Saturday, February 29
Columbia, Mo.
2:30 PM
Mississippi State
at
Missouri
Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Missouri
February 28, 2020 | Men's Basketball
by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications
COLUMBIA, Missouri – Mississippi State concludes its nine-game sprint through February with a rare "Leap Day" matchup at Missouri on Saturday at Mizzou Arena.
The last time the Bulldogs played on "Leap Day" was a 69-67 overtime triumph at South Carolina during the 2011-12 season. Brian Bryant hit a buzzer-beater and led the way with 16 points, while Dee Bost (13 PTS, 11 ASST), Arnett Moultrie (15 PTS, 12 REB) and Renardo Sidney (12 PTS, 14 REB) provided double-doubles.
Mississippi State heads into this weekend's action deadlocked with the Gamecocks for fifth place in the SEC standings. The two teams trail Florida and LSU by one game for third place and a double bye at the SEC Tournament. The pair also is one-game ahead of Texas A&M for the seventh spot.
The Matchup: Mississippi State (18-10, 9-6 SEC) vs. Missouri (14-14, 6-9 SEC)
Where: Columbia, Missouri – Mizzou Arena
When: Saturday, Feb. 29, 2:30 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
TV: SEC Network
Talent: Kevin Fitzgerald, Dane Bradshaw
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/MSUvsMizzou022920)
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. 385 (XM), Ch. 975 (Internet)
MSU-MISSOURI HARDWOOD SERIES
Saturday's matchup is the 14th meeting in the all-time series where Mississippi State holds an 8-5 edge on the strength of a 7-1 record since the start of 2014-15.
The Bulldogs blitzed Missouri, 72-45, when the two teams met in Starkville on Jan. 15. Tyson Carter dialed up 15 points, seven assists and three steals on his birthday, while Reggie Perry amassed 23 points on a 9-of-13 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. Mississippi State's defense bottled up Missouri to 45 points which is the fewest allowed to a SEC opponent under Ben Howland.
TICKETS/PROMOTIONS
General admission tickets for Mississippi State's regular season home finale versus Ole Miss on Saturday, March 7 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.
The Bulldogs will honor Tyson Carter, Tate Clayton, E.J. Datcher, Reggie Miller and Mitchell Storm as part of "Senior Night" festivities during the Ole Miss game.
Mississippi State is offering a $10 "Super Saturday" ticket for the Ole Miss game 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.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Last time out, Tyson Carter and Reggie Perry delivered a combined 25 second-half points on 6-of-10 shooting as Mississippi State earned redemption and a regular season split with Alabama courtesy of a tightly-contested 80-73 victory. Carter provided 19 points coupled with five assists and three rebounds to reach double figures in 10 of his last 13 outings off the bench. Perry compiled his 15th double-double and his eighth 20-10 outing of his sophomore campaign. He piled up 21 points, a game-leading 12 rebounds and a trio of blocks. Robert Woodard II nearly tucked away a double-double of his own and stuffed the stats sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Abdul Ado posted eight first-half points to go along with five rebounds, three steals and two blocks whereas D.J. Stewart Jr. worked his way six points, three steals and three rebounds. Nick Weatherspoon and Iverson Molinar secured nine and seven points, respectively. Weatherspoon recorded four rebounds and handed out three assists.
2. Mississippi State has piled up 66 wins since the start of the 2017-18 season which is fourth in the SEC only behind Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee. The Bulldogs are two wins away of collecting their third straight season with 20-plus victories. The last time MSU accomplished the feat was in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons under Rick Stansbury which also marked the last time the Bulldogs made the postseason in three straight seasons. Mississippi State is one win shy from back-to-back seasons with 10 wins during 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 top 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 37.4 percent offensive rebounding percentage … The Bulldogs have secured a +7.4 rebounding margin which is 1st in the SEC, 5th among Power 5 teams and 12th nationally. Mississippi State also checks in 3rd in the SEC, 9th among Power 5 teams and 31st nationally with 12.14 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 26 of his last 28 games headed by 19.4 PPG over his last 12 outings. He has piled up 20-plus points in five of his last nine, eight of his last 13 and in 10 of his last 17 appearances. Perry's top five scoring performances versus SEC opponents are 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 6th, while his 9.9 rebounds per game headline the SEC.
