Despite having some sort of major sinusy/respiratory/black death illness, yours truly has soldiered on and compiled answers to your Blog Bag questions. I should be well enough to make tomorrow’s MSU-Alabama basketball game, thanks to the mad nursing skills of my lovely wife.

OK, here we go.

Q: Have you ever heard anyone in the media ask Rick Stansbury any kind of X’s and O’s question dealing with facing a zone defense when we are on offense? We don’t move the ball and we don’t drive and we don’t get the ball into the middle, which is how you beat a zone and is something that everyone knows. We stand still, pass the ball, hold it for a second and then pass it again and usually have to jack up a shot with the shot clock running down.

A: Can’t say I recall anyone asking such a question. However, I did ask center Jarvis Varnado what sort of defense seems to give MSU the most trouble. “Pressure bothers us a little bit, but I think we’re getting better with that.”

Q: An updated condition of Twany Beckham, Shaunessy Smith and Elgin Bailey?

A: Well, don’t expect any of them to see the floor this year, obviously. Trainer Scott Johnson said Beckham is still rehabbing from his second hip surgery, while Smith had hip surgery last week and will be on crutches for the next seven weeks. Johnson said “both are doing well with their stages of rehab.” As for Bailey (ankle), Johnson said, “Elgin is a mystery each day. Some days are good. Others are not. We just take it day to day with what he can give us at practice. Some days it’s only an hour of work. Other days may be longer. We just listen to his body.”

Q: Except for maybe Dee Bost, it seems that none of our players like to play physical – they seem to avoid contact when possible. Along those lines, how much difference would having a healthy Bailey make this season?

A: As Stansbury said Wednesday, Bailey would make a “huge” difference. Said Romero Osby, “We miss him in a lot of different ways: rebounding, defense, blocking shots and scoring.” I would say, though, that Varnado has gotten more physical in his play, and Barry Stewart is never afraid to mix it up. Ravern Johnson and Kodi Augustus could probably stand to be more aggressive, though.

Q: If freshman Renardo Sidney gets cleared by the NCAA to play soon, do you believe that will help or hurt Varnado as an overall player, and will it have an effect on his stats in a positive or negative way for the remainder of the season?

A: Having Sidney back – if it’s soon – can be nothing but good for Varnado and the Bulldogs. He’s still playing too many minutes, and depth in the post is a major concern for MSU. Sure, his numbers might dip a little, but only because he’s playing fewer minutes. That’s not a bad thing as long as Sidney – as Stansbury likes to say – is “adding to.”

Q: Why do we (MSU) have to work so freaking hard and only be a couple of shots away from having just one loss and just now being “allowed” to have a ranking again when North Carolina stinks and is STILL ranked?

A: I can’t speak for the voters, but let’s look at UNC’s losses this season: Syracuse (currently ranked fifth), Kentucky (No. 2), Charleston (OK, that one was bad), Clemson (No. 17), Georgia Tech (No. 19), and Wake Forest (13-4 record). UNC’s strength of schedule is 18th n the country; MSU’s is 139th, with its losses coming to Rider, Richmond and Western Kentucky.

Q: I know that a different color brick has been proposed to construct the new basketball practice facility than that of the Hump. How do they plan on addressing the facade of the old building so that it compliments the new practice facilty?

A: I can’t decide if I’m impressed or concerned that you would know so much about brick colors for the new facility. But there has been no talk of doing anything to Humphrey Coliseum’s exterior. I would think they’d be smart enough not to pick a brick color that doesn’t look good with what’s already there.

Q: What do the new football coaches think of the talent they have inherited at MSU? Are they on the recruiting trail?

A: New defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said last week, “From what I’ve seen and what I’ve been told, I believe there is the elements of a real good defense.” As for recruiting, 10 prospects – some who’ve committed, some who haven’t – are visiting Starkville this weekend, according to Scout.com. Let’s hope we don’t have a repeat of last weekend.

Q: I live in North Alabama, and I can’t find any MSU gear anywhere here. I can walk into a b-quick in Fargo, North Dakota, and find Bama and UT hats, etc. Why is the gear so hard to find when there are other SEC schools that are represented in stores which are a greater distance from the area?

A: A simple matter of supply and demand, my friend. Alabama and Tennessee have more fans in farther away places than does MSU. They’re what you’d call national programs, like USC and Notre Dame.