Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Arkansas

Wednesday, January 22

Starkville

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

Arkansas

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Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Arkansas

January 21, 2020 | Men's Basketball

Buy Tickets WATCH: SEC Network WATCH: Coach Howland Presser LISTEN: Hail State Plus Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State is two-thirds of the way to an undefeated three-game homestead as the Bulldogs face off with Arkansas on Wednesday evening at Humphrey Coliseum.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (11-6, 2-3 SEC) vs. Arkansas (14-3, 3-2 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Wednesday, Jan. 21, 6:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
Tickets: MSU Ticket Office (https://hailst.at/ArkTix1920)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Mike Morgan, Jon Sundvold
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/ARKvsMSU012220)

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. 385 (XM), Ch. 975 (Internet)

MSU-ARKANSAS HARDWOOD SERIES
Arkansas possesses a 33-29 series advantage, but the Bulldogs have won 14 of the last 16 games in Starkville since the 2000-01 season. Mississippi State also has won the four meetings under Ben Howland.

The Bulldogs posted a 77-67 victory in Fayetteville last season and opened the second half on a 29-7 run to erase a six-point deficit. Four players reached double figures sparked by Quinndary Weatherspoon's 22 points and six steals followed by Tyson Carter who secured 18 points and four assists. Reggie Perry added a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Robert Woodard II chipped in 10 points.

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

TICKETS/PROMOTIONS
General admission tickets for Wednesday's matchup against Arkansas are available for as low as $12 including fees at www.HailState.com/tickets or in person at the Mississippi State Athletics Ticket Office located on the first floor of the Bryan Building. The Humphrey Coliseum Box Office opens 90 minutes prior to tipoff on gameday.

Wednesday's food promotional item is free mozzarella sticks located between portals E and F on the concourse while supplies last. Other promotions include 175 Hail State Rewards points for students, 150 points for Bully's Kids Club members and an opportunity to win $300 for any Hail State Rewards member.

Mississippi State also has a flex plan available where fans can purchase 10 general admission tickets for $75. The tickets can be redeemed at any remaining home game this season and used in any combination. For example, fans can use two tickets at five games or all 10 tickets at one game.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Last time out, Mississippi State rode a balanced offensive attack with four players in double figures and held its third consecutive opponent under 40 percent shooting as the Bulldogs routed Georgia by a 91-59 margin on Saturday. The quartet of Tyson Carter, Reggie Perry, Nick Weatherspoon and Robert Woodard II pumped in a combined 69 points. Perry exploded for a game-leading 22 points on 9-of-13 from the floor coupled with 12 rebounds, a career-high tying six assists and two steals. He complied his sixth double-double over his last seven outings. Carter was instant offense for the second straight game off the bench as he notched 18 points aided by four three-pointers and dished out three assists. Woodard II worked his way to a SEC career-high 17 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting. He tallied 11 of his 17 points after halftime and tacked on seven rebounds. Weatherspoon nearly compiled his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high eight assists. He also added four rebounds and two steals. For the contest, MSU hit on 37-of-60 shots from the field en route to a season-high 61.7 field goal percentage. The 61.7 shooting clip marked the highest field goal percentage posted against an SEC opponent in the Howland era. MSU held a 40-22 rebounding advantage and dished out 21 assists on its 37 field goals. The 21 dimes matched the second-most versus a SEC opponent under Howland. The Bulldogs also rattled off a 48-34 edge in paint points.

2. Mississippi State has won its last two SEC games by over 25 points taking down Missouri (72-45) and Georgia (91-59). The last time the Maroon and White has posted consecutive 25-point victories over SEC opponents was during the 1946-47 season. Mississippi State knocked off Florida (55-24) and Auburn (61-35) on Dec. 13 and Dec. 14, 1946. The 32-point win for State matched its largest margin of victory over an SEC opponent under Ben Howland. The Bulldogs also bested Arkansas by 32 points, 78-46, on Feb. 9, 2016. The 32-point victory over Georgia marked the largest win margin for either team during the 134-game series. The 91 points for MSU were the program's most versus Georgia going back to a 98-69 win on Dec. 19, 1977.

