No. 21 Memphis will use its full-court press on Saturday to try to shake up a visiting Mississippi State team that ranks among the best at taking care of the ball.
The Bulldogs (10-1) have a 1.97 assists-to-turnover ratio (193 assists, 98 turnovers), which ranked sixth in Division I entering Thursday. In its 83-59 home win against Central Michigan on Tuesday, Mississippi State had only five turnovers.
When asked about the Bulldogs’ efficiency, coach Chris Jans offered a shoulder shrug and a chuckle with his answer.
“It’s not coaching, I can tell you that,” said Jans, whose team had 24 assists on 35 baskets against Central Michigan and has won four in a row. “We haven’t changed that much. We work on valuing the ball and all the things we’ve always done about not panicking in pressure situations. It’s probably some guys getting used to playing at this level that were here last year.”
That poise will be tested against Memphis (9-2), which turned to a full-court press in the second half of a 64-62 road win on Wednesday against Virginia after trailing by nine at the half. The Tigers forced seven turnovers in the second half and upset the Cavaliers’ offensive flow with the hurried pace.
In the first half, the Cavs shot 4 of 10 from 3-point range, but just 2 of 9 in the second half as the Tigers’ trapping defense took its toll. Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said the Tigers’ pressure got their “energy up” and allowed them to start “making some shots.”
Memphis also attacks the offensive glass. Dain Dainja has a team-high 29 offensive rebounds and averages 6.7 rebounds per game, while Moussa Cisse (27 offensive rebounds) averages 5.7 rebounds per game.
“We won’t shoot the ball well every night,” Hardaway said. “But we have three high-level scorers that are going to make difficult shots. Most of the time that ball will carom off and they have to be there to give us a second chance.”
The extra possessions lead to more scoring chances for PJ Haggerty, who leads Memphis with 22.4 points per game. The redshirt sophomore is a transfer from Tulsa, where he was a unanimous American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year selection. NBAdraftroom.com rates him as a potential second-round pick in 2025 or 2026.
Tyrese Hunter adds 15.6 points per game and Colby Rogers chips in 12.5.
“I marvel at his greatness,” Hardaway said about Haggerty, who tallied 21 of his game-high 27 points in the second half against Virginia. “He just finds a way to score. He can be shooting poorly and it just clicks, or he can come out on fire and stay on fire.”
Josh Hubbard leads the Bulldogs with 18 points per game, though Michael Nwoko scored a season-high 18 points in only 18 minutes against the Chippewas. Jans would like Nwoko to play bigger minutes, but his conditioning is not yet conducive to long stretches.
“His productivity drops off when he gets tired,” Jans said. “And, unfortunately, right now he gets tired earlier than we’d want him to be. We track it every single day and he knows what he needs to do. If he can get himself where that drop-off isn’t that big, that’s all it boils down to — either being tougher mentally or being in better shape cardio-wise.”
