance. marquette hangs on for the upset. when we come back, we look ahead to sunday in the s.e. krbz as streaking florida will ta -- sunday in the s.c ahe

our cellular south

halftime report continues on the s.e.c. network. back in the studio, whit watson and barry booker. great to have you with us. we'll preview florida and tennessee in a moment. one more highlight from the day. we look at lasalle taking on tem pel. coaches versus cancer. and first half, temple up by one. part of a 10-nothing temple run. they led by six at the break. a 10-2 le sal run. explores down by six. moore, beginning to heat up. fadejump.

e have the second half of your game coming up. 28-15. the bug dogs lead it.

>> dave: jump to big ten. the pink shoes for breast cancer awareness. down 13-9. hull from the corner cuts it to one. same score, illini come back. they're up 15-12. same score off the rebound. avis

ss in the southeastern conference. they're up eight.

>> dave: the home fans are fired up and ready to go, as we roll to another saturday of s.e.c. basketball on the s.e.c. network. mississippi state with an eight-point halftime lead. the defense has been the story as you look at the krystal first half stats. l.s.u. with five field goals and nine turnovers. that is not a winning form what. dave baker alongside joe dean.

the shooting numbers are obvious. both teams did certain things well. >> joe: good news for mississippi state, the defense is outstanding. they held l.s.u. to 25% shooting. 15 points. for l.s.u., they outrebounded mississippi state. that's why they're still in the game. >> dave: when you talk about offense for l.s.u., tasmin mitchell. he is the guy that has to get it done. every time he takes one, it's a tough, tough shot. >> joe: he can score inside. with varnado in there, he is going outside more, looking for his shots. that graphic right there is a self-held graphic. ten points for tas and five for the rest of the team. l.s.u. has to find help offensively for tasmin mitchell. this guy right here storm warren is one of the guys that needs to do that. >> dave: you'd think with the weather we'd have this weekend, it would be good for him. instead, varnado at the other end gets the bucket and draws the foul. joe, you talked about it in the first half. perhaps this is what they need to do. push the tempo.

>> joe: push the ball down the floor. >> joe: great to see him make himself available for bost pass under the basket. that's the first field goal for varnado. a good way to get him going to start the second half. >> dave: you can see it's affected him a little bit. he doesn't show a lot in terms of emotion. happy after that play. 14 points, the biggest mississippi state lead. there is populist. one of the three walk-ons in the court in the first half. second half start. warren will be whistled for the foul. >> joe: a good lack it populist. one of the three walk-ons you mentioned. and kent lowe, the sports director at last last made a comment that l.s.u. went on a

9-3 run at the end of the first half with the three walk-ons in the game. >> dave: bost caught in the air. johnson got a good look. couldn't get it to go. varnado two of two in the second half. >> joe: obviously, mississippi state struggled in the first. what happens? the senior varnado, leader of the team to score a couple of baskets off the break to get his team off to good second half start. >> dave: populist. kinsley on the floor. another walk-on. >> joe: johnson is sending a message to spencer and chris bass with starting the two walk-ons in the second half. they respect going to execute and make right plays. try other people. >> dave: look at varnado! a young man who has come out with a sense of purpose in the

final 20 minutes! and the home crowd is much appreciative. >> joe: it gets to the weak side of the board, against warren and gets away with a chicken elbow. but he works hard on that shot in practice to rise up with the 6'9" frame, the long arms and he has a nice touch with the shot. >> dave: varnado leads the s.e.c. with ten double-doubles and the active career leader with 25 double-doubles. >> dave: 19 minutes, seven points and seven rebounds. mitchell is able to control the basketball on what looks like a high dribble.

