| Monday, November 20, 2017 |
| Pulitzer Prize-winner Chernow to hold book signing at Mississippi State | |
 | Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow and other renowned scholars will hold a public book signing Nov. 29 at Mississippi State University's Old Main Academic Center. Chernow recently released a bestselling biography of Ulysses S. Grant, a project that brought him to MSU multiple times for research on the 18th president. Chernow's "Grant" comes after his biography of Alexander Hamilton also was a bestseller and later adapted into a hit Broadway musical. Lionsgate and Appian Way have acquired the movie rights to "Grant," Chernow recently announced on his Facebook page. Chernow will sign copies of both "Grant" and "Hamilton" at the Nov. 29 book signing. In the acknowledgments section of "Grant," Chernow thanks the staff of the Grant Presidential Library at MSU for their assistance with the 1,104-page biography. |
| From Farm to Freezer: A look inside the Mississippi State ice cream processing plant | |
 | Mississippi State is known for many things. But did you know the university has its own ice cream? Lauren Fluker got a look inside the ice cream processing plant. From January to November, crews at the plant make eleven different ice cream flavors. The Mississippi State University Dairy Processing Plant Manager, Eric Goan, tells us they make 540 gallons of ice cream a day. He walked us through the plant and explained some of the ice cream making process, while keeping the university's secrets. "What makes our ice cream so special is that we make our ice cream right here on Mississippi State's campus," said MAFES Store manager Troy Weaver. "It goes with our tradition. We milk our own cows." |
| Mississippi State students gain access to virtual reality | |
 | Mississippi State University students studying abroad can use Google Earth applications to explore the streets of an area they plan to visit. Other students can go on a "virtual" archaeological dig before they go on a real one. MSU's Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems has created the new CAVS Mixed Reality Lab in the university library's Digital Media Center with the purchase of virtual and augmented reality equipment: two HTC Vive and three Oculus Rift virtual reality headsets, along with two Microsoft HoloLens augmented reality headsets. "CAVS is involved in a number of VR and AR research projects and Mississippi State is home to several faculty working with the technology," Daniel Carruth, CAVS associate director for human factors, said. |
| Feeding the needy: Food drives lend helping hand for Thanksgiving | |
| For the last three weeks, volunteers, Mississippi State University students and church groups have been collecting non-perishable items like cereal and rice for a food drive, said United Way director Candy Crecink. But the big event coming up in Starkville is the Turkey Jam Friday at 7:30 p.m., an event of nine local musicians who will perform at Hobie's in downtown Starkville. Admission price: one bag of canned food. "It's a wonderful way to relax after the Thanksgiving holiday," Crecink said. While the food drive ran in the weeks leading up to Thursday, none of the food will be distributed in time to make Thanksgiving meals. Crecink's plan is to stock local food pantries and other charitable organizations long-term. Her goal this year is to raise 10 tons of food. |
| Group touts Mississippi State poll for cigarette tax hike | |
 | A large majority would support raising the so-called sin taxes (on cigarettes and alcohol) to deal with the current state budget shortfalls, according to a poll conducted by the Mississippi State University Social Science Research Center. The poll by the Survey Research Laboratory in the Research Center found 72 percent approval for increasing both the cigarette and alcohol taxes. The poll was of 446 Mississippians over land lines and cell phones. The poll was designed to represent the adult population of the state. Creating a state tax on internet purchases was supported by 44 percent. No other tax option -- the gasoline tax, income tax or sales tax -- received more than 30 percent when respondents were asked if they would support a tax increase to deal with a budget deficit "estimated to be as much as $70 million." |
| Starkville aldermen to consider annexation study areas | |
| Aldermen will consider setting study areas for the city's possible annexation Tuesday, after seeing preliminary areas during a Friday afternoon work session. Consultant Mitch Slaughter, of Oxford-based planning firm Slaughter and Associates, returned to the board to present a general overview of the areas his firm identified as possible targets for annexation. The areas, highlighted in pink on a map that showed Starkville's current territory in green, primarily stretched the city's borders east, past Mississippi State University and along a section of Highway 82. The proposed study area also brings in some territory to the south on the city's eastern side, as well as in the southwest, along Highway 12 to include the residential area around Horseshoe Circle. A small block of land is also included to the city's north, to bring Collier Road, part of which juts out beyond city limits, fully into Starkville. |
| LINK CEO says MDA strategy, leadership costing state jobs | |
| Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins claims the Mississippi Development Authority is undermining -- not promoting -- economic development efforts in the state. Higgins, a nationally renowned economic developer who has led the LINK for more than 14 years, said MDA's philosophy is flawed on numerous fronts, and the organization lacks both the vision and leadership to improve it. He compared MDA's reorganization efforts in recent years to "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." The organization's public relations director Jeff Rent said, though, he didn't understand Higgins' reasoning for attacking MDA and its leader. "I can't see where it would help anybody," Rent said. |
| Joe Max Higgins says state flag, HB 1523 contributing to state's development woes | |
| Mississippi is suffering on the economic development front, and Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins said the problem is mostly self-inflicted. It's not just because of the controversial state flag, emblazoned with the Confederate battle emblem. It's not even House Bill 1523 -- a law that allows business owners, on the basis of their religious beliefs, to refuse service to LGBT customers. Neither is it Mississippi's maligned racial history, its woeful K-12 education performance nor what Higgins calls the state's inability to develop an effective overall economic development strategy. "It's not any one of those things," Higgins said. "It's all of the above. ... Mississippi has just fallen out of being relevant (on the economic development stage)." That's not always been the case, especially in the Golden Triangle. |
| Study: State lottery would not decrease lost revenue to neighbors | |
| Mississippians are spending "roughly" as much as $70 million annually purchasing lottery tickets in contiguous states, a study conducted by the University Research Center estimates. State Economist Darrin Webb said recently that officials in Louisiana estimated that Mississippians spend $30 million purchasing lottery tickets in their state while Arkansas officials estimated that Mississippians account for between $5 million and $10 million annually of their sales. Tennessee officials did not provide data, but Webb estimated it might be as much as is spent in Louisiana. Alabama does not have a lottery. |
| Tate Reeves says Mississippi on rebound at Hernando stop | |
 | Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves paid a visit to Mississippi's fastest-growing county Wednesday and touted economic growth as well as workforce development and a rising national image as the state celebrates its 200th anniversary next month. "2017 is Mississippi's Bicentennial," Reeves said. "We have been a state for 200 years. While we have a complicated history, we need to spend a lot less time apologizing and start bragging about the good things going on in our state." Among the positive developments occurring in the Magnolia State during the past decade is the graduation rate among high school students, which has risen 12 points to 82 percent during that time period. "We're on a trajectory to pass the national average," Reeves told members of the Rotary Club of Hernando on Wednesday. "That will make a huge difference to provide the workforce that we need. We just don't have enough bragging about the good things going on in our state." |
| Food desert: Engaging in Jackson's food system | |
| In Jackson, the capital city with a population of roughly 172,000, there are 17 grocery stores, one for every 10,100 people. By contrast, there are 11 grocery stores in the next biggest Mississippi city, Gulfport, one store for every 6,500 people. As a result of limited options, in addition to high poverty rates, at least one-fifth of folks in Jackson are "food insecure," meaning they lack access to the amount and type of food to keep them healthy and active, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. State Sen. John Horhn of Jackson explains: "When you don't have access to services and goods, people tend to follow where those services and goods can be located, if they have a choice. The problem is so many poor people don't have a choice. They can't follow the market ... They just wind up suffering." |
| Bannon: McConnell 'picking up his game' because of our 'insurgent movement' | |
 | Stephen Bannon, the executive chairman of Breitbart News and former White House chief strategist, said that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is "picking up his game" amid threats to his power posed by the "insurgency movement" led by President Trump. In an interview with radio host John Catsimatidis that aired Sunday, Bannon blasted McConnell for what he described as lackluster support for Trump's agenda, but noted that the majority leader has worked more aggressively in recent weeks to confirm judicial nominees, pass a budget and push forward a tax-reform plan. "Now that he's afraid, now that he sees that the grass-roots movement -- whether it's in Alabama or Arizona or Tennessee or Mississippi -- is going to replace his cronies like [Sens.] Jeff Flake [R-Ariz.] and Bob Corker [R-Tenn.], now he's scared, and now he's trying to move more federal judges through the system and really trying to cleave to President Trump's plan," Bannon said. |
| Mississippi Public Universities to award 4,663 degrees in December | |
