| Friday, March 9, 2018 |
| Mississippi State gets $7 million grant for transportation project | |
 | Mississippi State University has been awarded a $7 million federal grant to complete a two-mile multimodal transportation corridor on the eastern side of its campus. U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran's (R-Miss.) office announced the awarding of the grant Tuesday evening. The university successfully applied for a 2017 Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant, which was approved by the United States Department of Transportation, to fund the project. The grant will allow MSU to build the project, which is a north-south corridor that will primarily link Blackjack Road and Lee Boulevard, with a spur that connects Blackjack to Morrill Road. U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss) also supported the project, which he said should help alleviate traffic issues on the east side of MSU's campus. |
| Carter leads Mississippi State annual giving program | |
 | Canton native Georgia Luann Carter, a staff member in the Mississippi State University Foundation has been promoted to university's new annual giving director, where she will direct fundraising efforts that typically focus on gifts made to any MSU area on a continuing basis. Carter also will be responsible for securing annual gifts for the institution and its academic colleges through direct marketing efforts. Since mid-2016, the Starkville resident has served as staff assistant of annual giving. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Delta State University. Before going to MSU, Carter was a resource manager with Luckie & Company in Birmingham, Ala., and in marketing and sales with Birmingham Printing. Her previous experience included various marketing roles with department stores including Parisian, Profitt's and McRae's. |
| MSU Foundation announces 2018 officers, incoming members | |
| The Mississippi State University Foundation is welcoming new members to its 47-seat board of directors. Again in 2018, the MSU Foundation is being led by Earnest W. "Earnie" Deavenport Jr. of Greenville, S.C., who is entering his third term as board chair. He is joined by returning 2017 officers D. Hines Brannan Jr. of Atlanta, vice chair, and William A. "Lex" Taylor III of Louisville, treasurer. The three alumni began new one-year terms Jan. 1. Other leadership includes John P. Rush, MSU vice president for development and alumni who serves as board president and CEO; David Easley, executive director of finance, who is chief financial officer; and Jack McCarty, executive director of development, who serves as secretary. All three are MSU graduates. |
| Higher yields and lower input costs helping ag | |
| Mississippi ag producers are headed into yet another year with low commodity prices that make profitability a challenge. But two things offsetting that are lower input prices and higher yields, said Brian R. Williams, Ph.D., an agricultural economist who is an assistant professor at Mississippi State University. "Commodity prices have been fairly low for the past two to three years," Williams said. "It looks like there is probably not a lot of room for upward movement baring having some kind of major disaster. While commodity prices are down, the cost of production is also down and that helps tremendously to offset some of the low commodity prices. Another thing that helps producers in Mississippi and nationally has been high yields. We have been above trends for soybeans, corn and even cotton. I think that is why we are seeing some producers turn at least a small profit even with these low prices." |
| MSU Riley Center connects community through arts | |
 | Dennis Sankovich, the executive director of the MSU Riley Center, writes in The Meridian Star: "At the MSU Riley Center, we consider ourselves stewards of a Meridian civic treasure. As both an elegant Victorian showplace of a theater and a state-of-the-art conference facility, the Riley Center continues to boost the renaissance of our city's historic downtown. We make it our mission to improve the quality of life for everyone in our region. We present a broad range of entertainment for every taste, provide a top-flight location for meetings and conferences, and educate both students and their teachers. ...Even though we anchor the downtown Riley Campus of Mississippi State University-Meridian, many people don't realize that education is part of our mission." |
| SOCSD Board extends Peasant's contract, elects officers | |
 | At its March meeting Thursday night, the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees extended Superintendent Eddie Peasant's contract for another year. The decision was made by a 3-0 vote with one seat empty and Board President Lee Brand Jr. absent. Peasant received his annual evaluation from the board at its February meeting. His salary remains $180,000. Peasant started as superintendent in June 2017 after being hired in March 2017. Board assistant secretary Keith Coble praised Peasant's leadership. "He hasn't been our superintendent a year yet, but obviously there are a lot of good things going on in the district, pre-K initiatives, a lot of other initiatives taking place in the district, so we just want to give that as a confirmation of our support," Coble said. All officers will serve in their respective positions until March 2019, except for Coble, who will not run for re-election when his seat becomes open in November. |
| Did Delbert Hosemann just confirm a bid for Lt. Gov. ? | |
 | Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann at the Capitol on Thursday appeared to confirm -- to school kids -- that he will run for lieutenant governor next year. The Clarion Ledger overheard Hosemann giving his consent, when a lawmaker asked if it was OK to tell a group of school children from North Point Christian School that Hosemann was running for lieutenant governor. Political observers have openly speculated that Hosemann will run for the office, which carries considerable influence in the state because the lieutenant governor presides over the Senate. Hosemann, himself, has dropped hints in the past that he could seek the job. |
| House passes latest transportation proposal offering amendments to BRIDGE Act | |
 | The Mississippi House on Thursday passed its latest plan to address what most agree is the state's quickly deteriorating transportation system, but like all the multiple proposals this session, it generates little new money, instead dipping into funds normally reserved primarily for education, public health and law enforcement. The House on Thursday significantly amended the Senate's Building Roads, Improving Development and Growing the Economy bill or BRIDGE Act. The House version removes a Senate proposal to establish a new entity controlled by the governor to carry out some of the same functions as the Department of Transportation. The bill also does not direct funds normally earmarked to the Department of Transportation to the proposed new governor-controlled entity. |
| Mississippi awaits governor's OK on abortion restriction | |
 | A Mississippi bill to make most abortions illegal after 15 weeks of pregnancy is now awaiting the governor's expected signature, a step likely to trigger a tough legal challenge against what would become the nation's most restrictive abortion law. Lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Legislature sent the bill on Thursday to GOP Gov. Phil Bryant. House Bill 1510 would make abortion illegal in most cases after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which would be the earliest cutoff in the nation. The House voted 75-34 for the bill on Thursday, two days after Senate passage. Because of paperwork, the bill won't reach Bryant's desk until next week. The Mississippi measure "seems like a pretty simple bill designed to test the viability line that the Supreme Court has drawn," said David Forte, a law professor at Ohio's Cleveland State University. Abortion-rights-groups immediately denounced the bill, saying it is not legally or medically sound. |
| Country's most restrictive abortion ban now in the hands of Gov. Phil Bryant | |
| House Bill 1510, which if enacted would be the most restrictive abortion ban in the country, is now in the hands of Gov. Phil Bryant, who has indicated that he will sign it. In a 75-34 vote, the House on Thursday concurred with changes made to the legislation by the Senate. Bryant has expressed his approval for the proposal, which would ban abortions 15 weeks after a woman's last menstrual period. Current law restricts abortions to 20 weeks after a woman's last menstrual period. Judiciary B Chairman Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, who co-authored the bill with Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven, asked his colleagues to approve changes by the Senate that removed criminal penalties from the bill that could have made physicians performing the procedure subject to being charged with a felony. |
| Most restrictive abortion bill in the country awaits governor's signature | |
 | Mississippi is one signature away from having the most restrictive abortion bill in the country. On Thursday, the House of Representatives agreed to send its abortion bill, House Bill 1510, to Gov. Phil Bryant for a signature. The bill, which would ban abortions after 15 weeks, is a precedent setting ban, more restrictive by five weeks than any other in the country. After the bill passed the Senate on Tuesday, the governor said he was looking forward to signing it. Attorney General Jim Hood said he fully expects that the state will be sued if the governor signs the bill into law. "We know that bans below 20 weeks have been struck down," said Hood, a Democrat. "We expect an immediate and expensive legal challenge." |
| In a state with only one clinic, Mississippi approves the most restrictive abortion ban in the U.S. | |
 | Mississippi lawmakers on Thursday passed what may be the most restrictive abortion law in the nation -- a bill that prohibits women from obtaining an abortion more than 15 weeks after their last menstrual cycle. As women around the world staged protests and walkouts in support of International Women's Day, the state's staunchly Republican House voted 75 to 34 in favor of the Gestational Age Act, after the Senate passed the measure on Tuesday. Legal experts, however, say the bill is unlikely to withstand a court challenge. "Under existing law, it's patently unconstitutional," said Geoffrey Stone, a law professor at the University of Chicago. "It's an effort to push the limits, but I can't imagine any court in a good-faith manner applying the existing doctrine and upholding this law." |
| House vote revives lottery effort | |
| The lottery issue is before the Legislature once more. Rep. Alyce Clarke, D-Jackson, introduced an amendment to Senate Bill 2976, the appropriations bill for the Mississippi Gaming Commission, which would require the state to implement a lottery before the commission receives funding. Clarke has pushed for a lottery for years unsuccessfully, and on Thursday she told her peers on the House floor that the state needs a lottery to help fund K-12 education and send additional money for roads and cities. The amendment states the gaming commission will not be funded until the Legislature "enacts legislation establishing a state lottery for the purposes of funding K-12 education, state aid, roads and municipalities." |
