Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Tennessee

Saturday, February 1

Starkville

1:00 PM

Mississippi State

Tennessee

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Photo by: Tim Casey

Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Tennessee

January 31, 2020 | Men's Basketball

Buy Tickets Gameday Info WATCH: Coach Howland Presser WATCH: ESPNU LISTEN: Hail State Plus Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will look to carry its recent SEC success into February as the Bulldogs play host to Tennessee in a matchup of two programs who enter the weekend in a six-way tie for fourth place in the SEC standings.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (13-7, 4-3 SEC) vs. Tennessee (12-8, 4-3 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Saturday, Feb. 1, 1:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
Tickets: MSU Ticket Office (https://hailst.at/UTTix1920)

TV: ESPNU
Talent: Drew Fellios, Dalen Cuff
DirecTV: Ch. 208, Dish: Ch. 141, AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 1605, MaxxSouth: Ch. 1162, C Spire: Ch. 206
Online: WatchESPN App (https://hailst.at/UTvsMSU020120)

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. 384 (XM), Ch. 974 (Internet)

MSU-TENNESSEE HARDWOOD SERIES
The Volunteers have won the last four decisions and 10 of the last 12 meetings dating back to the 2012-13 season. Tennessee holds an 85-43 series advantage and has eliminated the Bulldogs from the SEC Tournament in the quarterfinal round during each of the last two seasons.

Mississippi State's last victory in the series was a 64-59 comeback triumph on Feb. 4, 2017 when the Bulldogs erased an 18-point deficit early in the second half.

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 Saturday's matchup versus Tennessee 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.

Fans are encouraged to wear black for Saturday's "Blackout" of the Vols. The first 500 students will receive a black special edition "The Hump" t-shirt. Other promotions include 175 Hail State Rewards points for students, 300 points for Bully's Kids Club members who can pick up their claimed prizes inside the Kids Court at Mize Pavilion and an opportunity to win $400 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. After dropping its last two road decision by one point apiece, Mississippi State used persistence, poise and toughness to overcome a 16-point first half deficit and a 10-point halftime hole to capture a 78-71 road victory over Florida on Tuesday. The Bulldogs extended their SEC winning streak to four consecutive games and ended a six-game road losing streak to the Gators which dated back to the 2007-08 season. Mississippi State buried 14-of-23 from the field, drained three of their five three-point attempts and were an efficient 12-of-14 at the free throw line during the second half. The Bulldogs had plenty of heroics headed by SEC Player of the Year candidate, Reggie Perry, who erupted for a career-high 27 points on a 9-for-14 shooting clip. Robert Woodard II amassed 11 of his 16 points during the second half and was 6-of-7 from the floor. Tyson Carter tossed in 12 critical second-half points highlighted by a 7-0 run by himself midway through the second half which turned a two-point deficit into a five-point lead. Nick Weatherspoon was State's floor general as he registered 13 points and matched his career-best with eight assists against one turnover. Abdul Ado pumped in six points coupled with nine rebounds and three blocks. The Bulldogs worked their way to a 32-26 rebounding edge and have outrebounded 15 of their 20 opponents this season. Florida was a scorching 8-for-14 on triples in the first half but misfired on all seven of its second-half attempts. The Bulldogs used a team defensive approach to contain one of the SEC's top point guards, Andrew Nembhard, to a conference single-game low of three assists.

