| Tuesday, February 6, 2018 |
| Mississippi State AD to speak at Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce luncheon | |
 | Mississippi State University Athletic Director John Cohen is headed to Natchez with a message about how to coach your business. The former Bulldog baseball coach will be the keynote speaker Thursday for the Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce annual membership luncheon. Chamber president Debbie Hudson said she recently heard Cohen speak and thought his message would resonate with local business owners. "I loved his message. He talked about treating a business like a team," Hudson said. "He will discuss how to be the coach of your team for a successful business." |
| New Paper Shows Cutting Crop Insurance For Big Farms Would Hurt Small Farmers Too | |
 | America's largest farms are far less risky than smaller operations and typically have fewer crop insurance claims, according to a new working paper from top agricultural economists. And proposals to exclude those farms from crop insurance could drive up costs for small farmers. The study comes as Congress takes up debate on the future of America's farm policy. Study authors Keith H. Coble and Brian Williams, economists with Mississippi State University, examined indemnity payments to farms growing corn and soybeans to determine risk levels. What they found is the average per acre yield indemnity declines dramatically for farms larger than 4,000 acres. |
| Aldermen continue annexation study in Starkville | |
 | Starkville aldermen will consider moving ahead to the second phase of an annexation study when they meet on Tuesday. The city received a report on the annexation study's first phase Friday from consultant Mike Slaughter of Oxford-based firm Slaughter and Associates. Aldermen approved the annexation study in early October on a 4-2 vote, with Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver and Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins opposing. Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn was absent from that meeting. Mayor Lynn Spruill, who brought the matter before aldermen, has said the city should consider expanding east to capture businesses such as Starkville Ford and the apartment complexes along Blackjack Road and east of Mississippi State University. |
| State revenue collections continue modest rebound | |
 | State revenue collections, which have been subpar in recent years, continue to make a modest rebound. Revenue collections through the month of January for the current fiscal year are $52.1 million, or 1.8 percent, above collections during the same time period for the last fiscal year, according to a report compiled and recently released by the staff of the Legislative Budget Committee. The state fiscal year runs July 1 through June 30. In reality, collections for the current year are performing even better year over year when factoring in collections for the previous year included about $50 million in one-time revenue collections. When those one-time revenue sources are not included, collections for the current year are up 4.2 percent. Collections through January are $23.1 million, or 0.78 percent, above the estimate. |
| House Republicans eye defense spending boost, complicating plan to avoid second shutdown | |
 | House Republican leaders are proposing a long-term boost to military funding in a bill that would give other federal agencies only a short-term extension of current spending levels, a move that stands to heighten tension with Democrats and complicate plans to keep the government open past Thursday. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) pitched the plan to his GOP colleagues in a closed-door meeting Monday. The bill, set for a vote on Tuesday, would increase Pentagon funding by about $30 billion, to $584 billion, breaking existing spending caps as well as making funding available through September. The rest of the government would continue to be funded at 2017 levels through March 23. |
| Trump calls critics 'un-American,' says lawmakers who didn't applaud speech treasonous | |
 | President Donald Trump accused congressional Democrats on Monday of being "un-American" and perhaps even treasonous for refusing to cheer positive economic news during his State of the Union address. As he spoke, the Dow was plunging toward its worst day in 6 1/2 years, with the market erasing its gains for the year. Trump has frequently showcased the strong market as a barometer of his economic success and as a boon for everyday Americans and their retirement accounts. He did not mention the stock market during his speech, nor when reporters shouted questions as he returned to Washington after the markets had closed for the day. He also accused Democrats of being "un-American" for not clapping, even for positive news during his address to the nation last week, in contrast to fellow Republicans, who he said were "going totally crazy wild" over everything in the speech. |