>> joe: that is the play that always bothered me as a coach. the play of verticalty. that's what ravern johnson is telling the official. i'm straight up. he jumped into me. the plane of verticalty was not part of that call but a smart play by tasmin mitchell to draw the contact and goat the line. >> dave: forget about the plane of verticalty. how about getting on plane for diamondhead classic, bulldogs fans? >> joe: count me in. >> dave: for the seventh annual diamond head cla classic december 22, 23, 25. christmas in hawaii. butler, florida state, baylor and more will visit diamondheadclassic.com for more details. >> dave: the can we pet ourselves on available list for that? >> joe: good for mississippi state. they have gustav isolated in the low post, against tom

luginbill. i think stansbury would consider that mismatch. they go right to him. get the foul. >> dave: he was open for a moment. >> joe: good defense by lsu. excellent on the crossing pattern on the out of bounds play. knocked off augustus' leg. [ cheering ] >> dave: populist. mitchell with a step-back over augustus. that has been his primary weapon. the step-back jumper. >> last year in the game in starkville between mississippi state and lsu, mitchell went for 41. the tigers won an incredible double overtime win, a huge

win moving toward the s.e.c. championship at that point in the season. >> dave: he has 16 points so far today. >> joe: he likes it. right here, the step back, and the shot. a litt little squeeze at the hu in starkville! >> dave: i thought maybe the music string was broken. >> joe: someone asked in the restroom, have you done any string music in the end of the first half? i said there wasn't much to say there. >> dave: johnson off the glass. gets it to go. nice game. his 13th point of the game. tinsley. can't get it to go. stewart. >> joe: an amazing line-up that lsu has on the floor right now. two walk-ons, freshman, sophomore in tasmin mitchell. the all-american candidate.

>> dave: mitchell is a guy, you want to talk about the leadership. he has 126 games played and 125 starts. a starter as freshman on the 2006 final four team. look at him working down on the low block. it's got to be awfully frustrating for him in terms of what he is going through this year. you see the ncaa tournament. not the supporting cast this time around then or last year. >> joe: he had big baby, glen davis, of course. a number of people i've talked about on the squad. thomas. who played in the n.b.a. right now. >> dave: mitchell again. over varnado. he couldn't get it to go. >> dave: took it at the big fellow. augustus goes to line for two. >> joe: i bragged on the yellow shoe defense and now i have to chastise him. you have don't allow the

ball-handler to drive to the lane uncontested. l.s.u. did is not step out and stop the basketball. as a result, tony augustus, a smart play by him, recognizing that. getting himself to the free-throw line. >> dave: this isn't just coach speak but not only experience for young guys. it's a basketball i.q. developing that i.q. from being in game situations over and over. >> at this level, serve good. they have good teams and good coaches and the guys that find ways to make plays and execute on both ends of the floor that understand how to play the game, like tasmin mitchell does. he is just a smart, smart savvy player. that separates the good players from the great players. >> augustus, from the free-throw line. whistle underneath. they'll get augustus from the

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stansbury's old high school. >> dave: that's right. >> we had great performances in the s s.e.c. this year, partner. look at that. >> that was on this floor. don't see many triple-digits. tasmin mitchell had unbelievable game against l.s.u. downey, you could say it about every game. >> he's averaging 31 points in s.e.c. play. unbelievable. we talked about fortson and the top he did. getting to the foul line 18 times the point guard is impressive. they knocked off mississippi state in faithville. >> dave: i saw something i was impressed with. trent johnson usually gets the team back in pers spepective an chris beattie is a walk-on and they took a deep breath and

tabbed him on the back of the head. he knows, it doesn't mean it's less frustrating but he knows the young man is doing the best he can. >> joe: absolutely. a really nice move by a guy who understands what he's dealing with. >> no doubt about it. a tough year for him. he had a man big-time in his face! >> offensive explosion as of late for lsu. >> mississippi state with the offense and post players. augustus and varnado trying to find him down low. >> i liked ludwig. he was up there on augustus. not playing back.