 | Mississippi Public Universities will confer 4,663 degrees in December. According to a press release from Mississippi Public Universities, the Board of Trustees approved awarding the degrees, which includes 3,519 undergraduate and 1,144 graduate degrees. It in an increase of 235 more degrees than was awarded in December 2016. |
| Analysis: Gov. Phil Bryant proposes free community college for some | |
 | Free community college for all Mississippians would be an ambitious and easy-to-explain goal. What Gov. Phil Bryant again proposed last week in his budget recommendation appears more limited, aimed at producing more technical graduates from community colleges. "The Mississippi Works Scholars Program proposes to incentivize high school seniors and adults already in the workplace by offering free community college degrees, certificates and apprenticeships necessary to gain employment in these opportunity occupations," the Republican wrote in the budget document. The details are hazy, and Bryant's office referred calls to others last week. Bryant proposes $7 million in funding. That may seem surprisingly cheap, but it's likely in the ballpark. |
| The W celebrates the holidays with Winter Fest | |
| Mississippi University for Women's holiday season titled Winter Fest at The W officially kicks off Monday, Nov. 27 followed by a series of events. Students, faculty, staff and the community are invited to The W's holiday celebration, which will include a host of activities for guests to attend. Culinary students will serve wassail from the Project CHEW food truck at the annual Wassail Fest scheduled Friday, Dec. 1, from 5-8 p.m. in downtown Columbus. "We have a variety of events planned as we wrap up the fall semester," said MUW president Jim Borsig. "We look forward to having friends on campus throughout the rest of the holiday season." |
| Pine Belt college students struggle with parking on campus: 'It makes me anxious' | |
 | Southern Miss freshman Emma Cazaubon knows the pain and frustration of looking for a parking space on campus. She spends two days a week hunting for a place to leave her car so she can head to classes. "On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I have a 9 a.m. (class), so my parking is fine," she said. "On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have class at 11 a.m., so parking is a struggle. "Yesterday, I drove for 30 minutes to find a parking spot." The university in Hattiesburg has more than 2,300 parking spaces set aside for students and another 3,550 open to anyone with a permit who uses the campus. But more than 9,550 drivers have permits. Of those, nearly 7,000 are students. "It makes me anxious," Cazaubon said. "You see all kinds of cars going back and forth between the Payne Center and the parking garage. You have to follow them to find a spot. I know (the university) has a bunch of spots, but they're across campus. I don't want to park all the way over there and then walk when it's hot." |
| Brian Johnson appointed to Jackson State University Development Foundation Board | |
 | Brian Johnson, a Senior Vice President at Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance, Inc., a subsidiary of Trustmark, has been appointed to serve on the Jackson State University Development Foundation Board. The Board is charged with attracting, investing, and managing private resources in an effort to raise funds for student scholarships and campus enhancements for the university. Johnson has 12 years of experience in the insurance industry. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Jackson State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Alcorn State University. Johnson has completed both Leadership Mississippi and Leadership Greater Jackson programs. He was recently recognized as one of the 2017 Top 100 Producers in the country by Insurance Business America Magazine. |
| Millsaps College student chosen as Rhodes Scholar | |
| A Mississippi college student has been named as one of the Rhodes scholars in the U.S. The Rhodes Trust said Sunday that Noah Barbieri was chosen as among the 32 students selected to receive a scholarship to study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. He is a senior attending Millsaps College in majoring economics, mathematics, and philosophy. Barbieri was selected as one of 62 Truman Scholars nationwide in April. He is scheduled to graduate from Millsaps next year. Barbieri is a native of Belden. |
| Pearl River Community College plans for future in Hancock County | |
| Pearl River Community College's long-range plan is to build a new college in Hancock County in an effort to offer higher education opportunities that would aid local industry as well as the coastal workforce. That goal received a $2.5 million boost last week when the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality announced PRCC was one of 19 new projects that will benefit from BP and Deepwater Horizon oil spill money. "It has been a goal of Pearl River Community College for several years to establish a permanent campus location in Hancock County," PRCC President Adam Breerwood said. "This campus would focus on providing job skills training, workforce development initiatives and higher education opportunities. There is no greater catalyst for economic development than a skilled and educated workforce. Pearl River is committed to providing such opportunities. Hancock County has exceptional leadership, and the support for this project has been overwhelming." |
| Alabama's Million Dollar Band starts digital fundraiser for new instruments | |
