Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Sam Houston State

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will look to improve to 2-0 on the young season when the Bulldogs welcome Sam Houston State on Friday to Humphrey Coliseum.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (1-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Sam Houston State (0-0, 0-0 Southland)
Where: Starkville – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Friday, Nov. 8, 7:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
Tickets: MSU Ticket Office (https://hailst.at/SHSUTix1920)

TV: SEC Network +
Talent: Bart Gregory, Brock Turnipseed
Online: WatchESPN App (https://hailst.at/SHSUvsMSU110819)

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield IMG College
Talent: Neil Price, Richard Williams
Affiliates: WKBB-FM 100.7 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. 977 (Internet)

METAL DETECTORS/CLEAR BAGS
In an effort to continue Mississippi State's long-standing commitment to provide a safe and secure environment for all fans, coaches and student-athletes, walk-through metal detectors have been implemented at all entrances of Humphrey Coliseum on basketball gamedays.

Fans will be asked to follow the instructions of the security screening staff and place large metal objects such as phones, keys and cameras in containers or in their clear bag on screening tables before passing through the walk-through metal detectors.

Fans will not be required to remove belts, watches, wallets, jewelry, shoes, jackets, coins or other small objects. The metal detectors and clear bag policies provide a safer atmosphere and speed up the entry process into The Hump.

PROMOTIONS/SEASON TICKETS/ACCESS PASS
Friday's food promotional item is free cheese fries with a toppings bar located behind the entrance to portals D and E on the concourse while supplies last. Other promotions include 175 Hail State Rewards points for students, 150 points for Bully's Kids Club members and an opportunity to win $100 for any Hail State Rewards member.

Mississippi State is offering a pair of new fan-focused season ticket options for the 2019-20 season which includes the addition of general admission seating to men's basketball. A traditional general admission season ticket for seats in designated areas of the 200 level are available for only $155, while reserved seat season tickets are available for $275.

The second offering is a first-of-its-kind mobile access season ticket, the mobile access pass. This new ticketing option will provide exclusive access to already-sold lower level seats during non-conference games inside Humphrey Coliseum, and a 200 level general admission ticket for all conference games.

During non-conference play, fans with the mobile access pass will be digitally delivered a general admission ticket for a designated lower level section each game and will have access to sit in any open seat within that designated section. The non-conference option is available for $65 whereas the entire season pass is available for $185. Learn more about this new offering at www.HailState.com/accesspass.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Mississippi State won its season opener for the seventh straight time with a 77-69 win over Florida International. The Bulldogs used a 20-5 run over the last 7:34 to turn an early five-point deficit into a 10-point halftime advantage. In the process, State improved its SEC-leading non-conference home winning streak to 23 consecutive games dating back to the 2016-17 season. It was a solid all-around performance for No. 23, Tyson Carter, who pumped in 23 points to go along with a career-high tying seven rebounds and a career-best six steals. For Carter, it was his highest scoring output since dropping a career-high 35 points versus North Dakota State as a sophomore. The 23 points vaulted Carter past Chauncey Robinson (1983-84-85-86) and Doug Hartsfield (1988-89-90-91) into 43rd place on MSU's all-time scoring list. Carter will enter Friday's game 56 points shy of becoming the 40th player in program history and seventh under head coach Ben Howland to reach 1,000 career points.

2. Mississippi State's coaching staff led by Ben Howland along with assistant coaches George Brooks, Korey McCray and Ernie Zeigler are in their fifth season together in Starkville during the 2019-20 season. The quartet is one of seven current coaching staffs in the country to remain together at the same school for at least five seasons. The other staffs include Michigan State (10th) led by Tom Izzo, West Virginia (8th) led by Bob Huggins, UAlbany (8th) led by Will Brown, Kansas (6th) led by Bill Self, Oregon (6th) led by Dana Altman and Bradley (5th) led by Brian Wardle.

3. Reggie Perry is a preseason All-America selection by Lindy's (First Team), Street & Smith (Second Team) and Athlon Magazines (Third Team) in addition to being named a consensus All-SEC First-Team honoree. He is coming off a sensational summer where he won a gold medal and captured tournament MVP honors with the USA U19 Team at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in Greece. Perry also had the opportunity to attend the NBA Draft Combine and workout for several NBA franchises. He began his sophomore campaign with 12 of his 13 points on a 6-of-9 shooting performance and grabbed five of his seven rebounds during the second half against FIU.

4. Not only did Tyson Carter become the 18th player since 1980-81 and the fourth under Ben Howland to register 20-plus points during a season opener, he vaulted three spots up into eighth place on the program's all-time three-point list. Carter canned five triples to eclipse Marcus Grant (1992-93-94-95), Tony Watts (1989-90-91-92) and Fred Thomas (2013-14-15-16). The Starkville native has buried 167 triples. Next up are former teammates Lamar Peters (2017-18-19) and Quinndary Weatherspoon (2016-17-18-19) who knocked down 194 and 187 treys, respectively.

5. Iverson Molinar became the third freshmen opening night starter under Ben Howland to reach double figures when he scored 14 points during the season opener … Molinar joins teammates Tyson Carter and Nick Weatherspoonn who scored 17 and 11 points, respectively … Abdul Ado has added another multi-block effort and now has piled up 126 career rejections over his first two-plus seasons … He has settled into eighth place on MSU's all-time list, and his 1.85 blocks per game are third in program history only behind legendary shot blockers Jarvis Varnado (2007-08-09-10) and Erick Dampier (1994-95-96) … Robert Woodard II continued his momentum from late last season as he nearly tallied a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds versus FIU … KeyShawn Feazell and D.J. Stewart Jr. provided sparks off the bench with a combined 12 points on 6-of-9 from the floor and grabbed five rebounds … Stewart Jr. accounted for eight points, three steals and two assists … Mississippi State will be without Nick Weatherspoon who managed 9.6 points per game last season due to a violation of team rules … He is scheduled to make his season debut versus New Mexico State on Dec. 22 in Jackson.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Sam Houston State is coming off a 21-12 season where they clinched a Southland Conference championship for the first time since 2009-10. The Bearkats also made their first-ever appearance in the NIT, the fifth time in the last six seasons that the program has participated in postseason action.

The Bearkats opened the 2019-20 season with an impressive 95-57 victory over Paul Quinn University on Nov. 5. Kai Mitchell, the Bearkats' second highest scorer last season, paced Sam Houston State with a team-leading 18 points and team-high eight rebounds.

Entering his senior season, Mitchell is a preseason All-Southland Conference First Team selection and has earned preseason attention on CollegeInsider.com Lou Henson Award preseason watch list. In his first year at Sam Houston State, Mitchell earned Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year while garnering third-team All-Conference honors.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State continues its four-game homestand to open the season and takes on Louisiana-Monroe from the Sun Belt Conference. Thursday's tip time is slated for 6 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by SEC Network and available online through the Watch ESPN 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.

Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Sam Houston State

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Players Mentioned

Abdul Ado

Tyson Carter

KeyShawn Feazell

Iverson Molinar

Reggie Perry

Lamar Peters

D.J. Stewart Jr.

Nick Weatherspoon

Quinndary Weatherspoon

Robert Woodard II

Mississippi State University Athletics