Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Ole Miss

Tuesday, February 11

Oxford, Miss.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

Ole Miss

Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Ole Miss

February 10, 2020 | Men's Basketball

WATCH: ESPNU WATCH: Coach Howland Presser Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

OXFORD, Mississippi – Mississippi State renews its rivalry with Ole Miss as the two programs match up for the first of two meetings over a 26-day span on Tuesday at the Pavilion at Ole Miss.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (15-8, 6-4 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (12-11, 3-7 SEC)
Where: Oxford, Mississippi – The Pavilion at Ole Miss
When: Tuesday, Feb. 11, 6:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: ESPNU
Talent: Dave Neal, Daymeon Fishback
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/MSUvsOM021120)

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. 388 (XM), Ch. 978 (Internet)

MSU-OLE MISS HARDWOOD SERIES
The Bulldogs have won two of the last three meetings, but Ole Miss has secured a 9-3 mark in the series going back to 2013-14 season.

Mississippi State snapped a seven-game skid in Oxford with an 81-75 comeback triumph last season. Quindarry Weatherspoon dialed up 27 points, eight rebounds and four steals, while Reggie Perry notched 21 points and 11 rebounds highlighted by the go-ahead trey with 3:32 remaining. The Bulldogs are looking for back-to-back wins in Oxford for the first time since the 2009-10 and 2010-11 season.

TICKETS/PROMOTIONS
General admission tickets for Mississippi State's next home game against South Carolina on Wednesday, Feb. 19 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 is offering a $10 "Super Saturday" ticket for the Ole Miss game on Saturday, March 7 which includes general admission to the baseball game versus Quinnipiac at Dudy Noble Field earlier that day. Fans can purchase this special combined ticket offer online only at www.HailState.com/tickets under the multi-sport packages button.

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 fought its way out of another halftime deficit as Tyson Carter, Reggie Perry and Nick Weatherspoon racked up 42 second-half points on a scorching 13-for-16 shooting clip to lift the Bulldogs past Vanderbilt, 80-70. The Bulldogs hit on their first eight shot attempts en route to a 62.5 field goal percentage during the second half. Perry exploded for 25 points and 11 rebounds coupled with a career-high tying six assists and a career-high equaling four blocks. He was 7-of-10 from the field, 3-of-5 on treys and 8-of-9 at the charity stripe. Weatherspoon rattled home a season's best 21 points, one shy of his career-high, on an 8-of-9 shooting clip. He grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists. Carter did the heavy lifting off the bench as he pumped in 16 points to go along with two steals and two steals. The 16-point effort marked his best scoring output since he pumped in 18 points versus Georgia on 01/18. D.J. Stewart Jr. garnered seven points and four rebounds whereas Robert Woodard II chipped in five points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

2. Mississippi State has tucked away 63 victories dating back to the 2017-18 season which ranks tied for fourth in the SEC with LSU and behind Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee. The Bulldogs are looking to collect their third consecutive season with 20-plus wins for the first time in program history since the 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. The 2007-08 and 2008-09 campaigns also mark the last time Mississippi State garnered back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids … 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 week's action with a 39.0 percent offensive rebounding percentage. The Bulldogs have secured a +8.3 rebounding margin which is 1st in the SEC, tied for 4th among Power 5 teams and tied for 9th nationally. Mississippi State also checks in 2nd in the SEC, 6th among Power 5 teams and 18th nationally with 12.91 offensive rebounds per game.

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. The sophomore is one of 10 finalists for the Karl Malone Award.

Perry, the Naismith Trophy National Player of the Week for 02/03 and two-time SEC Player of the Week, has amassed double figures in 21 of his last 23 games headed by 21.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG over his last eight outings. He has piled up 20-plus points in three of his last four, six of his last eight and in eight of his last 12 appearances. Perry has posted his top six scoring performances versus SEC opponents during the run fueled by a career-high 27 points at Florida on 01/28, 26 points against Arkansas on 01/22, 25 points versus Vanderbilt on 02/08, 24 points against Tennessee on 02/01, 23 points versus Missouri on 01/14 and 22 points during the Georgia game on 01/18. Overall, Perry's 17.4 points per game are tied for 4th, while his 10.0 rebounds per game headline the SEC.

Perry has secured a SEC-leading 13 double-doubles this season highlighted by nine double-doubles in his last 13 games since 12/22. Seven of those nine double-doubles have been of the 20-10 variety. He became the first MSU player since Rickey Brown to start the 1979-80 to piece together three consecutive 20-10 games when he accomplished the feat during the Missouri, Arkansas and Georgia games from 01/14 to 01/22. Perry's 22 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 compiled 20 during the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons.

