DAILY REPORT : Syracuse in Sight, but Not on Mind

They were talking about Syracuse, their opponent in Saturday’s semifinal game, but everybody kept asking the Mississippi State Bulldogs about Kentucky, their Southeastern Conference rival and winner of the Midwest Regional.

Mississippi State defeated Kentucky, 84-73, in the SEC title game, and the Bulldog players are sure the Wildcats would love another shot at them in the national championship game.

“I know Kentucky would love to play us again,” said Bulldog forward Dontae’ Jones. “It’d be great--especially since it’d mean we both won our games to get there.”

Said guard Marcus Bullard: “Kentucky’s got to take care of their end of the stick, and we’ve got to take care of our end.”

The last time two conference foes faced each other in the final game was when the Big Eight’s Kansas beat Oklahoma to win the 1988 national title.

So, anything to say about Syracuse? “John Wallace, that’s the thing that pops out to me,” Jones said. “And, that we’ve got to beat them.”

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Guard Damon Flint had been Cincinnati’s most productive offensive player throughout the regional, averaging 19.3 points a game before Sunday. But he struggled early and often against Mississippi State, ending up with only two points on one-for-12 shooting (0 for 7 from three-point distance). “It was just an off-day,” Flint said. “I had good looks, but I just wasn’t knocking down the shots.”

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Sophomore forward Danny Fortson, a second-team All-American, said there’s no way he’s coming out early for the NBA draft.

“The way I played in the tournament? I need to stay in school as long as I can to get my game together.”

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With Erick Dampier in foul trouble, Mississippi State freshman center Tyrone Washington, who averaged 1.7 points in the regular season, stepped in and played 11 crucial minutes and scored seven points, grabbed four rebounds and blocked a shot.

“He was big today,” Mississippi State Coach Richard Williams said of Washington.

Said Washington: “I felt I had to come in and give the team a little spark in whatever way I could, whether it be a block, a made shot or even a foul.”

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Mississippi State should have known everything was going its way when guard Darryl Wilson banked in a 24-footer to push the lead to 63-47 after a mini-Cincinnati run.

“I didn’t call ‘bank’, but I’ll take anything I can get,” Wilson said with a laugh.

Said Huggins: “It was their day. Hey, they banked in a three when we were making a move.”