| Light penalties the norm for drivers caught texting | |
 | The victims include a 23-year-old highway construction worker in Washington state, a 13-year-old Michigan boy riding in his older sister's car and a Minnesota school bus driver picking up the morning newspaper in front of his home. All were killed in recent years by distracted drivers who had been texting or otherwise looking at their phones. Yet none of the drivers responsible for those deaths have been ordered to spend more than a few days behind bars. Safety advocates and researchers say tougher penalties alone aren't likely to get drivers to put down their phones. But as with drunk driving a generation ago, they say, stiffer penalties could reduce the reckless behavior, if the tougher punishment is combined with education programs, peer pressure and technology that can disable motorists' wireless devices while they are driving. |
| Proposal Would Erase 4-Year Limit on University Contracts | |
| A senator says Mississippi could better compete for professors if the state did not limit university contracts to four years at a time. Republican Sen. Terry Burton says many other states don't have the four-year limit that is in the Mississippi Constitution. Democratic Sen. David Blount of Jackson says College Board officials oppose the change because they don't want the possibility of having to buy out lengthy contracts. On a split vote Monday, senators adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 547 , which would erase the limit. The proposal was held for the possibility of more debate, and it must also go to the House. If both chambers agree, the proposed constitutional amendment would go on a statewide ballot. |
| UMMC Provides Free Dental Care to Low Income Children | |
 | A group of elementary children are practicing their numbers while they wait to get their teeth cleaned at the University of Mississippi Medical Center's School of Dentistry. Untreated tooth decay is twice as likely for children from low-income families, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During Dental Mission Week at UMMC, students learn how to take care of their teeth. The school also provides free dental check-ups to students and adults who do not have access to private dental care. |
| Veteran Resource Center opens at Ole Miss | |
| The University of Mississippi opened the first Veteran Resource Center on Monday. The VRC, located near the Grove in the bottom floor of Yerby Hall, will include study spaces, common areas and printing services. Evan Ciocci, the Student Veterans Association president, says having a space like the VRC is a step in the right direction. "With the Veteran Resource Center opening up, we will finally have our own space for student veterans," Ciocci said. "We will provide academic support, a study space and hangout spot.The biggest benefit of the VRC will be having a space where we can all be together, just showing other veterans there is a space for us, and you do belong here." Ciocci says the new VRC is just the beginning, and hopes to grow the center to rival that of other SEC schools. |
| Honors College students at U. of Mississippi plan for new minority club | |
 | Friday afternoon, students gathered in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College to discuss diversity and begin the planning stages of a new minority honors club. The tentative name of the club is Club HOCO. Friday's meeting was led by Jennifer Parsons, the assistant dean of the Honors College, who opened up the floor for discussion and allowed students to speak freely on why they feel a club like this is needed on campus. "I think the main focus should be community," freshman art major Nakiyah Jordan said. "The first thing I noticed being here is that when I enter the room is being the only black student there or one or two. I think it would be nice to have this club just to be able to see everyone else that is here because we're minorities we probably have some shared stuff in common." Parsons said out of the 1,500 students in the Honors College, only 185 students are minorities. At Friday's meeting, she also said the Honors College saw a decline in minority applications this past year. |
| Teach for America Mississippi and Arkansas to join together as one region | |
| Teach For America Mississippi, which has historically brought teachers to underserved school districts in the state, has announced that it will merge with Teach For America Arkansas -- a move that could mean layoffs among administrative staff. TFA teachers who are fulfilling two year commitments in Mississippi or Arkansas will continue to teach in the area they've been assigned throughout this transition. But, the consolidation comes at a time when Mississippi districts are already experiencing a drop in the number of TFA teachers, also referred to as corps members. Delta districts have historically relied on TFA corps members to help fill teacher shortage gaps, but throughout the years these districts have seen fewer corps members coming to their districts. |
