Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Vanderbilt

Saturday, February 8

Starkville

7:30 PM

Mississippi State

Vanderbilt

Buy tickets

Gameday: Five Things to Know About MSU-Vanderbilt

February 07, 2020 | Men's Basketball

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

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State begins the second half of its SEC schedule and will look to begin a new winning streak when the Bulldogs play host to Vanderbilt on Saturday at Humphrey Coliseum.

Mississippi State will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1994-95 NCAA Sweet 16 and recognize the 1995-96 NCAA Final Four squads during Saturday's matchup with the Commodores. The Bulldogs racked up a combined 48 victories under head coach Richard Williams and won the program's first SEC Tournament title in 1996 with an 84-73 win over top-ranked Kentucky.

The 1994-95 squad accumulated five Top 25 victories highlighted by a 76-71 victory over No. 4 Kentucky, the program's first at Rupp Arena. The Bulldogs knocked off No. 19 Utah, 78-64, to earn their spot in the Sweet 16. The 1996 squad marched past Virginia Commonwealth, Princeton, No. 3 Connecticut and No. 7 Cincinnati during its run to the Final Four.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (14-8, 5-4 SEC) vs. Vanderbilt (9-13, 1-8 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Saturday, Feb. 8, 7:30 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
Tickets: MSU Ticket Office (https://hailst.at/Tix-MBKvsVU)

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
Online: WatchESPN App (https://hailst.at/VandyvsMSU020820)

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. 374 (XM), Ch. 374 (Internet)

MSU-VANDERBILT HARDWOOD SERIES
The Bulldogs have won the last three outings and 13 of their last 17 games against Vanderbilt in Starkville dating back to the 1989-90 season. Mississippi State has won three of five under Ben Howland against the Commodores but trail the all-time series, 79-50.

Last season, the Bulldogs won a convincing 71-55 decision over Vanderbilt. The 16-point victory was MSU's second-largest in program history in the Music City. The legacy trio of Tyson Carter, Reggie Perry and Robert Woodard II combined for 25 points and 15 rebounds off the bench, while Quinndary Weatherspoon pumped in a team-leading 17 points coupled with eight rebounds and four assists.

METAL DETECTORS/CLEAR BAGS
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

TICKETS/PROMOTIONS
General admission tickets for Saturday's matchup versus Vanderbilt 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.

Fans are encouraged to wear white for Saturday's "White Out" of the Commodores. The first 500 students will receive a special edition replica jersey tank in honor of the 1994-95 Sweet 16 team. Other promotions include 350 Hail State Rewards points for students, 150 points for Bully's Kids Club members and an opportunity to win $500 for any Hail State Rewards member.

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. Mississippi State had its five-game SEC winning streak come to a close during an 80-72 defeat to No. 15 Kentucky. D.J. Stewart Jr. and Robert Woodard II registered 15 points apiece for the Bulldogs who enter the weekend in a four-way tie with South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M for fourth place in the SEC standings. It marked MSU's first SEC loss since a 60-59 buzzer beater at LSU on 01/11. Stewart Jr. and Woodard II each relied on 6-for-10 shooting clips to fuel their 15-point performances. Reggie Perry chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds. The reigning Naismith National and SEC Player of the Week was limited to a 4-of-16 shooting performance but converted on 6-of-9 at the foul line before he fouled out. Tyson Carter notched 12 points and six rebounds. Nick Weatherspoon managed nine points, four rebounds and two assists followed by Abdul Ado's seven points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Mississippi State scored 22 of the game's 26 points on second-chance opportunities and held a 40-37 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had five assists and 10 turnovers, while the Wildcats had 14 assists and eight turnovers. Kentucky had three players in double figures led by a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds from Nick Richards, followed by 21 points and four rebounds from Immanuel Quickley. The Quickley-Richards combination was a combined 27-of-29 at the foul line. EJ Montgomery added 12 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

2. Mississippi State has played the SEC's fifth toughest schedule and 29th toughest slate in the nation. The Bulldogs played five non-conference opponents who won at least a share of their 2018-19 conference regular season crown. In addition to its strength of schedule, Mississippi State has played among the fewest games in the nation against opponents who are ranked outside the NET's top 200. The SEC possesses four of the 12 teams who have played two or fewer games against teams ranked above 200 in the NET which include Mississippi State, Alabama, Arkansas and Florida. Those four are joined by Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Oregon. California and West Virginia leads the nation and have played only one game versus a team with a 200-plus NET ranking … 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 weekend's action with a 39.8 percent offensive rebounding percentage. The Bulldogs have secured a +8.3 rebounding margin which is 2nd in the SEC, 6th among Power 5 teams and 10th nationally. Mississippi State also checks in 2nd in the SEC, 5th among Power 5 teams and 14th nationally with 13.23 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 reigning Naismith Trophy National Player of the Week and two-time SEC Player of the Week, has amassed double figures in 20 of his last 22 games headed by 19.7 PPG and 10.7 RPG over his last 11 outings. He has piled up 20-plus points in seven of those appearances and posted his top five scoring performances against SEC opponents during the run fueled by a career-high 27 points at Florida on 01/28, 26 points against Arkansas on 01/22, 24 points versus Tennessee on 02/01, 23 points against Missouri on 01/14 and 22 points during the Georgia game on 01/18. Perry also added 10-plus rebounds in the Missouri, Arkansas and Georgia games from 01/14 to 01/22 to become the first MSU player to compile three consecutive performances of 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds since Rickey Brown who fired in six straight efforts to start the 1979-80 season.

