Football
Andy Katz, ESPN Senior Writer 15y

Stansbury expected to coach vs. Cincinnati after undergoing tests

Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury was admitted Sunday night to Oktibbeha County Hospital with migraines and then went to Northeast Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo on Monday for more testing.

Assistant Robert Kirby told ESPN.com on Monday that he spoke with Stansbury and he fully expected him to coach the Bulldogs in Thursday night's SEC/Big East Challenge against Cincinnati at U.S. Bank Arena.

But Stansbury was to spend a second night in the hospital, according to a statement issued by the school on Monday night.

In the statement, his wife Meo Stansbury indicated that an MRI and CT scan came back normal and that the coach underwent a spinal tap. Those results will be available Tuesday morning.

"Everything has been normal so far, and that's good," Meo Stansbury said in the statement. "Hopefully, it's just a viral or bacterial infection. We're just asking for everyone's continued prayers. He's in good spirits and is ready to get back to his team."

Stansbury would have to make a Wednesday flight to Cincinnati for Thursday's ESPN2 game.

"Our team has remained focused, and they worked very hard in practice today in his absence," Kirby said, according to the school. "Everyone is looking forward to him getting back. We expect him to be in Cincinnati on Thursday."

Kirby said Stansbury had never experienced migraines before and wanted to get them checked when his condition did not improve. Gregg Ellis of Mississippi State's media relations department said Stansbury received a shot at the hospital that provided some relief.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 19-point win over South Alabama after a loss at home to Charlotte in which the Bulldogs were "out-toughed," according to Kirby. He said the Bulldogs went to a smaller lineup around shot-blocker Jarvis Varnado but are still looking for more on-court leadership moving forward.

Mississippi State is still looking for that high-major win after losing to Washington State and Texas Tech in Newark at the Legends Classic last month. Over the next few weeks, the Bulldogs play San Diego, Houston and Western Kentucky at home before starting SEC play at Arkansas.

Andy Katz is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

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