—Starkville, Miss. (THE HUMP)—
As things begin to wind down on this year’s college basketball season, MissState needs every win it can get.

The Bulldogs took care of that this week defeating Alabama and South Carolina in nearly identical games.

Wednesday night at home, the Dawgs took care of Bama. But this was more than a key home victory in prepping for the NCAA Dance. It was a memorable night with seniors Barry Stewart and Jarvis Varnado breaking records.

Varnado needed 8 blocks to break the NCAA record for career blocks. And he got them all against a team he averages about 2 against. Very impressive. He now owns 537 career blocks!

Stewart broke the record for most made three-pointers in a career at MSU. While not necessarily as impressive, it’s nice to see Stewart get some recognition for the hard work he’s put in and for being a leader on the team.

This isn’t to say the game was a breeze. The more blocks Jarvis got, the closer the game got somehow. Almost as if all the focus was on him getting his swats. But played well on both ends and it paid off with a 74-66 victory to venge for a loss at Bama earlier in the season.

Arkansas helped out by losing a pair of games this week, giving us a two-game lead in the West.

After a victory in Columbia, we clinched the SEC West crown thanks to a season sweep of Ole Miss.

More in depth, the Dawgs played some of their most consistent minutes Saturday against S. Carolina. For a full 40 minutes, we were focused on winnng and took care of every aspect of the contest.

And while I’ve harped on a lot of weaknesses this season, this team always has the potential to play top 15 ball. Let’s hope they stay focused and in the groove with the season coming to an end.

Analysts are saying the Dawgs still need two more wins: at Auburn and the season finale vs. no.17 UT in the Hump.

If they play anywhere near the way they ended last season, expect the Dawgs to have a strong finish into the SEC championship.

Positives: 40 minutes of focused effort by everyone, reallyJarvis Varnado now owns the NCAA career blocks record with 537 and counting…Dee Bost is averaging 19 ppg in his last 5 games, at 52 FG%

Negatives: the END is near!…Ravern Johnson’s new role on team (bench? starter?)…our RPI and strength of schedule Read the full story