Ali’s Heroics Give Spark To Determined Dawgs
November 25, 2025 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
STARKVILLE – If you felt a gust of wind in Starkville around 9 p.m. on Monday night, there was good reason.
The Mississippi State fans gathered in Humphrey Coliseum all let out a collective exhale. For about two and a half hours, the Bulldog family was holding its breath. Amier Ali finally gave all in Maroon and White some oxygen.
Ali's clutch 3-pointer with just a second left in overtime was the difference as MSU topped New Orleans 81-78. The Arizona State transfer cherished the chance to play hero for Dear Ol' State.
"It felt like when you're a kid and on the playground thinking [the clock is counting down] three, two, one," Ali said. "I just shot it, and I made it."
The ball left Ali's hand, banked off the backboard and through the rim it went. The shot provided a jubilant ending to a tough night – one that saw MSU trail for most of the evening before the Dawgs rallied from 13 down with under five minutes left in regulation.
It was a hard-earned win for a State squad that's finding its way. And it seemed fitting the man who played the leading role in the victory was a Bulldog that seems to be settling in individually.
Before Ali set off a celebration in Starkville Monday evening, he'd battled his fair share of personal adversity in the early going of this season. He didn't play in either of MSU's first two home games this year. In fact, Ali saw just 10 total minutes of action over the season's first four contests as he adjusted to life as a Dawg.
"He's been awesome in practice since then," State head coach Chris Jans said of Ali. "Certainly he was disappointed. Everyone is if they don't play, or don't play the minutes that they think they deserve. That's just college basketball. But he didn't pout.
"In practice, he worked on the things that we told him he needed to work on to get himself more minutes and get in the rotation. Now that he's in there, he's trying to take advantage of it."
The numbers show how Ali has adapted. He had eight rebounds against New Mexico last Friday over 18 minutes on the court.
Then came Monday when Ali played 22 minutes and scored 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He connected on three of his six long-range shots, including his game-winning trey. Ali actually accounted for all of State's final eight points.
It was a rewarding feeling for Ali, who's been dedicated to his craft and becoming the player both he and the Bulldogs know he can be.
"Coming here, I knew I had to earn everything that I had to get," Ali said. "I'm not going to come in here, and it's just all going to be easy. You have all these great players beside me. I knew coming in that it was going to be a challenge, especially defensively. I knew I had to work on that.
"So, I just trusted the process. The coaches were always with me and telling me, 'Your time is coming.' I haven't been that frustrated because I love my brothers and obviously, I want to see them win. But also, I knew one day that I was going to shine. I really believed it and now it's happening. We still have a long season [ahead]. There are ups and downs to it, but I kind of saw [success] coming because I really believed in it."
In a way, Ali's early-season story mimics his team's plight. Mississippi State has taken a couple of lumps since the year tipped off, but the Bulldogs believe – behind hard work and a real, legit team bond – their best days are ahead.
"I love this team. It's one of my favorite teams I've been a part of," Ali said. "The people that I'm around every day, it's a blessing. You can talk to them about anything. You can joke with them. I mean, we really are a together group for real. I love that about us."
Shawn Jones Jr., now in his fourth year with the Bulldogs, has seen this story play out before. He's been a part of MSU squads that have navigated rocky waters only to steady the ship and go dancing in March.
Jones is confident this group's all-in mentality and work ethic will ultimately be what defines this season.
"We're basketball players and we know things aren't always going to be perfect," Jones said. "It's easy for some to think things will be easy or perfect, but we're a new team with new guys. We're figuring out day in and day out how to play better with each other and how to make each other better."
Perhaps Ali's magical Monday moment was the surest sign yet these Bulldogs are hell-bent to get this thing right and make a run at what would be Mississippi State's fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Ali grinded through difficulty to deliver what he hopes is the first of many Bulldog highlights for himself. Likewise, State collectively remains laser focused on becoming the best version of itself and having plenty more successful days in the weeks and months to come.
"Some nights on the court, Coach Jans is coaching us hard, but we can kind of get timid and play on our heels," Ja'Borri McGhee said. "I feel like some nights we've played not to lose instead of us just going out there with no nervousness ready to play hard every play no matter what happens. The moment we figure that out, I think we're going to turn this around and be one of the best teams in the country."
