Sorry for the late start today, but it was a late night/early morning. So let's get to rounding up Thursday's big basketball game, a 70-60 win for No. 20 MSU over Ole Miss.

• Game story (CLICK HERE)

• My column on Dee Bost (CLICK HERE)

• The notebook (CLICK HERE)

The lead to the notebook was about how easily the points came to Arnett Moultrie, who finished with 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He'd struggled to get 10 points in the first meeting in Oxford.

It helps when six of your buckets are dunks, as was the case with Moultrie. And four of those dunks were alley-oops. In all, MSU had eight dunks, five of them in the first half. State shot 51.6 percent that half (16 of 31).

MSU now has a quick turnaround, facing Georgia at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. We'll preview that game in tomorrow's Journal and again give you full coverage from Humphrey Coliseum.

Recapping No. 20 Mississippi State's 70-60 win over Ole Miss at Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday night.

• The buzz: MSU (19-5, 6-3 SEC) got its revenge in dominant fashion, opening up an 18-point lead more than once in the second half. It never trailed in the game and took a 40-27 lead into halftime. It was the kind of all-around effort that we haven't seen a whole lot of from State. The Rebels (14-9, 4-5), who held both Dee Bost and Arnett Moultrie in check on Jan. 18 in Oxford (a 75-68 Ole Miss win), could do no such thing tonight.

• Turning point: MSU went scoreless for 4 minutes, 46 seconds early in the second half, but Ole Miss could only manage a 6-0 run during that span. It was 58-40 at the 9:09 mark after a Moultrie alleyoop dunk. Ole Miss never got closer than 10 points, and that was late.

• MVP: Bost was unstoppable, and nothing Ole Miss tried could slow him down. He had a career high in assists.

• MSU leaders: Moultrie 18 points (9-14 FGs, 0-2 FTs), 9 rebounds; Bost 15 points (4-9 FGs, 3-6 3FGs, 4-4 FTs), 13 assists, 3 steals; Renardo Sidney 14 points (6-9 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 1-1 FT), 7 rebounds, 27 minutes; Rodney Hood 10 points (4-12 FGs, 2-8 3FGs), 6 rebounds.

• Ole Miss leaders: Reggie Buckner 15 points (6-10 FGs, 3-7 FTs), 9 rebounds; Jarvis Summers 12 points (5-8 FGs, 2-4 3FGs, 0-2 FTs), 4 assists; Jelan Kendrick 11 points (4-10 FGs, 1-1 3FGs, 2-3 FTs), 5 rebounds.

• Key stats: MSU and Ole Miss each scored 34 points in the paint; MSU out-rebounded OM 38-33; MSU had 17 assists, OM 9; MSU shot 45.9 percent overall (51.6 percent first half), 36 percent from 3-point range (9-25); Ole Miss shot 43.1 percent overall, 33.3 percent from 3-point range (3-9); Nick Williams 0 points (0-6 FGs) for Ole Miss.

• Highlight reel: Bost came up with a steal of Kendrick in the backcourt and raced the other way for an emphatic dunk, giving State a 50-36 lead at 13:07 of the second half.

• Quotable: "Our biggest thing is you can't get caught up ever in talking about what you're going to do in this series. We're not about that. Kids sometimes do that, and our kids are aware of some things that were said. But let's just stay focused and let's let our games do the talking between the lines. I thought Dee did a great job of that tonight." – MSU coach Rick Stansbury

• Bottom line: MSU remains tied for third in the SEC standings and now have a chance to get on a roll. As mentioned before, it's not had a three-game winning streak since before Christmas. A lot of things that went wrong last time against Ole Miss went very right tonight. Also, Bost's 13 assists are the most by an SEC player this year.

• Up next: MSU wraps up its three-game homestand Saturday when Georgia visits for a 12:30 p.m. tipoff, on the SEC Network.

Today's game: Ole Miss (14-8, 4-4 SEC) at No. 20 MSU (18-5, 5-3), 6 p.m., ESPN2 (Rece Davis play-by-play, Hubert Davis analyst), SiriusXM 91.

Mississippi State goes for revenge tonight, and it gets to do so at home in front of a sold-out crowd on national TV. To win, the Bulldogs need to figure out how to fix what went wrong in the first meeting, a 75-68 Ole Miss win on Jan. 18.

Arnett Moultrie struggled to get going offensively that game, finishing with 10 points. As you can read in today's Journal (CLICK HERE), Moultrie is eager for a better showing tonight.

Then there's Dee Bost, who was checked by the taller, longer Terrance Henry and couldn't find many paths toward the basket. He scored 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting (all 3-pointers), and several of those points came late once Ole Miss had the game in hand. Henry says he'll be guarding Bost again (CLICK HERE).

There was apparently a bit of trash talk between the two that night. Bost hopes to let his play do the talking this time.

