Tuesday, December 8
Starkville
8:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
Jackson State
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Jackson State
December 07, 2020 | Men's Basketball
by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will look to sweep a three-game homestand when the Bulldogs meet Jackson State on Tuesday at Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs (2-2) have already defeated a pair of 20-win squads from a season ago in Texas State (68-51 on 11/30) and North Texas (69-63 on 12/04) during their first two home appearances.
Last time out, Iverson Molinar sparked a four-player attack with 15 points, five rebounds and two assists during his season debut. D.J. Stewart Jr. and Tolu Smith registered double figures for the fourth consecutive game for the Maroon and White with 16 and 12 points, respectively. Off the bench, Jalen Johnson notched a season's best 10 points.
Mississippi State has amassed a 69-19 home record and emerged with wins in 39 of its 43 non-conference home decisions under sixth-year coach Ben Howland.
MSU-JACKSON STATE HARDWOOD SERIES
Tuesday's meeting is the sixth matchup between the two Magnolia State programs. Mississippi State has won the previous five meetings by an average of 15.4 points per contest.
The Bulldogs secured a 58-56 win over Jackson State in the last meeting on 11/27/2013 under Rick Ray. Craig Sword filled the box score with 12 second-half points coupled with five rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Roquez Johnson and Fred Thomas added 11 points apiece for the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State Athletics has received capacity guidelines and designed a socially distanced seating plan to host fans in the healthiest manner possible for the 2020-21 season.
The plan is focused on the recommended health and safety protocols put in place by health officials from the Mississippi State Department of Health, Mississippi State University, the city of Starkville, the Southeastern Conference and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to protect the well-being of all student-athletes, fans and staff.
Capacity at Humphrey Coliseum for the 2020-21 season will be 25 percent as determined by the Governor's most recent Executive Order.
All fans will be required to wear a face covering, face shield or mask, over the nose and mouth during all times except when eating or drinking while inside Humphrey Coliseum.
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
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Mississippi State has piled up three consecutive 20-plus win seasons and 70 total victories since the start of 2017-18. The 70 wins are tied with LSU for the fourth-highest total in the SEC and only trail Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee since 2017-18.
Mississippi State's coaching staff led by Ben Howland along with assistant coaches George Brooks, Korey McCray and Ernie Zeigler 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.
Most recently, Howland collected his 500th career victory during a 68-51 win over Texas State (11/30) and secured his 100th win at Mississippi State as part of 69-63 victory over North Texas (12/04).
2. Iverson Molinar, Tolu Smith and D.J. Stewart Jr. are ready to etch their names among the notable freshmen-to-sophomore jumps at Mississippi State under Ben Howland.
Stewart Jr. (17.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.0 APG) has three of his top six scoring performances during the young season and is one of only eight players in program history to score at least 20-plus points as a freshmen or sophomore in two of his first three games of a season since 1956-57. The last freshmen or sophomore to accomplish the feat was his former teammate, Quinndary Weatherspoon, in 2016-17. Stewart Jr.'s 17.8 points per game are fifth on the SEC leaderboard.
Smith (14.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.5 BPG) has joined Stewart Jr. in double figures during each of MSU's first four games. Prior to MSU, his previous career-high was nine points against West Virginia (11/16/2018) while at Western Kentucky. The Bay St. Louis product is a fixture in the SEC rankings with his 1.5 blocks tied for sixth and his 7.5 rebounds in seventh place.
Molinar (15.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG) was an efficient 5-of-9 shooting en route to his 15 points versus North Texas during his season debut. The 15 points was his third-highest scoring output only behind a 21-point performance against Tulane (11/21/2019) and a 16-point effort versus Kent State (12/30/2019) during last season.
3. Abdul Ado (6.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.0 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 102nd career start during Tuesday's game against Jackson State. That would move him past Greg Carter (1988-89-90-91) and into sole possession of sixth place in the Maroon and White going back to the 1986-87 season. Not only is Ado the SEC's active leader in rebounds and blocks, he ranks fourth overall among NCAA active players in blocks and 10th among active Power 5 players.
Ado has ranked among the SEC's top 10 in blocks shots during all four seasons and his 2.0 blocks per game are tied for third this season. Overall, Ado has piled up 190 career blocks, which ranks fifth in program history. His 1.86 career blocks per game is third in program history only behind NCAA all-time leader Jarvis Varnado and Erick Dampier.