Perry heads into Saturday's action 13 points shy of becoming the 17th player in program history to reach 500 points during a season. He would join Jim Ashmore (1954-55), Bailey Howell (1956-57), Rickey Brown (1976-77), Jeff Malone (1980-81), Mario Austin (2001-02) and Jamont Gordon (2006-07) as the only players in MSU history to accomplish the feat during their sophomore season or earlier. The Thomasville, Georgia native would make it three consecutive seasons where the Bulldogs had at least one 500-point scorer. Quinndary Weatherspoon had back-to-back 500-point seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19. The last time Mississippi State had at least one player with 500 points in three straight seasons was Jeff Malone during the 1980-81, 1981-82 and 1982-83 campaigns.
Perry has secured a SEC-leading 15 double-doubles this season highlighted by 11 double-doubles over his last 18 games since 12/22. Eight of those 11 double-doubles have been of the 20-points, 10-rebound variety. The 15 double-doubles are fourth among Power 5 players this season and is tied for sixth most by a MSU player with Wiley Peck (1978-79) since the 1972-73 season. Perry's eight 20-10 games also are fourth among Power 5 players this season and tied for third with Arnett Moultrie (2011-12) also dating back to 1972-73.
Perry's 24 career double-doubles are tops among SEC active players and the most for a MSU player during their freshman and sophomore seasons since 1972-73 when freshmen became eligible to play. The previous mark was 23 double-doubles held by Rickey Brown during the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons.
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 (13.7 – 20th), free throw percentage (86.3 – 3rd) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5 – 7th). Carter has dialed up 10-plus points in 10 of his last 13 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 181 of MSU's 245 bench points (73.9 percent) during that span. The Bulldogs have posted a 39-12 record 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 1,304 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 1,304 points are 2 points shy of passing Rich Knarr (1973-74-75-76) for 20th 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 211 treys which is tops among SEC active players and fifth in program history.
5. Nick Weatherspoon has registered 11.8 points and 4.3 assists per game over his 18 games since returning to action on 12/22 … He has started in 77 of 78 career games and secured double digit points in 13 of his 18 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 12 games during Weatherspoon's career when he has dished out five or more assists … His 4.8 APG are 4th, while his 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio is 4th against SEC opponents on the league leaderboard … The Canton native has distributed 61 of his 78 assists over his last 12 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 6.7 rebounds are 10th 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 1.8 blocks per game in 2019-20 are good enough for 4th place on the SEC leaderboard … Ado has racked up 173 career blocks over 95 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 11.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game on the season … The 6.8 RPG are 9th whereas his 1.2 SPG are just outside the SEC's top 10 … He produced a SEC career-high 18 points at Texas A&M on 02/22 … 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 17 games which is third on the team behind Reggie Perry and Tyson Carter … He has registered 10-plus points in seven of his last 10 and 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: 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 375 of the team's 460 bench points (81.5 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 13 games and upped his averages to 11.5 PPG and 3.1 RPG over his last eight games (02/01-02/25) … He has amassed four 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 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 Tigers have found their rhythm winners of three of their last four and four of their last six games highlighted by a four-point overtime decision against Arkansas and a 12-point victory versus then No. 11 Auburn during the last two Saturdays at home.
Missouri has three players averaging who have posted double figures in Dru Smith (12.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.9 APG, 2.1 SPG), Xavier Pinson (10.7 PPG, 2.8 APG) and Mark Smith (10.6 PPG, 4.1 PPG). The Pinson-Dru Smith combo has done the heavy lifting as of late averaging 38.0 PPG over Mizzou's last five games.
