Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Texas A&M

Saturday, February 22

College Station, Texas

2:30 PM

Mississippi State

Texas A&M

Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Texas A&M

February 21, 2020 | Men's Basketball

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

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Mississippi State will look to continue its recent momentum in search of its fifth NCAA NET Quad 2 victory of the season when the Bulldogs travel to Texas A&M on Saturday.

The Bulldogs have won back-to-back games, five of their last seven and eight of their last 11 outings to climb into a fifth place tie with South Carolina in the SEC standings. The two teams head into this weekend's action one game behind Auburn, Florida and LSU who are in a three-way log jam for second place and are one game clear of Tennessee and Texas A&M who are tied for seventh.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (17-9, 8-5 SEC) vs. Texas A&M (13-12, 7-6 SEC)
Where: College Station, Texas – Reed Arena
When: Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2:30 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Dave Neal, Mark Wise
DirecTV: Ch. 611, Dish: Ch. 404/408, AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 1607, MaxxSouth: Ch. 1026,
C Spire: Ch. 220-222
Online: WatchESPN App (https://hailst.at/SCvsMSU021920)

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-TEXAS A&M HARDWOOD SERIES
The Bulldogs have won four in a row by an average of 14.3 points to grab a 7-6 series edge over Texas A&M. The two programs have split the 10 meetings as SEC members dating back to the 2012-13 season.

Aric Holman and Lamar Peters eclipsed 1,000 career points during last season's 92-81 win to close out the regular season. Then, five days later, Mississippi State blitzed the Aggies by an 80-54 decision during the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Peters registered 15 points headed by five treys followed by Tyson Carter's 14 points.

TICKETS/PROMOTIONS
Fans can receive a free general admission ticket to Tuesday's game while supplies last for every $10 donated to the American Cancer Society at www.hailst.at/3blHjep as part of the "Get Cancer Over The Hump" campaign. To redeem your free ticket, fans are asked to bring their donation confirmation via phone or email to the Humphrey Coliseum Box Office on gameday. Coach Howland will personally donate $10,500 to the American Cancer Society if 10,000 fans are in attendance at Tuesday's game.

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 rode a balanced scoring effort as six players tallied nine-plus to spark a 79-76 victory over South Carolina. Abdul Ado, Tyson Carter and Robert Woodard II did the heavy lifting with 25 first-half points followed by Reggie Perry, D.J. Stewart Jr. and Nick Weatherspoon who piled up 36 second-half points. Weatherspoon played the role of floor general with a team-leading 18 points headed by an 8-for-9 effort at the free throw line and dished out six assists. Stewart Jr. continued his hot streak and turned in double figures for the seventh time in the last nine outings. The redshirt freshman pumped in 14 of his 16 points fueled by a pair of crucial three-pointers during the second half. After providing the game-winner with under a second left at Arkansas last time out, Ado rattled home a SEC season's best 14 points on an efficient 5-of-6 shooting. The Nigeria native also grabbed seven rebounds which allowed him to move into 28th place on the program's all-time list. Perry battled his way to his 14th double-double of his sophomore campaign with 10 points and a game-leading 10 rebounds. Carter and Woodard II chipped in nine points apiece. Woodard II hauled down six rebounds whereas Carter tacked on three assists and a pair of steals. Mississippi State's 50.0 percent shooting clip was a season-high for an SEC opponent versus South Carolina. Only No. 22 Houston has shot a higher percentage against the Gamecocks this season.

2. Mississippi State has tucked away 65 victories dating back to the start of the 2017-18 season which is fourth in the SEC behind Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee. The Bulldogs are three wins shy of coming away with their third consecutive season with 20-plus victories. The last time MSU accomplished the feat was in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons which also marked the last time the Bulldogs made the postseason in three straight seasons. Mississippi State is two wins away from back-to-back seasons with 10 wins in SEC action. The last time the program accomplished that feat was in 1994-95 and 1995-96 under Richard Williams … 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 third in the nation behind only West Virginia and Houston heading into this weekend's action with a 37.5 percent offensive rebounding percentage … The Bulldogs have secured a +7.6 rebounding margin which is 1st in the SEC, 5th among Power 5 teams and 10th nationally. Mississippi State also checks in 3rd in the SEC, 9th among Power 5 teams and 32nd nationally with 12.23 offensive rebounds per game.

3. Reggie Perry was 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 included the John R. Wooden, Karl Malone, Lute Olson, Naismith, NABC and Oscar Robertson. The sophomore was named one of 10 finalists for the Karl Malone Award awarded to the nation's top power forward in early February.

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 24 of his last 26 games headed by 19.9 PPG over his last 11 outings. He has piled up 20-plus points in four of his last seven, seven of his last 11 and in nine of his last 15 appearances. Perry has posted his top five 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 and 24 points during the Tennessee and Ole Miss games on 02/01 and 02/11, respectively. Overall, Perry's 17.4 points per game are 5th, while his 9.8 rebounds per game headline the SEC.

