Bulldogs get positive news on Nick Weatherspoon

Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday.

One day after Howland limited his standout freshman guard Nick Weatherspoon’s minutes in Tuesday night’s win over Vanderbilt because of a foot injury, Howland and the Bulldogs received good news that the ailment is nothing major.

“(Weatherspoon) had an MRI and it came back negative thankfully,” Howland told reporters on Thursday. “It was one of those things where you’re on pins and needles waiting on that result. There is nothing structurally wrong there, which is really good news.”

Weatherspoon played only 21 minutes in Tuesday night’s game, including just 8 in the second half. Howland said after the game that Weatherspoon had complained about the issue with his foot prior to the contest, so the Bulldogs elected to be cautious even after the team doctor didn’t believe it was anything serious. On Wednesday, MSU got the confirmation that the injury is, indeed, only a minor issue.

Howland thinks that will provide Weatherspoon with some peace of mind.

“As a player, when you have soreness or something going on, when you know there is nothing wrong structurally, it gives you a lot of confidence that you can deal with it a little easier,” Howland said.

Howland said he expects Weatherspoon will be good to play in Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. game at Alabama. That’s good news for the Bulldogs as Weatherspoon is arguably State’s best defensive player and a catalyst for MSU’s offense.

So far this season, Weatherspoon is Mississippi State’s third-leading scorer as he averages 10.5 points per game. He also averages 2.4 assists per contest.

Alabama star player injured

While Weatherspoon is likely to be on the court at Alabama’s Coleman Coliseum come Saturday, the Crimson Tide’s best player might not be.

Alabama freshman guard Collin Sexton, who many expect to be a high pick in the next National Basketball Association Draft, didn’t play in the Crimson Tide’s 76-71 win over Auburn on Wednesday due to an abdominal injury suffered in practice earlier in the week.

It’s unknown at this point whether or not Sexton will be able to return against the Bulldogs.

“Sexton is a great player,” Howland said. “He’s going to be a top draft pick and is really talented. He just adds even more when you do have him.”

Sexton is averaging 19.3 points per game this season for Alabama, as well as 3.4 assists per contest.

Wright stepping up

MSU’s Eli Wright is impressing his head coach.

The sophomore guard came off the bench in Tuesday night’s win against Vanderbilt and scored five points and had a pair of assists in addition to playing well defensively.

Howland said Wright’s showing proved just how big a part of the team he can be.

“He’s earning the minutes he’s getting,” Howland said. “When he’s playing (like he did against Vanderbilt), he helps our team.

“We need that consistency. You can see he can really be an impactful player for us. He impacted the first half big time and, as we got the lead, he was in. He was one of the guys helping make it happen. It was the same thing in the second half. I’m excited for him and excited for us.”