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 also captured a gold medal for the USA U19 Team and was the tournament's MVP at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in Greece. He was listed as a preseason candidate for six major awards which include the John R. Wooden, Karl Malone, Lute Olson, Naismith, NABC and Oscar Robertson. Perry, the reigning SEC Player of the Week, has amassed double figures in 16 of his last 17 games headed by 19.3 PPG and 11.3 RPG over his last eight outings. He has piled up 20-plus points in four of those outings and posted his top two scoring performances against SEC opponents with 23 points versus Missouri on 01/14 followed by a 22-point effort during the Georgia game on 01/18. His career-high is 26 points and 17 rebounds versus Kent State on 12/30. Overall, Perry's 16.4 points per game are tied for 6th, while his 10.1 rebounds per game headline the SEC. He has secured a SEC-leading 10 double-doubles this season highlighted by six in his last eight games. Perry's 19 career double-doubles are tops among SEC active players. He is one of five Power Five conference players to average a double-double in 2019-20. The list includes Luke Garza (Iowa), John Mooney (Notre Dame), Daniel Oturo (Minnesota) and Xavier Tillman (Michigan State). MSU has had three players average a season double-double during the 2000s. The list includes Lawrence Roberts (16.9 PPG, 10.1 RPG in 2003-04; 16.9 PPG, 11.0 RPG in 2004-05), Jarvis Varnado (13.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG in 2009-10) and Arnett Moultrie (16.4 PPG, 10.5 RPG) in 2011-12).

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 league's leaders in points (13.8 – T-14th), assists (3.8 – 10th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9 – 4th). Carter along with teammate Reggie Perry have piled up a quartet of 20-plus point performances which is tied for 10th in the SEC. The Bulldogs are 34-9 since the start of 2017-18 when Carter scores 10 points or more and have won eight of 11 games when the Starkville native reaches the 20-point plateau. He heads into Wednesday's game with 1,156 career points and passed his father, Greg Carter, on the scoring list during the Missouri game on 01/14. The Carter's are the SEC's only father-son tandem to score over 1,000 points apiece. Tyson's 1,156 points now rank 29th in program history, and he's 13 points shy of passing Marckell Patterson (1999-2000-01-02). He also are third among SEC active players only behind Ole Miss' Breein Tyree and LSU's Skylar Mays.

5. Nick Weatherspoon has been a welcomed addition back to the starting lineup where he has posted 13.3 points, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game … He has started in 66 of 67 career games and secured double digit points in six of his seven appearances sparked by a 20-point performance at Alabama on 01/08 … Mississippi State has won five of six games during Weatherspoon's career when he has dished out five or more assists and distributed a career-high eight dimes versus Georgia on 01/18 … Abdul Ado has picked up 7.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game over his last 10 outings … He managed his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds at LSU on 01/11 … Ado's season's bests are 17 points and 12 rebounds against Radford on 12/18 … Ado has been rated among the SEC's best shot blockers during each of the last three seasons … His 1.9 blocks per game in 2019-20 are good enough for fourth-place tie on the SEC leaderboard … Ado has racked up 156 career blocks over 84 career games and has climbed to seventh place on MSU's all-time list … His 1.86 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 11.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game on the season … The 7.6 RPG are tied for 7th whereas the 1.5 SPG are tied for 10th on the SEC list … Woodard II and Perry possess two of the three 20-plus point, 15-plus rebound games among SEC players this season, Florida's Kerry Blackshear Jr. registered 24 points and 16 rebounds against Alabama on 01/04 … Woodard II has already collected double figures in 10 games which is tied for second on the team with Tyson Carter … He has registered 10-plus points in six of his last nine outings after having three games of 10-plus during the entire 2018-19 season … Iverson Molinar and D.J. Stewart Jr. have teamed for 12 games of 10-plus points during their freshman season … The Carter-Molinar-Stewart Jr. trio has accounted for 190 of the team's 272 bench points (69.9 percent) when coming off the bench … Molinar came away with a 16-point performance where he was a flawless 5-for-5 from the floor versus Kent State on 12/30 … His season-high is 21 points aided by four treys against Tulane on 11/21 whereas his SEC scoring-best is seven points at Alabama on 01/08 … Stewart Jr. has rattled off 10-plus points in seven games, and the Bulldogs are 7-0 this season when he reaches the feat … The last time Stewart Jr. reached double digit scoring was a 12-point effort versus Kent State on 12/30 … He tallied a SEC season's best nine points at LSU on 01/11 … KeyShawn Feazell and Prince Oduro round out to MSU's rotation … Oduro's season-high is six points against Tulane on 11/21 and at Coastal Carolina on 11.24, while Feazell secured nine points versus New Orleans on 11/17.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Razorbacks posted an 11-1 non-conference record fueled by road wins over Georgia Tech (62-61 on 11/25) and Indiana (71-64 on 12/29). Arkansas has split its last four outings which include losses at SEC frontrunner LSU (79-77 on 01/08) and to No. 10 Kentucky (73-66 on 01/18) under first-year coach Eric Musselman.

