Howland redefines his defense at MSU switching to zone

STARKVILLE - Ben Howland highlighted the connection between defense and winning during his introductory press conference last March.

He signed on with Mississippi State as a defensive-minded coach eager to implement his suffocating man-to-man defense.

Eight months later, the Bulldogs travel to Arkansas on Saturday (2:30 p.m. SEC Network) coming off one of their best defensive efforts of the season. But the Bulldogs built it around a zone defense.

“I knew that this might be a possibility in terms of our numbers,” Howland said. “So it’s something I’ve been thinking about going in. I think it’s helped us.”

Howland wrestled with the idea of playing zone through the first 10 games as Mississippi State began its games in a man defense. As starters picked up fouls, a lack of depth forced the switch to zone.

The 2-3 zone specifically aided the frontcourt from drawing fouls. Gavin Ware is the team’s only viable post presence. He’s also the team’s leading scorer, averaging 17.5 points per game to go with 8.2 rebounds.

But he can’t contribute from the bench.

The senior fouled out in two of MSU first 10 games, and he's finished with four fouls in two contests.

“We’ve got a short bench so the zone helps us in that respect,” Howland said.

Howland used the 2-3 zone more than usual against Florida State. He abandoned the man-to-man philosophy against Northern Colorado. Playing the majority of the game in zone, Ware finished with two fouls in 24 minutes. He picked up three fouls over the next two games, including two in a 15-point, 13-rebound performance in 33 minutes against Texas A&M on Wednesday.

“Part of it is just committing to it,” Howland said. “Once we’ve committed to it, that’s really helped us.”

Mississippi State limited Texas A&M to 30 percent shooting for the game. In the game prior, North Carolina Central struggled, shooting 23.6 percent.

The Eagles' 48 points were the fewest MSU allowed this season. Entering its matchup with Texas A&M, MSU allowed 89.7 points per game to three Power 5 opponents. It held the Aggies to 61.

“I was really pleased with the zone," Howland said. "To hold them, a top 20 team, to 30 percent from the field, was really, really outstanding."

Mississippi State’s rebounding was not.

Prior to switching defenses, MSU allowed an average of 11.5 offensive rebounds per game. Texas Southern recorded 18 on Dec. 2.

MSU limited Northern Colorado to six offensive rebounds in its first game in the defensive audible. However, North Carolina Central tallied 25 offensive rebounds, and Texas A&M finished with 20.

“We gave up too many second shots, which we did (against North Carolina Central), and a number of long rebounds,” Howland said. “(A&M) had 13 more shots at the basket than we did.”

The zone has forced the team into taking more 3-point shots. The Aggies and Eagles combined to miss 43 3-pointers. Those misses create long rebounds that aren’t easy to corral.

The next step in the evolution of MSU’s zone defense is to prevent those second-chance scoring opportunities.

“I have no complaints other than the second shots,” Howland said.

Contact Michael Bonner at mbonner@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @MikeBBonner on Twitter.