Gameday: Five Things to Know About No. 19 MSU-BYU

Saturday, December 29

Starkville

11:00 AM

Mississippi State

BYU

Gameday: Five Things to Know About No. 19 MSU-BYU

December 28, 2018 | Men's Basketball

Watch Live BYU Tickets Listen Live Game Notes (PDF)Live Stats

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – No. 19 Mississippi State returns from its holiday break and faces its final non-conference test when BYU visits Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday.

Tip time is slated for 11 a.m. CT. The game will be televised by ESPNU and is available online through the WatchESPN app. Kevin Fitzgerals and Daymeon Fishback will serve as the announcing team.

Mississippi State and BYU will meet on the hardwood for the third time. The two programs protected its home floors and split a home-and-home series during the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons. The Bulldogs are facing their second opponent from the West Coast Conference and defeated Saint Mary's 61-57 earlier this season.

The Matchup: No. 19 Mississippi State (11-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. BYU (8-6, 0-0 West Coast)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Saturday, Dec. 29, 11:00 a.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: ESPNU
Talent: Kevin Fitzgerald, Daymeon Fishback
Online: https://hailst.at/BYUvsMSU1229
Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield
Talent: Jim Ellis, Richard Williams
Affiliates: WKBB-FM 100.9 Starkville/West Point (Full List: https://hailst.at/MBKAffiliates)
Free Online Audio: Hail State Plus (https://hailst.at/MBKListen); Tune-In Radio App (https://hailst.at/MBKTuneIn)
Sirius/XM: Ch. 134 (Sirius), Ch. 191 (XM), Ch. 963 (Internet)

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Mississippi State has knocked down 117 three-pointers which is second-most in program history through 12 games. The 2009-10 team hit 126 treys en route to a single-season program record 329 three-pointers that season. The Bulldogs have drained 10 or more treys in five of their last seven games, and five players have already canned 10 or more three-pointers individually.

2. Lamar Peters has done the heavy lifting and has averaged 19.8 points per game fueled by 25 treys over his last five games. He has sank 3.3 triples per game which is second and connected on a 43.8 three-point percentage which is fourth in the SEC rankings. Peters has ripped off double figures in five consecutive games, the second-longest streak of his career. He put together an eight-game run from Jan. 7-31, 2017 as a freshman. Peters also has distributed 106 assists versus 40 turnovers over his last 18 games which started with the Nebraska game to open the 2018 NIT.

3. Quinndary Weatherspoon has secured 16.4 points per game which is sixth on the SEC leaderboard. His 1,580 career points are most among SEC active players and rank ninth in MSU history. Weatherspoon heads into Saturday's game 23 points shy of Barry Stewart (2007-08-09-10) for eighth in program history. He has registered double figures in 11 of 12 games ignited by five games of 20-plus points. Weatherspoon has been a rebounding force and grabbed 7.0 boards per game in his last six outings.

4. Aric Holman has filled the box score with 12.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game over his last five games. He matched his career-high with four blocks and set a new career-best with four steals during the Wright State game. For the season, Holman's 8.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game are third in the SEC rankings. Holman holds three top 10 marks among SEC active players which include points (845 – 10th), rebounds (585 – 4th) and blocks (174 – 2nd).

5. MSU's bench has been effective and efficient over its last three games averaging 23.0 points per game and hitting on 27 of its 42 shot attempts … Tyson Carter is tied for third with 10.0 points per game among SEC bench players who has played 70 percent of their games off the bench … He has chipped in 10-plus points in eight of 12 games, and MSU s 19-2 over the last two seasons when he reaches the feat … Reggie Perry has posted 9.6 points per game on 26-of-36 from the floor during his last seven games … All four of his double-digit point performances have come at home which include a pair of 12-point efforts against Cincinnati and Wofford … Robert Woodard II has provided 6.5 points per game sparked by a 6-for-9 shooting clip in his last two games … Nick Weatherspoon has started all 48 of his career games and recently surpassed the 500-point mark during the Wofford game … He has garnered 10-plus points in four of his last seven games and drained 17-of-31 from three-point territory … Abdul Ado is anticipated to return to action after he missed the Wright State game due to a rib injury.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Cougars are the ninth postseason team that finished in the top three of their conference from a season ago that Mississippi State will face to conclude its rugged non-conference schedule.

BYU's high-octane offense has averaged 84.8 points per game and has been held under the 75-point barrier on only three occasions this season.

Yoeli Childs has dialed up 22.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. He has collected eight double-doubles and garnered double figures in 20 consecutive games dating back to last season. Childs was named to the Karl Malone Watch List awarded to the nation's top power forward. He put together three straight 30-point performances at Weber State, against Utah State and versus Utah to start December, the first BYU player to accomplish the feat since Jimmer Fredette in 2010-11.

TJ Haws has provided 17.5 points, 5.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. He has tucked away 10-plus points in 11 of 14 outings which includes his last five games where he upped his marks to 21.0 points and 5.4 assists per game. Haws has drained 13 of his team-leading 30 three-pointers during the five-game span.

Jahshire Hardnett and Connor Harding have chipped in 11.4 and 7.6 points per game, respectively. Harding has been inserted into the starting lineup in BYU's last four games, while Hardnett has turned in double figures in four of his last six games ignited by a season's best 24 points at Weber State on Dec. 1.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State begins its 18-game SEC slate at South Carolina on Tuesday, January 8. The Gamecocks along with Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky and Ole Miss are the five teams that MSU will face twice in SEC action. Tip time is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT from Colonial Life Arena. The game will be televised by ESPNU and available online through the WatchESPN app.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.