Overall, Perry's 17.1 points per game are 4th, while his 10.0 rebounds per game headline the SEC. He has secured a SEC-leading 12 double-doubles this season highlighted by eight double-doubles in his last 12 games. Perry's 21 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. He 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 free throw percentage (87.2 – 3rd) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8 – 4th). Carter has regained his form and dialed up 10-plus points in six of his last seven games coming off the bench. He has piled up 89 of MSU's 128 bench points (69.5 percent) during that span. The Bulldogs are 36-11 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. He heads into Saturday's game with 1,212 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 1,212 points now rank 27th in program history, and he's eight points shy of passing Leland Mitchell (1961-62-63) and Dave Williams (1966-67-68). 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 201 treys which is tops among SEC players and moved into fifth place on the MSU program list at Oklahoma on 01/25.

5. Nick Weatherspoon has been a welcomed addition back to the starting lineup where he has posted 11.9 points, 4.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game … He has started in 71 of 72 career games and secured double digit points in nine of his 12 appearances sparked by 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 5.1 APG against SEC opponents are third on the league leaderboard, and the Canton native has distributed 35 assists against nine turnovers over his last six games … Weatherspoon filled the box score 11 points coupled with career-best of nine assists and eight rebounds during the Tennessee game … 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 31st place on the MSU's all-time list and his 7.0 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 89 career games and has climbed to sixth place on MSU's all-time list … His 1.84 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 12.0 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 tied for second on the team with Carter … He has registered 10-plus points in four straight, five of his last six and 10 of his last 14 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 258 of the team's 343 bench points (75.2 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 seven games and upped his averages to 13.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG over his last five games (01/22-02/04) … 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 whereas his SEC scoring-best is seven points at Alabama on 01/08 … 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 Commodores ended their 26-game SEC losing streak in-style and knocked off SEC frontrunner and No. 18 LSU, 99-90, last time out.

Saben Lee (16.7 PPG, 4.5 APG, 1.5 SPG) has filled the void left by Aaron Nemith (23.0 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.4 SPG) who has missed the eight games due to a season-ending injury. He has pumped in double figures in seven straight games and 20 of 22 outings overall. Lee exploded for 33 points fueled by 13-of-20 shooting clip and dished out six assists during the LSU game.

Lee's running mate against LSU was Maxwell Evans (8.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG) who amassed 25 of his career-best 31 points versus LSU during the first half. He drained seven treys versus the Tigers and has hit on 30 of his 63 field goals from three-point territory for the season. He has four of his seven games with 10-plus points over Vanderbilt's last eight games.

Scotty Pippen Jr. (11.3 PPG, 3.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, son of the former NBA great for the Chicago Bulls, has strung together eight consecutive games with double-digit points. His SEC season's best was 16 points versus Tennessee on 01/18.

Dylan Disu (6.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.0 BPG) has done the heavy lifting for Vanderbilt since Clevon Brown has missed time since the Liberty game on 12/14 due to injury. He has chipped in a trio of double-doubles, most recently a 13-point, 11-rebound effort with five blocks at then No. 13 Kentucky on 01/29.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State will play its next two on the road to wrap a seven-game stretch with five games away from Humphrey Coliseum. The Bulldogs take on in-state rival Ole Miss Tuesday at the Pavilion. Tip time is set for 6 p.m. CT. The game is televised by ESPNU 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 7, 2020

Q: How excited are you to honor the 1995 Sweet 16 and 1996 NCAA Final Four teams as part of Saturday's game?
BH: "I think it's really special. I always love that. I think it's so fun for those players that return. I think it's the best team in the history of the program of this university for men's basketball. I've met a number of those guys, but I always think it is something special. I really like that our players get a chance to meet them. Not only did they go to the Final Four, the year before they went to the Sweet 16. That was the best two years in the history of the program. It's always fun to honor them and have them come back. They continue to see the program they help establish and build."

Q: Is it safe to say that Vanderbilt's SEC record of 1-8 does not display who they are as a team?
BH: "No. The Kentucky game that you're talking about, I've watched that game very closely in preparation for Kentucky. It was a two-point game with five minutes to go. They had a real shot to win at Rupp Arena. They're playing very well right now. I'm really impressed – obviously, Saben Lee, he's been very good over his entire time, but he's really playing well lately. He had a career-high the other night against LSU."