Pinson has ripped off double figures in a season's best four straight games and in seven of his last nine outings. He poured in a career-high 32 points against Ole Miss on 02/18 after he fired in 28 points during the Auburn victory on 02/15.
Dru Smith has been just as impressive with 10-plus points in five of his last six appearances. He dialed up a career-best 28 points ignited by a 12-of-13 clip at the free throw line against Auburn. Smith also pumped in a 20-point effort with four assists and three steals at LSU on 02/11.
Mark Smith and Jeremiah Tilmon (8.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.3 BPG) have both missed significant time due to injury this season. However, both returned to the rotation at Vanderbilt last time out. Tilmon was a preseason All-SEC selection, while Smith is a strong perimeter shooter with 49 of his 69 field goals from three-point territory.
Kobe Brown (6.0 PPG, 1.0 SPG), Reed Nikko (5.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG), Javon Pickett (7.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG) Mitchell Smith (4.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG) and Torrence Watson (4.8 PPG) have been solid during different parts of the season in Missouri's rotation.
Nikko has provided 9.0 points per game on an impressive 78.3 shooting clip over his last five games and scored 14 points fueled by a flawless 5-of-5 shooting at Vanderbilt on 02/26. Watson came away with 19 points at No. 14 West Virginia as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
UP NEXT
Mississippi State wraps up a stretch of eight road games over a 12-game span since Jan. 25 with another trip to Columbia. This time, the Bulldogs take on South Carolina on Tuesday with tip time scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT from Colonial Life Arena. 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 28, 2020
Head Coach Ben Howland
Q: Your team had a big win over Missouri earlier this season. How are they different from when your team played them earlier, and what's it like going into a game against a team knowing that you've already beaten them once this season?
BH: "That's very naïve to think that we can just take the court and win because we won the first time. I mean, that's absolutely a fantasy. There's so much improved, and we're improved too from that game the first time we played. When you look at them on film now, [Xavier] Pinson, for example, is averaging 21 points a game over the last six games. He had 32 against Ole Miss. He's been dominant. They crushed Auburn, they crushed Arkansas and they beat Ole Miss. They had their first road victory against Vanderbilt which just increases their confidence."
"They're a very young team. They're a team that you look at them and how they've grown because of their youth. They're starting to play a lot of freshmen and sophomore, young guys. Dru Smith has been a great leader for them. He's just the heart and soul of their team playing 38 minutes a game. Those two guards, Pinson and Dru Smith, are averaging 40 [points] a game between the two of them over the last five or six games. They've been unbelievably dominant against anybody. They were great at Arkansas, and that's with Isaiah Joe back in the lineup. It's a one possession game with two minutes to go, and they had some tough breaks go against them that game because they could've easily won that game."
"You look at how they're playing as of late though, they had LSU right there. They had LSU down at half. It was heck of a game at LSU on the road. They're a very tough team. He's [Cuonzo Martin] a really a good coach. He's had success at Tennessee and at Cal. He's building a really, really good program that is going to be consistent and there for a long time now as you look at the young kids that they have in their program."
"[Jeremiah] Tilmon just came back for his first time in a long time the other night at Vanderbilt. Mark Smith, who missed seven games, is an outstanding shooter and one of their best scorers is now back after missing seven games. So, they're depth. [Javon] Pickett has been playing really well, he's incredibly tough. This is going to be our toughest game of the year to date because of the fact that it's on the road, the importance of the game and the fact that they're playing so well. This is going to be an incredibly difficult game."
"Reed Nikko is playing really well. He's a kid that hasn't played that many minutes. Then, Tilmon gets hurt. He's just improved, and is really a dominant force in there. He's a problem. He played very well the other night at Vanderbilt. He had 14 [points] in one of their wins. I think it might have been against Auburn, but they're going to him. They're using him as an inside option and really playing to him. Those two guard though, Pinson and Smith, they play anywhere in our conference and anywhere in our country. They're that good. Pinson has just been amazing."
