Bulldogs try to keep clicking as they host Texas A&M

Everything seems to be clicking for Mississippi State of late. The Bulldogs won a pair of Southeastern Conference games last week and are now 3-1 in league play this season. Overall, MSU has won eight of its last 10 games.

So can State keep it up? That's the big question headed into Wednesday night as MSU gets set to host Texas A&M.

So what do you need to know headed into Wednesday's affair? Here's a quick look at the game:

• What: Texas A&M (6-4, 1-3) at Mississippi State (8-4, 3-1)
• Where: Humphrey Coliseum – Starkville, Mississippi
• When: 8 p.m. central
• TV/Video: SEC Network, ESPN App
• Radio/Audio: Mississippi State Sports Radio Network (click here for full list of affiliates), online at Hailstate.com and the TuneIn radio app

Magnificent Molinar

Make no mistake about it, Iverson Molinar has become a star for Mississippi State. MSU's starting point guard is the defending SEC Player of the Week and if he keeps up his strong work of late against Texas A&M, there's a good chance the Bulldogs will be celebrating come the end of the night.

Molinar is among the league leaders, averaging 19.2 points per game. He also averages 4.4 rebounds per contest and 3.3 assists per outing. All this coming after a true freshman season in which Molinar was solid in spurts, but nothing like the force he has become. Molnar's scoring average has jumped 13.3 points per game from last year to this year. That's the biggest scoring jump in the SEC over the last decade.

"He's not exceeding my expectations because we saw this coming," State head coach Ben Howland said of Molinar on Tuesday. "I've been saying this (talking about) how much he has improved between the end of last year and now. We've seen it throughout the summer and the beginning of the fall. I'm happy for him because he works so hard and is so talented and so good. He is a great kid. He's one of our main leaders.

"I don't think the kid has had less than a B (grade) since he's been here at Mississippi State in terms of academics. He really works hard in that area of his life. He's always on time for everything. He always brings a great attitude. He has a beautiful smile. He's just a really good person and good human being."

Group Effort

As good as Molinar has been of late – along with fellow guard D.J. Stewart – those two are far from the only Bulldogs playing well. It seems everyone is playing a part in MSU's recent success.

There's center Abdul Ado.

"We have great leadership at the five spot and I think the best defensive five man in our league with Abdul," Howland said. "So many offenses are based on ball-screen actions and he is so good at defending them in all the different ways."

There's forward Tolu Smith.

"Tolu is leading the SEC in rebounding and we're not even talking about Tolu Smith," Howland said. "And I thought this last week in particular he made a big jump in terms of really learning to slow down more and take his time around the basket in terms of his post moves...He's doing a tremendous job for us."

Then there's Deivon Smith, Cameron Matthews and Jalen Johnson helping shoulder MSU's load.

"I think Deivon has really grown as a player," Howland said. "I think he's playing his best basketball of the year. 

"Cameron did a really good job for us again last game. He had the big steal at the end of the game. He's providing a lot for us off the bench. Then Jalen has been Mr. Steady. Him inserted into our lineup stretches our ability to shoot the ball. He's shooting 50 percent from three in conference games and you have to respect him as a defense. If he's open and he has a shot, he's going to make it."

State has also gotten quality minutes off the bench from Quinten Post and Javian Davis. And while Davis has missed the last two games and is also expected to miss Wednesday night for an unspecified reason, make no mistake. The Bulldogs are getting production from all over.

"Everybody is contributing," Howland said. "It's a team effort all the way."

Taming Texas A&M

Texas A&M has lost three of its first four SEC games this season, including two defeats in a row, but the Aggies certainly have weapons.

Sophomore Emanuel Miller leads Texas A&M in scoring and rebounding at 17.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, which rank seventh and fifth in the SEC respectively. Quenton Jackson is averaging 12 points per contest and Savion Flagg is averaging 7.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore Andre Gordon is averaging 8.9 points per game and leads the team with 26 assists.

However Howland seems most concerned with the defense of the Aggies and how Texas A&M might make life tough on the Bulldogs when State is trying to get the ball to the basket.

"They've got good pieces and they're a very hard team to score against in that they are so help conscious," Howland said of the Aggies. "They are very much in the gaps. When you drive the basketball, you're going to have three people on you. Not one. So you're going to have to have really good spacing and get the ball moving so you have some spacing to be able to penetrate and create help and then give it up. You can't try to over-penetrate because it'll turn into turnovers...And they're trying to be a little more aggressive with their press to be able to make steals to be able to make offense out of some of their defense."

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