Stewart leads MSU win in Miami

Freshman Barry Stewart scored a career high 22 points in State's 70-52 win over the Miami Hurricanes last night. True, his career thus far consists of 8 games, but this is still impressive considering he was a reserve guard in this game. Charles Rhodes played limited minutes as his wrist continues to bother him. Vernon Goodridge and Jarvis Varnado filled in well enough though as they combined for 12 points and 11 rebounds. Jamont Gordon had 12 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds in yet another solid performance.

So, just how big of a win was this? Well....it doesn't have the impact of beating a team like UCLA, but with 2 losses already, I would rate the importance at 7/10. This was a road game....Mississippi State hadn't won a true road game since they beat Jacksonville State on December 15, 2005. Even that was in Jackson, Mississippi. If you want a win outside of the state you have to go back to November 23 of that same year, a win over Charlotte. That's over a year! So, yeah, I would say any road win at this point is pretty darn important.

Let's also not discount the effects this may have on potential NCAA tournament consideration. If a team is sitting on the bubble come March, which is where I see Mississippi State being, one factor among many that will help seal their post season fate will be non-conference victories, specifically road victories. Its not a win that will yank your attention away from other bubble teams, but it will add some shine to the resume.