Q: Your team was in a similar situation last week. What's got to change this game to keep the winning consistency going on the road?
BH: "Just our focus and concentration. Understanding that we have to be at our very best to have a chance to win this game. Anything less will not get it done. That means in terms of our effort, our execution and our intensity."
"I thought against Alabama the other night, we played our best game in a long time. We played as well as we played during this conference season; an all-around game. You go back and watch that film, Reggie [Perry] was absolutely spectacular at both ends of the floor. He was equally good defensively as he was offensively. He really, really stepped up at that end. That was the first game in a long time where we've held someone under 40 percent from the field. When was the last time we did that? Vanderbilt. Prior to that, when was it? We have to play like we did terms of those games in terms of our intensity and focus. Backs against the wall, you're 0-3, if you don't win, forget about it. We're in that same boat right now."
Q: What are some things that your team has done to show improvement throughout conference play?
BH: "Understanding offensively of how we need to play. We're number one in the conference in field goal percentage offense. We weren't like that back in January. We've evolved to be a good offensive team. I think we've grown more at that end than the other end [on defense]. I think part of the reason we're not better defensively because, again, my fault. I've got to play more people and keep them fresh. I thought I did a better job after the game managing the minutes the other night [against Alabama]. I've just got to stay committed to that because it helps our intensity level on the defensive end, which makes sense. It's like a 'duh' moment."
Q: Is there some fun to be coaching on a bubble?
BH: "Fun? I would say that it's a better problem to have than to not even have a chance to get in [to the NCAA Tournament]. We've got a chance here, and that's exciting. You're going into each and every game knowing how important it is. There's just a heightened level of focus."
"You think about all the work these kids have put in from the beginning of June to where we are right now, and all of its culmination now. We've got to bring it. Like I said to you guys, I look back at the [Texas] A&M game last Saturday, we practiced two hours on Friday. This is the moron who had his team practice two hours the day before a game. Again, I go back and look back at us losing. It goes right to here. After 24 years to still do stupid things like that, I continue to amaze myself."
COLUMBIA, Missouri – Mississippi State concludes its nine-game sprint through February with a rare "Leap Day" matchup at Missouri on Saturday at Mizzou Arena.
The last time the Bulldogs played on "Leap Day" was a 69-67 overtime triumph at South Carolina during the 2011-12 season. Brian Bryant hit a buzzer-beater and led the way with 16 points, while Dee Bost (13 PTS, 11 ASST), Arnett Moultrie (15 PTS, 12 REB) and Renardo Sidney (12 PTS, 14 REB) provided double-doubles.
Mississippi State heads into this weekend's action deadlocked with the Gamecocks for fifth place in the SEC standings. The two teams trail Florida and LSU by one game for third place and a double bye at the SEC Tournament. The pair also is one-game ahead of Texas A&M for the seventh spot.
The Matchup: Mississippi State (18-10, 9-6 SEC) vs. Missouri (14-14, 6-9 SEC)
Where: Columbia, Missouri – Mizzou Arena
When: Saturday, Feb. 29, 2:30 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
TV: SEC Network
Talent: Kevin Fitzgerald, Dane Bradshaw
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/MSUvsMizzou022920)
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. 385 (XM), Ch. 975 (Internet)
MSU-MISSOURI HARDWOOD SERIES
Saturday's matchup is the 14th meeting in the all-time series where Mississippi State holds an 8-5 edge on the strength of a 7-1 record since the start of 2014-15.
The Bulldogs blitzed Missouri, 72-45, when the two teams met in Starkville on Jan. 15. Tyson Carter dialed up 15 points, seven assists and three steals on his birthday, while Reggie Perry amassed 23 points on a 9-of-13 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. Mississippi State's defense bottled up Missouri to 45 points which is the fewest allowed to a SEC opponent under Ben Howland.
TICKETS/PROMOTIONS
General admission tickets for Mississippi State's regular season home finale versus Ole Miss on Saturday, March 7 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.
