STARKVILLE-The true face of this Mississippi State men's basketball team may take a few weeks to get a glimpse, when guard Rocket Watts and forward Tolu Smith return due to injuries.

But Wednesday's 75-49 victory over North Alabama State showed the brilliance that coach Ben Howland has. At best: A pursuit-type defensive unit that can make mistakes and scores in the transition, and can open the distance with the offensive burst in the later stage. The worst: the offense fell into a scoring shortage, and the second half gave away too often.

The good is more than the bad, although it remains to be seen how these two extremes will balance in the rest of the 2021-22 season. More challenges are coming, including the home game against Montana on Saturday (6 pm, SEC Network).

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However, the Lions stayed late on Wednesday. They ended the first half with a score of 15-2 and made a three-pointer in time to take advantage of Mississippi State's mistakes. The Bulldogs eventually turned the ball 15 times, even though they recorded 12 steals and scored 24 points from turnovers.

Mississippi State University has never been in danger of losing the season opener. But this game reminds people that this team is not yet a well-functioning machine. It's not completely usable either-with the exception of Watts and Smith, forward Anderson Garcia was suspended for one game, and freshman Keshaun Murphy was sidelined due to injury.

"It just shows that we played well with understaffed people," forward Garrison Brooks said. "But with these two veterans, they are very good players. I think this shows that we can be a very good team."

Therefore, although Wednesday is the first glance for the Bulldogs, this expression is not the whole picture. Nonetheless, here are three observations from performance.

In three consecutive games late in the second half, Mississippi's three transfers can explain why Howland brought them to Starkville.

First, guard Shakeel Moore intercepted a pass, then ran to the court to dunk. Next, Brooks also dunked and was fouled, but missed the free throw. In the end, Jeffries made a steal, accelerated the pace, and allowed forward Cameron Matthews to make a layup-an exclamation point for his 14 rebounds.

The Bulldogs received great contributions from Moore, Brooks and Jeffries on Wednesday. Brooks scored a team-high 18 points on 8 of 15 shots. Moore scored 8 points and hit two three-pointers. Jeffries scored 7 points, he also added 2 blocks and 2 steals.

"It feels like I played with them for a long time," Matthews said. "We have established a lot of chemistry in the offseason, and I think we have really grown up together."

In the last two minutes of the first half, Mississippi State University forward Javian Davis hit the free throw line four times. In six of the next eight shots, Davis clinked. Once the ball was shot, he would react differently-shaking his head, clapping his hands or looking at the rafters at Humphrey Stadium.

The same was true for most of last season. His attempts are only 39.5%.

With forward Tolu Smith recovering from offseason foot surgery, Davis will play a bigger role in the first month or so of the season. The starting players in the frontcourt are Brooks, Cameron Matthews and DJ Jeffries, and they bear most of the burden.

But within 12 minutes, Davis scored two points and fed Derek Fountain with a beautiful assist, defeating the double team. He grabbed 7 rebounds, but when he layup, North Alabama had been attacking him. Their fouls proved to be cautious. Davis converted two of his eight attempts from the charity streak.

The opposing team can follow a similar mantra: accept fouls instead of Davis's counterattack.

Howland noticed how guard Cam Carter saw enough time on the court in the absence of Watts. The freshman did it, playing for 19 minutes.

In those few minutes, he also made a deep impression, especially his defensive mind. Carter scored 2 steals and 1 block on 4 of 4 shots, and scored 11 points-this debut performance will make him stand out this season.

"Cam Carter gave us a lot of bench time tonight," Howland said. "Really played well. I mean, he was very good today, this young freshman, especially on the defensive end."