The Razorbacks are led by the four-guard attack of Mason Jones (18.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.9 SPG), Isaiah Joe (17.5 PPG, 2.1 APG, 1.6 SPG), Jeremy Whitt Jr. (14.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.2 SPG) and Desi Sills (9.6 PPG, 1.1 SPG).

The Jones-Joe combo has accounted for 11 games of 20-plus points headed by four games of 30 or more points this season. The duo has done a majority of its damage from three-point territory with 98 of the team's 130 treys. Joe amassed a 34-point performance on 11-of-18 shooting at Ole Miss on 01/11, while Jones fired in a SEC single-game best of 41 points versus Tulsa on 12/14 for the 2019-20 season.

Whitt Jr. has upped his marks to 17.8 points per game and canned 51.5 percent from the floor during SEC action. The SMU grad transfer poured in 30 points on 14-of-24 from the floor coupled with eight rebounds versus Vanderbilt on 01/15.

Adrio Bailey (6.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.9 BPG), Jalen Harris (4.2 PPG, 2.4 APG) and Reggie Chaney (3.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG) round of Arkansas eight-man rotation. Bailey's best SEC outing was eight points, seven rebounds and four blocks during the LSU game on 01/08.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State begins a stretch of five of its next seven games on the road and meets Oklahoma as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday. Tip time is set for 1 p.m. CT from Chesapeake Energy Arena, home of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. The game will be televised by ESPN2 and carried online 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.

Mississippi State Men's Basketball Media Session
January 21, 2020

Head Coach Ben Howland
Q: What differences have you noticed in Arkansas' offense this year compared to last year?
BH: "I think it's more about their defense. When you look at the Ken Pom rankings, they're in the top 10 in effective field goal percentage defense. They're in the top 10 in turnovers forced per game and points off of turnovers. That's really where they are making huge difference in terms of winning and losing as it starts at the defensive end. That's how his dad coached [Bill Musselman] and that's how he [Eric Musselman] coaches."

"Obviously, they have great perimeter players who can really score. [Mason] Jones is leading them in everything. He's an incredible player and a great story. You go back and think that guy was 275 pounds coming out of high school, and nobody wanted him. He started losing weight, went to junior college for the year and then after that year, he committed to Central Arkansas. Then, he decommitted and ends up getting an offer from Arkansas. He has a great basketball family – his brother [Matt Jones] was a big-time player at Duke, his sister [Jordan Jones] was a big-time player [for Texas A&M]. He's really a great story, and he does everything – he bounces it, passes it, rebounds it and creates opportunities."

"Isaiah Joe is just incredible, in terms of his ability to shoot the three and shoot it with quickness. His release and his lift – he takes 11 three's per game; he's second in the country in three-pointers made. He is really a special player, and he has range. I watched him last night against Texas A&M, and he literally made a 29-foot jump shot. So, his range is way beyond the NBA three. Obviously, that's why these NBA guys are all frothing at the mouth looking at him."

"But they have other good players, this kid Jimmy Whitt that's come in – he's one of the transfers who started there. Then, he left to go to SMU for two years, graduates and now comes back. They run a lot of different guys at the point. So, he's really your power forward playing the point, and that's a matchup nightmare. There's a different guy pushing it every time on made and missed shots. There's not a specific point [guard]. It's typically going to be [Mason] Jones or [Jimmy] Whitt pushing it, but when [Jalen] Harris comes in, they'll have him push it some … They're really good in transition. That's where their offense starts. They flow right into it, try to spread you out and kick it out. They're playing very hard, and they're an impressive team."