The Bulldogs will honor Tyson Carter, Tate Clayton, E.J. Datcher, Reggie Miller and Mitchell Storm as part of "Senior Night" festivities during the Ole Miss game.
Mississippi State is offering a $10 "Super Saturday" ticket for the Ole Miss game 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.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Last time out, Tyson Carter and Reggie Perry delivered a combined 25 second-half points on 6-of-10 shooting as Mississippi State earned redemption and a regular season split with Alabama courtesy of a tightly-contested 80-73 victory. Carter provided 19 points coupled with five assists and three rebounds to reach double figures in 10 of his last 13 outings off the bench. Perry compiled his 15th double-double and his eighth 20-10 outing of his sophomore campaign. He piled up 21 points, a game-leading 12 rebounds and a trio of blocks. Robert Woodard II nearly tucked away a double-double of his own and stuffed the stats sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Abdul Ado posted eight first-half points to go along with five rebounds, three steals and two blocks whereas D.J. Stewart Jr. worked his way six points, three steals and three rebounds. Nick Weatherspoon and Iverson Molinar secured nine and seven points, respectively. Weatherspoon recorded four rebounds and handed out three assists.
2. Mississippi State has piled up 66 wins since the start of the 2017-18 season which is fourth in the SEC only behind Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee. The Bulldogs are two wins away of collecting their third straight season with 20-plus victories. The last time MSU accomplished the feat was in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons under Rick Stansbury which also marked the last time the Bulldogs made the postseason in three straight seasons. Mississippi State is one win shy from back-to-back seasons with 10 wins during 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 top 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 37.4 percent offensive rebounding percentage … The Bulldogs have secured a +7.4 rebounding margin which is 1st in the SEC, 5th among Power 5 teams and 12th nationally. Mississippi State also checks in 3rd in the SEC, 9th among Power 5 teams and 31st nationally with 12.14 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 26 of his last 28 games headed by 19.4 PPG over his last 12 outings. He has piled up 20-plus points in five of his last nine, eight of his last 13 and in 10 of his last 17 appearances. Perry's top five scoring performances versus SEC opponents are 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 6th, while his 9.9 rebounds per game headline the SEC.
Perry heads into Saturday's action 13 points shy of becoming the 17th player in program history to reach 500 points during a season. He would join Jim Ashmore (1954-55), Bailey Howell (1956-57), Rickey Brown (1976-77), Jeff Malone (1980-81), Mario Austin (2001-02) and Jamont Gordon (2006-07) as the only players in MSU history to accomplish the feat during their sophomore season or earlier. The Thomasville, Georgia native would make it three consecutive seasons where the Bulldogs had at least one 500-point scorer. Quinndary Weatherspoon had back-to-back 500-point seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19. The last time Mississippi State had at least one player with 500 points in three straight seasons was Jeff Malone during the 1980-81, 1981-82 and 1982-83 campaigns.
Perry has secured a SEC-leading 15 double-doubles this season highlighted by 11 double-doubles over his last 18 games since 12/22. Eight of those 11 double-doubles have been of the 20-points, 10-rebound variety. The 15 double-doubles are fourth among Power 5 players this season and is tied for sixth most by a MSU player with Wiley Peck (1978-79) since the 1972-73 season. Perry's eight 20-10 games also are fourth among Power 5 players this season and tied for third with Arnett Moultrie (2011-12) also dating back to 1972-73.
Perry's 24 career double-doubles are tops among SEC active players and the most for a MSU player during their freshman and sophomore seasons since 1972-73 when freshmen became eligible to play. The previous mark was 23 double-doubles held by Rickey Brown during the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons.
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 (13.7 – 20th), free throw percentage (86.3 – 3rd) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5 – 7th). Carter has dialed up 10-plus points in 10 of his last 13 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 181 of MSU's 245 bench points (73.9 percent) during that span. The Bulldogs have posted a 39-12 record 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 1,304 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 1,304 points are 2 points shy of passing Rich Knarr (1973-74-75-76) for 20th 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 211 treys which is tops among SEC active players and fifth in program history.