 | The University of Alabama's Million Dollar Band hopes to raise $40,000 through a new digital philanthropy tool. The effort is the first project for UA Crowdfunding -- an online fundraising platform for groups at UA that will be used to connect the power of social media, peer-to-peer relationships and collective giving. UA Crowdfunding will eventually allow donors the opportunity to support a variety of different projects created by those within the UA community. Supporters can make gifts of any size and track the overall progress of projects, which will typically run for 30 days. The fundraiser for the 400-member Million Dollar Band began Nov. 17 with the goal of providing enough money to buy an entire section of new musical instruments. |
| Fashion for Life show displays U. of Alabama student designers' work | |
| The 2017 Fashion for Life show at the Ferguson Center at the University of Alabama was held Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017. The event showcased the work of 14 student fashion designers in UA's College of Human Environmental Sciences. The show benefited METAvivor, an organization promoting metastatic breast cancer awareness and research. |
| Auburn University student named a Rhodes Scholar | |
 | Auburn University student Matthew Rogers was named a Rhodes Scholar, one of only 32 U.S. students to receive the honor to study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Rogers, a senior majoring in software engineering, will pursue a doctorate in cyber security. "This is a great honor for Matthew and Auburn University," said Auburn University President Steven Leath. "He has excelled throughout his academic career and he epitomizes the Auburn Creed through his commitment to academic studies, dedication to leadership activities and hard work." At Auburn, Rogers is an Honors College Ambassador, Undergraduate Research Ambassador, co-founder of the Auburn Ethical Hacking Club, past treasurer for the Auburn chapter of the Association of Computing Machinery and a volunteer assisting Cyber Patriot teams in their preparation for competition. Rogers is Auburn's fifth Rhodes Scholar. |
| Diversity a concern as U. of Kentucky picks new provost | |
 | University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto is planning to quickly replace Provost Tim Tracy, who announced Nov. 1 that he's leaving to become the CEO of the Cincinnati-based Aprecia Pharmaceuticals. The search will be internal, not national, and he intends to choose someone by mid-December. The search also coincides with the start of Capilouto's evaluation process, and it presents an opportunity to address an issue that has plagued Capilouto since he arrived in 2011: the lack of diversity in his inner circle. Last month, interviews with various campus stakeholders revealed a similar pattern from previous ones: They consistently praise Capilouto's work in building $2.4 billion in new residential and academic buildings, fundraising, budgeting and planning, but they are concerned that he surrounds himself largely with white men. |
| Task force weighs TOPS changes, but political and financial hurdles loom | |
 | Despite steep odds, at least three changes are under review by a legislative task force studying the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, or TOPS. Expanding the little-used TOPS Tech program, which would carry a pricetag at a time of state budget problems, is one of the ideas being tossed around by the TOPS Task Force. The state is spending $291 million on TOPS for the 2017-18 academic year. Converting TOPS to a stipend, and no longer linking it to college tuition, is being touted by state Sen. Blade Morrish, R-Jennnings, chairman of the 10-member panel. LSU leaders and others would oppose that. And raising the minimum GPA required for the most common form of TOPS, called TOPS Opportunity, is also in the mix. A bill to do just that won narrow House approval earlier this year before dying in the Senate Education Committee, which Morrish also chairs. |
| Texas A&M students team together to create, compete at annual Aggies Invent tech contest | |
 | The four Texas A&M students who made up the Full Immersion team at this weekend's Aggies Invent competition may have just met, but they were already working to come up with a solution to a real-world problem. Working with virtual reality, the three undergraduates and one graduate student created a virtual showroom where potential car buyers could figuratively kick the tires without ever leaving their home -- something that could help car dealerships spur sales. "I liked that this problem statement had to do with cars," said team member Anthony Vazhapilly, a senior studying aerospace engineering. "Cars are very visual, so this is perfect for virtual or augmented reality apps." Aggies Invent, which kicked off Friday, features 10 teams of four to six A&M students who are provided with supplies from the department of engineering and software, work stations and virtual reality headsets. They have only had from Friday night till early this afternoon to create a prototype, organize a presentation and film a marketing video for their creation -- which could potentially be patentened or picked up by major companies. |
| Tax bill reflects rift between many Republicans and higher education | |