Ado is the leader on Mississippi State's all-time field goal percentage heading into the Jackson State game among players with at least 240 baskets made. His 60.8 career shooting clip also checks in third among active Power 5 players and is fourth-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 (4.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.3 APG) and Cameron Matthews (2.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.5 SPG), who became the first freshmen tandem to start the 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 two outings, Matthews has dished out eight assists against two 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 made their MSU debuts against Texas State (11/30).
5. Mississippi State's top three performers off the bench have been Jalen Johnson (7.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.0 APG), Quinten Post (4.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.0 APG) and Javian Davis (3.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG) in 2020-21.
Johnson piled up 1,061 points and 495 rebounds between his three seasons at Saint Louis and Louisiana-Lafayette. He has collected 51 career outings of 10-plus points and 11 outings of 20-plus points. Johnson provided a season-high 10 points versus North Texas (12/04) and has tallied at least five points in all four games.
Post put forth his best all-around effort during his first extended action in the Maroon and White. He pumped in career-highs with nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks during the Texas State game (11/30).
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 provided seven points, eight rebounds and a block against Texas State (11/30).
FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
HEAD COACH BEN HOWLAND
"Jalen's [Johnson] smart, he's a smart player. He's a heavy veteran, and he's doing well. He's getting better defensively and doing good things for us on defense. He's a great influence on our kids on and off the floor. He got a 4.0 this semester as a graduate student. He is really bright. It's really great to have him. He's going to be a key guy for us as we move forward in this season."
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Jackson State is led by Tristan Jarrett, the 2020-21 SWAC Preseason Player of the Year, along with Jayveous McKinnis, the 2020-21 SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Jarrett (16.8 PPG, 1.8 APG, 1.3 SPG) poured in 20-plus points in 11 outings and eclipsed the 30-point barrier in two games last season.
McKinnis (9.5 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1.9 BPG) was a major factor in Jackson State's defensive unit which allowed 67.4 points per game, good enough for second-place in the SWAC rankings.
UP NEXT
Mississippi State returns to the road for a neutral site tilt with Dayton on Saturday. The Flyers posted a 29-2 record and finished No. 3 nationally under the direction of Anthony Grant, the reigning National Coach of the Year. Tip time is slated for 11 a.m. CT from State Farm Arena, home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.
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.
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will look to sweep a three-game homestand when the Bulldogs meet Jackson State on Tuesday at Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs (2-2) have already defeated a pair of 20-win squads from a season ago in Texas State (68-51 on 11/30) and North Texas (69-63 on 12/04) during their first two home appearances.
Last time out, Iverson Molinar sparked a four-player attack with 15 points, five rebounds and two assists during his season debut. D.J. Stewart Jr. and Tolu Smith registered double figures for the fourth consecutive game for the Maroon and White with 16 and 12 points, respectively. Off the bench, Jalen Johnson notched a season's best 10 points.
Mississippi State has amassed a 69-19 home record and emerged with wins in 39 of its 43 non-conference home decisions under sixth-year coach Ben Howland.
MSU-JACKSON STATE HARDWOOD SERIES
Tuesday's meeting is the sixth matchup between the two Magnolia State programs. Mississippi State has won the previous five meetings by an average of 15.4 points per contest.
The Bulldogs secured a 58-56 win over Jackson State in the last meeting on 11/27/2013 under Rick Ray. Craig Sword filled the box score with 12 second-half points coupled with five rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Roquez Johnson and Fred Thomas added 11 points apiece for the Bulldogs.
The Matchup: Mississippi State (2-2, 0-0 SEC) vs. Jackson State (0-0, 0-0 SWAC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Tuesday, December 8, 8:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
TV: SEC Network
Talent: Mike Morgan, Daymeon Fishback
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/JSUvsMSU120820)
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. 190 (XM), Ch. 961 (Internet)
Mississippi State Athletics has received capacity guidelines and designed a socially distanced seating plan to host fans in the healthiest manner possible for the 2020-21 season.
The plan is focused on the recommended health and safety protocols put in place by health officials from the Mississippi State Department of Health, Mississippi State University, the city of Starkville, the Southeastern Conference and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to protect the well-being of all student-athletes, fans and staff.
Capacity at Humphrey Coliseum for the 2020-21 season will be 25 percent as determined by the Governor's most recent Executive Order.
All fans will be required to wear a face covering, face shield or mask, over the nose and mouth during all times except when eating or drinking while inside Humphrey Coliseum.
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
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Mississippi State has piled up three consecutive 20-plus win seasons and 70 total victories since the start of 2017-18. The 70 wins are tied with LSU for the fourth-highest total in the SEC and only trail Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee since 2017-18.
