MSU Ushers In 106th Season Of Basketball Against ASU

Friday, November 10

Starkville

5:30 PM

Mississippi State

Alabama State

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Mississippi State hosts Alabama State Friday in the season opener for both teams.

MSU Ushers In 106th Season Of Basketball Against ASU

November 09, 2017 | Men's Basketball

MSU Notes Alabama State Notes SEC Notes Ben Howland Press Conference

STARKVILLE, Miss. – After a dominating exhibition performance against West Florida, the 2017-18 campaign officially begins Friday against Alabama State to mark the 106^th season of college basketball for Mississippi State.

The 5:30 p.m. game at Humphrey Coliseum game will be televised on SECN+, with Bart Gregory and Blake DuDonis handling the broadcast. The game can also be heard on the MSU radio network with Neil Price and Richard Williams.

It's the first game of a double-header, as the No. 4 women's team battles Virginia at 8 p.m. following the historical unveiling its Final Four banner.

LAST TIME OUT
MSU won its second and final exhibition game against West Florida, 87-62, on Nov. 2.

THE SERIES
The Bulldogs are 3-0 all-time against the Hornets, all games in Starkville. The two teams last met in 2011.

KEY LINKS
Live Stats: http://hailst.at/2hmwCXC
SEC Network +: http://hailst.at/2hkUCds

COACHES
Ben Howland enters his third year at MSU and 22^nd overall. As head coach in four different stops, he is 431-240 with 30-33 mark with the Bulldogs.

Lewis Jackson is in his 11^th year with Alabama State and owns a 138-146 ledger.

QUOTABLE
"They are skilled and athletic. They play a lot of guys They have good size, and they have a good freshman point guard that has come in." — Ben Howland on Alabama State.

BULLDOG BITES

Mississippi State enters its 106th season of basketball having won 12 of its last 15 season openers.
Overall, the Bulldogs are 82-23 in lid-lifters and have won 25 of their last 32 dating back to the 1985-86 campaign.
MSU is opening at home for the 11th time in the last 12 years. The last time it opened on the road was 2012-13 at Troy, a 56-53 setback to open the Trojans' new arena.
The Bulldogs' schedule features four first-time opponents — Green Bay, Stephen F. Austin, North Dakota State and North Florida.
Mississippi State is 26-4 all-time versus the 10 current teams that comprise the SWAC. MSU has played Alcorn State, Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State the most at five games each. The lone team the Bulldogs haven't faced Grambling.
The last SWAC team MSU faced was Texas Southern, an 86-73 win on Dec. 2, 2015.
Preseason All-SEC selection Quinndary Weatherspoon is 151 points shy of becoming the 37th player in school history to reach 1,000 for a career.
Junior forward Aric Holman is 9 blocked shots away from tying Marcus Campbell for the 10th most in school history with 87.
MSU is one of five DI teams without any scholarship seniors, along with Chattanooga, Holy Cross, Kentucky and Robert Morris.
The Bulldogs' roster features six players looking to make their collegiate debut — Abdul Ado, KeyShawn Feazell, and Nick Weatherspoon, along with walk-ons Tate Clayton, T.J. Gray and Mitchell Storm.
The Weatherspoon duo marks the first time MSU has two brothers playing together since Reginald and Richard Delk in 2007.
Mississippi State is one of 29 schools with brothers on the roster.
MSU returns 77 percent of its scoring from a year ago and 77.6 percent of its rebounding.

NEXT 3 UP
Nov. 18 vs. Florida A&M in Starkville
Nov. 20 vs. Wisconsin Green Bay in Starkville
Nov. 22 vs Stephen F. Austin in Starkville

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