Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-New Mexico State

Sunday, December 22

Jackson, Miss. (Mississippi Coliseum)

2:00 PM

Mississippi State

New Mexico State

Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-New Mexico State

December 21, 2019 | Men's Basketball

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

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

JACKSON, Mississippi – Mississippi State will make its annual holiday trip to the capital city when the Bulldogs take on defending WAC champions New Mexico State in a Sunday matinee at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.

The Bulldogs (8-2) will play their third consecutive game and fifth overall against a defending regular season conference champion from a season ago.

Mississippi State has posted a 3-1 mark against such opponents with wins over Sam Houston State (Southland), Kansas State (Big 12) and Radford (Big South) coupled with a loss to Villanova (BIG EAST).

The Matchup: Mississippi State (8-2, 0-0 SEC) vs. New Mexico State (7-6, 0-0 WAC)
Where: Jackson, Mississippi – Mississippi Coliseum
When: Sunday, Dec. 22, 2:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
Tickets: MSU Ticket Office (https://hailst.at/tix-MBKvsNMSU)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Richard Cross, Joe Kleine
DirecTV: Ch. 611, Dish: Ch. 404/408, AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 1607, MaxxSouth: Ch. 1026, C Spire: Ch. 220
Online: WatchESPN App (https://hailst.at/MSUvsNMST122219)

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. 970

MSU-NEW MEXICO STATE HARDWOOD SERIES
Sunday's matchup is the first between Mississippi State and New Mexico State on the hardwood. The Bulldogs have won six of their previous eight meetings with WAC schools which include Chicago State (1-0), Missouri-Kansas City (3-2) and Texas-Rio Grande Valley (2-0).

PROMOTIONS/TICKETS/SEC MINI PLANS
The Bulldogs next home game versus Kent State (Dec. 30) is a "$1 General Admission Night" 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.

Tickets for Mississippi State's annual Jackson contest on Sunday are available for $10, $15 and $25 plus fees via TicketMaster. Fans will have the opportunity to take a photo with "The Golden Egg" leading 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 picked up a 77-68 comeback win over Radford last Wednesday. The Bulldogs had four players compile double figures headed by Abdul Ado's season-highs with 17 points and 12 rebounds. It marked Ado's first double-double since a 10-point, 11-rebound effort versus No. 22 Auburn on Jan. 13, 2018. Reggie Perry and Robert Woodard II nearly tacked on double-doubles of their own. Perry registered a season-high tying 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks whereas Woodard II provided 17 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Making his second start of the season, D.J. Stewart Jr. came away with 10 points and three assists. Other keys to Mississippi State's win included a 37-26 rebounding advantage, a 32-12 edge in paint points and 26 of the game's 42 points on second-chance opportunities. The Bulldogs made their move late in the second half. Down 60-57 at the 7:39 mark, Mississippi State ripped off a 16-2 run to seize a 13-point lead with under to go in the contest.

2. Mississippi State has registered a 20-6 all-time record in Jackson and have won 16 of its last 17 decisions in the capital city dating back to the 1985-86 season. The Bulldogs have won all four of their games by an average of 19.0 points per game under Ben Howland at Mississippi Coliseum. Mississippi State has three players on its roster – Tyson Carter, Nick Weatherspoon and Robert Woodard II who have won high school state championships in the building. Last season, Mississippi State defeated Wright State 67-63 behind 14 points courtesy of Quinndary Weatherspoon followed by a 12-point, 9-rebound, 4-block and 4-steal performance from Aric Holman.

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 has pumped in 10-plus points in nine of 10 games highlighted by an eight-game run to start the 2019-20 season. Perry's 14.2 points are 16th, while his 9.1 rebounds are first in the SEC rankings. He has amassed 13 career double-doubles 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 ranks inside the SEC's top 10 in points (16.6 – T-8th) and assists (4.5 – 9th) per game. His 2.4 three-pointers made also are fifth on the SEC leaderboard. Carter has already piled up a quartet of 20-plus point performances which is tied for 5th in the SEC. He heads into Sunday's game with double figures in five of his last six outings and is 30 points away from eclipsing W.D. Stroud (1961-62-63) into 33rd 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 1,087 career points are third among SEC active players only behind Ole Miss' Breein Tyree and LSU's Skylar Mays.

5. Mississippi State is scheduled to get Nick Weatherspoon back into the lineup after he missed the team's first 10 games due to a violation of team rules … He has started 58 of his 59 career games and came away with 9.6 points per game in 2018-19 … Abdul Ado has posted 13.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game over his last three outings … He has been rated among the SEC's best shot blockers during each of the last three seasons … His 1.5 blocks per game in 2019-20 are good enough for sixth-place tie … Ado has racked up 139 career blocks over 77 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) … Robert Woodard II has provided 12.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game on the season … The 8.1 RPG are fifth 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 six games after having just 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 10 games of 10-plus points during their freshman season … Stewart Jr. broke into the starting lineup for the first time against Kansas State and has started the last two games … He notched back-to-back 10-point efforts … Stewart Jr. scored nine of his 10 points during the first half of the Radford game … Molinar's season-high is 21 points aided by four treys against Tulane on 11/21 … Molinar and Stewart Jr. have combined for 88 of the team's 147 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 … Feazell canned a clutch three-pointer as part of a 16-2 run which pushed MSU's lead from one to four points versus Radford late in the second half.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Aggies have won five of their last eight games which includes a 65-40 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff last time out. New Mexico State has dropped both of its decisions versus power five opponents at Arizona (83-53 on 11/17) and at Washington State (63-54 on 12/07) from the Pac-12 this season.

The Aggies are led by Trevelin Queen (15.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.4 APG) who has piled up double figures in 12 of 13 games this season. He nearly tallied a triple-double with 19 points, eight rebounds and seven rebounds at New Mexico on 12/14. Queen, the reigning WAC Player of the Week, has a trio of games with 20-plus points on the season.

Ivan Aurrecoechea (9.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG) has upped his scoring average to 15.0 points per game on an 81 percent shooting clip over his last three outings. He chipped in 19 points and nine rebounds during the Arkansas-Pine Bluff game last time out.

Jabari Rice has made 10 of his 13 appearances off the bench en route 13.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He has ripped off double figures in six consecutive games and nine of his last 10 outings.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State will play its final non-conference tune-up before SEC action when Kent State visits Humphrey Coliseum on Monday, Dec. 30. Tip time is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed by SEC Network+ and carried online 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.