 | Ending a tax deduction for interest paid on student loans. Raising taxes for more than 100,000 graduate students who receive tuition waivers. Imposing a levy on endowments at certain private colleges and universities. These actions are anathema to higher education leaders across the country. Yet they all appear in the House-approved Republican tax overhaul, evidence of a growing disconnect between large segments of the GOP and colleges that, for generations, have wielded enormous clout on Capitol Hill. "I didn't see it coming," said Robert L. Caret, chancellor of the public University System of Maryland. "Obviously, there's a very different tenor here in Washington." Outside Washington, there are signs that Republican support for higher education is ebbing. |
| Experts: Punishments, bans not effective in changing Greek culture | |
 | Andrew Coffey, a 20-year-old fraternity pledge at Florida State University, died at an off-campus party this month following a night of heavy drinking. The circumstances were nearly identical at Texas State University just last week -- Matthew Ellis, 20, another pledge, died, with officials saying alcohol played a factor. And at Ohio State University, 11 of the institution's 37 fraternities have come under investigation since the beginning of the academic year -- mostly for alcohol and hazing violations, per a spokesman. The responses to these incidents have dominated headlines because of their seemingly drastic nature -- a complete and sweeping prohibition of sororities and fraternities at three powerhouse state institutions with a major Greek presence (in the case of Ohio State, just its fraternities were suspended). Yet similar bans have been tried before, and deaths associated with Greek organizations have never ceased. |
| Education Dept. Restores Pell Eligibility to Nearly 300,000 Students | |
 | Nearly 300,000 students who used Pell Grants to attend now-shuttered colleges have had their eligibility for the financial aid restored by the Education Department. Last fall, at the urging of Sen. Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, the department in the Obama administration agreed to use its authority under the Higher Education Act to restore the Pell eligibility of students who had attended colleges that had suddenly closed, including the campuses of the for-profit Corinthian Colleges and ITT Technical Institutes. In April the Trump administration announced that it would follow through on the plan. The department, under Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, responded this week that it had restored at least a portion of Pell eligibility for 288,969 students who had attended 841 institutions that closed from 2001 to 2016. |
| For Many Puerto Ricans, College Plans Washed Away With Hurricane Maria | |
 | Yerianne Roldan wants to be a graphic designer, or maybe a writer, or maybe both. Her good friend and classmate, Zuleyka Avila, has already made up her mind. She's going to be a pediatrician. Those plans hit a bump in the road this fall, though, when Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico, where both girls lived with their families. Forced to leave the island -- much of which is still without power -- they've both relocated to Orlando. They are among the more than 168,000 people from Puerto Rico who have arrived in Florida since Oct. 3. Schools have felt that influx, with about 7,200 displaced students enrolling from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands -- Orlando's largest district has taken in more than 2,000 of those students. |
| Focusing on finals | |
| Angela Farmer, an assistant professor of educational leadership at Mississippi State, writes: "As the twilight of the semester draws near, so too do the students' inevitable, comprehensive, final exams. Whether the exams are in literature, economics or chemistry, their presence, looming in the not so distant future, causes many a student to experience a great deal of stress. The way in which these summative assessments are addressed, however, has a major impact on both the student's stress intensity as well as the assessment's outcome. In deference to the age old adage that failing to plan means planning to fail could not be truer than in the environment of final exams. What many students struggle with, however, is understanding how to go about the planning process." |
| We need to stand firm on bid reform | |
 | Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: "As the deadline for procurement reform looms, local governments and contractors are pushing back. It would be a huge mistake if the Legislature caves. With two retired businessmen heading the Mississippi House and Senate transparency and efficiency committees, the Mississippi Legislature miraculously passed sweeping procurement reforms this year. We need to stay the course. ...Mississippi's procurement laws are a mess, residing in dozens of statutes scattered throughout our state code. Loopholes abound. Oversight is fragmented. Rules are lax compared to more progressive states. State Senator John Polk and House Representative Jerry Turner are turning this around with the help of the legislative leadership. But push back is welling up and cities and counties are intimidated by the changes." |