Mississippi State's coaching staff led by Ben Howland along with assistant coaches George Brooks, Korey McCray and Ernie Zeigler 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.
Most recently, Howland collected his 500th career victory during a 68-51 win over Texas State (11/30) and secured his 100th win at Mississippi State as part of 69-63 victory over North Texas (12/04).
2. Iverson Molinar, Tolu Smith and D.J. Stewart Jr. are ready to etch their names among the notable freshmen-to-sophomore jumps at Mississippi State under Ben Howland.
Stewart Jr. (17.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.0 APG) has three of his top six scoring performances during the young season and is one of only eight players in program history to score at least 20-plus points as a freshmen or sophomore in two of his first three games of a season since 1956-57. The last freshmen or sophomore to accomplish the feat was his former teammate, Quinndary Weatherspoon, in 2016-17. Stewart Jr.'s 17.8 points per game are fifth on the SEC leaderboard.
Smith (14.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.5 BPG) has joined Stewart Jr. in double figures during each of MSU's first four games. Prior to MSU, his previous career-high was nine points against West Virginia (11/16/2018) while at Western Kentucky. The Bay St. Louis product is a fixture in the SEC rankings with his 1.5 blocks tied for sixth and his 7.5 rebounds in seventh place.
Molinar (15.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG) was an efficient 5-of-9 shooting en route to his 15 points versus North Texas during his season debut. The 15 points was his third-highest scoring output only behind a 21-point performance against Tulane (11/21/2019) and a 16-point effort versus Kent State (12/30/2019) during last season.
3. Abdul Ado (6.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.0 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 102nd career start during Tuesday's game against Jackson State. That would move him past Greg Carter (1988-89-90-91) and into sole possession of sixth place in the Maroon and White going back to the 1986-87 season. Not only is Ado the SEC's active leader in rebounds and blocks, he ranks fourth overall among NCAA active players in blocks and 10th among active Power 5 players.
Ado has ranked among the SEC's top 10 in blocks shots during all four seasons and his 2.0 blocks per game are tied for third this season. Overall, Ado has piled up 190 career blocks, which ranks fifth in program history. His 1.86 career blocks per game is third in program history only behind NCAA all-time leader Jarvis Varnado and Erick Dampier.
Ado is the leader on Mississippi State's all-time field goal percentage heading into the Jackson State game among players with at least 240 baskets made. His 60.8 career shooting clip also checks in third among active Power 5 players and is fourth-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 (4.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.3 APG) and Cameron Matthews (2.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.5 SPG), who became the first freshmen tandem to start the 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 two outings, Matthews has dished out eight assists against two 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 made their MSU debuts against Texas State (11/30).
5. Mississippi State's top three performers off the bench have been Jalen Johnson (7.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.0 APG), Quinten Post (4.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.0 APG) and Javian Davis (3.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG) in 2020-21.
Johnson piled up 1,061 points and 495 rebounds between his three seasons at Saint Louis and Louisiana-Lafayette. He has collected 51 career outings of 10-plus points and 11 outings of 20-plus points. Johnson provided a season-high 10 points versus North Texas (12/04) and has tallied at least five points in all four games.
Post put forth his best all-around effort during his first extended action in the Maroon and White. He pumped in career-highs with nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks during the Texas State game (11/30).
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 provided seven points, eight rebounds and a block against Texas State (11/30).
FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
HEAD COACH BEN HOWLAND
"Jalen's [Johnson] smart, he's a smart player. He's a heavy veteran, and he's doing well. He's getting better defensively and doing good things for us on defense. He's a great influence on our kids on and off the floor. He got a 4.0 this semester as a graduate student. He is really bright. It's really great to have him. He's going to be a key guy for us as we move forward in this season."
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Jackson State is led by Tristan Jarrett, the 2020-21 SWAC Preseason Player of the Year, along with Jayveous McKinnis, the 2020-21 SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Jarrett (16.8 PPG, 1.8 APG, 1.3 SPG) poured in 20-plus points in 11 outings and eclipsed the 30-point barrier in two games last season.
McKinnis (9.5 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1.9 BPG) was a major factor in Jackson State's defensive unit which allowed 67.4 points per game, good enough for second-place in the SWAC rankings.
UP NEXT
Mississippi State returns to the road for a neutral site tilt with Dayton on Saturday. The Flyers posted a 29-2 record and finished No. 3 nationally under the direction of Anthony Grant, the reigning National Coach of the Year. Tip time is slated for 11 a.m. CT from State Farm Arena, home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.
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.
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