Gameday: Five Things to Know About No. 14 MSU-South Carolina

Tuesday, January 8

Columbia, S.C.

8:00 PM

Mississippi State

South Carolina

Gameday: Five Things to Know About No. 14 MSU-South Carolina

January 07, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Watch Live Listen Live Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 14 Mississippi State will begin its 18-game SEC journey with a road trip at South Carolina on Tuesday.

Tip time is set for 8 p.m. CT from Colonial Life Arena. The game will be televised by ESPNU and is available online through the WatchESPN app. Roy Philpott and Daymeon Fishback will serve as the announcing team.

Mississippi State and South Carolina will meet twice on the hardwood for the fourth straight season. The Bulldogs swept both meetings last season and hold an overall 21-14 series advantage. Mississippi State also has won all three meetings over the Gamecocks as part of SEC openers, the last coming by a 56-54 margin during the 2012-13 season.

The Matchup: No. 14 Mississippi State (12-1, 0-0 SEC) at South Carolina (6-7, 1-0 SEC)
Where: Columbia, South Carolina – Colonial Life Arena
When: Tuesday, Jan. 7, 8:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: ESPNU
Talent: Roy Philpott, Daymeon Fishback
Online: https://hailst.at/MSUatSC0108
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. 81 (Sirius), Ch. 81 (XM), Ch. 81 (Internet)

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Mississippi State is coming off a season's best 29 points on second chance opportunities during the BYU game. The Bulldogs have eclipsed the 20-point barrier three times this season and are among the SEC leaders with 191 second-chance points for the season. Mississippi State is slightly behind Auburn and Texas A&M who have tucked away 193 second-chance points in 2018-19.

2. The trio of Aric Holman, Lamar Peters and Quinndary Weatherspoon have accounted for all 10 of Mississippi State's efforts of 20 or more points. The 10, 20-point performances ranks fourth on the SEC leaderboard behind Ole Miss (13), Tennessee (12) and Kentucky (11). Holman and Weatherspoon exploded for season-highs of 28 and 27 points, respectively, on a cumulative 20-for-31 shooting clip against BYU. The 28 points by Holman match the highest total for a MSU player on the season. Peters racked up 28 points sparked by eight treys against Clemson on Dec. 8.

3. Quinndary Weatherspoon has worked his way to 17.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The 17.2 points are fourth in the SEC rankings and his 1,607 career points are tops among SEC active players. Weatherspoon enters Tuesday's action 13 points away of passing Darryl Wilson (1994-95-96) for seventh place on MSU's all-time list. The senior guard has compiled double digit points in 12 of 13 games this season fueled by six games of 20 or more points. Mississippi State is 20-2 and has won 12 consecutive games over the last two seasons when Weatherspoon has pumped in 20-plus points.

4. Aric Holman has made an impact in all facets with 16.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.0 assists per game over his last five outings. He is joined by South Carolina's Chris Silva as the only SEC active players to be ranked among the league's top 10 in points, top 5 in rebounds and top 5 in blocks. Holman heads into Tuesday's game eight rebounds shy of passing Joe Dan Gold (1961-62-63) and jumping into the program's top 20.

5. MSU's bench has been effective and efficient over its last four games averaging 24.8 points per game and hitting on 38 of its 65 shot attempts … Tyson Carter has led the charge with 10.5 points per game which is fourth among SEC bench players … He has canned multiple three-pointers during eight of his last nine games sparked by five consecutive outings … Carter's 16 points during the BYU game was his second-highest scoring output on the season … He has notched double figures in nine of 13 games, and MSU has posted a 20-2 record over the last two seasons when Carter has tallied 10-plus points … Nick Weatherspoon has managed 10.1 points per game and started all 49 career games … He has hit on an efficient 17-of-33 from beyond the three-point line … Weatherspoon has garnered 10-plus points in five of his last eight games which includes an 11-point effort against BYU last time out … Abdul Ado has started all 46 of his appearances and returned to MSU's starting five … He tallied seven points and a season-high four blocks versus BYU … MSU's freshmen duo of Reggie Perry and Robert Woodard II have combined to post 11.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game … Perry has done the heavy lifting with 9.8 points on a 30-of-46 shooting effort over his last eight games.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Gamecocks have picked up back-to-back victories highlighted by a 71-69 win at Florida to begin SEC action last Saturday. The two programs have a pair of common non-conference opponents in Clemson and Wofford this season.

South Carolina is led by Chris Silva's 12.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. His list of preseason accolades include All-SEC First Team in addition to the Karl Malone, John Wooden and Naismith Award Watch Lists. Silva has secured double figures in six consecutive games headed by 18 second-half points and the game-winning dunk with 2.5 seconds remaining during the Florida game.
A.J. Lawson has secured a team-leading 13.2 points, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The freshman has registered all three of his 20-plus point performances at home fueled by a 25-point effort against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 30.

The Gamecocks top option off the bench is Hassani Gravett who has averaged 10.8 points per game. The 10.8 points are third among SEC bench players. He ripped off 22 points aided by four treys at Florida last time out.

Keyshawn Bryant and Malik Kotsar has added 9.2 points and 8.2 points per game, respectively. Bryant has dialed up double figures in three of his last five appearances headed by 19 points and three steals versus North Greeneville on Dec. 31.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State will play host to Ole Miss on Saturday, January 12. Tip time is on-tap for 12 p.m. CT from Humphrey Coliseum. The game will be televised by CBS and available online through www.CBSSports.com.

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.