| Whataburger announces 2nd location for Tuscaloosa | |
 | With weeks to go before Tuscaloosa's first Whataburger opens on Skyland Boulevard, the company is announcing that a second location of the Texas-based restaurant is coming to the Druid City. "Coming Soon" reads the sign erected at 1301 McFarland Blvd. E., just in front of the Lofts at City Center student-housing development and directly across from Shoppes at Legacy Park retail center. Its completion will mark a return of hamburgers to the corner of 13th Street and McFarland Boulevard, which is where Milo's Original Burger Shop operated before the tornado of April 27, 2011. Company officials said the city's second Whataburger location, placed to cater to the University of Alabama crowd, is expected to be open this summer. "Whataburger is excited to bring more flavor to Crimson Tide fans with the opening of our second restaurant open 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said John Attra, Whataburger director of operations. |
| Auburn University panel discusses diversity through lens of changing world | |
 | Auburn University kicked off its 2018 Diversity Best Practices Conference on Monday afternoon, with a panel of representatives from four colleges and universities discussing diversity on campus. Panelists were Fran'cee Brown-McClure, dean of students at Spelman College; Ruby Perry, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University; Archie Irvin, vice president of institute diversity at Georgia Tech; and Bobby Woodard, vice president of student affairs at Auburn. Taffye Benson Clayton, vice president and associate provost in Auburn's Office of Inclusion and Diversity, moderated the exchange. Clayton led the group in discussing what diversity means and how the campus community can be more inclusive and considerate. She started by asking how the various schools are affected by current events and issues facing the world. |
| Land purchase, new fields top Auburn University Board of Trustees' agenda | |
| The Auburn University Board of Trustees is expected to vote on whether to purchase land for the colleges of veterinary medicine and agriculture, as well as new recreation fields for club sports. The vote is scheduled for Friday morning on the campus of Auburn University Montgomery, during the board's first regular meeting of 2018. It will come as two separate votes: one, to purchase the land, and two, to initiate the recreation field expansion project. The board must approve whether the university will purchase two parcels of land, totaling 177 acres, adjacent to the main campus and located on West Longleaf Drive. The property is for sale by Pace Brothers, Inc., at the cost of $5 million. "This proposed real estate acquisition will allow approximately 30 acres at the existing Beef Teaching Unit along Lem Morrison Drive to be reused as recreation fields, while also providing new pastureland for the Colleges of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine," said a memo from Mark Stirling, director of real estate, to university president Steven Leath. |
| LSU study puts school's statewide economic impact at $5.1 billion | |
 | Louisiana State University had a $5.1 billion economic impact on Louisiana in 2017 thanks to the jobs it created, the lifetime earnings of grads and a range of other factors, according to a study by LSU's Economics & Policy Research Group. The study is the first time the school has measured its impact both systemwide and individually for each of its eight campuses. The study relies on multiple data points to show the size of the university's economic footprint, including jobs created by LSU alumnus and faculty, the role of the university in attracting talent and businesses to Louisiana, and the collective increased lifetime earnings of all graduates, according to a news release. The findings do not include the fiscal impact of LSU athletics, the release said. An LSU spokesman said the full report is being finalized this week, but LSU President F. King Alexander has already started traveling seven of LSU's eight campuses to discuss the findings. |
| Personal giving pushes donations to colleges and universities to new level in 2017 | |
