Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Kansas State

Saturday, December 14

Newark, N.J. (Prudential Center)

10:30 AM

Mississippi State

Kansas State

Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Kansas State

December 13, 2019 | Men's Basketball

WATCH: ESPNU Listen Live Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

NEWARK, New Jersey – Mississippi State returns to the Never Forget Tribute Classic for the second consecutive year as the Bulldogs face the first of two Big 12 opponents on the season in Kansas State on Saturday at the Prudential Center, home of National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (6-2, 0-0 SEC) vs. Kansas State (6-3, 0-0 Big 12)
Where: Newark, New Jersey – Prudential Center
When: Saturday, Dec. 14, 10:30 a.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: ESPNU
Talent: Doug Sherman, Tim Welsh
DirecTV: Ch. 208, Dish: Ch. 141, AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 1605, MaxxSouth: Ch. 1162, C Spire: Ch. 206
Online: WatchESPN App (https://hailst.at/MSUvsKState121419)

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield IMG College
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/Internet: Ch. 374

MSU-KANSAS STATE HARDWOOD SERIES
The Wildcats have won all three previous meetings which includes a home-and-home series during the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons. The two teams also met in the opening round of the 1994 NIT, a 78-67 decision in Manhattan. Darryl Wilson registered a game-leading 22 points for the Bulldogs.

The two programs recently completed a home-and-home series in football over the last two seasons. The road team won both meetings as Mississippi State claimed a 31-10 victory in Manhattan in 2018, while Kansas State picked up a 31-24 win in Starkville in 2019.

WATCH PARTY/PROMOTIONS/TICKETS/ACCESS PASS
For fans in the Jackson area, Mississippi State athletics is hosting a "Watch Party" for Saturday's neutral site matchup against Kansas State at the Bulldog Bar and Grill located at 6111 Ridgewood Road. Doors open at 10 a.m. CT with prizes including Ben Howland signed basketballs and jerseys along with "Cousin Eddie" style M-State branded ski alpine hats.

The Bulldogs next two home games against Radford (Dec. 18) and Kent State (Dec. 30) are "$1 General Admission Nights" with advanced purchase at www.HailState.com/tickets or in person at the Mississippi State Athletics Ticket Office located on the first floor of the Bryan Building. Discounted pricing will not be available on gamedays at the Humphrey Coliseum Box Office.

The Bulldogs also will play their annual Jackson game versus New Mexico State on Sunday, Dec. 22 at Mississippi Coliseum. Tickets for that matchup are available for $10, $15 and $25 plus fees via TicketMaster. Fans will have the opportunity to take a photo with "The Golden Egg" prior to the game.

Mississippi State is offering a new fan-focused season ticket option for the 2019-20 season, 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 will look to return to the win column after the Bulldogs had their SEC-best, 26-game non-conference home winning streak come to a close versus Louisiana Tech (74-67). Tyson Carter collected his fourth 20-point performance on the season whereas Reggie Perry filled the box score with 14 points, a career-high tying 14 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Last season, the Bulldogs buried a program single-game record 19 three-pointers en route to an 82-71 victory over Clemson at the Never Forget Tribute Classic. The trio of Aric Holman, Lamar Peters and Quinndary Weatherspoon exploded for a combined 64 points on 17 treys. All three players are playing professionally in the NBA G League and are currently averages double figures for their respective franchises.

2. Reggie Perry had the opportunity to play under Kansas State coach Bruce Weber as part of the USA U19 Team at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in Greece over the summer. He captured tournament MVP honors, and Team USA posted a flawless 7-0 record fueled by a 28.7 points per game margin of victory to capture gold. Perry tucked away 13.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. His best games at the event were a 20-point performance on 9-of-12 shooting against New Zealand in pool play coupled with a 28-point effort on 10-of-15 from the floor during a quarterfinal win over Russia.

