MSU, Nebraska Battle in NIT Opener

Wednesday, March 14

Starkville

8:00 PM

Mississippi State

Nebraska

Tickets

Mississippi State welcomes Nebraska for the First Round of the NIT on Wednesday.

MSU, Nebraska Battle in NIT Opener

March 13, 2018 | Men's Basketball

MSU Game Notes Nebraska Game Notes SEC Notes Watch on ESPN2 Live Stats

STARKVILLE, Miss. – For the first time in five years, Mississippi State is in the postseason.

Wednesday, the Bulldogs welcome Big 10 foe Nebraska to Humphrey Coliseum, with the winner advancing to play Baylor or Wagner.

Tip is set for 8 p.m. CT, with the game televised on ESPN2. Richard Cross and Paul Biancardi will handle the broadcast, while Neil Price and Richard Williams will have the call on the MSU radio network.

MSU's lost posts-season outing resulted in a 101-96 double-overtime loss to UMass in the 2012 NIT.

LAST TIME OUT
Mississippi State fell to Tennessee in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, 62-59. Lamar Peters led the Bulldogs with 22 points.

Nebraska lost to Michigan in the Big 10 Tournament, 77-58. James Palmer and Isaiah Roby led the Cornhuskers with 16 points each.

RECORDS
Mississippi State, 22-11, 9-9; Nebraska, 22-10, 13-5.

THE SERIES
MSU leads, 1-0.

COACHES
Ben Howland enters his third year at MSU and 22^nd overall. As head coach in four different stops, he is 452-250 with a 51-45 mark with the Bulldogs.

Tim Miles is in his sixth year at Nebraska and is 97-96. In 23 years overall, he's 380-316.

QUOTABLE
"We're excited to be in the postseason. It's a big step for us. It's not the NCAA Tournament, but in looking at the field there are a lot of teams in this tournament that deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament. They will be very tough. Nebraska beat Michigan by 20. They've had some fine wins in their league." — MSU coach Ben Howland on Nebraska.

BULLDOG BITES

Mississippi State is in the postseason for the first time since 2012 when it was also in the NIT and lost to UMass in double overtime in the opening round, 101-96, at Humphrey Coliseum.
This is the ninth NIT appearance for the Bulldogs, who are 7-8 in this event. In all postseason play, they are 18-18 (11-10 in NCAAs).
MSU's best NIT finish was the semifinals in 2007, a 63-62 buzzer-beating loss to West Virginia at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
MSU is 6-7 against teams from the Big 10, having played 10 of the 14 schools.
In the postseason, Ben Howland is 20-12 with a 1-2 NIT record.
MSU's last postseason victory was against Jackson State in the 2010 NIT, 81-67.
In his two SEC Tournament games, sophomore guard Lamar Peters averaged 23 points, was 14-22 shooting from the floor with a 10-15 mark beyond the arc.
In the LSU win at the SEC Tournament, Lamar Peters had a season-high 24 points. He also had five 3-pointers in each game, which tied him with Marcus Grant (Kentucky 1994) for the second most in school history in SEC tournament play.
MSU is now one win shy of 1,400 in program history.
2018 has been of MSU's best in terms of offense. The Bulldogs 896 made field goals are fourth best in school history, while the 226 made 3-pointers are ninth. In addition, the 2,433 points are eighth.
Aric Holman posted his sixth double-double of the year and the eighth of his career with his 11 points and 12 rebounds against LSU.
The Bulldogs are seeking 23 wins for the first time since going 24-12 in 2010.
Nick Weatherspoon's 20 charges are second only to Alabama's Herbert Jones in the SEC.
Quinndary Weatherspoon has 1,337 points for his career, now the 18th most in school history.
Aric Holman has 133-career blocked shots, 10 shy of tying Charles Rhodes for sixth most at MSU.
Abdul Ado has a team-high 62 blocked shots, the third most by a freshman in school history.
Nick Weatherspoon's 366 points are the eighth most by an MSU freshman.
The Bulldogs have shot 50 percent or better from the floor 13 times this year (eight a year ago).