 | Individual donors reopened their checkbooks in 2017 as a strong stock market fueled rising personal giving that in turn powered an increase in contributions to higher education institutions. Colleges and universities raised a total of $43.6 billion in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017, according to results from the latest version of the annual Voluntary Support of Education survey from the Council for Aid to Education, which is being released today. The fund-raising total is up 6.3 percent from 2016 -- 3.7 percent after adjusting for inflation. It is the highest fund-raising total recorded in the survey's six-decade history. The 6.3 percent year-over-year increase nearly quadrupled the rate of growth between 2015 and 2016, which was 1.7 percent in last year's survey. Personal giving by alumni proved to be responsible for much of the growth in 2017. Alumni giving increased by 14.5 percent, to $11.37 billion. Nonalumni giving rose by 4.5 percent, to $7.86 billion. |
| Millions of Americans are living in higher-education deserts, report says | |
| Despite the indelible image of some fresh-faced 18-year-old heading out of state for college, the truth is nearly 40 percent of students attend a school less than 50 miles from home. For students who work full time or have children -- a growing segment of the college population -- proximity to a physical campus or at least high-speed Internet access can be critical to pursuing higher education. Yet researchers at the think tank Urban Institute say 3.1 million Americans live more than 25 miles from an open-access public college and lack a suitable Internet connection needed for online education. People living in rural and Western parts of the country are more likely to face this dual challenge, although nearly every state has pockets of physical, online or complete education deserts, according to the Urban Institute report released Friday. |
| How Much Do Professors Work? One Researcher Is Trying to Find Out | |
 | How many hours should professors work each week? Everyone has a different answer, especially professors. Case in point: When Nicholas A. Christakis, a professor at Yale University, asserted on Twitter that graduate students should work more than 60 hours each week, a debate ensued. Professors pointed to studies that suggested not everyone can devote more than 40 hours each week to their jobs -- for example, if they have kids -- or that the institutions and departments they work for may have different standards of work, research, and competitiveness. Christakis drew his point from a 2014 study at Boise State University that found that faculty participants reported working, on average, 61 hours per week. They self-reported working 10 hours per day Monday to Friday and about that much on Saturday and Sunday combined, with a significant portion of their days spent dealing with email and attending faculty meetings. |
| Controversial event at U. of Chicago law school called off | |
| The University of Chicago prides itself on protecting free speech, even offensive speech, and has gone on record repeatedly as saying that controversies should not block events from taking place. The university has boasted that it educates students to hear out diverse views rather than shouting them down. Most recently, the university has stood by a faculty member who invited Steve Bannon, formerly a top aide in the Trump administration and the executive chairman of Breitbart, to appear on campus -- even though many students and faculty members are protesting the invitation. But on Monday, a student group (making its own decision, not told to do so by the university) called off an event planned for this week. The Edmund Burke Society, a conservative debating society, canceled a planned debate on immigration, saying it could not assure an orderly event. And the society made its decision amid considerable uproar at the law school over how the student group described its event. |
| Back-scratching with ad dollars | |
| Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "A timid attempt was made last year to keep elected officials from spending your money to tell you what a great job they're doing. It didn't get far. A small band of lawmakers is trying again. The situation looks better. Senate Bill 2482 passed its home chamber last week. The nine co-sponsors seek to cure the problem of too many incumbent officeholders -- city, county and state -- of boosting their image at your expense. Be clear, the bill has nothing to do advertising paid for by campaigns. The bill targets those "public service" ads that take the form of welcoming tourists or explaining how to apply for programs. The not-so-hidden purpose of such ads is to get an incumbent's name, face or voice (or all three) before the public. It's, uh, campaigning without campaigning, you know? As the infamous and yet famous former Gov. Theodore Bilbo is often said to have said, 'There's no such thing as bad publicity.' Name recognition generates votes." |
