Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Georgia

Wednesday, December 30

Athens, Ga.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

Georgia

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Georgia

December 28, 2020 | Men's Basketball

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by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

ATHENS, Georgia – Mississippi State turns its attention to its 18-game SEC grind as the Bulldogs travel to take on Georgia on Wednesday at Stegeman Coliseum.

Mississippi State (5-3, 0-0 SEC) has won its last two non-conference games, most recently a convincing 87-48 decision over Mississippi Valley State (12/21). The Bulldogs were sparked by Iverson Molinar, who ignited a five-player attack in double figures with 18 points, coupled with five assists and two steals.

The SEC opener on 12/30 is the earliest for Mississippi State since defeating Vanderbilt by a 74-71 score (12/19/1991). The only other time State and Georgia (7-0, 0-0 SEC) have met in Athens to begin SEC action was during the 1954-55 season.

Mississippi State will look to end a two-game losing streak in SEC openers and a three-game losing skid in SEC road openers. The last time the Bulldogs won a SEC opener was a 78-75 decision over then No. 22 Arkansas (01/02/2018). State routed LSU by a 98-75 margin (01/07/2017) for its last SEC road opening victory in Baton Rouge.

MSU-GEORGIA HARDWOOD SERIES
Wednesday's matchup is the 115th meeting between the two sets of Bulldogs on the hardwood. Georgia holds a slight 58-56 series advantage, but Mississippi State has won the last three outings. Last time out, MSU posted its largest margin of victory in series history, 91-59, at Humphrey Coliseum (01/18/2020).

Reggie Perry (22 PTS, 12 REB, 6 ASST), Tyson Carter (18 PTS, 3 ASST), Robert Woodard II (17 PTS, 7 REB) and Nick Weatherspoon (12 PTS, 8 ASST, 2 STL) pumped in a combined 69 points on an efficient 28-of-45 shooting clip, while Mississippi State's defense made the 2020 NBA Draft's number one pick, Anthony Edwards, work for his 19 points on 16 shot attempts. He misfired on seven of his eight three-point attempts.

A win Wednesday would give Mississippi State a four-game winning streak over Georgia, which would be State's longest run in the series dating back to between the 2003-04 season and the 2005-06 season.

A MSU win also would end Georgia's seven-game home winning streak, which trails only Mississippi State and Arkansas among SEC schools.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (5-3, 0-0 SEC) vs. Georgia (7-0, 0-0 SEC)
Where: Athens, Georgia – Stegeman Coliseum
When: Wednesday, December 30, 6:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Mike Morgan, Debbie Antonelli
DirecTV: Ch. 611, Dish: Ch. 404/408, AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 1607, MaxxSouth: Ch. 1026, C Spire: Ch. 220
Online: Watch ESPN app & Watch ESPN online (Cable Subscription Required)
(https://hailst.at/MSUvsUGA123020)

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield IMG College
Talent: Neil Price
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. 381 (XM), Ch. 971 (Internet)

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Mississippi State has captured 10+ SEC victories during back-to-back seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20 for the fifth time in program history and for the first time since the 1994-95 and 1995-96 campaigns under Richard Williams. The Bulldogs have amassed 30 SEC wins from 2017-18 to 2019-20 which is the program's best 3-year win total going back to the 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons.

Mississippi State's coaching staff led by Ben Howland along with assistant coaches George Brooks, Korey McCray and Ernie Zeigler, who are in their sixth season together in Starkville during the 2020-21 season.

The Bulldogs coaching quartet of head coach and three assistants is one of eight staffs in the country to remain together at the same school for the last six seasons. The other staffs include Michigan State (11th) led by Tom Izzo, West Virginia (9th) led by Bob Huggins, UAlbany (9th) led by Will Brown, Kansas (7th) led by Bill Self, Oregon (7th) led by Dana Altman, Vermont (7th) led by John Becker and Bradley (6th) led by Brian Wardle.

2. Iverson Molinar, Tolu Smith and D.J. Stewart Jr. are etching their names among the notable freshmen-to-sophomore jumps at Mississippi State, under Ben Howland and the SEC. The trio has piled up 21 games in double figures, headed by six outings of 20-plus points. Molinar, Smith and Stewart Jr. have racked up 49.8 points per game, which is second-most in the SEC only behind LSU's Cameron Thomas, Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart.

Stewart Jr. (18.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.1 APG) has amassed five of his top eight career scoring performances in 2020-21. The Bulldogs have posted a 16-6 record when he scores 10-plus points during his career. Stewart Jr. exploded for a career-high and SEC season's best 32 points on 13-of-22 shooting versus Dayton (12/12). Stewart Jr. is the fifth sophomore during the 2000s, and the 13th sophomore overall to notch 30-plus points in a game dating back to the 1954-55 season. The last MSU player to score 30-plus points in a game was his former teammate, Quinndary Weatherspoon, who accounted for 31 points at Georgia (02/20/2019). Stewart Jr.'s 18.3 points per game are fourth on the SEC leaderboard. He is one of five SEC players to have three games of 20-plus points in the SEC this season.