| Stark health needs get little attention from state leaders | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: "Have Mississippi leaders become so accustomed to bottom national rankings that they don't care anymore? Mississippi has ranked among the bottom three since 1990. You know it's bad when the Mississippi State Department of Health posts on its web site, 'Mississippi ranks last, or close to last, in almost every leading health outcome.' The stats are stark. Mississippi has the worst rate for infant mortality and ranks in the bottom three in death rates for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, septicemia, flu/pneumonia, kidney disease, cancer and Alzheimer's disease according to the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." |
| Is state budget being nibbled to death by the ants of bureaucracy? | |
| The Clarion-Ledger's Geoff Pender writes: "Is the state budget being nibbled to death by ants? As money remains tight, the governor and lawmakers usually focus on spending by the big-ticket state agencies and line items -- K-12 and higher education, Medicaid, corrections, human services. But roughly 200 small state agencies, boards and commissions collectively collect and spend millions of dollars. From animal health (not to be confused with veterinary medicine) to wireless communications, Mississippi government has an agency, board or commission to license or regulate most any aspect of life or commerce. As the Clarion Ledger has pointed out in the past, these small agencies are far-flung, located across the state as opposed to centralized in the Capitol Complex in Jackson." |
SPORTS
| State, Ole Miss fans build impressive streaks | |
| There are fans, and then there are fans. Chuck Hankins has attended 322 consecutive University of Mississippi football games at home and away. Few people can understand what it takes to build such a streak, but Mississippi State University fan Dr. Kenneth Ramsey has a good idea. On Saturday, he notched his 479th consecutive Bulldog game. "I never meant for it to be anything other than, 'Let's see some campuses,'" Ramsey said. "I'm addicted now. I thought that once I hit the 100 mark, it would be time to stop. As you pass 200, 300 and 400, it gets more difficult to quit." Both men expect to maintain their streaks on Thursday, when Ole Miss travels to Starkville. |
| Fitzgerald helps No. 17 Mississippi State survive Arkansas | |
| ick Fitzgerald has established himself as nothing short of one of the Southeastern Conference's top quarterbacks, if not the best, in his two seasons at the starter at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs junior added another moment to his growing legacy in Starkville on Saturday, rallying No. 17 Mississippi State (8-3, 4-3) for a 28-21 win over reeling Arkansas. Fitzgerald accounted for three touchdowns and totaled 254 yards in the win, finishing 12-of-23 passing for 153 yards and rushing 22 times for 101 yards. It wasn't until he connected with Deddrick Thomas for a 6-yard touchdown with 17 seconds remaining, however, that the Bulldogs had their first lead of the game. The score capped the second game-winning drive in the fourth quarter of Fitzgerald's career. |
| Fleeting success: Luck, lead vanish for Hogs in 28-21 loss to Mississippi State | |
| The Arkansas Razorbacks benefited from a couple of bizarre bounces and a kicked ball to grab leads against No. 16 Mississippi State on Saturday. But the Razorbacks couldn't hold the leads, then gave the Bulldogs the biggest gift of the game on a failed fourth-down pass from their own 44 late in the fourth quarter. Nick Fitzgerald threw a tie-breaking 6-yard touchdown pass to Deddrick Thomas with 17 seconds left to cap a short drive and lead Mississippi State to a 28-21 victory before an announced crowd of 64,153 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The Bulldogs (8-3, 4-3 SEC) won for the third time in a row in Arkansas and beat the Razorbacks (4-7, 1-6) for the fifth time in the past six games. |
| Johnson Leads No. 7 Mississippi State Over Southern Miss 91-56 | |
| Mississippi State lost some critical size and experience from last season's Final Four team, but a smaller look has worked out just fine through the season's three games. The seventh-ranked Bulldogs have used a four-guard lineup that has been giving teams problems, and it was successful once against in a 91-56 victory over Southern Mississippi on Sunday. "The four-guard lineup is evolving and I think it's here to stay," Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer said. "When we make shots the way we did, it's not only fun to watch but it's fun to coach. I can't say that I've ever coached a team that shot the ball as well as they have." Thanks to a career-high 29 points from Roshunda Johnson, the Bulldogs rolled to a 3-0 start with the blowout win in front of 5,321 fans at Humphrey Coliseum. |
| Johnson pops off with career day in easy victory for Bulldogs | |
| Roshunda Johnson didn't catch the Pop-Up Video that included anecdotes and highlights of her career at Mississippi State that was shown Sunday on the video board at Humphrey Coliseum. Johnson will be pleased to know that the shimmy she displayed with Blair Schaefer in telling a joke equaled the moves she unleashed on the Southern Mississippi women's basketball team. Johnson poured in a career-high 29 points as one of five players in double figures to lead No. 7 MSU to a 91-56 victory before a crowd of 5,321 at the Hump. Teaira McCowan (17 points, 10 rebounds), Victoria Vivians (15), and Schaefer and Chloe Bibby (10) also scored in double figures to help MSU improve to 3-0. |
| USM's McNelis likes what she sees from No. 7 Mississippi State | |