| Two party leaders, two different views on state | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: "At the start of every year, the Stennis Capitol Press Forum has Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and David Baria, leader of the House Democrats, talk in back-to-back sessions. It's an interesting contrast in views on the state. Reeves, along with Gov. Phil Bryant in his State of the State speech, argue that the media is making an overly negative portrayal of the state by focusing on population declines over the last three years. ...David Baria, the opposition leader in the state House, took a different approach in his talk. First Baria warned about the problems of a one-party state. He said he didn't like it when the Democrats dominated and he doesn't like it now that the Republican party is dominating. ...Two state leaders. Two distinct views on the state of Mississippi and what needs to be done. There are no easy answers, but I do agree that two viable, competitive political parties is better than one party domination." |
| New poll shows weak Democratic field in 2018, 2019 elections: analysis | |
 | The Clarion-Ledger's Sam R. Hall writes: "A new poll released by YallPolitics has some strange matchups in it, but the undeniable lesson it confirms is that Democrats have a tremendously weak bench of possible statewide candidates. The conservative website commissioned a poll to look at possible Democratic Party primary matchups. Most of the matchups are nonsensical from the standpoint that they are unlikely to ever happen. Instead, the point of the poll looks to be to illustrate that Attorney General Jim Hood could be vulnerable in a Democratic primary for governor. To illustrate the point, the poll tested Hood against U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith. It's hard to imagine any of the three running for a statewide office -- ever in Thompson's case and at least not in 2019 for Lumumba and Smith." |
SPORTS
| Jazzmun Holmes sparks 2nd-quarter rally as No. 2 Mississippi State gets past No. 7 South Carolina | |
| Jazzmun Holmes found her voice Monday night. The 5-foot-8 junior from Gulfport has played key roles on big stages plenty of times in her Mississippi State career. But Holmes' effort in the No. 2 MSU women's basketball team's 67-53 victory against No. 7 South Carolina before a Humphrey Coliseum record crowd of 10,794 had everything a coach could want from a point guard. Holmes had "only" six points, but she grabbed four rebounds and matched her career high with eight assists. She also had two steals and delivered some of the most tenacious on-ball defense and pressure by a guard in Vic Schaefer's six seasons at MSU. "Jazz came in in the second quarter and just changed our whole tempo, changed our offense," Schaefer said. "She got us going and she really affected our team in a positive way at both ends. In the second half she did the same thing." |
| No. 2 Bulldogs stand tall in rematch of title game | |
| A school-record crowd of 10,794 crammed inside Humphrey Coliseum on Monday night, ready to watch second-ranked Mississippi State exact some revenge on South Carolina after losing to the Gamecocks in last year's national championship game. That crowd fell silent as No. 7 South Carolina jumped out to a 10-point lead after the first quarter. But the Bulldogs were far from ready to back down. MSU outscored the Gamecocks 47-17 in the second and fourth quarters to send coach Vic Schaefer's raucous congregation home happy with a 67-53 victory. "Obviously, we didn't start the game very well," Schaefer said. "South Carolina punched first and they punched second. We struggled mightily on offense and just were not engaged defensively at all giving up 20 points in the first quarter. But then we settled in and gave up eight and nine against a team like South Carolina, that's incredible. That's so hard to do." |
| Unforgettable: Mississippi State beats South Carolina in front of 10,794 fans | |
 | Three losses on Mississippi State's five-loss schedule a year ago stuck out like a sore thumb. A magical season in 2017 that included ending UConn's 111-game winning streak in the Final Four always had South Carolina there to kill the Bulldogs' spirit. That fact was not lost among Bulldog fans who were responsible for a sell out tickets two weeks in advance for Monday's national championship rematch. Student ticket sales were exhausted within 8 minutes early in the week as the game became the toughest ticket at Humphrey Coliseum in at least 10 years. All of that fueled what would become an unforgettable night for coach Vic Schaefer, his team and the fans as they overcame an early 10-point deficit to knock off the No. 7 Gamecocks (18-5, 7-3 SEC) 67-53 in front of a school-record 10,794 fans. |
| No. 2 Mississippi State beats No. 6 South Carolina in front of record crowd | |
