Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Oklahoma

Saturday, January 25

Oklahoma City, Okla. (Chesapeake Energy Arena)

1:00 PM

Mississippi State

Oklahoma

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Oklahoma

January 24, 2020 | Men's Basketball

WATCH: ESPN2 WATCH: Coach Howland Presser LISTEN: Hail State Plus Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma – After completing an unblemished 3-0 homestead, Mississippi State will look to carry its recent momentum to the road as the Bulldogs meet Oklahoma during Saturday's Big 12/SEC Challenge at Chesapeake Energy Arena, home of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (12-6, 3-3 SEC) vs. Oklahoma (12-6, 3-3 Big 12)
Where: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Chesapeake Energy Arena
When: Saturday, Jan. 24, 1:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: ESPN2
Talent: Chuckie Kempf, Chris Spatola
DirecTV: Ch. 209, Dish: Ch. 143, AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 1606, MaxxSouth: Ch. 1024, C Spire: Ch. 202
Online: WatchESPN App (https://hailst.at/MSUvsOU012520)

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-OKLAHOMA HARDWOOD SERIES
Mississippi State has won all three previous meetings versus the Sooners decided by a combined 16 points which includes a home-and-home series during the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons along with 54-45 victory over then No. 5 Oklahoma at the Sugar Bowl Classic on Dec. 28, 2002. Mario Austin posted game-highs with 18 points and eight rebounds to pace the Bulldogs.

TICKETS/PROMOTIONS
General admission tickets for Mississippi State's next home game versus Tennessee on Saturday, February 1st 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.

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. Mississippi State pushed its winning streak to three consecutive games to even up its SEC mark at 3-3 and grinded out a 77-70 victory over Arkansas on Wednesday. The Bulldogs had four players secure double figures fueled by Reggie Perry's career-high tying 26 points coupled with 13 rebounds. The reigning SEC Player of the Week knocked down 14-of-15 at the charity stripe. He tucked away his seventh double-double over his last eight outings and his 20th double-double of his career. D.J. Stewart Jr. rattled off a SEC season's best 14 points followed by Nick Weatherspoon's 11 points and Tyson Carter's 10 points. Weatherspoon dished out six assists against zero turnovers. Iverson Molinar was instant offense off the bench with eight points in 13 minutes of action. Mississippi State had 12 assists and nine turnovers, while the Razorbacks had 12 assists and seven turnovers. The nine turnovers for State were its second-lowest total on the season versus an Arkansas squad who entered the game forcing its opponents into 17.5 miscues per game. The Bulldogs compiled a 41-31 rebounding advantage and have won the battle of the boards by double digits in four consecutive games. Arkansas registered a 46-24 advantage in paint points, the 46 points are the most by a MSU opponent this season.

2. Mississippi State not only leads the SEC but leads the nation heading into this weekend's action with a 40.8 percent offensive rebounding percentage. The Bulldogs have secured 13.61 offensive rebounds per game which is first in the SEC, fourth among Power 5 teams and 14th nationally. Mississippi State also checks in first in the SEC, sixth among Power 5 conference schools and 13th nationally with a +8.4 rebounding margin.

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 17 of his last 18 games headed by 20.0 PPG and 11.4 RPG over his last nine outings. He has piled up 20-plus points in five of those appearances and posted his top three scoring performances against SEC opponents with a career-high tying 26 points against Arkansas on 01/22, 23 points versus Missouri on 01/14 and 22 points during the Georgia game on 01/18. The last time a Mississippi State player compiled three consecutive games of 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds was Rickey Brown who fired in six straight efforts to start the 1979-80 season. Overall, Perry's 16.9 points per game are 5th, while his 10.3 rebounds per game headline the SEC. He has secured a SEC-leading 11 double-doubles this season highlighted by seven in his last eight games. Perry's 20 career double-doubles are tops among SEC active players, and the most by a MSU player during his freshman and sophomore seasons since Erick Dampier also compiled 20 during the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons. 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 11 players overall and three players average a season double-double during the 2000s. The 2000s 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 (13.6 – T-18th), assists (3.7 – 10th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9 – 4th). Carter has regained his form en route to 14.3 PPG and 4.0 APG over his last three games coming off the bench. The Bulldogs are 35-9 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 Saturday's game with 1,166 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 1,166 points now rank 29th in program history, and he's three 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. Carter has canned 196 treys and is sixth in program history. He is two, three-pointers away from passing Timmy Bowers (2001-02-03-04) and moving into fifth place.

5. Nick Weatherspoon has been a welcomed addition back to the starting lineup where he has posted 13.0 points, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game … He has started in 67 of 68 career games and secured double digit points in seven of his eight appearances sparked by a 20-point performance at Alabama on 01/08 … Mississippi State has won six of seven games during Weatherspoon's career when he has dished out five or more assists … His 4.5 APG against SEC opponents are fourth on the league leaderboard, and the Canton native has distributed 14 assists against two turnovers over his last two games … Abdul Ado has picked up 7.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game over his last 11 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 1.8 blocks per game in 2019-20 are good enough for fifth-place tie on the SEC leaderboard … Ado has racked up 156 career blocks over 85 career games and has climbed to seventh place on MSU's all-time list … His 1.84 career BPG are third in program history only behind legendary shot blockers Jarvis Varnado (2007-08-09-10) and Erick Dampier (1994-95-96) … Ado enters the Oklahoma game six rebounds shy from becoming the 36th player in program history to collect 500 career rebounds … Robert Woodard II has provided 11.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game on the season … The 7.6 RPG are 7th on the SEC list … Woodard II and Perry possess two of the SEC's three 20-plus point, 15-plus rebound games 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 third on the team … He has registered 10-plus points in six of his last 10 outings after having three games of 10-plus during the entire 2018-19 season … Iverson Molinar and D.J. Stewart Jr. have teamed for 13 games of 10-plus points during their freshman season … The Carter-Molinar-Stewart Jr. trio has accounted for 208 of the team's 290 bench points (71.7 percent) when coming off the bench … Stewart Jr. and Molinar provided SEC career-highs of 14 points and eight points, respectively, during the Arkansas game on 01/22 … Molinar's 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 … The Bulldogs are 8-0 this season when Stewart Jr. secured 10-plus points … 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 Sooners have won five of their last eight and nearly upset top-ranked Baylor on the road last time out. Oklahoma has picked up non-conference wins over Minnesota (Big 10), posted a 5-1 record under Lon Kruger in Oklahoma City.