| House gives lottery slight heartbeat | |
| The lottery, which died earlier this session when no bill to enact a statewide game survived a key deadline, was given a faint heartbeat Thursday by the state House. The House passed an amendment to the state Gaming Commission appropriations bill saying, "funds appropriated to the Gaming Commission under the provisions of this act shall not be expended until such time that the Legislature enacts legislation establishing a state lottery for the purposes of funding K-12 education, state aid roads and municipalities." Most do not anticipate the amendment surviving until the end of the legislative process. But on Thursday the amendment passed via voice vote and then the amended Gaming Commission budget bill passed by an 88-26 margin. |
| House passes lottery, but don't hold your breath | |
| The House on Thursday passed a likely doomed measure to create a Mississippi lottery, more of a symbolic message to legislative leaders and the public than a real attempt. However, some legislative leaders indicate a real lottery vote may be forthcoming later in this session. "We already have a lottery in Mississippi, it's just in Louisiana and Tennessee and surrounding states," said Rep. Tommy Reynolds, D-Charleston. "The money is there, it's just being spent in other states. Sometimes, it's a good thing to listen to the people, and they want a lottery. This is truly where the rubber meets the road." Opponents of a lottery say it would disproportionately hurt poor people financially, and that it would only shift money around in the state economy and state revenue, not provide a windfall. |
| Legislature passes PSC bill that Hood says will be used to try to stop Entergy lawsuit | |
| The Legislature has passed a bill to reauthorize the Public Service Commission with language Attorney General Jim Hood believes will be used to try to stop his long-pending lawsuit against Entergy. The Senate concurred Thursday with a change made by the House in Senate Bill 2295. The bill now goes to the governor. Language added to Senate Bill 2295 gives PSC jurisdiction over any rate dispute involving a public utility. Sen. Briggs Hopson, R-Vicksburg, said the language was added because that is the way the law dealing with the PSC is meant it to be. Hood said he believes the bill, if passed, will be used to challenge his authority to bring what he said is a $1 billion lawsuit against Entergy. The case is set for trial in federal court in Jackson in November. Hood had urged lawmakers to pass a PSC reauthorization bill without the added language. |
| Cochran likely to hand Appropriations chair to fellow Southerner | |
| Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby is in line to chair the powerful Appropriations Committee, putting another Southerner in the key post when Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran's resigns next month. "I would hope so," Shelby, a Republican, said of the possibility of replacing Cochran. "You have to go through the process. He doesn't leave until April 1.'' Cochran cited health concerns in his announcement Monday that he would resign April 1 after nearly four decades in Congress. Cochran is chairman of the Appropriations Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal spending. Committee members must vote to elect the new chairman. It's not clear yet when that will happen, but some expect it will take place after Congress returns from a spring recess at the end of the month. While chairing the panel could be a plus for states in the Deep South, Shelby said his possible role as chairman would impact more than the region. "I hope it's good for the nation," he said Tuesday. |
| Trump accepts invitation to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un | |
 | President Trump has agreed to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for talks by the end of May, an extraordinary development following months of heightened nuclear tension during which the two leaders exchanged frequent military threats and insults. Kim has also committed to stopping nuclear and missile testing, even during joint military drills in South Korea next month, Chung Eui-yong, the South Korean national security adviser, told reporters at the White House on Thursday. Chung extended the invitation from Kim to meet while briefing Trump on the four-hour dinner he had with the North Korean leader in Pyongyang on Monday. The news stunned Washington's political leadership and foreign policy analysts who as recently as last month were fretting over the possibility of a military conflagration on the Korean Peninsula. |
| New data shows opioid crisis is just getting worse | |
 | The number of Americans turning up in emergency rooms suffering from opioid overdoses has risen sharply in recent years, according to new federal data, as the size and scope of a devastating public health crisis evolves in ways officials say is difficult to combat. Data released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show emergency room visits for suspected opioid overdoses increased by 30 percent between July 2016 and September 2017. Rust Belt states have been hardest hit, with emergency room visits rising 108 percent in Wisconsin, 80 percent in Pennsylvania and 65 percent in Illinois. Indiana and Ohio also experienced substantial growth in overdose treatments. While the crisis began in rural America among low-income whites, it has now moved into larger urban areas, where minority communities now account for the fastest growth among overdoses and deaths. Emergency room visits in large cities rose by 54 percent over the last year, the CDC data show. |
