Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-No. 5 Tennessee

Tuesday, March 5

Knoxville, Tenn.

8:00 PM

Mississippi State

#5 Tennessee

Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-No. 5 Tennessee

March 04, 2019 | Men's Basketball

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

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee – Mississippi State will wrap up the road portion of its regular season schedule with a trip to defending SEC regular season co-champion and this year's SEC co-leader No. 5 Tennessee on Tuesday.

Tip time is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT televised by SEC Network and available online through the WatchESPN platform. Dave Neal and Dane Bradshaw will serve as the announcing team.

The Bulldogs head into the final week of the regular season tied in a five-way tie for fourth place and the final double bye at next week's SEC Tournament. Mississippi State would be currently seeded fifth and is all square with Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss and South Carolina. The five teams are one game clear of Alabama.

MSU has dropped four of five meetings with the Volunteers under fourth-year coach Ben Howland. Tennessee emerged with a 62-59 win during last year's SEC Tournament Quarterfinals. Lamar Peters and Quinndary Weatherspoon combined for 39 points for the Bulldogs. The last win in the series for Mississippi State was a 64-59 decision on Feb. 4, 2017 in Starkville.

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 (21-8, 9-7 SEC) at No. 5 Tennessee (26-3, 14-2 SEC)
Where: Thompson Boling Arena – Knoxville, Tennessee
When: Tuesday, March 5, 8:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
TV: SEC Network
Talent: Dave Neal, Dane Bradshaw
Online: https://hailst.at/MSUvsUT0304
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: NA (Sirius), Ch. 385 (XM), Ch. 976 (Internet)

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Mississippi State has connected on 244 three-pointers through 29 games. The 244 treys are the third-highest in program history at this point in the season. The Bulldogs have dialed up 10 or more treys in nine games this season, most recently MSU canned 10 triples at Auburn last Saturday. A win on Tuesday would snap a two-game losing streak to Tennessee and give the Bulldogs 10 SEC wins for the first time since the 2007-08 season when MSU secured a 12-4 mark.

2. Quinndary Weatherspoon was named a finalist for the Bailey Howell Trophy earlier today which is awarded to the top college basketball player in the state of Mississippi. He has averaged a SEC-best 20.1 points per game in conference games and racked up seven of his 13 outings of 20-plus points since the calendar turned to February. Weatherspoon has amassed 1,929 career points which holds the top spot among SEC active players and is third on MSU's all-time scoring list. He has recorded double digit points in 27 of 29 games and 101 times during his career. Mississippi State has posted a 26-4 mark and has won 18 of the last 20 games when Weatherspoon produces 20 or more points.

3. Reggie Perry has pumped in 14.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game over his last 11 games. The streak is highlighted by 10 games in double figures and six double-doubles. Perry tallied 10 points and equaled a career-high with 14 rebounds at Auburn. For the SEC season, Perry has dialed up 11.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. The 8.1 rebounds are third on the SEC leaderboard and holds the top spot among freshmen. He is a two-time SEC Freshman of the Week, most recently on Feb. 25.

4. Tyson Carter has worked his way to 16.2 points and 2.4 assists per game over his last five appearances as a starter. He has posted consecutive games of 20-plus points for the first time since the North Dakota State and Dayton games last season. Carter poured in a season-high 22 points against Missouri and followed that up with a 21-point effort at Auburn. He dialed up a season-high six treys during the Auburn game. The Bulldogs are 25-5 over the last two seasons and have won 14 of 17 games this season when Carter scores 10 or more points.

5. Aric Holman and Lamar Peters have secured 980 and 975 points, respectively … The duo is in pursuit of becoming the 38th and 39th players in program history to surpass 1,000 career points … Peters has collected multiple steals in six straight games and has totaled 19 steals in MSU's last six games … He is one of eight major conference players to notch at least 300 points and 150 assists on the season, according to Stat Pass … The Bulldogs are 15-3 this season when Peters distributes five-plus assists … Mississippi State is 36-13 when Holman turns in double figures, the last time he reached double digit points was a 12-point performance against LSU on Feb. 5 … Abdul Ado is third in the SEC with 2.1 blocks per game in conference games … He has tallied 11 games over his last three games and his 116 blocks over 62 career games is listed ninth in the MSU record book … Robert Woodard II has recorded eight of his 10 games with seven or more points during SEC play … He has upped his scoring average to 7.0 points per game in his last 10 outings … Nick Weatherspoon is fifth on the team with 9.6 points per game … He is scheduled to miss his sixth straight game after being suspended indefinitely from game competition for a violation of team rules on Feb. 16.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Volunteers (26-3, 14-2 SEC) held the nation's No. 1 ranking earlier in the season and returned to the top five after a 71-52 rout of Kentucky on Saturday. Tennessee is tied with LSU, and both teams are one game ahead of the Wildcats heading into the final week of action.