2. Mississippi State's comeback victory over Florida marked the third time this season and 18th time overall that the Bulldogs have wiped away a halftime deficit under fifth-year coach Ben Howland. The last time MSU won a SEC road game when trailing by 10-plus points at the half was when the Bulldogs turned a 39-28 deficit into a 78-77 overtime victory at Vanderbilt on Jan. 21, 2012. Tuesday's game marked just the sixth time that State has rallied from a 10-plus in a SEC road game dating back to the 1981-82 season … Mississippi State continues to do damage as one of the nation's best offensive rebounding teams. The Bulldogs not only lead the SEC but ranked second in the nation heading into this weekend's action with a 40.0 percent offensive rebounding percentage. The Bulldogs have secured 13.25 offensive rebounds per game which is second in the SEC, fifth among Power 5 teams and 17th nationally. Mississippi State also checks in first in the SEC, tied for fifth among Power 5 conference schools and tied for 10th 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 preseason 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 SEC's Player of the Week for 01/20, has amassed double figures in 18 of his last 20 games headed by 19.8 PPG and 10.9 RPG over his last nine outings. He has piled up 20-plus points in six of those appearances and posted his top four scoring performances against SEC opponents with a career-high 27 points at Florida on 01/28, 26 points against Arkansas on 01/22, 23 points versus Missouri on 01/14 and 22 points during the Georgia game on 01/18. Perry also added 10-plus rebounds in the Missouri, Arkansas and Georgia games to become the first MSU player to compile three consecutive performances of 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds since Rickey Brown who fired in six straight efforts to start the 1979-80 season … Overall, Perry's 16.9 points per game are 4th, while his 10.0 rebounds per game headline the SEC. He has secured a SEC-leading 11 double-doubles this season highlighted by seven in his last 10 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 combined since Erick Dampier also compiled 20 during the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons. He is one of four Power Five conference players to average a double-double in 2019-20. The list includes Luke Garza (Iowa), John Mooney (Notre Dame) and Daniel Oturo (Minnesota). 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 – 17th), free throw percentage (86.1 – 5th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7 – 5th). Carter has regained his form en route to 13.8 PPG over his last five games off the bench. He has piled up 69 of MSU's 105 bench points (65.7 percent) during that span. The Bulldogs are 36-10 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 1,192 career points and passed his father, Greg Carter, on the MSU 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 1,192 points now rank 28th in program history, and he's eight points shy of passing Mario Austin (2001-02-03). He also are third among SEC active players only behind Ole Miss' Breein Tyree and LSU's Skylar Mays. Carter has canned 199 treys which is tops among SEC players. He moved into fifth place on the program list with a pair of three-balls at Oklahoma on 01/25.

5. Nick Weatherspoon has been a welcomed addition back to the starting lineup where he has posted 12.3 points, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game … He has started in 69 of 70 career games and secured double digit points in eight of his 10 appearances sparked by a 20-point performance at Alabama on 01/08 … Mississippi State has won seven of eight games during Weatherspoon's career when he has dished out five or more assists … His 5.0 APG against SEC opponents are third on the league leaderboard, and the Canton native has distributed 24 assists against five turnovers over his last four games … Abdul Ado has secured two double-doubles and became the 36th player in program history to surpass 500 career rebounds at Florida on 01/28 … He enters Saturday's action tied for 31st in program history and his 6.7 rebounds are tied for 11th on the SEC list … Ado's last double-double was 12 points and 12 rebounds at LSU on 01/11 … His 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 fourth place on the SEC leaderboard … Ado has racked up 160 career blocks over 87 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) … Robert Woodard II has provided 11.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game on the season … The 7.3 RPG are 7th whereas the 1.4 SPG are just outside the SEC's top 10 … 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 12 games which is third on the team … He has registered 10-plus points in eight of his last 12 outings after having three games of 10-plus during the entire 2018-19 season … Woodard II has a trio of double-doubles on the season, his last was 12 points and 12 rebounds against No. 8 Auburn on 01/04 … Iverson Molinar and D.J. Stewart Jr. have teamed for 14 games of 10-plus points during their freshman season … The Carter-Molinar-Stewart Jr. trio has accounted for 238 of the team's 320 bench points (74.4 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 8-1 this season when Stewart Jr. secured 10-plus points … Stewart Jr. secured 12 points and a season-high eight rebounds at Oklahoma on 01/25 … 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 Volunteers are SEC's top defensive unit and ranked inside the top 15 nationally in points allowed per game (60.0 PPG, 10th) and field goal percentage defense (37.8, 15th). Tennessee has split its last eight games since the calendar turned to 2020 and has already captured a pair of SEC road wins over Missouri (69-59 on 01/07) and Vanderbilt (66-45 on 01/18).

