news
Mississippi State’s Dee Bost returned to the Bulldogs’ lineup on Saturday
after missing the first 14 games after serving a suspension. (Deste Lee)
The Mississippi State point guard will square off again against Ole Miss counterpart Chris Warren today when the Bulldogs visit Oxford for an 8 p.m. tipoff. It’s a battle that Bost, a junior, has won more often than not.
In four games against Ole Miss, of which MSU’s won three, Bost is averaging 15.5 points, 4.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. In the two games he’s matched up against Warren – who missed the 2008-09 season with a knee injury – Bost has averaged 18.0 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds.
He poured in 25 points in the Bulldogs’ 80-75 win in Oxford last season.
In his matchups with Bost, Warren has averaged 9.0 points and 3.0 assists and shot just 23.1 percent from the floor.
“Dee is just a competitor, and I think he sees Chris Warren as another guy that’s very capable of playing at the highest level,” MSU senior guard Riley Benock said. “And so that always kind of gets Dee’s juices flowing.”
Perhaps the most stark statistic from their matchups is this: Bost is 13 of 17 from the free-throw line when on the same court as Warren, while Warren is 2 of 2.
Bost’s style has always been to attack, and that focus seems to sharpen a bit against the Rebels.
“Just being aggressive, not settling for jump shots and threes,” he said. “But most of all, putting myself in the right situation, attacking more, attacking and attacking, and just keep getting to the rim.”
This will be Bost’s second game since returning to the lineup. He missed the season’s first 14 games because of academic and NCAA suspensions and wasn’t himself in Saturday’s 75-57 loss to Alabama.
He shot 5 of 16 from the floor and 3 of 9 from the free throw line, finishing with 14 points.
His legs were tired, and he said the butterflies in his gut never abated.
Bost was named a team captain last week, and it’s pretty much up to him to get the Bulldogs on the right path again.
“I think he’ll bring it,” Benock said. “He always does in the bigger games, and we need that out of him. I expect it.”
Contact Brad Locke at 678-1571 or brad.locke@journalinc.com.
Auburn-MSU tipoff changed to 2 p.m.
- Mississippi State’s home game with Auburn on Sunday, originally scheduled for a 1 p.m. tipoff, has been moved to 2 p.m. Fox Sports Net is showing the game.