Q: What has stood out to you defensively these past two games?
BH: "There's no question that our defense is playing the best it's played all year, and we're doing a better job than we've done. The last three games, I thought our defense down in Baton Rouge was very good. We held them to 37 percent from the floor and out-boarded them by 18. The last two games, we've done a better job offensively of taking care of the basketball and taking quality shots. Again, it's something we've talked about a lot. I think it's really helping us, and it makes your defense better when you aren't turning it over. In Baton Rouge, for example, we had 18 turnovers. A lot of those were turned into easy points for the opponent. So, they work hand-in-hand. Offense feeds the defense, and the defense feeds the offense. You have to have a good balance at both ends and be effective at both ends. We've done a good job at that the last couple games."

Q: How do you plan to contain Isaiah Joe and Mason Jones?
BH: "It's going to be an incredible challenge because they are really good off the dribble, catching and shooting and creating for others. Again, you look at Jones' numbers. He leads them in assists. So, he's playing with the ball in his hands a lot, and we held him to 30 last year down there [at Arkansas] – I think he had 30 or 31 in that game. We know what an incredible challenge that's going to be, and that's going to be your team defense. It's not just one guy who does it, it's a team. We did a good job in the last game containing [Anthony] Edwards [of Georgia], especially in the first half but, it was the team doing it. You can't just do it with one guy when you're playing against really good talent like they have."

Q: How big of a factor has coming off the bench been for Tyson breaking out of his slump?
BH: "I don't know, but I'm sure am happy that he's playing the way he's playing right now for us. He's playing with the confidence that he's earned because of all his hard work. No one has worked harder than Tyson Carter – putting the time in, putting the countless hours in working on his shot, working on his ball-handling and working on his game. You earn confidence, and he earned it. So, I'm really excited for him and happy for our team."

Q: How do you look to get the offense started early against this Arkansas defense?
BH: "They do a great job of helping defensively, and they really pressure. They're going to get out, get into the ball and create havoc, but they don't gamble. It's very solid. They're using their hands, but they're still keeping their body in front of the ball. When you drive, they're collapsing. They do a great job. They'll play ball screens multiple ways – they'll switch it, they'll hard-hedge it and they'll plug it. They're going to have different changeups in how they're going to play different people. So, you have to be prepared for all of it, and I expect them to be very aggressive defensively."

Q: What did you like about Elias King during the recruiting process, and how have you seen him improve since arriving here?
BH: "Elias is a really nice kid. We liked him as a young man and a person. He has improved a lot, in terms of the defensive end of the basketball. It's something that's never really been emphasized to him, like a lot of kids. So, that's something you have to understand. You have to be able to play both ends of the floor to be able to play at this level and contribute to a winning team and program. I think that's the biggest thing. He's also getting bigger and stronger, and he's done a good job of getting in the weight room. He's come in, and I think he's probably put on 10-to-12 pounds, at least, of muscle."

Guard D.J. Stewart Jr.
Q: What's it been like in the starting lineup lately?
DS: "I've been enjoying it. I'm just taking it all in. It's a little different for me coming off the bench [versus] me starting. With me, I'm going to do whatever I can and help the team win."

Q: What do you see from Arkansas from watching them?
DS: "They're really fast paced. They throw in a lot of different defensive sets, so we really are just trying to control the pace of the game and not let them control us."

Q: What led to last week's win versus Georgia?
DS: "Us just playing together and moving the ball. Earlier [in SEC play] the ball was sticking, and you could tell. Now, we're just playing together. Now, we're playing like the team that we're supposed to be."

Guard Iverson Molinar
Q: Do you feel it took a while for the team to adjust to the SEC play?
IM: "It was definitely different than non-conference games getting used to the speed in the SEC, which is one of the best leagues in the country. I had to adjust to being able to play against players that are high level and playing defense against players that are actually faster than non-conference players. It was really challenging."

Q: How crucial have these home stretch games been for the team after starting the SEC 0-3?
IM: "I think we already picked it up. We're pretty confident about where we are. Being able to play the toughest defense in the SEC and being able to play those tough teams and beating them in defense because that's what we are. That's our mantra."

Q: How much has it helped that everyone has got used to and settled into their own role these last couple of games?
IM: "At the end of the day, all we care about is winning. Everybody had to adjust to their role because the only thing we want to do is just win. Being able to follow Coach [Howland's] instructions and being able to know how our roles work, that's all we care about."