>> they are playing hard. >> he's not going to give up on them. he told them before the alabama game we did i'm not going to quit on you. i'm going to hang in and we are going to battle and fight and prepare and do everything we can to give ourselves a chance to win. >> s.e.c. coach of the year last year. did a great job out at nevada. his influence is felt even more now. mark fox in for him. doing an outstanding job at georgia. >> i agree. he played kentucky close in rupp arena and mississippi state beat here a week ago. lost by three. knocked off tennessee at home of course last week. mitchell. >> he can really play the game. he's smart. score inside.

rebounds. great release. whole package. his sixth 20-point game of the year. he now has 22. >> we talk about trent johnson and what he's done. this you see nevada at stanford. three-time conference coach of the year in three different leagues. that's impressive right there. >> populist chases down the mitchell miss. spencer hits three in a row before that one. ludwig

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today's s.e.c. network game is brought to you by -- >> dave: thes wills will tigers are hanging around. keeping it at the double digit at the hump. look at the geico play of the game. one of the biggest reasons is the play of jarvis varnado. >> joe: double-double again today. 11 and 10. nice spin move around tasmin mitchell. the two star watch seniors that lead both of these clubs. that was a tremendous offensive spin to the basket. laying it off the glass. jarvis varnado continues to impress in this his senior season. >> it thi think he gets a bad w about the defense. >> joe: he's improved considerably.

spent time yesterday working with the assistant coaches here on the jump hook, moves to the basket. >> a turnover, penetration. gets it back in. >> a dozen points for phil turner. gave the team a shot in the arm. something they've been looking for, from somebody. spencer. [ whistle ] >> yep. a good call! >> spencer tried to draw the foul. that is a little bit of an n.b.a. rule but he extend exteo varnado's body. offensive foul on spencer. >> it may have been an n.b.a. move. like the offensive linemen

that is fouled when he was in front of the referee. you might have been chicken winged. >> joe: i would have passed it! i would haven't tried to take on a guy like varnado. by the way, he's wearing my number. i didn't give him permission. [ laughter [ laughter ] >> dave: do you think he did the research? >> joe: i don't think so. >> dave: watch the left elbow. extends to the body. varnado is straight up defensively. that is the offensive foul. if you are going to do, that great work by the guys. if you are going to do, that be more savvy than that. >> joe: more subtle. >> that is the decision-making we talked about with spencer. he made the nice plays but those are the things that, you know, decision-wise, if he is going to go in there, knowing that varnado is coming at him, he has to find someone open for the pass-out. >> to revisit the champion how

do you play, it looks like that 32 that varnado is different in size than what you are. >> you think? [ laughter ] i still can't get over the long baggy shorts. i like the shorts ones to show off our legs. >> maybe there is a reason they went to long baggy shorts. >> good control by mitchell. recognized he didn't have anything. kicked the ball back out and restarted the offense. >> populist. one of the three walk-ons, we've seen on the court today for l.s.u. under two minutes in starkville. >> joe: a good match-up here. there it is. you don't see it very often, dave. you don't see very often varnado leave his feet before the offensive player leaves his. that just shows the respect that varnado has for mitchell. watch this.

he normally stays on the floor, off his feet. smart move from the senior, tasmin mitchell. >> dave: mitchell, in his defense, if it wasn't 18-point game you wouldn't see varnado guard outside the three-point yard line. >> joe: i agree. they're just experimenting to see how he does on the floor against mitchell. >> dave: you correctly pointed out those would be the two guys with double-double. >> joe: that wasn't a hard call. >> dave: didn't take a c.s.i. to do that? >> joe: no, it did not. >> dave: johnson with the fade-away. 15 for johnson.

mississippi state, i'm sure they feel like they let one get away at arkansas. 24 for tasmin mitchell. make it 26. >> joe: he's so good at getting the ball off and out of his hands quickly before the edefend ker get his hands up to contest. he just has a quick, quick release. and they did it against varnado right there. >> dave: mississippi state as i mentioned let one get away. they have come back at home. they right the ship. good basketball game for them. they go to vanderbilt next. >> joe: tough road at mississippi state. they are at vanderbilt, i believe, wednesday. then next saturday they go to florida. an important week coming up for rick stansbury's team.

