Face Stanford on Friday in NCAA tourney opener
Success in the NCAA Tournament this year more than any other, perhaps, depends on match-ups. There's just that much parity in this year's bracket.
But for Mississippi State, a more important part of their first-round start can be found looking at a calendar.
"I am definitely happy that we are playing Friday," MSU swingman Shane Power said. "It gives us an extra day, not only to get healthy, but to kind of get our legs back under us and get in shape a little bit more."
Power sprained his ankle Wednesday and limped through two games in the SEC Tournament, and he's got other teammates who need every day they can get before playing Stanford in Charlotte, N.C.
Shooting guard Winsome Frazier is still getting back into form after returning from a broken foot. Center Marcus Campbell only played four minutes in State's two SEC Tournament games because of a strained calf. Point guard Gary Ervin has a hip pointer.
The eighth-seeded Cardinal (18-12) earned a berth one seed up from State (22-10), which extended a school record with a selection for the fourth straight season.
"It has become a tradition for us," said Frazier, a member of all four of those teams. "We have that tradition because of the guys before us and the guys before them. It's now our job to lay the foundation for the guys that come in after us."
The winner of Friday's matchup likely will play No. 1-seeded Duke, which needs only to get past Delaware State in the first round.
The Bulldogs face another team that has had significant injury news late in the season. Stanford lost leading scorer Dan Grunfeld to a season-ending knee injury last month and is 5-3 since. The son of former NBA player Ernie Grunfeld was averaging 17.9 points per game, and his 5.5 rebounds were third best on the team.
The Cardinal lost 66-63 in the Pac-10 Tournament semifinals to Washington, a No. 1-seed in the NCAAs.
In the end, though, the date of the game only means so much. Stansbury has seen how bracketology can put teams in tough spots.
"Those matchups are so important sometimes. Those seedings sometimes don't help that," he said. "I can go back to the year before last, you get a bad Butler matchup in the first round. I don't think anybody wanted to play Xavier last year in a second round as a two-seed.
"We are happy to play Stanford (in an 8-9 game). They are a very good team no matter what that number is."
Success in the NCAA Tournament this year more than any other, perhaps, depends on match-ups. There's just that much parity in this year's bracket.
But for Mississippi State, a more important part of their first-round start can be found looking at a calendar.
"I am definitely happy that we are playing Friday," MSU swingman Shane Power said. "It gives us an extra day, not only to get healthy, but to kind of get our legs back under us and get in shape a little bit more."
Power sprained his ankle Wednesday and limped through two games in the SEC Tournament, and he's got other teammates who need every day they can get before playing Stanford in Charlotte, N.C.
Shooting guard Winsome Frazier is still getting back into form after returning from a broken foot. Center Marcus Campbell only played four minutes in State's two SEC Tournament games because of a strained calf. Point guard Gary Ervin has a hip pointer.
The eighth-seeded Cardinal (18-12) earned a berth one seed up from State (22-10), which extended a school record with a selection for the fourth straight season.
"It has become a tradition for us," said Frazier, a member of all four of those teams. "We have that tradition because of the guys before us and the guys before them. It's now our job to lay the foundation for the guys that come in after us."
The winner of Friday's matchup likely will play No. 1-seeded Duke, which needs only to get past Delaware State in the first round.
The Bulldogs face another team that has had significant injury news late in the season. Stanford lost leading scorer Dan Grunfeld to a season-ending knee injury last month and is 5-3 since. The son of former NBA player Ernie Grunfeld was averaging 17.9 points per game, and his 5.5 rebounds were third best on the team.
The Cardinal lost 66-63 in the Pac-10 Tournament semifinals to Washington, a No. 1-seed in the NCAAs.
In the end, though, the date of the game only means so much. Stansbury has seen how bracketology can put teams in tough spots.
"Those matchups are so important sometimes. Those seedings sometimes don't help that," he said. "I can go back to the year before last, you get a bad Butler matchup in the first round. I don't think anybody wanted to play Xavier last year in a second round as a two-seed.
"We are happy to play Stanford (in an 8-9 game). They are a very good team no matter what that number is."