| Victoria Vivians wildly clapped her hands as she stood at halfcourt. Vic Schaefer threw up his arms as if he was an official acknowledging a made field goal. The pom-pom-waving, record-setting crowd was never as loud as that moment when Vivians' 3-pointer gave Mississippi State a two-point lead against South Carolina with eight minutes left. That is, until 90 seconds later when Blair Schaefer celebrated with some kind of twirling jump after extending the lead that MSU never relinquished from there. The 10,794 in attendance roared when she buried a 3-pointer after a South Carolina defender backed away from her, leaving her wide open. The last time Mississippi State played in an atmosphere like this, it was beating UConn in Dallas. The stakes weren't nearly as high Monday night, but the gratification for the No. 2 Bulldogs was undeniable after it beat No. 7 South Carolina 67-53 at Humphrey Coliseum. |
| Mississippi State sends message with win in title game rematch | |
| There isn't anybody left Mississippi State can't beat. Who knows what the NCAA tournament will bring. We never know when it comes to a time of year that can witness a 5-foot-5 guard who can fell Goliath. But after No. 2 Mississippi State beat No. 7 South Carolina 67-53 to end an 11-game losing streak against the Gamecocks, we know that. The only team to beat Connecticut in the Huskies' past 134 games, Mississippi State finally beat the team that made last year's historic upset one of the great footnotes in sports history. Mississippi State stunned the world against Connecticut, but South Carolina left the Final Four with the national championship. That hurdle remained, and with it that last little bit of lingering doubt. That doubt remained after a painfully slow first quarter Monday night. It remained when South Carolina took a lead into the fourth quarter. But Victoria Vivians, the one player who, for better or worse, seems immune from doubt kept shooting. And a run allowed a wave of noise from the biggest crowd in program history to wash away the doubt. |
| In rematch of NCAA title game, No. 2 Mississippi State tops South Carolina | |
| Victoria Vivians had never beaten South Carolina during her stellar career at Mississippi State. In front of the first sellout crowd in women's basketball history, Vivians scored 20 of her 24 points in the first half to help No. 2 Mississippi State beat No. 7 South Carolina 67-53 on Monday night. The Bulldogs (24-0, 10-0 SEC) had lost 11 straight to the Gamecocks, including a defeat in the national championship game last season. The rematch of that April game brought 10,794 fans to Humphrey Coliseum, with the game sold out two weeks in advance. Student tickets were exhausted within eight minutes earlier in the week. |
| 'The day of the dog': No. 2 MSU too much for South Carolina | |
 | It was the day of the dog, as Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer put it. The momentum of South Carolina and Mississippi State's national title rematch on Monday rocketed back and forth from quarter to quarter in front of an alternatively jubilant and deflated sellout crowd at Humphrey Coliseum. But in the end, it was the No. 2 Bulldogs (24-0, 10-0 SEC) who finished the game on a hot streak, handing the No. 7 Gamecocks (18-5, 7-3 SEC) a 67-53 loss to likely seal the SEC regular season championship and give USC its first losing streak since 2013. "They're a great team, no doubt about it," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. |
| Notebook: Mississippi State women play before record crowd of 10,794 | |
| The "White Out" at Humphrey Coliseum turned out to be white hot. Buoyed by a Humphrey Coliseum record crowd of 10,794, the No. 2 Mississippi State women's basketball team defeated No. 7 South Carolina 67-53 on Monday night before an ESPN2 national television audience. "I want to praise our fan base," MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. "Much like what (South Carolina coach) Dawn (Staley) said a year ago at their place -- we probably don't beat them today if we're not at home. Our fans were just spectacular. What an environment for both teams. The Hump was just incredible. To be a part of that as a coach, I really appreciate that as a coach. It is not like that everywhere. In fact, it is not like that at most places, but it is here at Mississippi State." |
| Fans pack the Hump as Mississippi State hosts South Carolina | |
| In one of the biggest games in Mississippi State women's basketball history, a record crowd packed the Humphrey Coliseum to watch No. 2 Mississippi State beat the reigning national champions, No. 7 South Carolina, on Monday night. Thousands of fans in the sellout crowd of 10,794 were standing in line three to four hours before the game started to see the rematch of last season's national championship game. Included in that crowd was 75-year-old Kathy Humphries, of Louisville, Mississippi, who was at the national championship game. Humphries said she can't remember the last home game she missed and her family has six season tickets they use every game. "I've been coming to basketball games since they started basketball games here," Humphries said. "Both men and women's games. It's almost unbelievable for women's sports. I remember when there was only 100 fans and you could cough and everyone in the stadium hear it. |
