Gameday: Five Things to Know About No. 24 MSU-Vanderbilt

Saturday, January 19

Nashville, Tenn.

7:30 PM

Mississippi State

Vanderbilt

Gameday: Five Things to Know About No. 24 MSU-Vanderbilt

January 18, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Watch on SEC Network Listen Live Game Notes (PDF)Live Stats

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – After posting its first SEC victory of the season, No. 24 Mississippi State will hit the road for its next two games beginning with a trip to Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Tip time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT televised by SEC Network and available online through the WatchESPN platform. Dave Neal and Daymeon Fishback will serve as the announcing team.

The two teams split the season series and protected its home floor in 2017-18. Mississippi State claimed an 80-62 win in Starkville, while the Commodores responded with an 81-80 decision in Nashville. The Bulldogs will look to end a five-game losing streak inside Memorial Gym which dates back to a 78-77 overtime victory on Jan. 21, 2012.

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.

The Matchup: No. 24 Mississippi State (13-3, 1-2 SEC) at Vanderbilt (9-7, 0-4 SEC)
Where: Nashville, Tennessee – Memorial Gymnasium
When: Saturday, Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Dave Neal, Daymeon Fishback
Online: https://hailst.at/MSUvsVANDY0118
Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield
Talent: Neil Price, 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. 190 (XM), Ch. 961 (Internet)

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Mississippi State has hit on 151 three-pointers through 16 games which is second in program history only behind the 2009-10 team. The Bulldogs have rattled home 10 or more treys in seven games which includes a 10-for-17 clip against Florida (Jan. 15) last time out. Five players have already canned 15-plus three-pointers on the season. The trio of Tyson Carter, Aric Holman and Lamar Peters have done the heavy lifting and combined for 105 of the team's 151 three's on the season.

2. Quinndary Weatherspoon added to his list of game-winning shots with a driving layup which turned into a traditional three-point play to break a 68-68 tie with 3.6 seconds remaining versus Florida. It marked his fifth career game-winning shot and first since a three-pointer at Baylor during the 2018 NIT. Weatherspoon heads into Saturday's action with 1,649 career points and is four points shy of passing Ray White (1976-77-78-79) for fifth place on the program's all-time list. He has amassed double figures in 14 of 16 games and is one of five SEC players to eclipse 20-plus points six times. Weatherspoon's 16.6 points per game are fifth in the SEC.

3. Lamar Peters scored all 16 of his points during the first half of the Florida game. He has fired in double figures in eight of his last nine games en route to a 16.2 points per game average. Peters has hit 3.1 treys per game and 42.0 percent of his three-point attempts, both marks rank third on the SEC leaderboard. He has distributed five of more assists in 12 of his last 13 games and heads into Saturday's action two dimes away from surpassing Detrick White (1998-99) for 9th place on the MSU's all-time list.

4. Tyson Carter has secured a team-leading 9.6 points per game off the bench. The 9.6 average ranks fifth among SEC bench players. He has notched 10-plus points in 10 of 16 games, and Mississippi State has tucked away a 21-2 record over the last two seasons when Carter reaches double digit points. Carter pumped in a SEC season's best 12 points aided by a quartet of three-pointers in the Florida game.

5. Nick Weatherspoon and Aric Holman have averaged 12.7 points per game apiece in three SEC games … The duo has been efficient and buried 28 of their 51 field goal attempts … Holman's 2.4 blocks per game are third, while his 8.0 rebounds are fifth in the SEC rankings … He heads into Saturday's game two blocks away from moving past Kalpatrick Wells (1980-81-82-83) for fourth place in MSU history … Abdul Ado has garnered 7.3 points and 2.8 blocks per game in his last four appearances … He moved into a 10th place tie on the program's list and now has 89 career blocks … Ado has connected on 12 of his last 20 shots over the four-game span … Reggie Perry's 7.1 points are second and 5.4 rebounds are first among MSU's bench players … All five of Perry's games in double figures have come at Humphrey Coliseum … His best road performance was a 7-point, 3-rebound effort at Dayton (Nov. 30) … Robert Woodard II make his first career start against Florida … He filled the box score with three points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists … Woodard II has scored five or more points in seven games.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Commodores have posted an 8-3 record at home this season and begin a stretch of three of their next four games inside Memorial Gym. Each of Vanderbilt's next four opponents starting with Mississippi State are currently ranked among the top 25.

The Commodores have played their last 11 games without freshman standout Darius Garland's 16.2 points per game. He will miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury suffered during the Kent State game (Nov. 23).

Simisola Shittu has come away with 14.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. The 14.1 points are third, while the 7.8 rebounds lead SEC freshmen. Shittu has reached double figures in six of his last seven outings highlighted by a 21-point, 9-rebound effort versus Ole Miss (Jan. 5). The 21 points were the most by a Vanderbilt freshmen in a SEC opener since A.J. Ogilvy tallied 25 during the 2007-08 season.

Saben Lee has tallied 12.3 points and a team-leading 3.6 assists per game. His 3.6 assists are eighth on the SEC leaderboard. Lee has provided double figures in 11 of 16 games and is coming a 17-point performance against South Carolina (Jan. 16) last time out. The 17 points matched his second-highest scoring output on the season.