Grant Williams (19.3 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.2 SPG) and Admiral Schofield (16.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG) fuel an explosive Tennessee attack. Williams, the reigning SEC Player of the Week, has reached double figures in 27 of 29 games followed by Schofield who has dialed up 10-plus in 26 of 29 outings. The duo has secured a combined 10 double-doubles on the season. Williams has come away with 13 games of 20-plus points, most recently a 24-point effort against then No. 4 Kentucky on Saturday.

Jordan Bone (13.8 PPG, 6.1 APG), Lamonte Turner (11.0 PPG) and Jordan Bowden (10.3 PPG) give the Volunteers five players averaging double figures for the season. Tennessee leads the conference with 27 games of 20-plus points on the season, and Bone racked up a career-best 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting during the Kentucky game. He is a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award and his 6.1 assists per game hold the top spot on the SEC leaderboard.

Kyle Alexander (7.7 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.8 BPG), John Fulkerson (3.5 PPG) and Yves Pons (2.8 PPG) give the Volunteers one of the SEC's deepest frontcourts. Alexander has shot over 50 percent from the field in 19 of 29 games and ranks second on UT's all-time list with 172 career blocks.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs conclude the 2018-19 regular season and play host to Texas A&M on Saturday. Tip time is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Humphrey Coliseum with Senior Day ceremonies preceding the game. The matchup will be televised by ESPN2 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
March 4, 2019 – Humphrey Coliseum

Head Coach Ben Howland

Q: What are your thoughts on Quinndary Weatherspoon being named a finalist for the Howell Trophy?
BH: "He's had another great year. He's really played well here in the last 10 games of our season. He's very consistent with his effort. A lot of it is tied into all of the work that he puts in outside of our practices. He's shooing every day on top of what we do. He really puts the time in and is playing really good basketball. [I'm] really proud of him, and he has a bright future."
Q: In the last game against Auburn, there were a lot of turnovers. How much of that was because of Auburn, or how much of it was mistakes made by your team?
BH: "Definitely you have to give them some credit, I thought that their pressure was good. I thought they sped us up. Not only with the turnovers but with some of the shots around the basket that we missed where we were hurried. We got hurried instead of slowing down and finishing around the basket. Definitely, their defense had a factor in it for sure."

Q: There are a lot of talented players in the SEC, especially with Tennessee's Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams. Are there any two better players on one team aside from those two?
BH: "There are lot of good players in this league, as you pointed out. There are lot of teams that have multiple, really good players on their teams especially when you look at the top of the league. You have a number of teams that do. Those two guys have been very consistent. They've been really good here the last two years. They have them in a position to have a second SEC [regular season] championship with two games left. They're playing for a lot. Those guys are good winners, leaders and competitors – [They have] unbelievable bodies. They're special, no question."

Q: You look at Auburn versus Tennessee and how they play. How difficult is it as a coach to go from a fast-paced team such as Auburn to a more physical team in Tennessee?
BH: "Everybody is different, but there's no question – what separates Tennessee and really Kentucky at the top of our league is their defense. The two leading field goal percentage defensive teams in our league are those two teams, and Tennessee is number one. Still the old attitude, you win with defense first. Their proof of that, and they have great depth. They're physical. They pound you inside, but they shoot it."

"[Jordan] Bone is playing great. Bone had an unbelievable game against Kentucky. He's a great point guard and a really good player. I think [Lamonte] Turner is very dangerous. [Jordan] Bowden is a great six man, he comes off of the bench. Their perimeter has a lot of depth – [Yves] Pons is very good. They have good depth up front. [John] Fulkerson and [Derrick] Walker come in. They're a team that is built to make a long run in the NCAA Tournament. I know that they got knocked out last year by Loyola Chicago. That was a huge upset. I think this team that we're playing tomorrow has a chance to get to a final four."

Q: I know there's more to Lamar Peters' game scoring, but what needs to be done to get him going offensively?
BH: "We definitely need to get Lamar going and get more shots. He's really putting the time in right now. He came back Saturday and got up shots Saturday night after the game in the Mize [practice facility]. He was in there yesterday getting up a lot of shots essentially on the day off that we had yesterday. That's good, he'll bounce back."