MSU, USM Renew Series At Capital City Showdown

JACKSON, Miss. – Two old rivals collide on Monday when Mississippi State faces Southern Miss in the Capital City Showdown,

Tip at Mississippi Coliseum is set for 8 p.m., with Mike Couzens and Brooke Weisbrod handling the ESPNU broadcast. The game can also be heard on the MSU radio network with veterans Jim Ellis and Richard Williams on the call.

MSU stands at 6-3 on the year after having its three-game winning streak snapped with a last-second 67-65 setback to East Tennessee State. Sophomore forward Aric Holman paced the Bulldogs with his 17 points and 4 blocked shots, while Quinndary Weatherspoon totaled 13 points and Mario Kegler 12.

Southern Miss enters the contest 3-5 following its 71-64 setback to Tulane.

THE SERIES
MSU is 14-4 against the Golden Eagles, but the two haven't met since the 2001 NIT when the Bulldogs claimed a 75-68 win. In Jackson, USM holds a 2-1 advantage.

COACHES
Ben Howland is in his second year at MSU and 21^st overall. As a head coach in four different stops, he is 421-226 with a 20-20 mark with the Bulldogs

Doc Sadler is in his third year with the Golden Eagles and owns a 14-46 ledger. In 11 years as a head coach, he is 163-153.

QUOTABLE
"This is a big game for the state of Mississippi and it's great we are playing again. It's important for us to play in Jackson, and I'm sure Southern Miss feels the same." — Ben Howland on the matchup.

NEXT 2
Dec. 22 against Morehead State and Dec. 29 against Missouri-Kansas City, both at Humphrey Coliseum.

BULLDOG BITES

Quinndary Weatherspoon is now 6 points shy of 500 for his career.
Monday marks the 24th game Mississippi State has played at Mississippi Coliseum. The Bulldogs are 17-6 overall.
MSU has won 13 out of its last 14 games in Jackson, including last year's outing against Northern Colorado, 93-69.
Mississippi State and Southern Miss have met three times in Jackson, with the Golden Eagles enjoying a 2-1 advantage. The two last met at Mississippi Coliseum on Dec. 15, 1980, with USM claiming a 68-53 win. The Bulldogs claimed the initial meeting in Jackson, 62-52, on Jan. 28, 1963. USM claimed 65-60 win the following year.
After shooting just 16.7 percent from the foul line last season as a freshman, sophomore forward Aric Holman has improved dramatically, draining 20 of his 27 attempts (.741).
MSU is 45-20 against the 2 teams that currently comprise Conference USA. Southern Miss (14-4) is the team the Bulldogs have played the most, while North Texas is last foe MSU played (a 66-56 win on Nov. 17, 2015).
I.J. Ready is 102nd nationally and 4th in the SEC with his 2.45 assist/turnover ratio.
I.J. Ready is now 234 points shy of becoming the 37th player in MSU history to score 1,000 for a career. He also needs just 7 assists to move into the MSU all-time Top 10. In addition, he is 14 steals shy of moving in the MSU Top 10 record book.
In his last two games, backup guard Lamar Peters has scored 34 points on 12-of-22 shooting with a 9-of-16 mark beyond the arc.
According to KenPom.com, Mississippi State is the least experienced team (.72) out of all 351Division I programs.
When is Mississippi State successful? When shooting 45 percent of better (5-0), outrebounding foes (5-0) and winning or being tied at the half (6-0).

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MSU, USM Renew Series At Capital City Showdown

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Aric Holman

Mario Kegler

Lamar Peters

I.J. Ready

Quinndary Weatherspoon

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