Mississippi State head basketball coach Rick Ray called out the talking heads after the Bulldogs defeated Auburn 74-71 in overtime. Ray was correct to point out that MSU can't be the worst basketball team in SEC history after the win over the Tigers kept them from finishing in last place in the league.
Many of the pundits wondered out loud if the Bulldogs were the worst team in SEC history. But Ray pointed out on via Twitter that the team can't be the worst when it finished with more league wins (4) than Auburn (3).
Ray's first season in Starkville was not easy. He took over a program that saw several players transfer and then, in the preseason, his team was beset by a number of injuries.
The Bulldogs played most of the season with just seven healthy scholarship players. The injuries kept piling up as the season continued with Jalen Steele going down with a knee injury.
Against Auburn, MSU rotated eight players because that is all the healthy athletes Ray had left. On the end of the bench wearing warm-ups sat nearly as many players as Bulldogs dressed to play--or so it seemed.
I don't know if Ray will ever take Mississippi State to the NCAA Tournament, but I can say he has done a heck of a job in year one. Most nights the Bulldogs were overmatched and outgunned, but Ray had them ready to give maximum effort for nearly each and every game.
Ray even got his team to earn a split in the season series against in-state rival Ole Miss. The Bulldogs win might end up keeping the Rebels out of the Big Dance.
Mississippi State was just snake bitten injury-wise, this season, and it will be interesting to see what Ray can do with a healthy team. If Ray can recruit well this off season and get players healthy, the Bulldogs might be a tough out next season.
MSU fans, at least, know what they get from team with Ray at the helm. They are going to get a well-coached team that is ready to play most nights and that puts out an effort worth paying for, win or lose.
Even though he won't win the SEC Coach of the Year award, Ray should get votes. Just the fact that he got nine wins out of this team is worth noting.
No one knows the future but, if given time, I think the Bulldogs program is in great hands with Ray leading it. If he did this good of a coaching job with a team that couldn't compete in basketball conferences, just think what he will do with a healthy team with more talent.
Sports are a bottom-line industry. Did you win or did you lose? But that doesn't always tell the whole story and, sometimes, the job and effort by a coach for a 9-21 team should be pointed out.
MSU fans should feel good about the future because Ray looks like the real deal as a head coach.
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