| State Department warns of 'security threat' in Playa del Carmen, popular resort city in Mexico | |
| Citing a security threat, the State Department has closed its consular office in a popular Mexican resort city and warned Americans to "consider this information" before traveling to the area. The State Department on Wednesday night issued a security alert for Playa del Carmen, a tourist draw on the Caribbean coast, saying the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City had received "credible information" about a threat to the city. Meanwhile, officials in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, where Playa del Carmen is located, have insisted that the city is safe. Playa del Carmen's beaches and resorts have typically been a huge attraction for spring break travelers from the United States. |
| UM's Sarah Isom Center hosts discussion on affordable housing | |
| The Sarah Isom Center at the University of Mississippi hosted a discussion panel entitled "Affordable Housing as a Feminist Issue" yesterday evening at the Burns Belfry museum. The panel is the brainchild of Dr. Jaime Harker, Director of the Isom Center and professor of English. Harker says the idea to frame housing as a feminist issue stemmed from a panel on the Women's March last year. "We got this idea when we had a Women's March panel, and when we posed a question about Riverside Apartments, there was kind of a lack of response," she said. "We talked about it and said, we need to think about the Women's March and marshal that energy that was so clear and put it towards an issue in our community as a feminist issue." Affordable housing is an issue that has had much discussion in the LOU community, both for students and for families. |
| Brasfield & Gorrie begins construction on U. of Mississippi Medical Center pediatrics tower | |
| General contractor Brasfield & Gorrie recently began construction on a $180 million new pediatrics tower at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. A ceremonial groundbreaking was held in December. Site work began in January, and the project will be completed in fall 2020. The seven-story, 340,000-square-foot tower is being built adjacent to Batson Children's Hospital. The structure will house a neonatal intensive care unit with private rooms, surgical suites, and an imaging center designed for children. The Children's Heart Center, representing UMMC's pediatric cardiovascular program, will also call the new building home. Batson Children's Hospital averages 9,000 admissions annually, with patients coming from all 82 counties in Mississippi and around the country to receive medical care for everything from childhood illnesses to life-threatening trauma cases. |
| William Carey U. targets state teacher shortage | |
 | As the teacher shortage continues to plague school districts statewide, William Carey University's School of Education aims to mitigate the shortfall with a number of new initiatives. "I think we're really going to make a difference in all of this," said Ben Burnett, the school's dean. "We've got some cool stuff going on." Burnett said the school has efforts progressing in some of the areas where the teacher shortage has had the most impact -- in Pearl River County, Meridian and the Delta. It also is cooperating with Hattiesburg Public School District to encourage teachers to take jobs there. In Hattiesburg, the district is grooming eight to 10 teacher assistants, who currently provide support for classroom teachers, to become full-fledged teachers for the district. Assistant superintendent Michael Battle said, as a first step, the district held a training session for the teacher assistants to help them pass the Praxis I and II, which are necessary for them to obtain their alternate route teaching license. |
| U. of Kentucky gets tops marks for LGBTQ policies | |
 | The University of Kentucky received a top national ranking for its commitment to policies and programs that protect gay, lesbian and transgender students from discrimination. UK received five out of five stars for its overall climate of inclusiveness, one of only 25 schools nationwide to get a top rating. The ranking is done by Campus Pride Index, a national benchmarking tool that assesses policies and programs for LGBTQ employees and students in higher education. The index includes more than 235 colleges and universities. UK was the only school in the Southeastern Conference to receive a five-star ranking. |
| UGA will cut Thanksgiving holidays to shorten semester length | |
 | University of Georgia students will get more time to finish up internships and summer jobs before starting fall semester classes in 2019. But they'll also see their five days of Thanksgiving vacation reduced to three under a proposed calendar that has the backing of UGA administrators. The fall break, on the Friday before the Georgia-Florida football game in Jacksonville, is untouched. UGA students have gotten five days off for Thanksgiving for a number of years, but few schools give that much time off, faculty found last year as they looked for ways to shorten the length of the school's academic calendar. Most have classes Monday and Tuesday on the week of Thanksgiving, with Wednesday through Friday off. Last fall, the state Board of Regents adopted a policy saying college presidents, not faculty members, would set calendars in the future. The new policy also requires semester lengths to be the same among the state's public universities. |