Perry has secured a SEC-leading 14 double-doubles this season highlighted by 10 double-doubles in his last 16 games since 12/22. Seven of those 10 double-doubles have been of the 20-points, 10-rebound 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 23 career double-doubles are tops among SEC active players, and the most by a MSU player during his freshman and sophomore seasons combined since Brown also compiled 23 during the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons.

Perry along with Kansas' Udoka Azubuike are just outside of joining a group of four Power 5 conference players this season to average a double-double. The club includes 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 during each of his four seasons at Mississippi State. The senior guard ranks inside the league's leaders in points (13.3 – 20th), free throw percentage (85.4 – 3rd) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5 – 8th). Carter has regained his form and dialed up 10-plus points in eight of his last 11 appearances since the Missouri game on 01/14 when coming off the bench. He poured in a SEC career-high 26 points, 17 coming during the second half, at Arkansas on 02/15. The Starkville native has piled up 143 of MSU's 195 bench points (73.3 percent) during that span. The Bulldogs are 38-11 since the start of 2017-18 when Carter scores 10 points or more and have won nine of 12 games when the Starkville native reaches the 20-point plateau.

Carter heads into Saturday's game with 1,266 career points and has 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 1,266 points are 35 point shy of passing Timmy Bowers (2001-02-03-04) for 21st place on the program's list. He also is fourth among SEC active players behind Ole Miss' Breein Tyree, LSU's Skylar Mays and Tennessee's Jordan Bowden. Carter has canned 205 treys which is tops among SEC active players. He moved into fifth place on the MSU's list at Oklahoma on 01/25.

5. Nick Weatherspoon has been a welcomed addition back to the starting lineup where he has posted 12.0 points and 4.4 assists per game … He has started in 75 of 76 career games and secured double digit points in 12 of his 16 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 nine of 11 games during Weatherspoon's career when he has dished out five or more assists … His 4.9 APG are 3rd, while his 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio is 3rd against SEC opponents on the league leaderboard … The Canton native has distributed 53 assists against 28 turnovers over his last 10 games … Weatherspoon filled the box score 11 points coupled with career-bests 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 Saturday's action in 28th place on the MSU's all-time list and his 6.8 rebounds are 12th on the SEC list … Ado has a pair of double-doubles in 2019-20: the last was 12 points and 12 rebounds at LSU on 01/11 … His SEC season-high was 14 points versus South Carolina on 02/19, while his overall 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 1.7 blocks per game in 2019-20 are good enough for 4th place on the SEC leaderboard … Ado has racked up 169 career blocks over 93 career games and has climbed to sixth place on MSU's 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 11.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game on the season … The 7.0 RPG are tied for 8th whereas his 1.2 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 15 games which is third on the team behind Reggie Perry and Tyson Carter … He has registered 10-plus points in five of eight, six of his last 10 and 11 of his last 18 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 19 games of 10-plus points during their freshman season … The Carter-Molinar-Stewart Jr. trio has accounted for 325 of the team's 410 bench points (79.3 percent) when coming off the bench … The Bulldogs are 11-3 this season when Stewart Jr. secures 10-plus points … Stewart Jr. has started MSU's last 11 games and upped his averages to 12.7 PPG and 3.7 RPG over his last nine games (01/22-02/19) … He has amassed five of his top 6 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 games on 01/22 and 02/15 … 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 Aggies enter Saturday's game second among SEC teams allowing 64.1 points per game and have won back-to-back SEC games for the third time under first-year coach Buzz Williams. Texas A&M won by nearly identical scores, 74-69 over Georgia on Saturday and 74-68 at Alabama on Wednesday.

Josh Nebo (11.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.0 BPG) had drained 67.1 percent of his field goal attempts. He has secured double figures in 18 of 24 games headed by eight of his last 11 appearances. Nebo is tied for NCAA's active lead in blocks, and his 2.0 blocks per game are third on the SEC leaderboard. He pumped in a season's best 20 points coupled with nine rebounds and two blocks versus LSU on 01/14. Nebo also has a pair of 18-point efforts against South Carolina on 01/18 and versus Missouri on 02/04.

Savion Flagg (9.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.5 APG) and Wendell Mitchell (9.0 PPG, 1.4 SPG) have chipped in 23 games in double figures between them. Mitchell has done the heavy lifting as of late with a team-leading 13.4 PPG over his last seven outings. He started the stretch with a career-best 23 points at Tennessee on 01/28 and registered 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting at Alabama on 02/19. Flagg has notched 10-plus points in three consecutive games and came away with a pair of 20-plus point performances versus Mississippi State last season.

Quenton Jackson (8.4 PPG, 1.2 SPG) and Emanuel Miller (6.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG) round out the tentative starting five for Texas A&M. Jackson exploded for a season-high 20 points aided by a 13-for-14 effort at the free throw line whereas Miller has secured two double-doubles in his last five games, most recently 21 points and 10 rebounds at Georgia on 02/15.

