On February 10th, Mississippi State was coming off another victory over Ole Miss and ranked #18 in the country. They were 6-3 in the SEC and looking for win number 20 in only 25 games. The next game was lowly Georgia at the Hump and the Dawgs were positioning themselves for a high seed.
Three ugly games later and State still doesn't have 20 wins. They should have 22, or at least 21. On February 10th I would've said Stansbury has 95% job security. Now I'd say that's around 50%.
There are a lot of people who believe Stans has had long enough to prove what he can do. This is his 14th year at MSU, and he's never been to the Sweet 16. Things are unraveling right now, and it looks like just getting in the tournament is in serious jeopardy.
I have always supported Stansbury, but if he doesn't bring this team to the NCAA Tournament, it may be time to part ways. There is way too much talent on this team for that. Whether it's attitude problems or effort, something's just not right. Seven weeks ago the Dawgs were standing toe-to-toe with Baylor, now they are losing to Georgia and Auburn. Things aren't getting better, they are getting worse.
Stricklin isn't going to fire Rick if he goes to the Tourney. But if he doesn't, his hand may be forced. Fans are getting apathetic about this basketball program...and that isn't supposed to happen when a team is 19-8. It's an unfortunate situation, but Stans better start winning fast or he's gone.
If you don't think there's anyone good we could get, try Kermit Davis, MSU grad who has MTSU 24-4 this year.