| Joye-Lee McNelis heard the whispers. Coaches, like in any profession, talk about their peers, so the Southern Mississippi women's basketball coach was curious to see if some in her business were right when they said Mississippi State wouldn't be as strong after losing four key players from a program-record 34-win season and a trip to the national title game. McNelis saw an effort Sunday that should put all of that talk to rest. "The way Mississippi State shot the ball in the first quarter, I think they can win a national championship," McNelis said. "They shot the cover off of it. I don't know if we defended it very well, but that doesn't matter. If you can shoot it the way they shot it the way they did to start that basketball game, it just says how good the really are." Coaches are known to exaggerate, including some who will do so in an attempt to make their team look a little better. McNelis didn't need to use hyperbole after seeing No. 7 MSU have five players score in double figures in a 91-56 victory before a crowd of 5,321 at Humphrey Coliseum. |
| Bulldog basketball hosts Green Bay tonight | |
| Mississippi State men's basketball is in the middle of a busy stretch. The Bulldogs host Green Bay tonight at 7 as part of three games over a five day span. Ben Howland's team is 2-0 on the season having defeated Florida A&M 79-48 on Saturday. Junior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon paces MSU with 14.5 points and is one of six players averaging in double figures in scoring. Tonight marks the first ever meeting between the Bulldogs and Green Bay. The Phoenix are 1-1 on the year, picking up their first win over Lakeland 98-27 on Friday. Senior guard Khalil Small tops the team averaging 13 points and 11 rebounds per game. |
| Howland believes Mississippi State men can play better defense | |
| Lamar Peters picked the pocket of Florida A&M's Nasir Core and passed to Tyson Carter for an easy dunk. The play gave the Mississippi State men's basketball team a 15-2 lead at the 14-minute, 23-second mark of the first half. The Bulldogs didn't score for another 4:40. MSU coach Ben Howland said following a 79-48 victory that the stretch "felt like forever." He said he planned to address the nine consecutive missed shots -- six of which were 3-pointers -- later. For now, he sees a positive lesson to take from it. Based on what MSU did Saturday night, defense could be the expectation going forward. MSU (2-0) will get its first chance to see if it can duplicate that effort at 7 tonight (SEC Network+) when it plays host to Green Bay at Humphrey Coliseum. |
| 20-4 run helps lift Mississippi State over Florida A&M | |
| Mississippi State used a balanced scoring attack Saturday and a 20-4 run to open the second half en route to a 79-48 win over Florida A&M. Nick Weatherspoon, Quinndary Weatherspoon, Lamar Peters and Abdul Ado all had 12 points to lead Mississippi State (2-0). Tyson Carter added 10 points. Ado added eight rebounds and three blocks in his first collegiate action after redshirting last season. "Abdul and E.J. Datcher did a good job in the post and we did a much better hob attacking the post in the second half," said Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland. "It was great to have Abdul make his debut tonight for the Bulldogs, too. His physicality is really fun for me to coach." |
| Ado makes debut in Mississippi State's victory over Florida A&M | |
| Ben Howland caught himself gawking at Abdul Ado. That play that did it came with less than eight minutes to go. Ado, Mississippi State's redshirt freshman forward, collected a pass from E.J. Datcher with his feet planted well outside the right block. The space between Ado and the rim was no deterrent: he took flight, allowing a Florida A&M defender to float by him as he threw down a vicious one-handed dunk. "I didn't expect that. That was a nasty dunk," Howland, MSU's coach, said. "Even me, at this point having seen thousands of games, got excited about a play like that. He dunked that, he took off from outside the paint. When you've got a 7'5" wingspan, I guess you can do that." Ado took a few seconds to celebrate before beginning his trot down the court. It was the exclamation on his emphatic college basketball debut. |
| Diamond Dogs close out fall with tight finale | |
| Mississippi State baseball's Fall World Series in Jackson was decided by a home run derby as StarkVegas edged HailState via a home run by Cole Gordon. "It was an outstanding weekend of baseball for us," Mississippi State head baseball coach Andy Cannizaro said. "We're headed back home to Starkville a better baseball team than we were Friday when we bussed down here." StarkVegas and HailState played to a 2-2 tie through five innings before a derby became necessary. After seven outs, Gordon crushed a ball to right field to put himself and his team on the board. His opposition, freshman Owen Lovell, followed, but was unable to put a ball over the fence. The Diamond Dawgs now look forward to opening day, set for February 16 when they travel to Hattiesburg to take on Southern Miss in a weekend series. |
| Ole Miss player claims he was misled on NCAA case, seeks transfer | |