| Teaira McCowan hits boards for Bulldogs in big way | |
| It was only fitting that Mississippi State's Teaira McCowan pulled down a rebound in the closing seconds of Monday's game against the South Carolina Gamecocks. McCowan was very active in the post with 20 boards and it helped the No. 2 Bulldogs defeat No. 7 South Carolina 67-53 at Humphrey Coliseum. Despite having four fouls down the stretch, McCowan was still going after rebounds. "That's a kid that's maturing and learning a little bit," MSU women's head coach Vic Schaefer said. In the process of her special effort on Monday, McCowan set the school record for boards in a single-season with 318. |
| Chloe Bibby makes impact in Mississippi State's victory over South Carolina | |
| Vic Schaefer believed in the preseason Chloe Bibby could bring a unique dimension to the Mississippi State women's basketball team. At 6-foot-1, the freshman forward from Australia arrived in Starkville as a highly skilled player capable of stretching defenders to the 3-point line. Schaefer also liked the fact Bibby, who has red hair, had a reputation for being as fiery as her hair color. Bibby displayed some of all of those qualities Monday in her biggest minutes as a Bulldog in No. 2 MSU's 67-53 victory against No. 7 South Carolina before a Humphrey Coliseum record crowd of 10,794. "We had to have another big body," Schaefer said. "It is just hard to play the four-guard lineup. I thought Chloe was really, really special, affected the game in the first half offensively. I just thought she competed defensively trying to do what we want to do, and this is a kid who has only been in our system for five months." |
| Jazzmun Holmes, Chloe Bibby give Mississippi State big lift in win against South Carolina | |
| The Clarion-Ledger's Hugh Kellenberger writes: "What happened here Monday night was special. There were a record 10,794 fans in attendance at Humphrey Coliseum to watch No. 2 Mississippi State beat No. 6 South Carolina, 67-53. For years, the latter has been the former's big bad, the enemy that season-after-season it could just not find a way to defeat. No longer. It was a terrific win for the Lady Bulldogs, the 24th this season against zero losses. It was a special night for women's basketball in Mississippi, and a showcase for the sport at its best. It was also this: confirmation that while this Mississippi State team remains wholly different from last season's national finalist, it can get to the same place, and maybe even win that final game." |
| Bulldogs get another shot to beat Bama | |
| Mississippi State fell behind by 20 right out of the blocks when it played at Alabama last month. The Bulldogs battled all the way back to tie the game three times during the second half before falling in Tuscaloosa, 68-62. MSU is hoping it can get off to a better start in tonight's 6 p.m. rematch at Humphrey Coliseum on the SEC Network. "For us to finish that game playing that hard just shows that we had it the whole game," said MSU forward Aric Holman. "Maybe their crowd or something got to us but playing at home should definitely brighten up the day." The Bulldogs are playing an improved brand of basketball since the last time they faced the Crimson Tide. State is 3-1 since Jan. 20 with three straight wins to even its SEC record at 5-5 and push the overall mark to 17-6. |
| Mississippi State hasn't lost since this inspiring alum talked to them | |
| Before Houston Everett engages in a conversation with a stranger, he delivers a warning: he rambles and, as a result, he tends to go off on long tangents. "If you don't know who I am, I will overwhelm you very fast, and I know what you have to do as a sports writer," Everett told me on Monday, "and that's take bits and pieces of my rambling and somehow make it into an article that's worth reading." Sharing Everett's story is actually not a difficult task. That's because, despite how long it takes him to relay it, his words come out clear and the message is easy to understand in the end. Mississippi State's men's basketball team learned that on Jan. 26. The Bulldogs are now 17-6 and 5-5 (SEC) entering their game Tuesday against Alabama at Humphrey Coliseum (6 p.m., SEC Network). In other words, they are unbeaten since listening to Everett. |
| Mississippi State's Nick Weatherspoon claims SEC freshman honor | |
