Dawgs Battle Bears in Second Round of NIT

Sunday, March 18

Waco, Texas

11:00 AM

Mississippi State

Baylor

MSU faces Baylor in the second round of the NIT Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.

Dawgs Battle Bears in Second Round of NIT

March 16, 2018 | Men's Basketball

MSU Game Notes Baylor Game Notes SEC Notes Watch on ESPN Live Stats Buy Tickets

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Two wins from New York.

After toppling Nebraska in the opening round of the NIT, Mississippi State now travels to Baylor on Sunday for the chance to play either Louisville or Middle Tennessee State in the quarterfinals.

Tip at the Ferrell Center is set for 11 a.m. CT, with the game televised on ESPN. Chuckie Kempf and Fran Fraschilla will handle the broadcast, while Neil Price and Richard Williams will have the call on the MSU radio network.

The game marks the first time MSU has played at Baylor.

LAST TIME OUT
Mississippi State beat Nebraska, 66-59. Aric Holman led the Bulldogs with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Baylor beat Wagner, 80-59. Manu Lecomte had a game-high 24 points.

RECORDS
Mississippi State, 23-11, 9-9; Baylor, 19-14, 8-10.

THE SERIES
MSU leads, 2-1.

COACHES
Ben Howland enters his third year at MSU and 22^nd overall. As head coach in four different stops, he is 454-250 with a 53-44 mark with the Bulldogs.

Scott Drew is in his 15th year at Baylor and is 296-194. In 16 years overall, he's 316-204.

QUOTABLE
"They are a very talented team with excellent size. They are a team that pounds it inside. They play a lot of zone. That's their primary defense. We've spent a lot of team trying to get a feel for it." — MSU coach Ben Howland on Baylor.

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 8-8 in this event. In all postseason play, they are now 18-18 (11-11 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 12-15 against teams from the Big 12, having played eight of the 10 teams. Texas Tech is the last Big 12 foe the Bulldogs have played, a 74-72 Red Raiders win in Puerto Rico.
In the postseason, Ben Howland is 21-12 with a 2-2 NIT record.
The win against Nebraska was MSU's 1,400th in program history.
Nebraska's 59 points were the fewest MSU has allowed in 16 NIT outings.
Lamar Peters had a career-high 14 assists against Nebraska, an MSU postseason record.
MSU implemented its fifth different starting lineup of the year against the Cornhuskers.
2018 has been of MSU's best in terms of offense. The Bulldogs' 920 made field goals are third most in school history, while the 1,981 attempts are fourth. In addition, the 232 made 3-pointers are ninth, while the 2,499 points are fifth
Aric Holman posted his seventh double-double of the year and the ninth of his career with his 16 points and 10 rebounds against Nebraska.
The Bulldogs are seeking 24 wins for the first time since going 24-12 in 2010.
Nick Weatherspoon's 20 charges are second only to Alabama's Herbert Jones (22) in the SEC.
Quinndary Weatherspoon has 1,345 points for his career, now the 18th most in school history.
Aric Holman has 137-career blocked shots, six shy of tying Charles Rhodes for sixth most at MSU. In the last three games, he has 12.
Abdul Ado has a team-high 63 blocked shots, the third most by a freshman in school history.
The Bulldogs have shot 50 percent or better from the floor 13 times this year (eight a year ago).
This marks the 35th game of the season, which ties for the second most in school history (36).