Well, I think this is a first. A school actually donning a tongue-in-"chic" nickname for its home city on its home court.
Mississippi State is based in Starkville, Miss., but many have to come half-jokingly refer to the area as "Starkvegas." And now MSU basketball will broadcast that moniker to millions whenever the Bulldogs get a home game on national television. The placement of "Starkvegas" was specific -- it will be in front of MSU's student section.
The school has unveiled the new design for its home floor at Humphrey Coliseum. The wood pattern is nice, the "M STATE" logo is crisp and traditional. It's a "design created to express pride in the city of Starkville and the state of Mississippi," per the school's press release.
If you look closely, you'll see what appears to be a dotted lining around the court, just outside of the inbounds line. That's actually every county, 82 of them, in Mississippi.
"Five inches tall and painted in gray, they represent the populace of the state and the fact that the University owns property in every county in Mississippi," the release states.
There are a number of MSU fans who are not happy with the Starkvegas decision. Bah. It's actually pretty cool of MSU to embrace this. And with Ben Howland entering Year No. 2 at MSU, expectations of NCAA Tournament appearances will soon be arriving. When the Hump gets going, it's one of the 20 or so best environments in college basketball.