Perry is one of six Power Five conference players this season to average a double-double. The list includes Luke Garza (Iowa), John Mooney (Notre Dame), Daniel Oturo (Minnesota), Jalen Smith (Maryland) 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 (13.3 – 20th), free throw percentage (85.5 – 4th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7 – 4th). Carter has regained his form and dialed up 10-plus points in seven of his last eight games coming off the bench. He has piled up 105 of MSU's 146 bench points (71.9 percent) during that span. The Bulldogs are 37-11 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.

Carter heads into Tuesday's game with 1,228 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 1,228 points now rank 25th in program history, and he's four points shy of passing Erick Dampier (1994-95-96). He also are fourth among SEC active players behind Ole Miss' Breein Tyree, LSU's Skylar Mays and Tennessee's Jordan Bowden. Carter has canned 202 treys which is tops among SEC players and moved into fifth place on the MSU's program list at Oklahoma on 01/25.
5. Nick Weatherspoon has been a welcomed addition back to the starting lineup where he has posted 12.6 points and 4.2 assists per game … He has started in 72 of 73 career games and secured double digit points in 10 of his 13 appearances sparked by a 21-point effort versus Vanderbilt on 02/08 and a 20-point performance at Alabama on 01/08 … Mississippi State has won eight of nine games during Weatherspoon's career when he has dished out five or more assists … His 4.9 APG are third, while his 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio is first against SEC opponents on the league leaderboard … The Canton native has distributed 38 assists against 13 turnovers over his last seven games … Weatherspoon filled the box score 11 points coupled with career-best of nine assists and eight rebounds during the Tennessee game on 02/01 … Abdul Ado became the 36th player in program history to surpass 500 career rebounds at Florida on 01/28 … He enters Tuesday's action in 31st place on the MSU's all-time list and his 6.8 rebounds are 11th on the SEC list … Ado has a pair of double-doubles: his last 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 164 career blocks over 90 career games and has climbed to sixth place on MSU's all-time list … His 1.82 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 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game on the season … The 7.1 RPG are 9th whereas his 1.3 SPG are just outside the SEC's top 10 … Woodard II and Perry possess two of the SEC's four 20-plus point, 15-plus rebound games this season, Florida's Kerry Blackshear Jr. and Georgia's Anthony Edwards have the other two … Woodard II has already collected double figures in 14 games which is third on the team with Carter … He has registered 10-plus points in four of five, five of his last seven and 10 of his last 15 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, the last was 12 points and 12 rebounds against No. 8 Auburn on 01/04.

Iverson Molinar and D.J. Stewart Jr. have teamed for 16 games of 10-plus points during their freshman season … The Carter-Molinar-Stewart Jr. trio has accounted for 276 of the team's 361 bench points (76.4 percent) when coming off the bench … The Bulldogs are 9-2 this season when Stewart Jr. secures 10-plus points … Stewart Jr. has started MSU's last eight games and upped his averages to 12.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG over his last six games (01/22-02/08) … He has amassed three of his top 5 scoring performances over that span … Stewart Jr. exploded for a season's best 20 points aided by 16 points on four treys during the second half versus Tennessee on 02/01 … Molinar provided a SEC career-high eight points during the Arkansas game on 01/22 … Molinar's season-high is 21 points aided by four treys against Tulane on 11/21 … 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 Rebels have won back-to-back games and three of their last five outings since starting SEC action with a 0-5 mark. Ole Miss is coming off a 68-51 victory over Florida last Saturday, the 51 points allowed by the Rebels are the fewest during a SEC game since Jan. 31, 2015.

Breein Tyree (19.0 PPG, 2.6 APG, 1.4 SPG), the reigning SEC Player of the Week, also is the league's active leading scorer and is up to ninth place on the program's scoring list with 1,606 career points. He has ripped off six games of 20-plus points over a nine-game span since 01/07. Tyree has three games of 30-plus points and exploded for a career-best 38 points on 12-of-21 shooting versus South Carolina on 02/05. His 22.8 PPG in conference play are tops on the SEC leaderboard.

Devontae Shuler (11.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.6 APG) has provided double figures in four of his last six outings headed by a 28-point effort at LSU on 02/01 and a 26-point performance versus Auburn on 01/28. He has garnered a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio which ranks sixth in the SEC rankings. Shuler has dished out five or more assists on 10 occasions this season.