>> dave: a good look at rick stansbury. mississippi state schedule there. two road games against two of the top teams in the east. >> in the first meeting they got the victory at oxford. >> dave: it will be interesting to see how ole miss responds. now that the game is pushed back because of the ice they play tomorrow night at home against arkansas and then they have a short turn-around. they play super tuesday game on tuesday night in lexington against the wildcats. >> joe: when you are a west division team and you cross over to the east, you have your hands full. everybody in the east, even go georgia is capable of beating you. you can throw in south carolina with what they did to

kentucky and georgia is playing well. >> dave: we heard chartering from the younger coaches that had to do the turn-around before. back when you were coaching, it was saturday monday, wasn't it? >> joe: it was. absolutely. when i played here, it was saturday monday. early times when i was at kentucky with joe b. hall, saturday-monday. right. >> dave: the one thing rick stansbury told me this morning is the more you do it, the more you may have to change your preparation. you've got to get your guys more rest. have somebody on staff working ahead to the next game. rather than one at a time. >> joe: that is true. but don't forget the ncaa tournament is a two-day deal. they will play a thursday-saturday or friday-sunday in the ncaa. good way to get ready for that. [ cheers and applause ]

green says count it at the buzzer. but outcome was not in doubt. it's the mississippi state bulldogs. with their 16th win of the season against five losses. they move to 4-2 in the s.e.c. l.s.u. drops 9-12 overall, 0-7. this is their first 0-6 start in the league since 1965. joe, it gets mississippi state going in the right direction. >> joe: a good win for the bulldogs. you have to win home games. they took care of business today. >> dave: great working with you again, my friend. >> joe: same here. >> dave: good to see you. for our entire s.e.c. network crew, thanks for being with us. we have more great basketball coming up in a minute. but right now, take it back to our studios. whit watson, along with barry booker. ♪ >> hi, dave, thank you very much. coming up in a moment along the s.e.c. network stations, mikhail torrance, alabama taking on auburn.

that will go out to all of the s.e.c. network affiliates on this saturday afternoon. back inside the network studios, with barry booker, i'm whit watson. those expecting to see ole miss at 4:00 eastern time, 3:00 central, that game against arkansas has been moved to sunday night at 7:00 p.m. due to weather in the in the game. first substitution. he wears number 30 for washington state. and on the wing in the defensive zone. >> miles: coach bone talked about when they were practicing this zone defense yesterday, they want to recognize who the shooters are. they want to make gaddy a jump shooter. he's only shooting 2-17 from the three point line. they want to extend out to isaiah thomas if he catches out behind the line. >> steve: right now it seems like washington state is matching washington with their defensive intensity. and clay thompson coming in, we told you missed the bus yesterday just by a few minutes. they held it up to him, but because he did not get to the bus in time, did not start, he comes in and two minutes into

the game with a 3-0 lead. >> miles: when you're used to starting, we'll see how that can affect your psyche. and great back to back back cut down the floor for the could you arrests. that's how you beat overplay on defense. >> steve: early in this game reggie moore not playing like a freshman. >> steve: here's breshers. he's alone in the middle and drops it home. >> miles: did g. strong move over casto, the leading shot blocker. >> steve: moore defended by isaiah thomas and there's the contact. isaiah even though he's only 5'8", a very good defensive player. thompson being defended by holiday. a turnover that went right to

the hands of xavier thames. >> miles: klay had the opportunity there. he gets to that pac-10 conference sign. there at 6'6", he needs to raise up over the smaller defenders and shoot that nice little 10 footer and clean it up on the glass. >> steve: coach said the key is taking care of the basketball. they've already suffered three turn your overs. and washington turns them into points. terrible shot by holiday. missed the basket by a good foot and a half. >> miles: so far lucky for the cougars off those turnover, they haven't led to transition points as thames knocks down the three, gets a sign to his family up in the crowd. >> steve: and xavier averaging just under five points per game. got the start today. he's on top of the zone more almost with the steal. thomas with a long move to the hoop. and he is fouled.