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 offseason where had the opportunity to attend the NBA Draft Combine and workout for several NBA franchises. Perry is currently listed as a candidate for six major awards which include the John R. Wooden, Karl Malone, Lute Olson, Naismith, NABC and Oscar Robertson. He is the only MSU player to secure 10-plus points in all eight games this season, the longest streak for a MSU player to start the season since Gavin Ware strung together a 16-game run during Ben Howland's first season in 2015-16. Perry's 14.7 points are 16th, while his 9.5 rebounds are first in the SEC rankings. He has amassed 13 career double-double which holds the top spot among SEC active players.

4. Tyson Carter has improved his points, rebounds, assists and steals average over his first three seasons at Mississippi State. The senior guard is a fixture on the SEC leaderboard and ranks inside the league's top 10 in points (17.9 – 5th), assists (4.6 – T-7th) and steals (1.9 – T-7th). Carter has already piled up a quartet of 20-plus point performances which is tied for 4th in the SEC. He heads into Saturday's game 16 points shy of moving past Larry Fry (1973-74-75) into 34th place on MSU's all-time scoring list. He is joined by his father, Greg, as the only SEC father-son tandem to score 1,000 points each. Carter's 1,064 career points are third among SEC active players only behind Ole Miss' Breein Tyree and LSU's Skylar Mays.

5. Abdul Ado has been rated among the SEC's best shot blockers during each of the last three seasons at MSU … His 1.5 blocks per game in 2019-20 are good enough for eighth place … Ado has racked up 136 career blocks over 75 career games and has climbed to eighth place on MSU's all-time list … His 1.81 career BPG are third in program history only behind legendary shot blockers Jarvis Varnado (2007-08-09-10) and Erick Dampier (1994-95-96) … Ado is coming off a season's best nine points to go along with eight rebounds versus Louisiana Tech on 12/05 … Robert Woodard II has provided 11.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game on the season … The 7.8 RPG are eighth on the SEC list … Woodard II possesses the only 20-point, 15-rebound game among SEC players this season when he racked up career-highs with 21 points and 16 rebounds against New Orleans on 11/17 … He has already collected double figures in four games after having three games of 10-plus during the entire 2018-19 season … Woodard II's second-highest career scoring output was a 17-point effort against No. 17 Villanova on 11/22 … Iverson Molinar and D.J. Stewart Jr. also have accounted for double figures in four games apiece on the young season … Molinar ripped off 21 points aided by four treys against Tulane … His 3.1 assists per game are second on the team … Stewart Jr. has worked his way to 77 of the team's 130 bench points … KeyShawn Feazell and Prince Oduro also have been solid contributors to MSU's rotation … Oduro claimed a pair of 6-point efforts during the Tulane and Coastal Carolina wins , while Feazell added five points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals against Tulane in Myrtle Beach … Mississippi State will be without Nick Weatherspoon who came away with 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
Kansas State, the defending Big 12 regular season co-champions, has secured a 6-3 record but has dropped two of its first three decisions away from home. The Wildcats were handed a 63-59 defeat by Pittsburgh and a 73-60 setback by Bradley at the Fort Myers Tipoff on Nov. 25 and Nov. 27, respectively.

K-State hangs its hat on the defensive end where the Wildcats have surrendered a Big 12-leading 58.1 points per game on a 39.5 percent shooting clip. The defense also has posted a Big 12 best 10.2 steals per game and forced its opponents into 19.1 turnovers per game.

Xavier Sneed (15.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG) and Cartier Diarra (11.3 PPG, 7.0 APG, 2.4 SPG) have done the heavy lifting in the backcourt. Sneed has secured double figures in four consecutive games headed by a 20-point performance against Alabama State on 12/11.

On the interior, Makol Mawien (8.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.2 BPG) has improved his scoring averages during each of his three seasons. He garnered 15 points and 10 rebounds for his lone double-double of the season versus North Dakota State in the season opener on 11/05. K-State's top scoring option off the bench has been DaJuan Gordon who has posted 8.4 points per game.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State continues a stretch of three games over a nine-day span leading into the holiday break when the Bulldogs take on Radford from the Big South Conference on Wednesday. Tip time is on-tap for 7 p.m. CT from Humphrey Coliseum. The game will be carried online only courtesy of SEC Network+ and 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.