Blake Hinson (10.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG), KJ Buffen (10.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.4 SPG) and Khadim Sy (9.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG) round out Ole Miss' starting five which has accounted for 591 of the team's 665 points (88.9 percent) in SEC play.

Hinson poured in a career-high 26 points against Mississippi State during last year's 81-77 win in Starkville. Sy has piled up 10-plus points during five of his last seven outings whereas Buffen nearly compiled a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds versus Florida last time out.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State continues its stretch of eight of 12 games on the road since Jan. 25 when the Bulldogs travel to Arkansas on Saturday. Tip time is slated for 12 p.m. CT from Bud Walton Arena. The game is televised by SEC Network 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
February 10, 2020

Head Coach Ben Howland
Q: What does [Breein] Tyree bring for Ole Miss, and how much of the game plan is stopping him?
BH: "He is a terrific player. He is player of the week this week in the SEC. He had 38 points last Tuesday against South Carolina. It was just phenomenal. He was great against Florida [on Saturday]. He was shooting a very high percentage from three, about 45 percent in conference."

"He's a returning First Team All-SEC player, and he's playing leading scorer in our conference. He scores at all levels. He scores from three and scores from pull-ups in the paint. He scores at the rim, and he gets fouled. He does it all. He's just a very difficult guy to match up with. He has a chance to be an NBA player, no doubt. I really like his game. I think he's a special talent and a great competitor. He's always played good against us."

Q: What have you seen differently from Ole Miss to attribute to their two-game winning and them winning three of its last five?
BH: "I think they're really playing well right now. I think it's the best they have played all year are the last two games against South Carolina and Florida. They were dominant against South Carolina and really did a nice job. I think that [K.J.] Buffen and [Blake] Hinson are really good players. They both were mainstays last year and [their] roles have increased. Hinson had a great game here last year where he had 26, a career high in that game. I really like [Devontae] Shuler. Shuler is a really good player, a good point guard. He's heady, but he's scoring a lot more this year."

"Those four guys are key guys from last year's team that went to the NCAA Tournament that are back. I think [Khadim] Sy is doing a good for them when you look at him. He is playing his basketball of the year right now and really coming on. To me, the kid has really made a jump for them the last two games, both of these were important wins for them is the kid [Antavion] Collum, number 14. He gets in there and defends, rebounds, doesn't make mistakes and he's tough. He's the guy they've added to that lineup, all of a sudden, you'll see him playing a lot more minutes here from this point forward because he is helping them win games. At the end of the day, that's the main thing."

Q: What is it going to take for your team to find success on the road with five of its seven games being away from home?
BH: "Again, nothing changes. We've been on the road. We've been right there. We've won at Florida. We've had a couple of heartbreakers at Oklahoma and at LSU. You just have to out-tough the opponent on the road. There is nothing better than winning on the road as a team. Going to Oxford, they have a really good home floor, and it will be a great boisterous crowd tomorrow. We have to show up very disciplined, very tough-minded and maintain composure. We have to execute our offense and defense."

Q: Looking down the road, what have you seen from Deivon Smith and Cameron Matthews during their senior year in high school?
BH: "Yeah, they are both playing really well. Deivon [Smith] is on one of the top teams in the country. I think they are fourth or fifth in the country last time I checked. He is having a spectacular year. He is a really heady, smart player and very talented. What I am excited about for him is that he's shooting the ball more from three, which is something I encouraged him to do. He can get by anybody. So, it's never a problem for him. It's almost like why can I shoot if I can just get to the rim every time because no one can stop him from penetrating. He's a very good shooter. He can shoot the ball well from three."

"Cam [Matthews] is having a good year. They play a very tough schedule. Their coach does a good job of scheduling opponents outside from other areas. They play a very rigorous, tough national schedule. They've done that the last few years, and it's been a good experience for him. He's playing really well and putting up good numbers. He's not only scoring but rebounding. He's a very good passer. So, I am very excited about both of those kids very much."

Q: Is the rivalry between Mississippi State and Ole Miss in basketball just as intense as football? Do you feel the same amount of pressure?
BH: "I think you feel it more in a basketball game. You know, it's enclosed. There is way more intensity in an enclosed building when everyone is right on top of you. It's great in football no question, but in terms of the intimacy of a basketball game, there is nothing like it. That's why it is the fastest growing sport in the world. It's just a great atmosphere, and you feel it for sure. Whatever we play them in, in any sport, there is competition to be the best. There's no question that we feel very strongly about it, and I know they do too."