| Mississippi State's Nick Weatherspoon was selected as the SEC's Freshman of the Week on Monday. The 6-foot-2 guard from Canton averaged 15.5 points, three rebounds and two assists in the Bulldogs' wins over South Carolina and Georgia last week while shooting 63.6 percent. Weatherspoon scored 17 points at South Carolina and added 14 more against Georgia. Weatherspoon is MSU's first SEC Freshman of the Week since his older brother, Quinndary, claimed the honor on Feb. 22, 2016. |
| More All-American honors for Mississippians, including Jake Mangum and Konnor Pilkington | |
| Mississippi State juniors Jake Mangum and Konnor Pilkington were each picked as second team All-Americans by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association on Monday. Mangum made the team as an outfielder after batting .324 with 26 RBIs and 14 stolen bases for the Bulldogs last year. Pilkington posted an 8-5 record on the mound with a 3.08 ERA, 111 strikeouts and 47 walks over 108 innings. |
| Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy 'not singling out anybody' with comment regarding fan bases | |
| Following Ole Miss' 33-point loss at No. 18 Tennessee on Saturday -- his team's worst margin of defeat this season -- head coach Andy Kennedy gave plenty of credit to the raucous home-court advantage at Thompson-Boling Arena for the part it played in the Volunteers' lopsided win. While also heaping praise on the job Tennessee third-year coach Rick Barnes has done in resurrecting Tennessee's program and the knowledge of the Volunteers' fan base, Kennedy threw in a line that raised some eyebrows. "I appreciate the passion of the fans," Kennedy said during his postgame press conference. "I appreciate them supporting the Big Orange. I've known Rick for a long time, and I think you guys have a good basketball intellect here, unlike some places. You've got a Hall of Fame coach." Speculation began as to what other places Kennedy was referring to, including Ole Miss supporters wondering if it was a dig at his own fan base. Kennedy clarified his comments Monday. |
| Business is booming for controversial IMG Academy | |
 | Foregoing traditional high school experiences in their various hometowns, these prep stars played for the controversial boarding school in Bradenton, Fla., IMG Academy, which is sponsored by Gatorade and Under Armour, and is a subsidiary of a sprawling corporation that specializes in the marketing of athletes and the sports they play. IMG Academy exists as a business model to profit off of athletes both amatuer and professional, and business is booming. High school coaches are wary of IMG Academy, college coaches flock to it and the NCAA seemingly caters to it. While the NCAA's new signing period back in December has taken a lot of buzz and importance out of Wednesday's traditional National Signing Day, the early window for athletes to bind themselves to schools with national letters of intent has increased the value of IMG Academy. |
| Auburn, former baseball coach Sunny Golloway settled lawsuit for $100,000 | |
| Former Auburn baseball coach Sunny Golloway dropped his lawsuit against the university in exchange for $100,000, a school spokesperson confirmed to the Opelika-Auburn News. "It was a business decision so as to avoid additional costly litigation," the spokesperson said. Golloway, who coached the Tigers from 2014-15, was fired with cause on Sept. 27, 2015, and filed a wrongful suit against the school on May 24, 2016. Auburn's board of trustees, outgoing athletics director Jay Jacobs, former CEO David Benedict, senior associate athletic director Rich McGlynn, former director of baseball operations Scott Duval and baseball administrator Jeremy Roberts were listed as the defendants in the case. The two sides reached a settlement agreement on Jan. 16. |
| Swamp overhaul key to UF AD Scott Stricklin's long-term vision | |
| The Swamp remains one of college football most iconic stadiums. UF athletic director Scott Stricklin also realizes the building also has become outdated and is in need a facelift and, perhaps, a nip and tuck he said to "potentially" would reduce capacity from 91,916. Such a move would not be made lightly, but ultimately would improve the comfort level and game experience for fans while falling in line with the current philosophy of stadium building. "There was a time when, probably when the north end zone was done in the early '90s was part of that time when seat count is all anyone cared about -- just cram as many people as possible in there," Stricklin said this past weekend. "Obviously that is not when you talk to people who do facilities and stadiums theses days, that's not as important as quality and making sure you're creating an environment that people want to come and participate in. The days of fans being OK sitting three hours on a really piece of aluminum I think are gone. So we've got to find ways to upgrade the overall quality." |
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