Gameday: Five Things to Know About South Carolina-MSU

Saturday, February 23

Starkville

5:00 PM

Mississippi State

South Carolina

Gameday: Five Things to Know About South Carolina-MSU

February 22, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Watch on SEC Network Gameday Info Buy Tickets Press Conference Listen Live Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will look to earn its third series split with an opponent after dropping the first meeting when South Carolina visits Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday.

Tip time is on-tap for 5 p.m. CT televised by SEC Network and available online through the WatchESPN platform. Mike Morgan and Pat Bradley will serve as the announcing team.

The Bulldogs head into Saturday's action tied for sixth place with Auburn and Florida in the SEC standings. All three teams are one game back of Ole Miss and two games behind South Carolina who currently holds fourth place and the final double bye in next month's SEC Tournament in Nashville.

The Gamecocks came away with an 87-82 overtime decision during Mississippi State's SEC opener on Jan. 8. MSU has already captured splits with Ole Miss and Alabama earlier this month after falling in the initial meeting. The Bulldogs have won 11 of the 15 meetings in Starkville en route to a 21-15 series edge.

Visit www.HailState.com for 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.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (19-7, 7-6 SEC) vs. South Carolina (14-12, 9-4 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Saturday, Feb. 23, 5:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Mike Morgan, Pat Bradley
Online: https://hailst.at/SCvsMSU0223
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: Ch. 135 (Sirius), Ch. 190 (XM), Ch. 961 (Internet)
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. A victory on Saturday would give Mississippi State a four-game winning streak and the program's 20th win on the season. It would mark the 10th time in program history that the Bulldogs have tucked away consecutive 20-win seasons. Six of the previous nine occurrences have come during the 2000's. The last time Mississippi State accomplished the feat was in 2008-09 and 2009-10. The 2008-09 season also marks the program's last trip to the NCAA Tournament. During MSU's three-game winning streak, the Bulldogs have held opponents to 65.3 points per game and a 42.4 percent shooting clip coupled with a plus 3.4 turnover margin and 11.3 steals per game.

2. Quinndary Weatherspoon has dialed up 23.5 points, 3.0 steals and 2.3 assists per game during his last six appearances. He has exploded for five performances of 20-plus points sparked by a career-best 31 points at Georgia last time out. The 31 points allowed Weatherspoon to surpass Rickey Brown (1977-78-79-80) for fourth place on MSU's all-time scoring list. His 31st point was the game-clinching free throw with 0.5 seconds left and was his sixth career game-winner. For the season, Weatherspoon has pumped in double figures in 24 of 26 games and 98 times during his career. The Bulldogs are 25-3 and have won 17 of their last 18 games over the last two seasons when Weatherspoon provides 20 or more points. The 1,867 career points and 189 career steals are first among SEC active players.

3. Reggie Perry has responded in a big way and has been interested into Mississippi State's starting five in the last six games. He has accounted for 10-plus points in seven of his last eight appearances which includes his last three outings. Perry has garnered a double-double in five of his last seven games ignited by his last three home games at Humphrey Coliseum. He has fired in 10.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game against SEC opponents. The 7.8 rebounds are fifth on the SEC leaderboard and tops among SEC freshmen. Perry has tallied four of his top six scoring games versus SEC opponents which includes his top three efforts since Jan. 29.

4. Tyson Carter and Robert Woodard II have chipped in 10.0 points and 7.6 points per game, respectively, during Mississippi State's last five games. Carter has managed double figures in his last two games as a starter headed by a season-high 18 points at Arkansas on Feb. 16. The Bulldogs are 24-4 over the last two seasons when Carter scores 10 or more points. For Woodard II, he also has corralled 6.0 rebounds per game in his last four appearances. He has come away with four of his top six scoring performances in February.

5. Lamar Peters and Aric Holman have managed 12.0 points and 9.7 points per game, respectively … Holman has notched 962 career points followed by Peters at 960 career points … Peters is one of nine major conference players to pile up at least 300 points and 125 assists for the season … MSU has won 13 of 16 games this season when Peters dishes out five or more assists … Holman will look to return to double figures for the first time since the LSU game on Feb. 6 … His 191 blocks and 12 double-doubles are third among SEC active players … Abdul Ado has recorded 7.0 points per game on a 10-for-17 shooting clip during his last four games … His 105 career blocks over 59 games sits ninth in the MSU record book … Nick Weatherspoon is fourth on the team with 9.6 points per game and tallied 11 games in double figures … He will miss his third straight game after being suspended indefinitely from game competition for a violation of team rules on Feb. 16.
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
South Carolina (14-12, 9-4 SEC) has won three of its last four games to climb into sole possession of fourth place in the SEC standings. Most recently, the Gamecocks closed the game on an 18-3 run to secure a 79-64 win over Ole Miss on Tuesday. South Carolina has done its damage from three-point territory where they have dialed up 54 treys in its last five games.

Chris Silva (14.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.1 BPG) has ripped off double figures in eight of his last nine games headed by a career-high 32 points against Auburn on Jan. 22. Overall, Silva has accounted for 10-plus points in 18 games this season and 73 times during his career. He has amassed double-doubles in two of his last three games and racked up 23 double-doubles for his career which is tops among SEC active players.

