Aggies thumped in Kennedy’s likely finale
Coach reportedly set to get pink slip after 8 years at the helm
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Lamar Peters’ wrist is feeling much better, and now he’s doing his best to help the Mississippi State Bulldogs burnish their résumé before the NCAA Tournament.
Peters scored 15 points, and Mississippi State routed Texas A&M 80-54 Thursday night in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said Peters has only been able to practice shooting the past 10 days after a sprained wrist in a loss Jan. 29 at Alabama affected the junior guard in a number of games.
The Bulldogs (23-9) now have won seven of their last nine with their second win over A&M in six days. The Bulldogs never trailed in this one.
The 11th-seeded Aggies (14-18) finished up a painful season that only got worse when sophomore guard TJ Starks dislocated a shoulder Feb. 26. Starks not only averaged 12.3 points a game, he also led the team in assists. His injury left A&M coach Billy Kennedy with seven scholarship players, and this loss likely was the last of his eight-year career following recent reports he’ll be fired once the season ends.
Kennedy said he wish he knew but hasn’t talked to any administrator yet.
“When you hear something as you walk into the gym and you hear it off the Internet, that’s not the way you want to hear something like that going into a tournament trying to play for a championship or trying to win games in the SEC,” Kennedy said. “It’s an unfortunate situation, but I’m not sure.”
Savion Flagg led A&M with 21 points and 10 rebounds a night after scoring a career-high 29 points in a 69-52 opening-round win over Vanderbilt.
Kennedy had a very young team this season with 10 players either sophomores or freshmen.
“It’s been a grueling season, playing six or seven guys and playing a couple of guys 40 minutes a game,” Kennedy said. “It wears on you. It just has been that type of year. Last night we played really well, played with a lot of energy. Tonight we weren’t razor sharp. You can’t win at this level and in this league with the type of teams we’re playing against if you’re not at your best. If you’re not at full strength, it’s hard to win.”