| U. of Tennessee launches first phase of system marketing campaign | |
 | The University of Tennessee this week launched its first system-wide marketing campaign in 12 years to raise awareness about the work of campuses across the state. The campaign budget is currently $300,000, comprised of private fundraising and investment income. A first phase costing $220,000 will run through May and additional phases are planned for fall 2018 and January 2019. Additional fundraising is also underway. "It's trying to find ways we can talk about things we're doing in every community throughout the state that people don't realize," said Tiffany Carpenter, associate vice president for communications and marketing for the UT System. The campaign, titled "Everywhere You Look, UT," has been in the works for at least the last year and is intended to increase recognition and awareness of the statewide, connected nature of the UT system. |
| Texas A&M flagship campus to build veterinary complex at West Texas A&M U. | |
 | The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved a plan Thursday to build a $22.8 million veterinary education, research and workforce facility on the West Texas A&M University campus. While the Veterinary Education, Research & Outreach Center will be located on the campus in Canyon, it will be operated by the flagship Texas A&M University. The facility is expected to house administrative, faculty and support staff offices, computer services, research labs, classrooms and conference and meeting space. "This is a great day for Texas A&M, West Texas A&M and the Panhandle," A&M System Chancellor John Sharp said in a statement. "With these three new facilities in Canyon, the Texas A&M System has invested nearly $90 million in the future of agriculture and animal health in this region. We have created a two-way superhighway of veterinary education and research activity from Canyon to College Station, and it runs right through these new structures." |
| Campus abortion foes, U. of Missouri dispute reason for poster removal | |
 | An anti-abortion group at the University of Missouri is claiming victory after a poster celebrating Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, was removed from a display at Ellis Library after they threatened to petition for it to be taken down and to bring national pressure against the school. MU, however, is disputing that claim. The threat had nothing to do with the change in displays, which was already slated for replacement after several years of hanging on a wall near the library check-out desk, spokeswoman for MU's libraries Shannon Cary said in an interview Thursday. The explanation for the sudden speed-up is suspect, said Kristen Wood, president of Mizzou Students for Life. Attacking Sanger's more controversial views is a tactic used by anti-abortion groups to discredit Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortions in the United States. |
| Employment picture at the U. of Missouri: More departures than hires | |
 | Since June 1, a total of 1,582 positions have been added at MU, but 2,661 university employees have departed, which includes fewer than 10 non-tenure-track faculty told Feb. 28 they would not be reappointed. The departures since June 1, either from termination, layoffs, retirement or resignation include 949 faculty, 1,688 staff and 24 administrators. The hires during the same period include 541 faculty, 1,031 staff and 10 administrators. The overall net loss is 1,079 positions, including 13 full-time administrators. MU currently has 324 open job listings, including 192 faculty positions, 131 staff positions and one executive position. Cost savings over the last 12 months add up to $13 million in reduced spending on salaries and benefits, according to MU spokesman Christian Basi. That number is expected to increase through the end of the fiscal year. |
| Survey of college presidents finds worry about public attitudes, confidence in finances | |
 | Public confidence in higher education is waning -- and institutions' leaders don't seem terrifically cocky themselves, Inside Higher Ed's new Survey of College and University Presidents reveals. About a third of presidents agree that more than 10 colleges or universities will close or merge in the next year, while another 40 percent say at least five colleges will do so. And after a year in which the number of colleges either closing or merging ticked upward, nearly one in eight college chief executives predict their own institution could fold or combine in the next five years. About a third of campus leaders agree with the statement that "the perception of colleges as places that are intolerant of conservative views is accurate." And 51 percent agree the 2016 election "exposed that academe is disconnected from much of American society." Those findings aside, the survey contains plenty of evidence that campus CEOs believe strongly in their institutions' important role and their future. |
| College Culture Drives Professors' Job Satisfaction, Study Finds | |