Andre Gordon (7.2 PPG, 1.0 SPG) and Jay Jay Chandler (6.3 PPG) are the top two options off the bench for the Aggies. Gordon has improved his scoring average to 8.1 PPG versus SEC opponents.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State returns home to complete its home-and-home series with Alabama on Tuesday. Tip time is on-tap for 8 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by the 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 21, 2020

Head Coach Ben Howland
Q: How impressed are you with the job that Buzz Williams has done in his first season at Texas A&M?
BH: "He's done an incredible job. They remind me a lot, in terms of how physical they are in the front line and how hard they play, of South Carolina. I've watched them play now three games yesterday, and I was super impressed. They have more offensive rebounds in conference games than we do. We have 150 in 13 games, and they have 159. They're incredibly physical and tough. Changing defenses, one-two-two press back to a matchup zone, back to man, switching man. They'll show zone and be in man in the middle of possession. They have a lot of different things they do defensively. A lot of pressure. I think it was the Tennessee game they had 23 offensive rebounds at Tennessee. They also had 23 against Missouri just recently. They're monsters on the glass in terms of how hard they go."

"They're very efficient offensively. [Wendell] Mitchell is really playing well for them right now. He had a big game the other night at Tuscaloosa. He really played well and hit some big threes. [Josh] Nebo, their leading scorer, has really been a beast down low. He's a senior, physical, really athletic, strong. They have a backup big, [Jonathan] Aku, who comes in and is just as equally physical as is Nebo, which is saying something. They're like those South Carolina guys, same mode of how tough they are, how they play and how physical they are."

"Savion Flagg, we've played them twice last year. He had 21 and 23, respectively, in those two games. He's very, very skilled and is a hard matchup. He's their starting three, and he's got the same body type as Robert [Woodard II]. He's big, long, athletic, very skilled. He shoots it. [Quenton] Jackson is a really good JC guard that transferred to them from junior college. He's as athletic and bouncy as anybody in our league, as you guys will see when you watch. [Jay Jay] Chandler is a good player. I love the freshman [Emanuel] Miller their starting power forward. He's got a great time. They have three guys that average over two offensive rebounds per game on your front line. So, yeah, he's [Coach Willams] doing a great job and their personal is very good."

Q: How difficult is it for staying patient in offense against Texas A&M?
BH: "They do, and I think that it's critical. At the same time, they're applying pressure to try to speed you up. You've got to be able to handle that pressure and not get sped up. You've got to move the ball and really get the ball inside. We've got to attack the rim, just like everybody we play against. They make it very difficult. It's going to be a real challenge for us. We have to take care of the ball. We had way too many turnovers the other night [against South Carolina]. We must do a better job taking care of the basketball against Texas A&M. They're going to be very aggressive with their defense and their presses."

Q: Does it already feel like March with a survive-and-advance type of mindset?
BH: "Every game is so critical. We, obviously, go into every game with the expectation of playing our very best with the expectation of trying to win that game. Every game is critical. With five left, one at a time. There are no easy games. Please give me an easy game. There's no such thing. Like I said, it's the gauntlet."

"You guys will appreciate this. My dad fought in World War II. My uncle, his brother, was a Marine in Iwo Jima and was the first group of guys that landed there, where we lost 7,000. It really impacted my uncle's life. I got ripped one time this year later unbeknownst to me, I'm at the media day for the SEC. I talked about this league being something like what I think war and the Bataan Death March and what they made the Americans do. How the slit their Achilles' tendons so they couldn't run. I actually read all about it and learned about it because I have personal stake with my family apart of it. I got ripped by someone. They wrote me a note saying, 'What is he doing?' They were upset because they had someone they had lost in that same thing. I'm telling you. This league is so hard. Every game is so tough. I didn't mean to offend anybody when I made that comparison, but I mean it is just brutal. It is so hard and so tough."

Q: Were you surprised about how quickly D.J. Stewart Jr. has matured to this game?
BH: "I'm not surprised. I knew it would take him some time. He was a true freshman a year ago, but he's still a freshman in terms of game experience. Our first scrimmage against TCU, he didn't score. It takes some time to get comfortable, but he's comfortable now. I think he's playing as well as anybody on our team. He does so much to help his team win and is so unselfish."

"For anybody who knows D.J., there's just not a nicer young man, a better kid that you could ever hope for. It's just an absolute pleasure every day in practice, outside of practice, with the trainers, with the academic support, with the professors, with everybody. He's just a wonderful kid. I told him the other day, 'D.J. you're one of the nicest kids I've ever coached. Who do you owe that to? Is it your mom or dad?' He said, 'It's both of my parents. It's just how I was raised Coach.' It's really nice as he recognizes right away that he gives all the credit to his mother and his father. He comes from a really good family. His aunts are here for him every game. They make the trip every game. He's got a really beautiful, loving family. It's really neat."