A.J. Lawson (13.9 PPG, 2.9 APG, 1.2 SPG) has worked his way to double digit points in five of his last six games highlighted by a 24-point performance against Arkansas and a 23-point effort versus Teas A&M during the last two Saturday's. He nearly collected his first career double-double with 15 points, nine rebounds and a SEC season's best six assists against Ole Miss on Feb. 19.

Hassani Gravett (11.3 PPG) has been living from three-point territory and canned 15 of his team-leading 54 triples in his last four appearances. His 11.3 points per game are tops among SEC bench players. Gravett has reeled off 10-plus points in three consecutive games for the third time on the season. He tallied 17 points and seven rebounds during the first meeting with Mississippi State.

Keyshawn Bryant (8.8 PPG), Malik Kotsar (7.2 PPG), Tre Campbell (7.1 PPG) and Felipe Haase (6.6 PPG) have been solid contributors for the Gamecocks. Campbell has upped his scoring average to 13.3 points per game on 14-of-34 shooting fueled by 19 points at Tennessee on Feb. 13 whereas Kotsar exploded for a career-best 25 points and hauled down nine rebounds versus Mississippi State in the first matchup.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs tangle with Missouri on Tuesday to complete a two-game homestand. Tip time is slated for 6 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by SEC Network and available online through the WatchESPN 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.

Mississippi State Men's Basketball Media Session
February 22, 2019 – Humphrey Coliseum

Head Coach Ben Howland
Q: What is the difference between South Carolina from the start of the SEC slate to now?
BH: "Just going back and watching all the things we did to get better to have success against these guys. They hurt us in transition in that game with our transition defense. We've got to do a better job defensively. We've got a number of different areas – In particular, we need to run our offense better, just about anything you can think of. [We need to] attack their zone better."

"They're definitely much improved from where they were. They have a lot of confidence. They're 9-4 [in SEC play], they're in the right position to still be a team that gets one of the double bye's in our conference tournament. They're very good. [Chris] Silva is phenomenal. [Hassani] Gravett is having a great year. They're shooting 60 percent from three in the last five games. Their three-point percentage leads the league in conference games. They're really shooting well, and they have great inside attacks which complement each other."

Q: What's the plan in defending Maik Kotsar this time around?
BH: "We have to really pay attention to him. He's always played well against us. He's done a good job every time we've seen him since he was a freshman on that Final Four team. He's a good player. He really hurt us. We have got to do a much better job. He played well against us. He hit a big shot when the game was tied at 83 all in overtime on the right base line in front of their bench. He had 25 points, a career-high."

Q: What can you say about Quinndary Weatherspoon's drive to get to the NCAA Tournament?
BH: "I think he's putting a lot of time in. He gets there and shoots every day on his own. He's definitely putting the work in that it takes to have the confidence that he has when he shoots the ball. It all comes down to hard work."

Q: Do you think the team has improved with finishing games?
BH: "We've had a lot of close games right from the beginning of the year if you think about it going back to the Dayton game. There have been a number of games where it's come down to close games. Even the game up in Jackson was a really close game against Wright State. The last I looked, they're at the top of their league.

"Wofford ended up being a win by 10, but it wasn't a win by 10. It was a hard-fought close game. Florida, obviously Ole Miss here [in Starkville], South Carolina there [in Columbia]. There have been so many of them when you think about it, at Ole Miss [in Oxford] was very close. There have been a lot of close games for us. I was really proud of the way our team held on the other night [against Georgia] …"

"There were some big plays down the stretch. Reggie [Perry] made some big free throws and did a really nice job. We went to him a number of different times when the game was in question. Q [Quinndary Weatherspoon] did a good job of getting fouled on that last shot. The Bulldog coming out of the stands should have been a T [technical foul], and it was the right call. It gave us a chance because he missed the first one on the bulldog throw, and rolled in the second which allowed us to miss the last one to not allow them to take it out of bounds."

Forward Aric Holman
Q: How much have you guys talked about the NCAA Tournament?
AH: "I would say that's the starting point of every practice and every game because we feel like us as players and as a team we have put in so much work. That's our main goal. We feel like we have to get there this year."

Q: Have you noticed anything different out of Quinndary Weatherspoon? Does he still prepare the same way and what has led to him having so much success recently, in your opinion?
AH: "I would just say he's being more aggressive because he sees his opportunities. He's not doing anything out of the ordinary. It's nothing different, I just feel like the game has opened up for him because we have so many scorers on our team. Now, it's easier for him to do what he does best."

Q: Last game versus South Carolina, they had a big game inside. How do you prepare for those guys facing them a second time this year?
AH: "I would say just getting ready to prepare for a battle. I feel like we didn't prepare well enough for that, or we weren't ready mentally. With the second round, we already know the aspects. We know how the game will be from the jump."

Q: How have you kept your confidence high after losing your starting position with Reggie playing so well?
AH: "It's been tough, but I am going to stay positive about it and as long as we're winning games. That's all I can ask for because it's a team game at the end of the day."

Guard Quinndary Weatherspoon
Q: Have these past few weeks been the most consistent of your career?
QW: "Yeah, I think so. Just being able to get into position – My teammates are doing a great job of getting me open shots and finding me when I'm open. I credit all that to them, and we're just going to keep trying to win games."

Q: Has there been a difference in your mentality and aggressiveness, or is this as a result of four years of hard work?
QW: "I think it's just hard work. I come in every day and try to get up at least 250 to 300 shots a day. I think it's just paying off for me right now, and whenever I get open shots I'm knocking them down."