"I thought [Maxwell] Evans really stepped up. You can see at the end of the Florida game, which was the game prior to the LSU game, he made a couple of big three's to get them back to where they had a chance down the stretch in the corners. That kind of led him to his 7-for-12 from three that he shot against LSU and a career high of 25 points in the first half. He had 31 [points] overall. He played great."

"Scotty Pippen Jr. is really heady, smart point guard. He's a very good decision maker, very talented. I'm really impressed with him. This kid [Dylan] Disu is an excellent player. He's a freshman out of Texas. Long, shoots the ball from three, really looks good shooting the ball from three. He had five blocks against Kentucky, and that was early in the second half. I don't know how many he ended up with. He's a good player. They've got some very good, young players."

"I like this kid [Jordan] Wright, who's played very well down the stretch of that LSU game. He had a couple of big shots late in that game. A very good player. He's strong, physical, 6-4, 230 pounds. They've got good pieces. The kid that they lost, [Aaron] Nesmith, who they lost which was a huge blow because that kid was the best shooter in our league and an NBA First Round pick."

"They've been snake bit with injuries the past two years. They lose [Darius] Garland a year ago, who is a top five pick. This kid [Nesmith] is a first-round pick, and they lose him. They've been able to continue to fight along. Credit, I think they run a lot of good stuff offensively. They shoot a lot of three's. They really stretch the floor and space you out. [Saben] Lee is such a good driver and finisher at the rim. It's a hard to match up with. They're going to change defenses. I think you saw that if you watched the LSU game. It really was a heck-of-a-game. They are playing 2-3 zone. They press probably more in that game they had in any conference games. They had success with it back to their zone. They're also playing man-to-man. They ice all the ball screens. They're a very well-coached team. He [Jerry Stackhouse] does a very nice job. You see a lot of the NBA influence upon how they play and lot of things they do."

Q: Was the Kentucky game just an off night for players like Reggie Perry and Nick Weatherspoon?
BH: "I thought that they were really, really loaded up on Reggie, in terms of their team defense. He had the ball, and he had multiple guys on him at all times. He missed a couple of bunnies that he's got to make. Kentucky really came to play. They were coming off a loss. Any time you come off a loss, it hurts even more. I think we got their very best game. We didn't play our very best game, and a lot of it did have to do with them and how good they are. Also, how good Kentucky is at Rupp Area."

"Yet, we had a chance. We had a block out with 2:34 to go, we get the rebound on a missed free-throw. We're balling a two-possession game. As poorly as we thought we did compare to what we're capable of, we're still right there. That was frustrating, but it is what it is. I give them credit. I thought [Nick] Richards was fantastic. He had come off his worst game in the conference at Auburn, so he was really motivated especially to play well against us. We have the reputation of being big and physical. It was a very physical game. I thought it was well-officiated. It was well-officiated because they let both teams play. We had six fouls at halftime, and they had three. It was very physical. There was a lot of physicality.

Q: From a mental standpoint, were you happy to see Vanderbilt beat LSU to get your guys to look at Vanderbilt at a different perspective?
BH: "It's a two-edged sword. I'm happy for Vanderbilt, I really am. They've got good kids, and they play really hard. It just shows you the depth of our league. Here, you've got a team that 0-8 and a team that was 8-0. There's no question. Vanderbilt deserved to win that game, and they were dominant all the way through. They showed toughness when they fell down late in the game to fight through that and close it out. They had 99 points. That's a lot of points. We all know that LSU is really good."

Guard Nick Weatherspoon
Q: What's some areas that you guys have locked in and tried to get better for the Vanderbilt game?
NW: "Again, our transition. I feel like our transition could've been better. [We need to] bring some of the toughness. We didn't execute a lot offensively. I feel like in the first half we didn't do bad defensively, we just weren't good offensively. Some of the things that we've been working on is our rotation and our transition. We're working on our offense and just filing over things like that. We're just trying to get better in those areas."

Q: Did it take you a little bit longer this year to get in game shape after you missed the first 10 games?
NW: "It took me a little bit longer because you can't simulate it. It doesn't matter how much running you do, it isn't going to simulate how game conditioning is going to be. You're playing a whole different level in the game. I just had to get some games in and be able to build it up. So, that's what I was able to do."

Guard D.J. Stewart Jr.
Q: Do you feel like you're in the zone every game now after a good offensive night against Kentucky?
DS JR: "Finally, I've put in so much work off season. So, it's all starting to pay off. Coach [Howland] is wanting me to be aggressive so I've been taking what he said and applying it to the game and trying to be aggressive. I'm staying confident in my shot and staying confident."

Q: Do you feel like every game is huge for the opportunity to continue to make the team's case for a bid to the NCAA Tournament?
DS JR: "Every game is a big game. We can't take anybody for granted. Even though they're [Vanderbilt] 1-8, anybody can get beaten on any given night. We can't take anybody for granted."