MSU Closes Non-Conference Play Against Ospreys

Saturday, December 30

Starkville

4:00 PM

Mississippi State

North Florida

Buy Tickets

Mississippi State faces North Florida at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

MSU Closes Non-Conference Play Against Ospreys

December 29, 2017 | Men's Basketball

MSU Game Notes North Florida Notes SEC Game Notes Watch ESPN

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State's final tune-up before SEC play begins is against North Florida on Saturday at Humphrey Coliseum.

Tip is set for 4 p.m. CT, with the game televised on the SEC Network+. Blake DuDonis will handle the broadcast, while Jim Ellis and Richard Williams will have the call on the MSU radio network.

Tickets can be purchased in advanced for $1 at hailst.at/2zeuabx, and fans can purchase hotdogs for $1 while supplies last.

LAST TIME OUT
Mississippi State rallied in the closing six minutes to beat Southern Miss in Jackson, 70-64. Xavian Stapleton came off the bench and scored a team-high 12 points, while hitting back-to-back 3s to turn a 54-50 deficit into a 56-54 lead, one the Bulldogs never relinquished.

The Ospreys dropped a 104-52 decision at LSU. Trip Day led UNF with 11 points.

RECORDS
Mississippi State, 11-1; North Florida, 5-10.

THE SERIES
First meeting.

KEY LINKS
Live Stats: http://hailst.at/2lsSoXN
Watch ESPN: http://hailst.at/2lqfWfz

COACHES
Ben Howland enters his third year at MSU and 22^nd overall. As head coach in four different stops, he is 442-240 with a 41-34 mark with the Bulldogs.

Matthew Driscoll is in his ninth year with North Florida and is 138-141. In 13 seasons overall, he's 164-218.

QUOTABLE
"You obviously want to go into SEC play on a high note, and this is an opportunity for us to do that. That will be a new season for us and having that momentum is key." — MSU coach Ben Howland.

Game Notes
Mississippi State
North Florida
SEC

BULLDOG BITES

MSU is 7-1 all-time versus the teams from the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Bulldogs' lone loss came to South Carolina-Upstate on Dec. 20, 2014, in Jackson, 53-51. Their last game against an ASUN team was the following week against Jacksonville, 70-47.
MSU has won 15 of its last 16 games in Jackson after its 70-64 win on Dec. 23 against USM. Freshman guard Nick Weatherspoon has now accounted for 10 of MSU's 13 charges taken.
With his one block against the Golden Eagles, Aric Holman needs just six more to tie Gavin Ware for the eighth most in school history.
In 29 games last year, junior All-SEC guard Quinndary Weatherspoon dished out 53 assists. Through 12 games this season, he has 54. As a freshman, he totaled 43 in 31 games.
The Bulldogs lead the SEC and are 12th nationally in fewest points allowed at 61.1.
Mississippi State has shot 50 percent or better six times this season. Last year, the total was eight.
Against Southern Miss, junior guard Xavian Stapleton had a season-high 12 points with a career-best four made 3-pointers. With his team trailing 54-50, he drained back-to-back treys to give MSU the lead for good.
Mississippi State has held nine of its 12 opponents below 39 percent shooting and is second in the SEC in field goal percentage defense and 18th nationally at .379.
Abdul Ado has 26 blocks on the year, a total that's eighth best by an MSU freshman in school history. His 2.4 clip is third in the SEC.
Schnider Herard's streak of 43 games played in a row ended against Southern Miss.
Under Ben Howland, MSU is 30-3 when leading at the half and 34-8 when shooting 45 percent or better from the floor.
When Aric Holman scores in double-digits, the Bulldogs are 18-4 (9-1 this year).
Mississippi State is looking for its first 12-1 start since opening the 2011-12 campaign 12-1.
With 10 wins at Humphrey Coliseum, MSU has already matched its total from a year ago.