The Volunteers have been without the services of All-SEC preseason pick Lamonte Turner (12.3 PPG, 7.1 APG, 1.8 SPG) for the last nine games. Stepping up in Turner's place has been fellow All-SEC preseason selection Jordan Bowden (12.7 PPG, 2.5 APG, 1.0 SPG) along with John Fulkerson (11.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.3 SPG) and Yves Pons (11.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.7 BPG).

Bowden has ripped off double figures in 15 of 20 outings headed by six of his last seven appearances. He pumped in a SEC season's best 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting at Vanderbilt on 01/18. Bowden also poured in 19 points during Tennessee's Big 12/SEC Challenge matchup at Kansas last Saturday.

Fulkerson has been effective and efficient during SEC action where he has knocked down 65.3 percent of his shot attempts and registered an 86.4 percent clip at the free throw line. He has worked his way to double-doubles in two of his last three games which includes 18 points and 10 rebounds versus Ole Miss on 01/21 coupled with 15 points and 12 rebounds during the Kansas game.

Pons, the SEC's leading shot blocker, has at least one rejection in all 20 of Tennessee's games and has amassed at least three games on 12 occasions this season. He racked up a career-high 24 points to go along with seven rebounds and three blocks at Kansas.

Santiago Vescovi (9.6 PPG, 3.4 APG) and Josiah-Jordan James (7.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.9 APG) have been solid for the Volunteers. Vescovi, a mid-year addition, has compiled 13 assists against four turnovers over his last three games and reached 10-plus points four times. James has piled up double figures in five of his last eight appearances and notched a season-high 15 points aided by a trio of three-pointers versus LSU on 01/04.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State heads to the Bluegrass to face SEC preseason favorite and No. 13 Kentucky as part of another ESPN Family of Networks Super Tuesday matchup. Tip time is on-tap for 8 p.m. CT from Rupp Arena. The game will be televised by ESPN 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 31, 2020

Head Coach Ben Howland
Q: You've made a number of big coaching decisions in your career, what went into the decision to change the starting lineup for this year's team putting D.J. Stewart Jr. in for Tyson Carter?
BH: "There's a lot of thought that goes into changes in your lineup. At the end of the day, it was really a positive. I thought it really most importantly helped Tyson in terms of breaking out of his offensive slump at that point. He's playing as good as he's ever played. He was key for us down on that stretch of the Florida game. We wouldn't have won the game without him in there giving us the lead and getting two more drives to the basket. It hasn't changed his minutes at all. I think it's been a real positive."

"D.J. has done a great job especially at the defensive end on the floor which is where he's such a force. His ability to get contest shots with his length. Against Oklahoma, he had eight defensive rebounds which I was incredibly excited about. It was a career-high for him. It's really helped both players which therefore helped our team."

Q: What have you seen on Tennessee on a matchup perspective?
BH: "They're a very tough, difficult matchup. When you look at them, they're in the top 20 in defensive efficiency. They block a ton of shots. [Yves] Pons is incredible with how many blocked shots he has. He's the best two-footed quick jumper in the conference. I was watching film on him last night, and he's literally got his head ducking the rim. He's 6-5, just explosive and a really quick leaper."

"[John] Fulkerson is playing great. I love Fulkerson with how hard he plays, and how tough he is. They've got some really good young kids that are talented as can be. The James kid [Josiah-Jordan James] out of South Carolina. What amazing, they have so many left-handers. I think they have seven left-handers. I've never heard of such a thing. They're very athletic and long. [Jordan] Bowden is a guy who is really a heck of player. We've always had a tough time with him. He's always played well. I think he's a really, really good player. He hasn't shot it to his capability, and we don't want him to break out of his slump tomorrow. He's had flashes like against Kansas in the second half last week, he was really good. They were right there. They could've beat Kansas. That Kansas game came down to the wire. That was a very close, hard-fought game in Allen Fieldhouse where they had a chance to win. They dominated the previous game against Ole Miss. Their defense was just incredible in that game."

"The Texas A&M game, they had the lead with three minutes to go. A&M did a great job on the offensive glass. I know that Coach Barnes, who is a Hall of Fame coach – Rick Barnes is one of the best coaches in our conference, and he will be in the Hall of Fame and should be. 700 wins, the guy is unbelievable. They are very well-coached. They've tweaked their offense a little bit which will be a little different than it's been in the past. They run a lot of the same stuff."