Molinar (17.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.6 SPG) has notched double figures in all five of his outings in 2020-21 and during nine of his 13 career starts. MSU has won nine of its 10 games when Molinar provides 10-plus points in his career. He equaled his career-high with 21 points against Jackson State (12/08). The Panama native also came away with 20 points and distributed a career-high seven assists versus Dayton (12/12).

Molinar's 17.6 points per game would rank sixth in the SEC rankings if he qualified. His 11.7 points per game improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore season is tops among SEC players this season and tied for third-largest with Tyler Ulis of Kentucky in 2015-16 over the last decade. He trails only current NBA players Aaron Nesmith of Vanderbilt in 2019-20 (+12.0) and Terence Davis of Ole Miss in 2016-17 (+12.7) in the last 10 seasons.

Smith (13.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 0.9 BPG) has joined Stewart Jr. in double figures during each of MSU's first eight games. Prior to wearing Maroon at White, his previous career-high was nine points against West Virginia (11/16/2018) while at Western Kentucky.

The Smith-Stewart Jr. combo is the third set of teammates to be sophomore or younger and the eighth set of teammates overall to secure double figures over their first eight games of a season. The last MSU pair to have an eight-game run to start the season in double figures was Cameron Burns and Greg Carter during the program's SEC regular season championship season of 1990-91, while the last duo to accomplish the feat as sophomores or younger are program top 10 scorers Rickey Brown and Ray White in 1976-77.

Smith paces all SEC players with four double-doubles on the season and has notched a double-double in three of his last four appearances, most recently a 13-point, 12-rebound effort against Mississippi Valley State (12/21). His 4.0 offensive rebounds per game headline the SEC, while his 8.9 rebounds per game are third and his 58.6 field goal percentage are fifth on the SEC leaderboard.

3. Abdul Ado (5.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.5 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 106th career start during Wednesday's Georgia game. The 106 starts are good enough for a sixth-place tie with Barry Stewart (2007-08-09-10) going back to the 1986-87 season. He ranks fourth overall among NCAA active players in blocks and 12th among active Power 5 players in rebounds.

Ado has ranked among the SEC's top 10 in blocks shots during all four seasons and his 1.5 blocks per game are sixth this season. Overall, Ado has piled up 194 career blocks, which ranks fifth in program history. His 1.83 career blocks per game is third in program history only behind NCAA all-time leader Jarvis Varnado and Erick Dampier. The Nigeria native enters Wednesday's action two blocks shy of passing former teammate Aric Holman (2016-17-18-19) for fourth place.

Ado is Mississippi State's all-time field goal percentage leader heading into the Georgia contest among players with at least 240 baskets made. His 60.3 career shooting clip also checks in sixth among active Power 5 players and is tied for 12th highest overall among the NCAA active players.

4. Mississippi State's roster features a talented group of newcomers. The freshmen class is ignited by Deivon Smith (3.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.5 APG) and Cameron Matthews (3.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.3 SPG), who became the first freshmen tandem to start a MSU season opener since Tyson Carter and Mario Kegler during the 2016-17 season.

Smith, the eighth ESPN top 100 signee to play with the Bulldogs under head coach Ben Howland, tallied a solid all-around effort with 10 points, five assists and two steals during the Liberty game (11/26). Over his last six outings, Matthews has dished out 16 assists against six turnovers.

MSU's freshmen class also features Keondre Montgomery and Derek Fountain, who coupled with Matthews, are the state of Mississippi's top three prospects for the Class of 2020. Montgomery and Fountain sank their first career baskets against Texas State (11/30) and Jackson State (12/08), respectively.

5. The Bulldogs also have received solid contributions from Jalen Johnson (7.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG), Javian Davis (4.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG) and Quinten Post (4.4 PPG, 1.7 RPG).

Johnson piled up 1,061 points and 495 rebounds between his three seasons at Saint Louis and Louisiana-Lafayette. He has collected 53 career outings of 10-plus points and 11 outings of 20-plus points. Johnson has upped his averages to 12.5 points per game and knocked down five of his 10 treys over his last two games since being inserted in the starting lineup.

Post fired in a career-best 10 points versus Mississippi Valley State (12/21) to claim his first career game in double figures. He provided nine points to go along with career-bests of five rebounds, three assists and two blocks during the Texas State game (11/30). He tacked on six points and a steal against Dayton (12/12) and has scored in nine of his 15 career appearances at Mississippi State.

Davis posted 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game over his 31 appearances as a redshirt freshmen at Alabama in 2019-20. His top Bama performance was a 20-point, 10-rebound effort against South Carolina (02/29/2020). Davis has upped his marks to 5.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game over his last six outings. He came away with nine points and eight rebounds against Central Arkansas (12/16).

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Georgia is one of the SEC's four undefeated teams joined by No. 8 Tennessee, No. 14 Missouri and Arkansas heading into conference play. The Bulldogs best non-conference win was an 83-68 triumph over Cincinnati (12/19).

