Gameday: Five Things to Know About No. 22 MSU-Alabama

Tuesday, January 29

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

7:30 PM

Mississippi State

Alabama

Gameday: Five Things to Know About No. 22 MSU-Alabama

January 28, 2019 | Men's Basketball

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

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – No. 22 Mississippi State continues its stretch of four out of five games on the road and concludes the January portion of its schedule when the Bulldogs visit Alabama at Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday.

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

The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide will play their home-and-home series over the next two weeks. Alabama makes its return trip to Humphrey Coliseum on Feb. 12 and holds a 124-75 series advantage. Mississippi State will look for its second win in Tuscaloosa under fourth-year coach Ben Howland.

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. 22 Mississippi State (15-4, 3-3 SEC) at Alabama (12-7, 3-3 SEC)
Where: Tuscaloosa, Alabama – Coleman Coliseum
When: Tuesday, Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Dave Neal, Andy Kennedy
Online: https://hailst.at/MSUvsUA0129
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. 99 (Sirius), Ch. 191 (XM), Ch. 962 (Internet)

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Mississippi State is one of two SEC teams and one of 16 teams nationally to secure at least eight Quad 1 and Quad 2 victories. The Bulldogs have won three of their last four games and are coming off a 92-84 victory over then No. 16 Auburn. It marked MSU's first win facing a ranked opponent as a ranked team since the 2003-04 season. Of the team's 12 remaining regular season contests, seven are currently Quad 1 opportunities which include tomorrow's matchup at Alabama.

2. Quinndary Weatherspoon poured in a season-high tying 27 points against Auburn last time out. It marked his seventh game of 20-plus points on the season. Mississippi State has won 13 consecutive games over the last two seasons and is 21-2 overall when Weatherspoon amasses 20 or more points. He has garnered double figures in 16 of 18 games, and the 17.3 points per game are second on the SEC leaderboard. Weatherspoon is the SEC's active leader in points (1,712) and steals (168), both are top five marks in the MSU record book. He has improved his rebounding mark to 6.5 in SEC games with 30 of his 39 boards coming on the defensive end.

3. Lamar Peters worked his way to his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 assists versus Auburn. He is one of 11 major conference players to secure over 200 points and 100 assists in 2018-19 according to Stat Pass. The 10 assists enabled Peters to move past Jack Bouldin (1970-71-72) for 8th place on MSU's all-time list. Peters has chipped in double digit points in nine of his last 12 appearances. He is averaging 16.0 points per game at home compared to 9.0 points per game on the road during SEC play.

4. Nick Weatherspoon has provided double figures in four of his last seven games and in 11 of 19 games on the season. His 10.7 points per game versus SEC opponents is third on the team. Mississippi State is 26-9 when Nick Weatherspoon posts double figures and 22-8 when both Weatherspoon brothers dial up 10-plus points. On the defensive end, Weatherspoon has added a team-leading 10 steals during conference play and his 1.7 per game rate is fifth in the SEC rankings.

5. MSU's legacy bench of Tyson Carter, Reggie Perry and Robert Woodard II has collected 21.0 points per game … All three players are sons of former Mississippi State standouts … Carter has come away with double figures in 12 of 19 games this season … The Bulldogs are 22-3 over the last two seasons when Carter goes for 10 or more points … Perry is coming off his second career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds during the Auburn game … He has averaged 11.4 points per game over his last eight home games … Perry tallied season's best for a road/neutral game with eight points and eight rebounds at No. 8 Kentucky … Aric Holman and Abdul Ado have combined for 62 of MSU's 98 blocks on the season … Both players are ranked inside the program's top 10 headed by Holman whose 188 rejections are fourth … Holman checks in among the top 10 of SEC active players in points (928 -10th), rebounds (626 – 4th) and blocks (188 – 2nd).

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Alabama has split its last four league games but already has dialed up a pair of home wins against ranked opponents in No. 13 Kentucky (77-75) and No. 20 Ole Miss (74-53) on Jan. 5 and Jan. 22, respectively. The Crimson Tide also played No. 3 Tennessee (71-68) to a three-point decision on Jan. 19 in Knoxville.

Alabama's top scorer is freshman Kira Lewis, Jr (13.9 PPG, 2.8 APG). He has pumped in double figures 13 times which includes six of his last eight outings. Lewis, Jr. surpassed the 20-point mark in four non-conference games highlighted by a 24-point outburst versus Wichita State (Nov. 18). His SEC season's best was 15 points at LSU (Jan. 8).

John Petty, Jr. (11.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG) has been explosive off the bench during SEC action. He equaled his career-best with 30 points aided by six three-pointers at No. 3 Tennessee (Jan. 19). The Lewis-Petty combo has accounted for 71 of the team's 138 treys on the season. Petty, Jr. has upped his scoring average to 14.9 points and buried 3.0 three-pointers per game versus SEC opponents.

Alabama's interior play has been headed by Donta Hall (11.3 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.1 BPG) and Tevin Mack (8.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG). Hall is the SEC's leader in double-doubles with 10 and notched a double-double in four of his last five games. His 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 rebounds are ranked inside the SEC's Top 5. Hall has racked up 10-plus points a team-leading 15 occasions fueled by 12 of his last 13 appearances. Mack, a transfer from Texas, was a key cog in the Kentucky victory with 22 points and is coming off a 15-point effort in his return to the Big 12 at Baylor as part of last weekend's SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs wrap their annual home-and-home series at Ole Miss on Saturday. Tip time is slated for 3:30 p.m. from The Pavilion. The game will be televised by SEC Network 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.