Kristian Doolittle (15.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG) has registered double figures in 10 of his last 11 outings and accounted for five double-doubles on the season. He has amassed 20-plus points on four occasions, most recently a 22-point performance at Texas on 01/08. Doolittle heads into Saturday's matchup 16 points away from becoming the 47th player in OU history to eclipse 1,000 career points.

Brady Manek (15.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.2 BPG) has drained 47 of his 96 field goals from three-point territory. He has ripped off a 31-point effort against TCU on 01/18 and a 21-point, 10-rebound effort at Baylor on 01/20 en route to 26.0 points per game over his last two outings. Manek has connected on 11 treys during that span.

Austin Reaves (14.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.7 APG), a grad transfer from Wichita State, has notched four games of 20-plus points. He is looking to bounce back from a 3-of-17 shooting effort and was limited to eight points during the Baylor game on 01/20.

De'Vion Harmon (8.3 PPG, 2.1 APG, 1.4 SPG) has been inserted into the starting lineup during the last three games for the Sooners. He scored a Big 12 season's best 13 points aided by a trio of three-pointers versus Kansas on 01/14.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State returns to its SEC grind and faces Florida on Tuesday. Tip time is on-tap for 6 p.m. CT from Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. 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 24, 2020

Head Coach Ben Howland

Q: When you watch film on Oklahoma, what things grab your attention?
BH: "They're very, very good offensively, number one. They can shoot it. They have both of their bigs, for example, starting with number 21 [Kristian] Doolittle. He's fourth in the league in scoring, fifth in the league in rebounding and top five in field goal percentage in offense. He was the most improved player in the Big 12, which was voted by the coaches last season. He's just really skilled. He's shooting over 40 percent on the year from three. Really odd, he shot over 40 percent as a freshman, took about five threes his sophomore and junior year, and now he's shooting them again. He shoots the ball really well. He's a very good passer.

"[Jamal] Bieniemy is a tall 6-5 point guard, takes six shots per game. He's shooting 50 percent of his shots from three. In the conference now, he's 7-for-15. He's a better shooter than what he's shown on the year, but he's shooting at the way he's capable of now and has a lot of confidence. Their two guard, number 12 [Austin] Reaves, he's a transfer from Wichita State out in Arkansas. He's a redshirt junior, which is like he's a senior and is very skilled. They run a lot of sets through him as a point. He shot 46-plus percent as a sophomore, which led the AAC through conference games from three. He can really shoot the ball. He's a good passer. He creates off the dribble. He's only shooting 25 percent, which is surprising for what a good looking shot he has. We don't want to let him get it going against us. He's very capable. When I say him in their game at Wichita State when they played there, he shot it great. He's a very good shooter and player.

"Then [Brady] Manek is really the lynch pen there because he's a guy who's shooting 52 percent from the three. He's really spacing the floor, has a quick release and is really hard to guard. He had seven three's last Saturday against TCU in the game. He had four or five against Baylor in the game they had the chance to win with a corner three in the last 10 seconds of the game down one. They have good players coming off the bench. [Jalen] Hill is a good player coming off the bench. The two bigs that come off. [Number] 52 [Kur Kuath] has an Amare Stoudemire type body. He's really active with flying down the middle for dunks.

"They play defense when they're trying to make jump shots and not allow anything around the basket. They're taking away the paint to the best of their ability. They'll double sometimes in the post. They play ball screens sometimes different ways. They'll play a three-two zone at times. They've got a lot of things. He [Lon Kruger] is a great coach, a hall of fame coach."

Q: Do you bring up to the team this could be a quad one win?
BH: "We don't have to. Every game we're playing is critically important to our season, as every game is. The later you get in the season, it even magnifies it more. We're playing a Power-5 conference team that will be in the NCAA Tournament in their home state. It's going to be a great opportunity for us against a great team that's very well coached and very talented."

Q: What have you seen from Reggie Perry from the start of the season to these last couple of weeks?
BH: "I love it when he gets to the foul line more. I think he's doing that and being aggressive. A part of that is from our whole team being more patient offensively and recognizing that we're at our best when we play through him and through the post. He's an unbelievably willing passer. Really in reality, he's a pass-first guy. That's what he really wants to do. He's a very good passer, so playing through the post and us getting him the ball more and getting him more touches. A big part of it is we're doing a better job of scheming and taking advantage of a really special talent."

Q: How would you assess how much better Nick Weatherspoon has gotten from his first game versus New Mexico State to now?
BH: "He's always been limited on turnovers. He's always been good about not turning the ball over. He's really grown into his role of being that floor general and creating for others. Almost to the detriment that he's not looking for a shot when it's opened. So, we still have to get him to do that, because he's a very good scorer. I'm really proud of the growth that he's showing as a point guard and you can see his potential. He's picking up ceilings. He has a great ceiling ahead of him that he can get to as a point, so I'm really excited about how he's playing. Again, he always paves the defense. He's the guy stopping the ball every time no matter who's pushing it. He's a huge part of getting our defense set so we're not giving up things in transition. A big part of that is stopping that ball."