deanxio dea kcasto the guy that can get int foul trouble. >> miles: they feel just a little bit from fatigue and he's playing a different style of basketball this year where if you're a big guy, you have to play 94 feet because you play fwlok block on both ends. he's been wearing down, a little bit more tired. so hopefully he can reenergy niz himself for the second half of the pac-10. >> steve: he have recruited by bennett but then fwhbennett lea de'angelo had to adjust his game, as well. >> miles: and i think he's made a good adjustment. he's a great athlete. two shot block as game. he's getting ten points a game. they need him to be more of a presence down low if the cougars to be effective. >> steve: looks like thomas is healthy with his defense on moore. he did not play tuesday because

of an illness. just a viral infection. didn't practice that much on thursday. but we saw him practice yesterday and he looked solid. that's the second three for the cougars and they've started well on the road. >> miles: the senior from serbia gets his first start of the year. not going to be nervous in this type of atmosphere. he played in the ncaa tournament and leads the league in three point percentage. >> steve: right now it seems like washington not playing with the kind of confidence they usually play with at home. >> miles: they're not attacking. they're being really hesitant on the offensive end. >> steve: reggie moore misses. klay thompson rebounds, but did he go over the back? and elston turner called for the foul. they get the ball to reggie moore and the freshman scores.

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56 years between outright titles. isaiah thomas then a freshman. pretty excited. but how much did this team miss brockman? >> miles: those guys were huge for this husky team. not only as leaders, but just the things they did on the court. brockman was a guy who could carve out ways down low in the lane to get rebounds, keep balls alive. and then hickman's intensity, if xwis weren't playing the right way, he's the type that can get in their face and they respected him because of the things that he did on the floor. key get in their face and say you need to pick it up, quincy, aye, and do much better for the team to be successful. >> steve: right now washington state opening made four of the first five shots. moore with the basketball. being defended by overton. they'll bump you throughout.

our three officials outstanding pac-10 officials trying to take control early. >> miles: they'll want to get -- they're trying to eliminate some of that physical play, let these teams run up and down, run a little bit more freely because these are high scoring offenses. >> steve: misses long. overton rebounds. >> miles: doing a great job of counter acting the pressure that the huskies are putting on by dribble drive and they've made three great back cut which is have led to either shots or foul calls. >> steve: overton missing the shot. they made just one of seven shots. how should they be attacking the 2-3 zone? >> miles: get in the middle of the paint, penetration by the guard. they want to get to that sweet spot which is the foul line area that 10 to 15 foot area, suck in the zone defense and look for the shot or kick out to a shooter. >> steve: now back on the defense, washington in the man.

koprivica, his second three. shooting 50% from three point range. last year he only shot 23. >> miles: this is a guy in his three other games here, koprivica has only scored 12 points. he has six points now. >> steve: turner, can he fire. long. but koprivica with the rebound. right now the cougars not only leading, but it they have the rhythm of the game, the tempo is clearly cougar way. >> miles: cougars doing a great job on the defensive glass, usually out of zone defenses they're harder to rebound, but doing a great job of keeping the huskies who lead the league in offensive rebounding from getting second shots. >> steve: they say it's a turnover by washington state and administer o moore can't believe it. you see his pay shal expression. doesn't look like a freshman at all. very confident player.