5. Nick Weatherspoon has registered 11.8 points and 4.3 assists per game over his 18 games since returning to action on 12/22 … He has started in 77 of 78 career games and secured double digit points in 13 of his 18 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 12 games during Weatherspoon's career when he has dished out five or more assists … His 4.8 APG are 4th, while his 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio is 4th against SEC opponents on the league leaderboard … The Canton native has distributed 61 of his 78 assists over his last 12 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 6.7 rebounds are 10th 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 1.8 blocks per game in 2019-20 are good enough for 4th place on the SEC leaderboard … Ado has racked up 173 career blocks over 95 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 11.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game on the season … The 6.8 RPG are 9th whereas his 1.2 SPG are just outside the SEC's top 10 … He produced a SEC career-high 18 points at Texas A&M on 02/22 … 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 17 games which is third on the team behind Reggie Perry and Tyson Carter … He has registered 10-plus points in seven of his last 10 and 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: 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 375 of the team's 460 bench points (81.5 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 13 games and upped his averages to 11.5 PPG and 3.1 RPG over his last eight games (02/01-02/25) … He has amassed four 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 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 Tigers have found their rhythm winners of three of their last four and four of their last six games highlighted by a four-point overtime decision against Arkansas and a 12-point victory versus then No. 11 Auburn during the last two Saturdays at home.
Missouri has three players averaging who have posted double figures in Dru Smith (12.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.9 APG, 2.1 SPG), Xavier Pinson (10.7 PPG, 2.8 APG) and Mark Smith (10.6 PPG, 4.1 PPG). The Pinson-Dru Smith combo has done the heavy lifting as of late averaging 38.0 PPG over Mizzou's last five games.
Pinson has ripped off double figures in a season's best four straight games and in seven of his last nine outings. He poured in a career-high 32 points against Ole Miss on 02/18 after he fired in 28 points during the Auburn victory on 02/15.
Dru Smith has been just as impressive with 10-plus points in five of his last six appearances. He dialed up a career-best 28 points ignited by a 12-of-13 clip at the free throw line against Auburn. Smith also pumped in a 20-point effort with four assists and three steals at LSU on 02/11.
Mark Smith and Jeremiah Tilmon (8.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.3 BPG) have both missed significant time due to injury this season. However, both returned to the rotation at Vanderbilt last time out. Tilmon was a preseason All-SEC selection, while Smith is a strong perimeter shooter with 49 of his 69 field goals from three-point territory.
Kobe Brown (6.0 PPG, 1.0 SPG), Reed Nikko (5.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG), Javon Pickett (7.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG) Mitchell Smith (4.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG) and Torrence Watson (4.8 PPG) have been solid during different parts of the season in Missouri's rotation.
Nikko has provided 9.0 points per game on an impressive 78.3 shooting clip over his last five games and scored 14 points fueled by a flawless 5-of-5 shooting at Vanderbilt on 02/26. Watson came away with 19 points at No. 14 West Virginia as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
UP NEXT
Mississippi State wraps up a stretch of eight road games over a 12-game span since Jan. 25 with another trip to Columbia. This time, the Bulldogs take on South Carolina on Tuesday with tip time scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT from Colonial Life Arena. 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 28, 2020
Head Coach Ben Howland
Q: Your team had a big win over Missouri earlier this season. How are they different from when your team played them earlier, and what's it like going into a game against a team knowing that you've already beaten them once this season?
BH: "That's very naïve to think that we can just take the court and win because we won the first time. I mean, that's absolutely a fantasy. There's so much improved, and we're improved too from that game the first time we played. When you look at them on film now, [Xavier] Pinson, for example, is averaging 21 points a game over the last six games. He had 32 against Ole Miss. He's been dominant. They crushed Auburn, they crushed Arkansas and they beat Ole Miss. They had their first road victory against Vanderbilt which just increases their confidence."
