Gameday: Five Things to Know About Missouri-MSU

Tuesday, February 26

Starkville

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

Missouri

Gameday: Five Things to Know About Missouri-MSU

February 25, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Watch on SEC Network Buy Tickets Coach Howland Press Conference Players Press Conference Listen Live Live Stats Game Notes

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will look to clinch back-to-back seasons with a SEC winning record when the Bulldogs play host to Missouri inside Humphrey Coliseum on Tuesday.

Tip-time is slated for 6 p.m. CT televised by SEC Network and available online through the WatchESPN platform. Tom Hart and Jon Sundvold will serve as the announcing team.

Mississippi State enters Tuesday's action tied for sixth place with Florida in the SEC standings. Both teams trail Ole Miss and South Carolina by one game for fourth place and the final double bye during next month's SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Bulldogs have pieced together four consecutive victories where Mississippi State has held opponents to 64.2 points per game on a 41.4 field goal percentage. MSU also has averaged 10.8 steals and 5.8 blocks per game during the span.

Mississippi State hold a 6-5 advantage over the Tigers in the all-time series and have won three of the four meetings under fourth-year coach Ben Howland.

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 (20-7, 8-6 SEC) vs. Missouri (12-14, 3-11 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Tuesday, Feb. 26, 6:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Tom Hart, Jon Sundvold
Online: https://hailst.at/MIZZOUvsMSU0226
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. 121 (Sirius), Ch. 190 (XM), Ch. 961 (Internet)

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. A win on Tuesday would give Mississippi State a five-game winning streak in SEC play for the fifth time during the 2000's. The last time the Bulldogs captured five consecutive SEC wins was from Jan. 9 to Jan. 26, 2008. It also would enable Mississippi State to clinch its second straight winning season in SEC play for the first time since the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. During MSU's four-game winning streak, the Bulldogs have held opponents to 64.3 points per game and a 41.4 percent shooting clip coupled with a 10.8 steals and 5.8 blocks per game.

2. Quinndary Weatherspoon is the SEC leader with 19.8 points per game in SEC action. He also has notched 12 of Mississippi State's 20 games of 20-plus points for the season. Weatherspoon has provided 22.7 points and 2.7 steals per game in his last seven games sparked by five outings of 20 or more points. He has amassed 1,884 career points, tops among SEC players and fourth on MSU's all-time scoring list. Weatherspoon heads into Tuesday's action 35 points away from passing Jim Ashmore (1954-55-56-57) for third place. He has collected double figures in 25 of 27 games and 99 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 scores 20-plus points.

3. Reggie Perry came away with his second SEC Freshman of the Week award on Monday after he tied a career-high 21 points versus South Carolina last time out. Perry has started six of MSU's last seven games. He has made the most of the opportunity with double figures in eight of his last nine games highlighted by his last four home games inside Humphrey Coliseum. Perry has tallied a double-double in five of his last nine outings. He has posted 11.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in SEC play. The 7.6 rebounds are tied for fourth and hold the top spot among freshmen in the SEC rankings.

4. Lamar Peters and Aric Holman have chipped in 12.0 points and 9.6 points per game, respectively. Both players have totaled 971 career points which is 29 away from 1,000. The duo combined for 20 points against South Carolina. Peters nearly compiled his second double-double of the season with 11 points and nine assists. MSU is 14-3 on the season when Peters hands out five or more assists. He is one of nine major conference players with at least 300 points and 125 assists. Holman's 191 career blocks and 12 career double-doubles are third among SEC active players.

5. Abdul Ado has worked his way to 7.0 points and 2.2 blocks per game in his last five outings … He recorded a career-high six blocks during the South Carolina game … For his career, Ado has 111 blocks in 60 games which sits ninth in the MSU record book … Tyson Carter has contributed 12.6 points and 3.0 assists per game in his last three games as a starter … The Bulldogs are 24-4 over the last two seasons when Carter scores 10 or more points … Robert Woodard II has picked up 7.0 points per game in his last eight appearances … He has come away with four of his top six scoring performances in February … Nick Weatherspoon is tied for fourth on the team with 9.6 points per game and tallied 11 games in double figures … He will miss his fourth straight game after being suspended indefinitely from game competition for a violation of team rules on Feb. 16.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Missouri (12-14, 3-11 SEC) has lost three straight but recently played Kentucky and Florida to single digit contests during its last two games.

Jordan Geist (14.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.1 SPG), Mark Smith (11.4) and Jeremiah Tilmon (10.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 0.8 BPG) are averaging in double figures for the Tigers. The Geist-Smith duo has combined to connect on 104 of the team's 219 three's for the season.

Geist has ripped off double figures in nine consecutive games dating back to the LSU game on Jan. 26 where he pumped in a season's best 25 points and 11 rebounds. He has knocked down multiple treys in nine of those 10 outings. Overall, he has dialed up double figures in 20 games.

Smith has missed seven of the last nine games due to injury. He had secured 10-plus in 11 of 17 appearances before the injury. The Tigers have won 10 of 13 games when Tilmon fires in double figures. The last time he accomplished the feat was a SEC season's best 21-point performance as part of a 79-78 victory over Arkansas on Feb. 12.

Kevin Puryear (7.0 PPG, 5.1 RPG) has been a solid contributor during his senior season. He ranks ninth among active SEC scorers with 1,197 career points. Puryear hit on the game-winning, go-ahead triple in last season's 89-85 win over Mississippi State in overtime.