 | Research shows that faculty members spend a lot of time working, which raises the question: Are professors satisfied with their jobs? A new study by the TIAA Institute sorted data on faculty members' attitudes about work according to the type of institution at which they worked. And because colleges invest so much money in their faculties, a report on the study says, higher-education leaders should better understand the factors that affect job satisfaction --- and institutional culture is key. Karen L. Webber, an associate professor of higher education at the University of Georgia, analyzed faculty-satisfaction data from nearly 31,000 professors that were originally collected by the Collaborative for Academic Careers in Higher Education, at Harvard University. |
| Texas Tech professor who says university punished him for opposing tenure can take case to trial | |
| In another legal win for the Texas Tech University professor who hates tenure, a Texas appeals court green-lit his state-level suit against the institution this week for trial. The decision, written by Justice James T. Campbell, reverses a lower court's dismissal of James Wetherbe's retaliation case against Texas Tech. Wetherbe, Richard Schulze Distinguished Professor of Business, has long been a critic of the tenure system, especially in business schools, on the grounds that it can limit innovation. He's shared his opinions on campus and off, including in high-profile op-eds. Wetherbe said that a dean he blames for much of the retaliation has now left the university for unrelated reasons, and that he's anxious to settle. Texas Tech's model seems to be to play out all legal options in hopes that he'll give up, he added, "but I've run marathons. I don't look like it now, but I'm used to running marathons." |
| A Tax on Endowments Became Law, But Congressmen and Colleges Are Still Fighting It | |
| Less than three months after an overhaul of the nation's tax code was signed into law, a pair of federal lawmakers has introduced bipartisan legislation to repeal a provision that was roundly opposed by higher education. The Don't Tax Higher Education Act, introduced on Thursday, is sponsored by Rep. John Delaney, Democrat of Maryland, and Rep. Bradley Byrne, Republican of Alabama, and would repeal the levy on university endowments in the new tax law. "America's colleges and universities are one of our singular assets as a country. We lead the world in higher education, and it gives us an incredible advantage in today's high-tech, high-skill global economy," said Delaney in a written statement. "Colleges and universities rely on their endowments to provide essential funding for financial aid, support difference-making research and teaching, and effectively manage complex long- and short-term costs." |
| U. of Memphis considering adding a middle school | |
| Building on the success of its popular Campus School elementary, the University of Memphis is exploring the idea of adding a middle school, President David Rudd said on Wednesday. Rudd asked university board members to endorse a study to explore the feasibility of adding a middle school, which could either be a charter school or a similar partnership with Shelby County Schools. Board members, who met at the quarterly meeting Wednesday, were enthusiastic. "There's a tremendous need in the community for quality middle schools in Shelby County Schools," faculty board representative Kate Schaffzin said. The possible expansion would be yet another example of partnerships between local universities and SCS, a relationship that's grown over the last few years. Rudd said he hopes to one day have a full continuum of kindergarten through 12th grade schools operated by the university. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State downs LSU, heads to SEC quarters | |
| With 34 seconds left, Mississippi State extended its lead to 78-71, and it looked as if the Bulldogs were going to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. But as time wound down, those hopes faded as LSU's Skylar Mays hit a 3-pointer and the Bulldogs turned it over on the ensuing possession. With 10 seconds left, Tremont Waters drilled a 3 and the Tigers closed to 78-77. The Bulldogs avoided foul attempts on the inbound and Nick Weatherspoon capped the victory with a dunk. Lamar Peters scored a season-high 24 points and Mississippi State hit 10 3-pointers in defeating LSU 80-77 in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday. |
| Bulldogs hold off LSU's second-half surge | |
| Mississippi State started Thursday night's game by sinking 9 of 12 of their 3-pointers in the first half. As it turned out, the seventh-seeded Bulldogs needed every one of them. Tenth-seeded LSU nearly overcame a 19-point deficit by scoring 48 points in the second half but were unable to complete the comeback as MSU held on for an 80-77 victory and eliminated the Tigers from the SEC Tournament for the second straight season. "We withstood a big punch tonight and get a chance to live for another day," said MSU coach Ben Howland. The Bulldogs advance ahead to take on No. 2 seed Tennessee today at 6 p.m. on the SEC Network. The Volunteers defeated Mississippi State 76-54 in Starkville on Feb. 27 and finished as the league's regular-season co-champion. "We're just taking it one game at a time," said MSU guard Lamar Peters. |
| What Mississippi State's win over LSU means for Tennessee game | |