he and capers out top of that zone and ken bone working with that zone in practice yesterday. >> miles: huskies need to move the ball a lot more quickly. make the zone shift. >> steve: there's pondexter. i barely said pondexter's name and they find him on the court. >> miles: he needs to be more active especially in the zone, flashing in to the open gaps. he can pop out on the perimeter and face up and put the ball on the floor a little bit. guards have to hit him right away. >> steve: quincy pondexter outstanding foul shooter at 84%. last year you you can see how they had that great balance throughout the lineup. this year they've got two guys and averaging close to 37 points per game. but over top off the bench is their third leading scorer. >> miles: for teams to be successful and it doesn't matter which league you're playing in, you have to get guys in the range of 10 to 16 points, get about three or four of those

guys, and that's going to add up to 50, 60 points. when you're top heavy on your scoring and one of those guys isn't on that night, it causes problems for your team offensively. >> miles: i remember the team you played for in '97, won the national championship, simon, bivy and dickerson who could score and terry coming off the bernlg. >> miles: you you had to pick your poison when you have so many options who they're going to try to stop that night. >> steve: watsons that blocked right in to the hands of clay thunderstorm son and misses the three. overton, can he run. and he rubs right over koprivica who was backing up on the play. >> miles: i think good call. i think koprivica was not set. overton was a little bit out of control, but koprivica did not have his feet said enough to be able to draw the charge call there. he slides over in front of

overton at the last second. good call by bill kennedy. >> steve: i think he got some help on flopping. quincy pondexter. he hits. he's the man. maybe this is the start the huf huskies need. >> miles: coupon as he's known with the great shoot over the smaller defender. >> steve: getting close to the 1500 point mark. he is ninth in washington history scoring. klay thompson trying to turn and spin on his man. a foul will be called. klay thompson, whose father, michael, played if so many years in the nba, a terrific broadcaster now with the los angeles lakers. what an athletic family because obviously his brother plays at pepper dine and another plays for the chicago white sox. >> miles: that's some great lynn yamg right there. i'm sure there was some competitive battles one-on-one

games going on in the thompson household. >> steve: marcus cape ersz on the drive. misses. watson. the freshman. james watson in the corner and the huskies race to the area. now the cougars join them as james watson get as pat on the back for his hustle early in this game. >> miles: i luft energy by the cougars. james watson with three tips at the basket. couldn't get to fall, with you still dive manage to the husky bench with no fear. his coaching staff applaud his effort as he comes down the floor. >> steve: overton, turner in the backcourt. suggs now in the game, a very good three shooter. the 2-1 pressure that the cougs are showing is just to slow down the huskies and make them work in the half-court offense. hits the three and all of a sudden it's a four-point game. so pondexter hits the two

thousand. it's turner with the three. >> miles: when you're in the zone defense, you have to recognize who the shooters are. elston turner comes free along the baseline. no one tells him that a shooter is coming to the corner. >> steve: and that sends a 7-0 husky run. >> miles: all set up by making his first between jumpers. they run at him hard and gives a little upfake, side step, three-point shot. >> steve: overton. missing long. they're going to have trouble if they can't hit the three-point shot against this 2-3 zone. ball out of bounds to the huskies. we've got a toime-out on the floor. 11:37 to p thd up pter'nse. re ng ia.

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>> steve: cougars with the early lead on the road in seattle. and washington state's three point shooting has been outstanding. >> miles: this is scouting report stuff for the huskies. you have to know that washington state leads the conference at 38% from the three point line and that koprivica is the best three-point shooter. so you have to recognize better plays out there by overton. overton just flies at him, doesn't come out p under control on his closeout.

>> steve: last year washington state was a defensive team with tony bennett who is now at virginia, but ken bone said let's speed things up. look where are their offense has gone. >> miles: it took time to adapt to ken bone's system. he said in the first few preseason practices, guys would get the defensive rebound and just hold the ball. and a there was no outlet no attempt to push it up the floor. but now he said they've gotten accustomed to trying to run, put in his style of play, do the right thing and really play up tempo. >> steve: they're swarming pondexter. tries to drive over ands that rejected by capers. so right there to drop is home is matthew bri