 | Safety Deontay Anderson, the former four-star recruit who famously committed to Ole Miss in a skydiving video, submitted his request for a full transfer release on Sunday night and will petition to be eligible immediately next year at the school of his choice, including in the SEC. The grounds for his request are notable because Anderson, via his attorney Tom Mars, says he was recruited to Ole Miss under false pretenses and that both former coach Hugh Freeze and athletics director Ross Bjork misrepresented the status of the school's NCAA infractions case when he signed in February 2016. Anderson's family last month retained Mars, an attorney with the Arkansas-based Friday, Eldredge and Clark law firm, to submit the request and handle any potential legal action in the future should it be necessary. Mars became well-known in college sports earlier this year by filing a lawsuit against Ole Miss on behalf of former coach Houston Nutt and uncovering unrelated information that ultimately cost Freeze his job. |
| Athletic director Ross Bjork apologizes for Ole Miss' decision to play Tommy Tuberville video | |
| Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork has issued an apology for a video of former football coach Tommy Tuberville that was played on the jumbotron at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium during the Rebels' game against Texas A&M on Saturday. A video of Tuberville leading the "Are You Ready?" chant from his days as the Rebels' coach from 1995-98 was shown during halftime of Ole Miss' 31-24 loss. Considering the way Tuberville left his job at Ole Miss for Auburn -- Tuberville made the infamous statement that he'd have to be carried out of Oxford in a pine box in response to rumors about the Auburn job -- the clip struck a nerve with Ole Miss fans, many of which took to social media to question the decision. A smattering of boos rang out among fans in attendance when the video was played. On Sunday, Bjork posted an apology on his Twitter account. |
| U. of Arkansas releases Jeff Long's personnel file after public records request; 'convenience' cited in firing | |
| The former athletic director of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville was fired "for convenience," a university official said Friday. That means the university can -- and did -- end Jeff Long's employment without cause or for any reason. And as of Friday, little is still known as to what -- other than the performance of the Razorback football team that is 4-6 overall and 1-5 in Southeastern Conference games this season and has a program-record five losses of 20 points or more -- led to his firing after his nearly decade-long tenure at the campus. Long's firing comes as the university is in the middle of the expansion of the Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, a $160 million project that will add about 4,200 premium seats, and at a time when the future of the Razorback football games in Little Rock is in question. Steinmetz said Thursday that the future of Razorback football games in the capital city had no effect on his decision to fire Long. |
| Stricklin, UF officials pay Kelly a visit | |
| Florida made its pitch to former Oregon and NFL coach Chip Kelly on Sunday, flying UAA members, including athletic director Scott Stricklin, to New Hampshire to interview him about the school's vacant head football coach's position, multiple sources told The Sun. It was not known whether Kelly was offered or accepted the job, as some reports suggested Sunday night. He still might be interested in talking to UCLA, which fired head coach Jim Mora on Sunday. Kelly to Florida rumors have been swirling since last weekend. There have been reports that Kelly has been offered the job and a deal is in place, but UF has not confirmed the hiring and according to a source the deal is not finalized. The UF contingent flew from Ocala to New Hampshire on Sunday to meet with Kelly. Kelly was not on the plane that returned to Ocala on Sunday night. |
| N.C.A.A. Champs Visit the White House | |
 | There were wrestlers from Pennsylvania, bowlers from Illinois and skiers from Utah. There were two teams from the University of Maryland and four from the University of Oklahoma. Each team -- 18 in all -- had won an N.C.A.A. championship, and on Friday each arrived at the White House to be recognized by, and photographed with, President Trump. Clemson's football team had already made its visit, so Friday was for everyone else. And that made assuring that each team had its own space, and its own moment, a significant logistical challenge. The solution: Every team --- the golfers and gymnasts, the triathletes and track stars -- was assigned a spot, and the president met with each group in turn, following a prearranged path like a letter carrier completing a route. |
| Trump changes mind on 3 UCLA students arrested in China: 'Should have left them in jail!' | |
| President Trump complained Sunday that the father of one of the three UCLA basketball players who were arrested in China for shoplifting had played down his role in winning their release, and that he therefore should not have interceded with China's president. "I should have left them in jail!" the president tweeted. Trump's tweet drew a quick backlash on social media. Many expressed incredulity that a sitting U.S. president would publicly regret having come to the aid of American citizens being held by an authoritarian government. Among Trump's sharper critics was Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), who tweeted back, "How can someone in such a big office be so small? |
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