By By Austin Bishop/EMG regional sports director
March 14, 2004
ATLANTA There were no tears being shed in Mississippi State's lockerroom following the Bulldogs' 74-70 overtime loss to Vanderbilt in Friday's quarterfinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament.
This pack of Bulldogs is not really the crying type.
There was some dejection. There was a lot of disappointment. But there was even more determination.
Going into this week's SEC Tournament at the Georgia Dome, the talk was about Mississippi State and Kentucky battling for one of the four No. 1 seeds in NCAA Tournament that will be announced later today.
The Bulldogs likely played themselves out of contention for a No. 1, but State will probably be no worse than a No. 2.
But in an odd sort of way, losing in the quarters to Vandy may actually help the Bulldogs.
The most obvious positive impact is the additional day or two of rest that SEC Player of the Year Lawrence Roberts will receive. The 6-foot-9 junior post player injured his lower leg when he banged into photographers going for a loose ball under the goal midway through the first half.
Roberts, who came into the tournament averaging 17.1 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, was struggling even before he went down with the injury.
He was just 4-of-12 from the floor on the way to scoring 13 points and had to finish strong to claim eight rebounds. He had just four points and three rebounds at the half.
The other positive may see State being in a more convenient location in the tournament for their fans.
It seems more likely at this point that State will be a No. 2 in the same region that will see Duke as a No. 1.
That means the Bulldogs would possible play the first two rounds in Orlando, Fla, before advancing to Atlanta if the Bulldogs make the Sweet 16.
But the Bulldogs didn't seem as concerned about where they would play as they were about getting an opportunity to redeem themselves.
The Bulldogs are 8-6 all-time in NCAA Tournament games, including 1-2 under Stansbury. The Bulldogs reached the Final Four under Richard Williams in 1996.
State lost to Butler 47-46 in the first round in Birmingham last season.