"I've got to attack him," Bost said. "Up there I was kind of being passive and not attacking. But we're at home this game, and I'm going to attack him more and get to the foul line."

This game is big beyond the rivalry aspect. A win for MSU gives it a two-game lead over Ole Miss, and puts it back in a tie for third with Vanderbilt, which is 6-3 after defeating LSU last night. It would also keep State one game back of Florida, which defeated the Bulldogs earlier this season.

MSU isn't catching Kentucky – and probably not Florida – so it's essentially playing for an SEC Tournament first-round bye. The top four teams earn that privilege.

If MSU is to win tonight, it should probably emulate the approach being taken by sophomore guard Jalen Steele.

"We've got to play harder. We've got to go out there with the mindset that Ole Miss is not a bad team – they're very good. We can't take any team for granted. We've got to go out there, play hard, play together, and defend. Box out, keep (Reggie) Buckner off the boards, and I think we'll do good Thursday and win the game."

College baseball is still a game that's best viewed in person, but there are a handful of opportunities to watch Mississippi State on the tube this season. The SEC released its full 2012 TV schedule this morning, and the Bulldogs will be on the air nine times.

So here's the MSU television schedule. Note that the Tennessee game is on a Thursday and kicks off Super Bulldog Weekend. Also, the first game listed is on a New Orleans-based network, and I have no idea who carries that in Mississippi.

• March 16, at LSU, Cox Sports (7 p.m.)

• March 17, at LSU, CSS (6 p.m.)

• March 25, vs. Arkansas, SportSouth (noon)

• April 17, vs. Ole Miss (Pearl), CSS (6:30 p.m.)

• April 19, vs. Tennessee, ESPNU (6:30 p.m.)

• April 27, vs. Ole Miss, SportSouth (7 p.m.)

• April 28, vs. Ole Miss, SportSouth (2 p.m.)

• April 29, vs. Ole Miss, CSS (1:30 p.m.)

• May 18, vs. Kentucky, SportSouth (7 p.m.)

And one additional note: MSU's home game against Mississippi Valley State on Feb. 26 has been moved to a 4 p.m. start time, to accommodate the HailStateTV online streaming broadcast (women's hoops at 12:30 that day).

MSU great Bailey Howell, alongside his coach, Babe McCarthy. (Photo courtesy MSU)

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So, Mississippi State announced its all-time starting five basketball team yesterday, and you can read about it if you CLICK HERE. One member of that group is Bailey Howell, who many consider the greatest Bulldog of all time.

He was a 6-foot-7 center who played from 1956-59 and is the second-leading scorer in school history. His 27.1-point average remains a school record. He won two NBA titles with the Boston Celtics. He was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997. The Howell Trophy is named after him – it goes to the top male college basketball player in Mississippi each year.

Quite the career for Mr. Howell, who's now 75 years old.

I caught up with him last night, and we had a great conversation about this all-time team, about this current MSU squad, about Arnett Moultrie, and plenty else. I figure the best way to present this is as a Q&A, so here's the majority of my conversation with Mr. Howell.

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BL: What's this mean to you?

BH: It's a really special honor. Mississippi State's been playing basketball for 100 years now, and to be considered one of the top five players out of all those teams and individuals, of course, that's very special. Mississippi State had some really good teams over the years.

BL: How have you seen the program grow since you played?

BH: Mississippi State has a lot of tradition, a lot of competitive teams from lots of years. Mississippi State I feel like is just a very short step from being considered one of the elite teams, one of the elite programs in the nation. That last step, even though you can be real close to it, it's a real difficult thing to accomplish.

BL: Could this be the year for MSU to take that step?

BH: It's a matter of being consistent and putting a competitive team out there every year, winning 20 games or more year after year. When the wins stack up like that, you can't deny the fact that the program is where it ought to be.

BL: That starting five has quite the frontcourt, doesn't it?

BH: You've got two great shot blockers out there in (Erick) Dampier and (Jarvis) Varnado. Varnado, who wasn't an offensive threat when he first got to Mississippi State, really worked on that. By the time he left here he was a threat down low.

BL: Let's play pretend: What would your role be on this all-time team?

BH: I think they would expect me to play the whole game, be a good defensive player, be a good passer, be a good scorer. And of course, with all of those players out there that are used to scoring, you've got to learn to play without the ball. That's the last skill a player really picks up, learning to play without the ball.

BL: What did you think of Jeff Malone (MSU's all-time leading scorer, just ahead of Howell)?

BH: He was more of an outside threat, I was more of an inside. It's hard to compare players. If we both had been inside players, that's different. Guards have the ball a lot. (chuckles)

BL: Has anyone who's played for MSU reminded you of yourself?