"I really like the kid from Uruguay who's come over, [Santiago] Veskovi, he's a good player. He's got inserted into the starting lineup three and a half weeks ago. You see how much better he's improved just from that time. They lost [Lamonte] Turner which was a big blow to them because he was their point guard. [Santiago] Viskovi and [Josiah-Jordan] James are really playing that position for him. They have good strength off the bench too. [Jalen] Johnson is a good player and plays incredibly hard. There's another kid, [Davonte] Gaines, who comes in, and I'm really impressed with how hard he plays. They've got a number of guys. They're going to be a very tough team for us tomorrow."

Q: What's lead to some of those slow starts, and how can you combat that this week?
BH: "That would be a good thing for me to know. It's tough. We've done that at LSU, at Oklahoma and at Florida. We'd like to avoid that here and do better with getting off to a good start. Everything starts with our defense. I thought we really got hurt in transition defense in particular in this last game against Florida. They came out firing and really shot the ball well. They were 8-for-14 in the first half, and 0-for-7 in the second half. A couple of those seven that they missed were good looks."

"Just credit our team for hanging tough and continuing to believe in themselves and not giving in. I'm proud of them for that in each of those cases. We had the lead with five minutes to go in Baton Rouge [at LSU] by nine [points]. We had a chance to win the game at Oklahoma. We were able to hold on and win one in this last game. I'm proud of our guys with their toughness when they do fall behind. We just like to avoid that liked you pointed out."

Q: Is there anything in particular that stands out to you as an area that needs to improve?
BH: "We have to continue to grow on both ends, but I think you're right that we're playing our best basketball of the year right now. I think Nick [Weatherspoon], his plus-minus at the Florida game was plus-21. When he was out of the game for his 9:27, we lost by 14. When he was in, we won by 21. It says a lot about his effect on that game and all the things he does."

"We've got to get better on both ends of the floor. Definitely, in our transition defense, our ability to get back and get our defense set. That's really important for any team. We've got to do a really good job of taking care of the ball. We've got some turnovers that we've got to continue to cut down on."

Q: What has Iverson Molinar added to this team's roster?
BH: "I think Iverson has really grown as a player. He's really an incredible talent, athletically. I'm really proud of him. He made some big plays for us in the game at Florida. He had a really nice dump off on the drive to Reggie [Perry]. Penetrating to the basket, he can get to the basket it seems like whenever he wants. I think he's 4-for-6 from three in the conference, so he's shooting the ball well when he's opened and taking good shots. He's still learning the game. He's still a freshman. He's really the only true freshman that's playing a significant role for us right now, and he's handled it really well. That's always difficult. When you're going from last year and playing against a bunch of [high schoolers] – now, you're playing against a bunch of grown men who are juniors and seniors and have a lot of experience under their belts."

Guard Nick Weatherspoon
Q: How would you assess how you've played at point guard these last few weeks?
NW: "I've just been playing at a slower pace. I'll push it when I have to, but I feel like I've just been playing at a slower pace. I'm starting to be able to actually read my options like ball-screens and things. I feel like I'm just starting to take my time."

Q: Are you guys at your peak right now? And if not, what do you feel needs to be improved on?
NW: "I don't think we're at our peak yet. I still think there's a couple of more things that we need to work on. I feel like our transition defense has got to get way better. Against better teams, it could really hurt us like it did in the first half at Florida."

Guard Tyson Carter
Q: What are some things that you did during your offensive slump that helped you play better now?
TC: "Just being able to relax, I feel like me coming off the bench helped my slump a little bit. It's been less pressure coming into the game so that's helped me just relax. I let the game come to me, and it's less pressure. That's probably what helped."

Q: How important is team chemistry to keep playing the way you guys have been playing? TC: "Team chemistry is big for us. Everybody playing together is going to contribute to us winning with team chemistry. It just relates to ball movement. It relates to us playing defense, being able to help each other on defense."