The trio of Aaron Nesmith, Matt Ryan and Joe Toye have combined to knock down 84 of the team's 127 three-pointers on the season. Nesmith has been inserted into the starting lineup in Vanderbilt's last three games and responded with 17.0 points per game over his last two appearances. He dialed up five treys and exploded for a career-best 23 points during the South Carolina game (Jan. 16).

Mississippi State Men's Basketball Media Session
January 18, 2019 – Humphrey Coliseum

Head Coach Ben Howland
Opening Statement
Q: Will Aric Holman be back on the starting lineup?
BH: "Yes, the last game [against Florida] was a very difficult game for our four men, which are Aric [Holman] and Reggie [Perry] primarily to match up with a guard. I mean, when you're talking about [Florida's Jalen] Hudson, he's a kid that plays the three and the two for them in year's past. It was just a very difficult matchup. I wanted to get off to a good start defensively in that game because it's something that we have been really focused on in terms of being better defensively. I thought it really helped him [Holman]. Then, when they subbed for him [Hudson] more of a four men type guys in [Keith] Stone, and in [Keyontae] Johnson. Johnson played great. Johnson had three three's in that game and gave them a lift at the start of the second half instead of Hudson."

Q: Due to Vanderbilt's size, do you plan on making any more changes to the starting lineup?
BH: "No, but Vanderbilt does have very good size. They're long, very long. Their two guard [Aaron] Nesmith, I thought he had a great game against South Carolina. I mean honestly, the turning point in their game against South Carolina comes down to a technical foul with 1:38 to go on the celebration of a blocked shot. That turned into a five-point play, which was a critical turning point in the game. I mean, they [Vanderbilt] had the game and played really well against a very good South Carolina team."

Q: How has the team's confidence grown since Tuesday's win against Florida?
BH: "We've just had the one practice but had a good practice yesterday. We had a long day. We did shooting, we practiced hard, we lifted and we watched film for an hour. We used our whole four hours yesterday. I thought the film session was really good because there were some things that we were getting hurt on that we will continue to see in terms of some things defensively that we isolated to try and really focus in on. I think we made a positive step in that direction yesterday by focusing on it. The film session, I thought, was helpful as well. That's an hour of going back-and-forth and looking at each play and trying to point out the little details between being good and being great. To be in this league, you better be playing great at a high level to have a chance night in and night out against everybody."

Q: Do you think Vanderbilt's 0-4 SEC record reflects who they are?
BH: "They have been up in every single game that they have been in. They had leads in all of those games, and they were incredibly tight. They had Kentucky down 16-4 to start that game. They had Kentucky down at the start of the second half at Rupp Arena. The Ole Miss game was a very tight game until late in the game. If you look at this last game, they had the same 'We should have won that last game' mentality as [we did with our] game against South Carolina. A lot of teams are really good at home. They shoot the ball better at home. They have a great home court advantage. We know that we are going to have to play really well tomorrow."

"They have a very talented group. [Aaron] Nesmith had a career high in their last game. [Simisola] Shittu, the big kid, is a tough matchup. He's second on the team in assists and handles the ball really well. He makes plays for others. He's [averaging] 14-9 [points-rebounds] a game as a freshman. He's long, he blocks shots and he's a tough matchup. He's an incredible athlete for being as long as he is in terms of his ability to move and drive and create shots for others as well as himself. They shoot it well. [Matt] Ryan had two big three's late in that game. He's taken over six three's attempted per game. He's a really good transfer from Notre Dame. He can really shoot the ball. [Joe] Toye has always played some great games against us. I think he had 18 [points] there last year. He's played four before, and he will end up playing two at times now in their lineup and starts at the three. They're huge when you think about their lineup with 6-3, 6-7, 6-8, 6-8 and 6-11."

Q: How has Prince Oduro developed in practice as a redshirt?
BH: "At this time of the year, it's hard. He doesn't get a lot of run in practice because he's not playing in any games. We're doing a lot of five-on-five stuff at his point in the year. He has done an incredible job with his body. When he came in, I thought he was heavy. He has shed 23 pounds, and he's a solid block of muscle. Coach [Richard] Williams commented to me last week watching him about a week ago, and also Andrew Junkin and said 'Wow, these guys are good … I'm really excited about those guys.' He obviously knows about the game so you can talk to him if you want some more info."

"I like Prince in that he has a great motor. He really wants it, and he lives in the gym. He wants to be out there shooting all the time or working on his game. He's a really good kid. He went home [at Christmas time] and had to get his passport changed because he's from Canada. He actually came back three pounds lighter, which is really exciting. A lot of guys go home, and they are going to put on seven or eight pounds because of eating Mom's home cooked meals. He did just the opposite. He was working out and really stayed focused, which Coach [Collin] Crane, our strength coach, asked them to do. He's a four man, and he can play some five offensively. He's 7-1 across. He's 6-7 and 248 pounds. He runs well, he's pretty fast, and has a big body."

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs return to the road and travel to No. 12 Kentucky on Tuesday. Tip time is on-tap for 6 p.m. CT from Rupp Arena. The game will be televised by ESPN and available online through the WatchESPN platform.

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.