| Before Lamar Peters shook hands with LSU's players following Mississippi State's 80-77 win over the Tigers in a second-round game of the SEC tournament, he looked at his teammates and repeatedly tapped his chest. "We need to close out games better than that," Peters said. "As the point guard, I'm the leader and we need to do better. We need to get into our sets and look for perfection. But I was just happy we got the win." The Bulldogs, a No. 7 seed in this tournament, won't win many games going forward (read: advance past Friday's quarterfinal game against No. 2 seed Tennessee and continue to Sunday's SEC tournament championship game and the NCAA tournament automatic bid) if they play like they did during the final five minutes Thursday night at Scottrade Center. The Bulldogs led by as many as 19 late in the first half, but LSU's energy and smaller lineup coupled with MSU's 10 turnovers in the second half made the final margin much closer. |
| MSU Notebook: Holman answers off the bench | |
| Mississippi State coach Ben Howland decided to make a change after a 21-point loss to LSU in Baton Rouge last Saturday. Howland decided to start Xavian Stapleton and bring Aric Holman off the bench for Thursday's rematch in the second round of the SEC Tournament. Holman heard the message loud and clear and responded with his sixth double-double of the season and first since Jan. 20. "I thought that was good for us and Aric really responded," Howland said. "This was one of Aric's best games. He played 30 minutes and got a double-double with 12 rebounds, 11 points and four blocks. I'm really happy for him." |
| LSU basketball loses heartbreaker in SEC Tournament to Mississippi State | |
 | It was too little, too late for LSU on Thursday in the SEC Tournament. The Tigers trailed by as many as 19 in the first half and got the lead down to one with 9.0 seconds to play but a last-second halfcourt attempt by Brandon Rachal just missed the mark and LSU fell to Mississippi State, 80-77. The Tigers had to overcome such a large deficit because of the way the Bulldogs shot in the first half. Mississippi State shot 16-of-25 from the field in the first half and 9-of-12 from deep. The Tiger pep band actually impacted the game as the Bulldogs only shot 4-of-8 from the free-throw line prior to halftime. Former Landry-Walker guard Lamar Peters had a season-high 24 points for Mississippi State. He also hit five 3-pointers which also set a season high. |
| Despite valiant second-half effort, LSU can't overcome poor first half against State | |
 | On too many occasions this season, the LSU basketball team has dug itself too big of a hole in the first half of games. Whether it's poor shooting on offense or lapses on defense, Will Wade's team falls behind before making halftime adjustments needed to get back in the game. It happened once again Thursday night in the Scottrade Center. LSU lost 80-77 in a second-round Southeastern Conference tournament game against Mississippi State, which the Tigers handled by 21 points just five days earlier in Baton Rouge. LSU (17-14) was eliminated from the SEC tournament by Mississippi State (22-10) for the second year in a row, leaving the Tigers to await word of a possible National Invitation Tournament bid. The 32-team NIT field will be announced Sunday night following the NCAA tournament selection show, with LSU hoping to earn a spot after increasing its win total by seven from last year's 10-21 campaign. |
| Vols basketball raring to go in SEC Tournament after unfamiliar double-bye | |
| Admiral Schofield isn't used to playing on Friday in the SEC Tournament, let alone having it be the first postseason game for Tennessee basketball. And frankly Schofield does not like it. "I'd rather be playing right now," Schofield said Thursday before the Vols practiced. The junior forward does, of course, like being SEC co-champions, which earned the Vols a double-bye to Friday's quarterfinal round. He also likes the rest and recovery time provided by skipping past the Wednesday and Thursday opening rounds that Schofield and the Vols played in the past two seasons. But being the No. 2 seed led to a long layoff for No. 12 Tennessee (23-7, 13-5 SEC), which clinched its first SEC title in a decade with a win against Georgia on Saturday. The Vols will finally be back on the court against No. 7 seed Mississippi State at 6 p.m. Friday (SEC Network) after six days without a game. |
| Board Games Become Part of Tennessee's Road Game Routine | |
| Each time Tennessee goes on the road, the games start long before the Volunteers take the floor. But it's not what most would expect. These guys aren't emulating NBA or NFL stars on video games. No, when some of the 13th-ranked Vols compete against one another in their hotel, they prefer board games. Their game of choice is Settlers of Catan, in which players attempt to establish settlements by collecting resources such as brick, lumber, wool, grain and ore. Sophomore forward Grant Williams saw some teammates playing the game and liked it so much that he bought one himself. "I'm a board game type of guy," Williams said. "So I just bought probably six or seven board games that night. I bought Catan, Sorry, two Monopolys, Trouble." Those road-trip board games have apparently been a good-luck charm: Tennessee is 10-5 away from home this season heading into its SEC Tournament quarterfinal with Mississippi State on Friday in St. Louis. |
| Saturday's forecast adjusts Mississippi State baseball's series with Utah Valley | |
 | With rain in the forecast for Saturday in Starkville, Mississippi State and Utah Valley have agreed to alter the schedule for their three-game weekend series. The Bulldogs and Wolverines will play a doubleheader on Friday at Dudy Noble Field with game one beginning at 3 p.m. The second game of the day will begin 45 minutes following the conclusion of game one. Both of Fridays games will be nine-inning affairs. The series will conclude on Sunday with a 1 p.m. start, as originally scheduled. |