BH: That would be hard to say. They didn't have the 30-second shot (clock), and teams played a lot of zone back then. They'd pack in low, and so when we had a lead we'd just the freeze ball. The team behind, the rule was they had to force the action. So they'd have to come out and guard us. When they did, they tried to get the ball to me on the high post. We had some cutters to the basket, or I'd make a quick move. When you have to go out and guard somebody, because that's what the rule says, it's hard to get back and double- or triple-team. So if I could make a quick move, I had a good chance to have an opportunity to score.

BL: What do you think of Arnett Moultrie?

BH: A lot of people could learn by watching him play – a lot of big guys, I'm talking about. It's ridiculous how so many of the big guys in this league, and college basketball for that matter, once the shot goes up they're a spectator. They just watch to see if it's going in. Very, very few people follow their own shot. He does. He's an outstanding offensive rebounder, and in order to do that, of course you've got to have good touch, good hands, but you've got to make the effort to get in there. So many people, you try to picture spots to go to the boards, you're not going to get many. You just have to keep persistently pounding the boards if you want to get some to come your way.

BL: Could Moultrie hang with these All-Century guys?

BH: Oh yeah, sure. He didn't have the chance to be considered because this team was picked earlier this year. He hadn't even played but two or three games here at the time. … (Dee) Bost was one of the top 20, I think, and he's a legitimate top 20, no question. Moultrie would be, too, but he hadn't played any. Nobody had seen him play.

(Note: Bost was not one of the 20 All-Century team members, but he'd be a good candidate. And that tells you how highly Howell thinks of him.)

Hey, look, it's the Blog Bag. I almost forgot again, but it's still just Wednesday. Plenty o' time for y'all to come up with thought-provoking questions. So do that, drop them in the comments section below, and I'll have answers for you by Friday. Or Saturday.

Go.

Jalen Steele began to find his shot on Jan. 18, in Oxford. He was sent back to the bench that game after 10 consecutive starts – Brian Bryant regained the starter's job.

Steele came off the bench and hit a couple of quick 3-pointers, and he finished 2 of 5 from behind the arc. Then he really went off, making 14 of 24 over the next four games. As you can read in today's Journal (CLICK HERE), Steele has found and fully embraced his role on this team.

"I watched the tape this morning of our first game with him, and he really shot the ball well," Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said Monday. "You've obviously got to be very aware of where he is at all times because of his ability to stretch the defense."

No. 20 MSU hosts Ole Miss on Thursday, and the Rebels must indeed beware Steele. The sophomore puts the "shooting" in shooting guard. This season, 74 percent of his field goal attempts have been 3-pointers, while 71.7 percent of his makes are threes.

That rate is higher than last season, when Steele shot threes 60 percent of the time, with 55.1 percent of his makes coming from there.

Steele made 32.9 percent from 3-point range as a freshman. This season, he's hitting them at a 39.8-percent clip. So why the sudden hot hand? He said everything has just clicked into place.

"Actually back in high school, I used to have long stretches like this – just non-stop," he said. "But now I'm starting to feel it in the college game, and I'm feeling very comfortable with my game. Hopefully I can keep this going and continue on to the tournament and the SEC Tournament."

Coach Rick Stansbury has talked with Steele about clearing his mind and just playing his game, not putting pressure on himself. Coming off the bench has certainly helped that, and Stansbury has seen a different Steele.

"When he gets the ball now, when he shoots it now, you think it's got a chance to go in. Before maybe you were hoping," Stansbury said. "And I think he feels that way. He's pretty aggressive offensively right now and that's what we need."

Said Steele, "It really calmed me down. I didn't go out there with no pressure, no stress. I just went out there and played my game. Stansbury sat me down to try to find that – find me. I think that really help me out."

You want video of Steele? Of course you do, so CLICK HERE.

Mississippi State's batting order will have a different look to it this season, and not just because of the amount of turnover in personnel. John Cohen is still going to play small ball – let's not get crazy – but the Bulldogs should have a little more pop in the middle of the order.

State hit 30 home runs last season (in 63 games), which ranked 10th in the SEC. The team leader was shortstop Jonathan Odgen, with eight, and he was not considered a power hitter. He's graduated.

You can blame the new bats if you want, but the makeup of the team last year just didn't lend itself to a power game. This year's really won't either, but it should have more of that capability with some young players coming up.

The guy to watch is sophomore Hunter Renfroe. He saw limited action last season, going 4 of 26 at the plate in 14 games with no home runs.

"Hunter is one of those kids that when he takes BP (batting practice), our whole team shuts down and says, 'Oh my goodness, look at this,'" Cohen said. He later added, "Hunter Renfroe is a scary guy that can hit balls on top of that bathroom out there."

Senior closer Caleb Reed says Cohen isn't telling any tall tales. He can vouch for Renfroe's displays of power.

"Me and all the coaches always have a bet of how many home runs we think he'll hit this round. It's impressive to watch," Reed said.