"They're a very young team. They're a team that you look at them and how they've grown because of their youth. They're starting to play a lot of freshmen and sophomore, young guys. Dru Smith has been a great leader for them. He's just the heart and soul of their team playing 38 minutes a game. Those two guards, Pinson and Dru Smith, are averaging 40 [points] a game between the two of them over the last five or six games. They've been unbelievably dominant against anybody. They were great at Arkansas, and that's with Isaiah Joe back in the lineup. It's a one possession game with two minutes to go, and they had some tough breaks go against them that game because they could've easily won that game."
"You look at how they're playing as of late though, they had LSU right there. They had LSU down at half. It was heck of a game at LSU on the road. They're a very tough team. He's [Cuonzo Martin] a really a good coach. He's had success at Tennessee and at Cal. He's building a really, really good program that is going to be consistent and there for a long time now as you look at the young kids that they have in their program."
"[Jeremiah] Tilmon just came back for his first time in a long time the other night at Vanderbilt. Mark Smith, who missed seven games, is an outstanding shooter and one of their best scorers is now back after missing seven games. So, they're depth. [Javon] Pickett has been playing really well, he's incredibly tough. This is going to be our toughest game of the year to date because of the fact that it's on the road, the importance of the game and the fact that they're playing so well. This is going to be an incredibly difficult game."
"Reed Nikko is playing really well. He's a kid that hasn't played that many minutes. Then, Tilmon gets hurt. He's just improved, and is really a dominant force in there. He's a problem. He played very well the other night at Vanderbilt. He had 14 [points] in one of their wins. I think it might have been against Auburn, but they're going to him. They're using him as an inside option and really playing to him. Those two guard though, Pinson and Smith, they play anywhere in our conference and anywhere in our country. They're that good. Pinson has just been amazing."
Q: Your team was in a similar situation last week. What's got to change this game to keep the winning consistency going on the road?
BH: "Just our focus and concentration. Understanding that we have to be at our very best to have a chance to win this game. Anything less will not get it done. That means in terms of our effort, our execution and our intensity."
"I thought against Alabama the other night, we played our best game in a long time. We played as well as we played during this conference season; an all-around game. You go back and watch that film, Reggie [Perry] was absolutely spectacular at both ends of the floor. He was equally good defensively as he was offensively. He really, really stepped up at that end. That was the first game in a long time where we've held someone under 40 percent from the field. When was the last time we did that? Vanderbilt. Prior to that, when was it? We have to play like we did terms of those games in terms of our intensity and focus. Backs against the wall, you're 0-3, if you don't win, forget about it. We're in that same boat right now."
Q: What are some things that your team has done to show improvement throughout conference play?
BH: "Understanding offensively of how we need to play. We're number one in the conference in field goal percentage offense. We weren't like that back in January. We've evolved to be a good offensive team. I think we've grown more at that end than the other end [on defense]. I think part of the reason we're not better defensively because, again, my fault. I've got to play more people and keep them fresh. I thought I did a better job after the game managing the minutes the other night [against Alabama]. I've just got to stay committed to that because it helps our intensity level on the defensive end, which makes sense. It's like a 'duh' moment."
Q: Is there some fun to be coaching on a bubble?
BH: "Fun? I would say that it's a better problem to have than to not even have a chance to get in [to the NCAA Tournament]. We've got a chance here, and that's exciting. You're going into each and every game knowing how important it is. There's just a heightened level of focus."
"You think about all the work these kids have put in from the beginning of June to where we are right now, and all of its culmination now. We've got to bring it. Like I said to you guys, I look back at the [Texas] A&M game last Saturday, we practiced two hours on Friday. This is the moron who had his team practice two hours the day before a game. Again, I go back and look back at us losing. It goes right to here. After 24 years to still do stupid things like that, I continue to amaze myself."
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