Xavier Pinson (6.4 PPG) has been inserted into the starting lineup during Missouri's last three games. He has accounted for 8.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game over his last 10 games. Torrence Watson (5.3 PPG) has upped his scoring mark to 7.5 points per game in his last eight appearances.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs head into the March portion of their schedule with a trip to Auburn on Saturday. Tip time is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by ESPNU 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 25, 2019 – Humphrey Coliseum

Head Coach Ben Howland
Opening Statement
BH: "I'm sad to hear about the young lady that passed away in Columbus on Saturday. It's very, very tough. I feel for her family and all her friends that are out there. I'm very sorry, and I hope everyone over in Columbus is recovering and everybody is pulling together. We're all praying for them and that everywhere that was devastated by these tornadoes on Saturday recovers quickly."

Q: From your perspective, when did you start to see Reggie Perry get adjusted with college basketball?
BH: "I thought he had some really good games early. When we got back from [Las] Vegas, I thought it really was big. We made some adjustments. I think from that point forward he has really taken off. He's been incredibly consistent. I was listening to the SEC Network postgame wrap up show with Andy Kennedy after our game. He pointed out that in the last six weeks that he's averaging 15 points a game. I think he's fourth or fifth in our league in rebounding. He's really playing well. Obviously, he had a huge second half the other day. We knew he was good all along. It's just making the adjustments to the physicality and the level of intensity. It's completely different from most high school kids.

"He's made jumps in all areas. Defensively, he's so much better than he was. His defense has really improved – just learning, that aspect to it. You've got to be able to hold your own on that end to play major minutes. He's more than done that and doing a great job at it. He's really bright. He's incredibly smart and a quick learner. His skill level is amazing. He has some of the best hands out of any player I have ever coached. I can't think of someone who has better hands. His hands are incredible.

"His ability to snap the ball and outlet – it almost reminds me of Kevin [Love when I was at UCLA] in terms of his velocity he puts on it and the accuracy. He's got a lot of different things that he does well, and he's only going to keep getting better."

Q: After losing Nick Weatherspoon, how has your team been able to make a difference defensively in games?
BH: "Just playing better team defense and really focusing on how we're doing that. It's all about our team defense. It started in that Alabama game where I said that was the best we played since I've been a coach here. It starts at that end of the floor. Even the other night, the second half, they shot 32 percent from the field. Our defense really picked up, and we created a lot of offense from that. Right now, I just saw today that we are number one in blocked shots and in steals in conference games."

Q: With the NCAA Tournament just around the corner, it's new territory for your team but not for you. Beyond taking it one game at a time, what message do you give your team this time of year?
BH: "Exactly that, to take it one day at a time. The biggest game of the year is tomorrow night against Missouri. I watched their game against Florida yesterday along with two other games. I've spent a lot of time watching them. They're very tough. They should have arguably won that game on Saturday at Florida, and they had a great chance to do so being up nine at the half."
"They've been incredibly competitive in every game they play. They're very young, so these guys are getting better and better and better. Look at [Javon] Pickett and [Xavier] Pinson, some of these really good guards that they have. They're a really good team. [Jordan] Geist, we know, has played really well against us each time we played them. [Jeremiah] Tilmon is a real problem – [Kevin] Puryear. They have good personnel. They shoot it well."

"This is a huge game for us tomorrow. We only have two of them left at home. It's obviously down the stretch here of the regular season. This game for us tomorrow is huge. I want to do everything that I can to encourage our fans to come out … I hope that we can get as many people to come out and support this team tomorrow and be there for them."

"The crowd, again, I can't say how I thought the crowd was just phenomenal for us on Saturday against South Carolina. I thought they were fantastic in terms of imploring our guys and pushing our guys. Incredibly loud and supportive and excited about the game they were playing. What a great game that was, it was a brutal start. I can't remember a worse start in my coaching career than those first 10 minutes, and South Carolina had a lot to do with it."

Forward Reggie Perry
Q: You have had 40 offensive rebounds in conference play. Is that an effort thing, or is that something you try to scout and find opportunities to create offensive rebounds?
RP: "Anything having to do with rebounding really comes from effort. Coach [Howland] puts a lot of emphasis on getting second-chance shots. So, I just want to go out and try my hardest to get as many as I can."

Q: You didn't make a shot in the first half against South Carolina but had one of your best halves of the year. As a freshman, how hard is it to press the reset button at halftime and play like you did in the second half?
RP: "At times, it's really difficult. All of the assistant coaches and coaches are letting us know that we still have 20 minutes left to play. It's a new game after halftime. So, I try to forget about the first half if I'm having a bad one and just reset."

Forward Aric Holman
Q: Where does Reggie rank among all the different freshmen you've played with or against?
AH: "It's been amazing. Obviously, the difference with him is that he came in with a game plan from the jump. He's stuck to it, and he's still is sticking to it. He's accomplishing all of his goals.

Q: Having never been to the NCAA Tournament, how do you lead in a situation where you aren't as familiar with what may happen?
AH: "Nothing changes. It's still another basketball game – just a different atmosphere and a different goal at the end of the year. It takes the same preparation and the same mindset that we had during the season to accomplish everything we want to do in the NCAA Tournament."

Q: What does it say about this team to be able to win the last three games without Nick Weatherspoon and basically playing a seven-man rotation?
AH: "It shows the mental toughness we have as a team. One man goes down and the next man steps up and does what he has to do. We definitely miss Nick, but this is a game where it takes a team effort with everybody doing their job and playing their role."