Several other young players should add thump to MSU's lineup. Cohen mentioned redshirt freshman Wes Rea, the former offensive lineman who Dan Mullen once coveted (and probably still does). There's sophomore Daryl Norris – no homers last year, though – and junior college transfer Trey Porter, who hits left-handed.

Cohen feels he has plenty of options.

"There’s some meat in the middle of the order."

If that proves true, it should provide a complement to the small-ball approach Cohen values so highly. There is speed aplenty, so even if guys aren't hitting it out, doubles to the gap can get baserunners like C.T. Bradford and Demarcus Henderson from first to home.

The new bats introduced last year have cut down on home runs and scoring, so MSU is definitely not going to rely too heavily on the power game. But it's one of many elements that's needed.

"There's an athleticism with this group and you just get the feeling there's a good recipe of power, some runners," Cohen said, "but more than anything I love the way we defend the field and pitch."

I'll have plenty more on the Bulldogs in the coming days. The season begins Feb. 17 at home versus Washington State.

Hey, I've got a lot to throw on your plate this morning, so I hope you're hungry – for information, that is! Hope you can digest it all! Hope it doesn't make you vomit!

(We apologize for Brad's stupid sense of humor. He will be summarily punished by having to diagram sentences uttered by various football coaches. – Ed.)

Let's start with this MSU All-Century Team. The starting five was released this morning, so here it is. An intriguing lineup.

• Bailey Howell (1956-59): MSU's second all-time leading scorer, with 2,030 points. … Played 12 NBA seasons, won two titles with Boston Celtics. … Elected to National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.

• Jeff Malone (1979-83): MSU's all-time leading scorer, with 2,142 points. … Played 13 years in the NBA with four teams. … Two-time NBA All-Star.

• Erick Dampier (1993-96): Averaged 13.2 points, 9.2 rebounds in his career. … Named first-team All-SEC twice. … Led MSU to the Final Four in 1996.

• Darryl Wilson (1993-96): Led MSU in scoring three straight seasons, including Final Four year. … Sixth all-time in scoring, with 1,619 points. … Three-time All-SEC pick, including first team as a senior.

• Jarvis Varnado (2006-10): NCAA's career blocks leader, with 564. … Second on school career rebounding chart, with 1,096. … First-team All-SEC his last two years.

Pretty stout group, no? My only question is who's running the point. Any notable omissions? Timmy Bowers? Dee Bost? Dontae Jones? Lawrence Roberts?

Coming soon will be the top five games in MSU basketball history. That'll be interesting.

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OK, let's hit some links real quick like.

• Click here for today's MSU notebook, which covers DeVille Smith, Renardo Sidney and Caleb Reed.

• Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy seeks better execution (CLICK HERE).

• Alabama forward Tony Mitchell has been suspended indefinitely (CLICK HERE). Coach Anthony Grant cited the old "conduct detrimental to the team" cause. He also said it wasn't one particular incident that got Mitchell suspended, but an "accumulation of things."

We got to spend some quality time with MSU roundball coach Rick Stansbury this afternoon, and some of his players, too. In fact, we had a nice chat with the hot-handed Jalen Steele, and then I got a one-on-one with the sophomore guard. Doing a story on him for Wednesday.

But for now, let's check in on some of what Stansbury had to say as his No. 20-ranked Bulldogs (18-5, 5-3 SEC) prepare for Thursday's game against Ole Miss. First off, of course, State is trying to avenge a 75-68 loss to the Rebels on Jan. 18 in Oxford.

"We didn't play our best game and they played awful well," Stansbury said. "It's never easy on the road, and they are awful good there at home. There's some things – obviously, we don't want to put them on the free throw line as much as we did up there, and offensive rebounding was a factor in that game. We have to play better than we played the last time."

Here are some more thoughts from Stansbury.

• On whether sophomore Shaun Smith can consistently give five to eight minutes a game: "Probably against different teams or different personnel, but there's no reason he can't do that against everybody. And if he hadn't of been hurt I think we'd be way beyond that point, but just because of his situation that's where we're at right now."

• On just doing a walk-through Friday before facing Georgia: "That’s all you can do. Physically you can’t do anything. Mentally some of those adjustments that you can make for that game, it’s a quick turnaround. It is a challenge but it is part of the league and some have to do it more than others. Thank goodness we are at home on Saturday verses being on the road Saturday."

• On DeVille Smith's return: "He is back in school today, and he will be back at practice this afternoon. When he plays? Well, I haven’t made that decision yet, we’ll just have to see where he’s at and we’ll leave it at that."

• On Ole Miss wanting MSU to shoot 3-pointers the first meeting (State made 10 of 29): "I don’t know if they played us that way up there, I can’t remember right off hand. I don’t know if they were begging us to shoot it, you don’t have to beg us much to shoot it, we’ll shoot it."