| Mississippi State plays twinbill today against Utah Valley | |
| With showers expected in the area on Saturday, No. 21 Mississippi State has scheduled a Friday doubleheader with Utah Valley beginning at 3 p.m. Game 2 will begin 45 minutes following the final out of the first game. Sunday's series finale is still slated for 1 p.m. The Bulldogs enter the weekend 8-5 overall but 8-2 since Gary Henderson took the helm as interim head coach and have surrendered just five runs in five straight wins. MSU is expected to start left-handers Konnor Pilkington (1-1, 1.69 ERA) and Ethan Small (1-1, 3.77) today and righty Jacob Billingsley (1-0, 3.29) on Sunday. The Wolverines counter with right-hander Jake Mayer (1-1, 3.00) and southpaw Jackson Cofer (0-2, 3.77) today and righty Walker Ramsey (1-2, 10.61) on Sunday. |
| Story stuck things out after shaky start at State | |
| Michael Story wasn't sure Mississippi State football was for him at first. Story graduated from Ripley High School a semester early and enrolled at MSU so he could get a head start on his college career. But when spring practices started, he began to second guess his decision. "I came here at 17 in January of 2015 and was wondering if I made the right decision," Story said. "I was out there practicing that spring and it didn't go very well. But this program is about building you up and getting better. From where I started to where I am now, it's really surprising." Story stuck it out and after a redshirt year, he began seeing results. The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder appeared in eight games in 2016 and was ready when he was forced into back-to-back starts against Kentucky and Samford that season. "I know when my number is called that I know what to do and can go out there and do my job," Story said. |
| Southern Miss is near the bottom in football coaching salaries | |
| The majority of college football coaches have been handsomely compensated for many years. Until recently, though, assistant coaches' pay has not experienced the same drastic upward swing. Five years ago, the average annual salary for an FBS assistant was $216,000 and 23 assistants eclipsed the $600,000 plateau --- more than double the number of coaches who made that much in 2010. Today, 15 assistants make more than $1 million per year and that doesn't factor in potential bonus pay. Seventy-one coordinators/position coaches are paid $600,000 or more. Such a trend is not quite as dramatic everywhere, though. Southern Miss, in fact, has gone the opposite direction, paying its assistant coaches $820,000 last year, the lowest total in Conference USA and the fourth-lowest in the country ahead of only Idaho, Kent State and New Mexico State. In 2012, that number stood at $2.05 million. By 2015, the pool had dropped to $1.15 million. |
| In talk at U. of Arkansas, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says he favors athletes speaking up | |
| "Shut up and dribble" is advice Kareem Abdul-Jabbar never would have considered as a player or as an activist and social commentator. Fox News host Laura Ingraham created a stir recently when she said Cleveland Cavaliers basketball star LeBron James should "shut up and dribble" after he made comments about President Donald Trump. Implications that sports stars should keep their political opinions to themselves is a view that Abdul-Jabbar has long rejected. "I had to deal with that in the early years of my career," said Abdul-Jabbar, who played for 20 years in the National Basketball Association and was voted the league's most valuable player six times. Abdul-Jabbar addressed a variety of topics during a public discussion Thursday at Bud Walton Arena on the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville campus. |
| In Q&A with The Advocate, LSU's Ed Orgeron talks about pressure, change after first full season | |
| His first season as LSU's head coach went quickly, Ed Orgeron says, but that doesn't mean he didn't learn from the journey. That 9-4 season has brought about changes. Orgeron detailed those in an hour-long sitdown with The Advocate on Thursday, three days ahead of LSU's start to spring practice Sunday. More than anything, he discussed the primary change: an increase in his support staff. LSU has 10 analysts on staff, doubling the number the team employed in the past, a development the coach sought from athletic director Joe Alleva during the offseason. The 56-year-old coach also discussed his offense under new coordinator Steve Ensminger, as coaches continue to create and build what is now a vast system. They're adding a "wide array" of formations and plays to a scheme that will be trimmed by the time the season rolls around, Orgeron said. Offensive staff members plan to visit the San Diego Chargers and have been studying "a lot of what the Saints are doing," he said. |
| Jimbo Fisher excited to see his new Texas A&M team on the field this month | |
| Jimbo Fisher is just as anxious as anyone to see who becomes his starting quarterback. "It's wide open. Everything's wide open," Texas A&M's new head football coach said Thursday. "Listen, even if I was coaching here last year, it still would be wide open. How players develop yearly, you never know." A&M used a pair of freshman quarterbacks last season with Kellen Mond making eight starts and Nick Starkel five. A&M will open spring practice March 20. So far, Fisher said he's pleased with the players' progress under veteran strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt, who had been at Oklahoma for the last 18 years. |
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