Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Radford

Wednesday, December 18

Starkville

7:00 PM

Mississippi State

Radford

Buy tickets

Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Radford

December 17, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Buy Tickets Gameday Info WATCH: SEC Network+LISTEN: Hail State Plus Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Fresh off its win over fellow power five opponent Kansas State during the Never Forget Tribute Classic, Mississippi State is back in action against defending Big South co-champion Radford on Wednesday at Humphrey Coliseum.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (7-2, 0-0 SEC) vs. Radford (3-6, 0-0 Big South)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Wednesday, Dec. 18, 7:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
Tickets: MSU Ticket Office (https://hailst.at/RadfordTix1920)

TV: SEC Network+
Online Only: WatchESPN App (https://hailst.at/RadfordvsMSU121819)

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. 977

MSU-RADFORD HARDWOOD SERIES
Wednesday's matchup is the first between Mississippi State and Radford on the hardwood. The Bulldogs have only faced two current Big South members in Winthrop during the 2006-07 season and South Carolina Upstate during the 2014-15 season.

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.

For more gameday information, visit https://hailst.at/MBKGameday

PROMOTIONS/TICKETS/SEC MINI PLANS
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 first 500 fans to Wednesday's game will receive at "Home Alone" themed Bully Christmas Ornament.
It also marks "Christmas at the Hump" where children can take photos with Santa in the Kids Court pregame located in Mize Pavilion. Santa will read "Twas the Night before Christmas" to the children at halftime on the court.

The Bulldogs 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 $60 SEC four-game mini plan at www.HailState.com/tickets which features a trio of Saturday matchups against Georgia (Jan. 18), Tennessee (Feb. 1) and Ole Miss (March 7) in addition to the Alabama (Feb. 25) game.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Mississippi State will look to build on its 67-61 victory over Kansas State at the Never Forget Tribute Classic last Saturday. The Bulldogs wiped away a 12-point deficit in the first half and a seven-point deficit midway through the second half. Mississippi State limited the Wildcats to only one field goal over the last 9:55 of the contest and closed the game on a 12-3 run. Abdul Ado pumped in a season-high 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting, grabbed a season-high tying nine rebounds and registered three blocks. Robert Woodard II chipped in a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while D.J. Stewart Jr. added 10 points during his first career start.

2. Mississippi State has held its opponents to 59.1 points per game and 37.9 field goal percentage during its seven victories compared to 78.5 points per game and a 53.3 field goal percentage in their two losses. The Bulldogs have posted a 33-1 record fueled by 20 consecutive wins under fifth-year coach Ben Howland when holding the opposition to under 60 points.

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 had his run of eight straight games in double figures to start the season come to a close against Kansas State. Perry's 13.8 points are tied for 16th, while his 9.1 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 (17.4 – 5th), assists (4.6 – T-8th) and steals (1.9 – 8th). Carter has already piled up a quartet of 20-plus point performances which is tied for 4th in the SEC. He heads into Wednesday's game with a career-high tying five straight games in double figures and is two 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 1,078 career points are third among SEC active players only behind Ole Miss' Breein Tyree and LSU's Skylar Mays.

5. Abdul Ado has posted 11.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over his last two outings … He has been rated among the SEC's best shot blockers during each of the last three seasons … His 1.7 blocks per game in 2019-20 are good enough for sixth place … Ado has racked up 139 career blocks over 76 career games and has climbed to eighth place on MSU's all-time list … His 1.83 career BPG 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 has provided 11.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game on the season … The 8.0 RPG are tied for sixth 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 five games after having three games of 10-plus during the entire 2018-19 season … Woodard II turned his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds versus Kansas State on 12/14 … Iverson Molinar and D.J. Stewart Jr. have teamed for nine games of 10-plus points during their freshman season … Stewart Jr. broke into the starting lineup for the first time against Kansas State … He notched 10 points and provided a pair of key buckets down the stretch which included the go-ahead layup off a steal … Molinar added eight points during the Kansas State game … His season-high is 21 points aided by four treys against Tulane on 11/21 … Molinar and Stewart Jr. have combined for 85 of the team's 141 points when coming off the bench … 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
The Highlanders already possess a power five victory over Northwestern (67-56 on 11/19) from the Big 10 Conference but have been handed back-to-back losses by UNC Greensboro (60-58 on 12/07) and by Duquesne (71-49 on 12/14).

Radford is fueled by Carlik Jones who has piled up 20.1 points, 4.3 assists and 1.4 steal per game. He has surpassed the 20-point barrier on five occasions headed by a 31-point output against undefeated Liberty on 11/08. Jones nearly compiled a triple-double with 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds during the Highlanders last win over James Madison on 12/04.

Travis Fields (10.7 PPG) and Devine Eke (7.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG) have been solid contributors. Eke has knocked down 63.2 percent of his field goal attempts in his eight appearances off the bench but missed the team's last game against Duquesne.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State wraps up a stretch of three games over nine-day span with its annual trip to the capital city. The Bulldogs will face defending WAC champion New Mexico State on Sunday at Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. Tip time is slated for 2 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by SEC Network and carried only courtesy of 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.