UGA is the only SEC team to have five players averaging in double figures and are led by Toumani Camara (14.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 1.2 BPG) His 14.8 points per game are tied for 10th, while his 8.3 rebounds per game are tied for sixth in the SEC. Camara has ripped off six consecutive games in double figures, headed by a trio of 19-point performances against North Georgia (12/02), Jacksonville (12/04) and Cincinnati (12/19).

Sahvir Wheeler (13.7 PPG, 7.4 APG, 1.6 SPG) holds the top spot on the SEC's assist list. He has accounted for double figures in six of his seven appearances and three double-doubles with points-assists. Wheeler managed a 21-point, 10-assist outburst versus Jacksonville (12/04).

A trio of transfers in Justin Kier (12.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, 2.5 SPG), Andrew Garcia (10.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG) and P.J. Horne (9.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.1 SPG), have made an instant impact for Georgia. Kier from George Mason headlines the SEC with 2.5 steals per game, whereas Garcia from Stony Brook has been the top performer off the bench. The group has garnered a combined 13 games in double figures.

Camara and Garica are joined by Tye Fagan (11.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG) who also is shooting over 50 percent from the floor on the young season. Fagan registered 21 points and 10 rebounds versus Florida A&M (11/29) during UGA's season opener.

FROM THE BENCH – BEN HOWLAND MEDIA SESSION
Q: What's your first impressions with Georgia?
BH: "I've watched a number of their games. They're playing really well. Obviously, they're undefeated. With Georgia, the thing that stands out the most is they're great in their transition game on pushing the ball on offense, both on made and missed shots. They're coming at you so hard. They run the floor so hard. [Sahvir] Wheeler is doing a fantastic job at the point for them and pushing the ball. We've got at least eight or nine clips of him going post to post in different games, getting the outlet and getting the basket. He's really good in transitioning. He leads our league in assists per game."

"[Toumani] Camara is playing great for them, a sophomore from Belgium that is a lefty. He's a really good player. He's really active, and their leading scorer and rebounder. I really like his game. He can play for anybody in the country – he's good. What they've done, though, they've added three new players who's all transfers. They're all graduate transfer guys, so they're older. They've got a kid, [Justin] Kier, from George Mason who's their starting two guard that backs up to the point. He's a really good player, 6'5, long, athletic."

"They've got a kid, [Andrew] Garcia, who transferred from Stony Brook, who's originally a Dominican kid. He's really tough, hard-nosed. They won 20 games at Stony Brook last year, and he was a part of that team. He does a really good job of scoring around the basket. He's tough. I like the big transfer that they have, P.J. Horne, from Virginia Tech. He started in every game last year at Virginia Tech. He shoots the ball well from three, and he's their starting five man."

"They've got a lot of pieces. They're playing a lot of guys. They play nine guys every game and really play hard defensively. They have great chemistry, great unselfishness. They played Cincinnati a week and a half ago at home and just demolished them. Cincinnati is known to be a really good program, so it's going to be a very formable opponent. We're going to have play really well to have success on the road at Georgia on Wednesday."
Q: How beneficial was it to have your guys get experience in playing long games like the Dayton game before you open in conference play?
BH: "Well, we have done that now, and I think the eight games that we have played have definitely helped us. It was obviously unfortunate that we didn't get to play the initial four games that we had planned for our season because that would have prepared us better for the Clemson and Liberty tournament that ended up being the first two games of the year, unfortunately without Iverson [Molinar]."

"But that Dayton game was a good game. The bottom line is that if we make our free throws that game, we win. We missed front end of one-on-ones, and I think we were 9-22 from the line. It was a very disappointing loss, but hopefully we grow from that. When we get into the next type game, which I'm sure there will be some, we perform better."

Q: What areas do you think your team has to do a good job of on Wednesday to come out with a win?
BH: "We've got to do a great job with our transition defense. They score a ton of points on transition on made and missed shots. That's number one. We've got to do a great job on blocking them out. They're fourth in the league in rebounding, right behind us, in rebounding margin. They're a very good offensive rebounding team."

"We've got to handle their changing defenses. They'll play some zone, they'll press a little bit, they'll trap out some different zone looks, and then they'll really get after you on their man-to-man. So, we've got to handle the ball and take care of the ball. We have to make good decisions with the ball and try to get it inside knowing they're going to cover down and dig down on our bigs. That's been done every game. If we can do those things, then we have a good chance."

Q: How has Jalen Johnson starting changed your team?
BH: "Having Jalen out there stretches the floor for the other players because you have to be aware of him because he's such a good shooter. He's one of our best three-point shooters. If he's open, he'll hit a three. As you saw last game, he hit two three's to start us off early in that game, so he does that. He brings us some stability in terms of experience and having already logged a lot of minutes in the Division-I level both at Saint Louis and Louisiana-Lafayette. He's a smart player, a good teammate and a good leader. I think that there's no question that having him out there has been very helpful for us offensively."

UP NEXT
Mississippi State begins a stretch of five of its next six games at home and squares off with Kentucky to start the 2021 calendar year on Saturday. Tip time is on-tap for 5 p.m. CT from Humphrey Coliseum televised by the SEC Network and available online courtesy of the Watch ESPN app.

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