Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Florida

Saturday, January 16

Starkville

3:00 PM

Mississippi State

Florida

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Florida

January 15, 2021 | Men's Basketball

WATCH: ESPN2 LISTEN: Hail State Plus Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)Gameday Info

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State men's basketball team has an opportunity to claim its second top 50 NET ranking victory on its home floor as Florida visits Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday.

The Bulldogs (8-5, 3-2 SEC) and Gators (6-3, 3-2 SEC) head into this weekend's matchup tied for the sixth spot in the SEC standings. Both teams trail LSU by one game for third place.

Mississippi State has won eight of their last 11 decisions with the three setbacks coming by a combined nine points and two of three setbacks being double overtime affairs.

Last time out, the Bulldogs dropped a 56-55 decision to Texas A&M. Iverson Molinar, the reigning SEC Player of the Week, was the lone player in double figures for the Bulldogs with 16 points.

A balanced offensive attack has been a successful formula for Mississippi State in 2020-21 as the Bulldogs have posted a 6-1 record when four players or more reach double figures.

Mississippi State has outrebounded 12 of its 13 opponents, highlighted by a +10 rebounding margin in five (5) games in 2020-21.

A win over Florida would give the Bulldogs their first 4-2 SEC start since the 2011-12 season and their six start of 4-2 or better through six SEC games during the 2000s.

MSU-FLORIDA HARDWOOD SERIES
Mississippi State has won the last two meetings over the Gators and are going for its first three-game winning streak in the series dating back to the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons. Florida holds a 65-51 overall advantage on the strength of victories in eight of the last 10 since 2011-12.

The Bulldogs overcame a 16-point first half deficit and 10-point halftime hole to capture a 78-71 comeback win in Gainesville last season. Reggie Perry (27 PTS, 8 REB), Robert Woodard II (16 PTS), Nick Weatherspoon (13 PTS, 8 ASST) and Tyson Carter (12 PTS) led the way for State.

It was Carter who scored seven straight points of his own to turn the score from 58-56 to 63-58 with 6:32 remaining. Then, Perry and Woodard II canned critical three-pointers down the stretch to end a six-game road losing streak to Florida and salt away the seven-point victory.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (8-5, 3-2 SEC) vs. Florida (6-3, 3-2 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Saturday, January 16, 3:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: ESPN2
Talent: Beth Mowins, Chris Spatola
DirecTV: Ch. 209, Dish: Ch. 143, AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 1606, MaxxSouth: Ch. 1023, C Spire: Ch. 202
Online: Watch ESPN app & Watch ESPN online (Cable Subscription Required)
(http://hailst.at/UFvsMSU011621)

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield IMG College
Talent: Neil Price
Affiliates: WKBB-FM 100.9 Starkville/West Point (Full List: https://hailst.at/MBKAffiliates)
Free Online Audio: Hail State Plus (https://hailst.at/MBKListen); Tune-In Radio App (https://hailst.at/MBKTuneIn)
Sirius/XM: Ch. 191 (XM), Ch. 962 (Internet)

MASKS/METAL DETECTORS/CLEAR BAGS
Mississippi State Athletics has received capacity guidelines and designed a socially distanced seating plan to host fans in the healthiest manner possible for the 2020-21 season.

The plan is focused on the recommended health and safety protocols put in place by health officials from the Mississippi State Department of Health, Mississippi State University, the city of Starkville, the Southeastern Conference and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to protect the well-being of all student-athletes, fans and staff.

Capacity at Humphrey Coliseum for the 2020-21 season will be 10 percent as determined by the Governor's most recent Executive Order.

All fans will be required to wear a face covering, face shield or mask, over the nose and mouth during all times except when actively eating or drinking while inside Humphrey Coliseum.

In an effort to continue Mississippi State's long-standing commitment to provide a safe and secure environment for all fans, coaches and student-athletes, walk-through metal detectors have been implemented at all entrances of Humphrey Coliseum on basketball gamedays.

Fans will be asked to follow the instructions of the security screening staff and place large metal objects such as phones, keys and cameras in containers or in their clear bag on screening tables before passing through the walk-through metal detectors.

Fans will not be required to remove belts, watches, wallets, jewelry, shoes, jackets, coins or other small objects. The metal detectors and clear bag policies provide a safer atmosphere and speed up the entry process into The Hump.
Doors to Humphrey Coliseum open 60 minutes prior to tipoff. For more gameday information, fans are encouraged to visit: https://hailst.at/MBKGameday.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Mississippi State has garnered 20+ overall wins in three straight seasons and captured 10+ SEC victories during back-to-back campaigns under sixth-year coach Ben Howland. The Bulldogs have amassed 76 victories since the start of the 2017-18 season which is tied for fourth-most in the SEC with LSU and only behind Auburn (88), Kentucky (85) and Tennessee (83). This year's squad will look to join the 1960-61, 1961-62 and 1962-63 teams as the only group in program history to win 10+ SEC games in three consecutive seasons.

Howland along with assistant coaches George Brooks, Korey McCray and Ernie Zeigler are in their sixth season together in Starkville during the 2020-21 season. The Bulldogs coaching quartet of head coach and three assistants is one of eight staffs in the country to remain together at the same school for the last six seasons. The other staffs include Michigan State (11th) led by Tom Izzo, West Virginia (9th) led by Bob Huggins, UAlbany (9th) led by Will Brown, Kansas (7th) led by Bill Self, Oregon (7th) led by Dana Altman, Vermont (7th) led by John Becker and Bradley (6th) led by Brian Wardle.

2. Iverson Molinar, Tolu Smith and D.J. Stewart Jr. are etching their names among the notable freshmen-to-sophomore jumps at Mississippi State, under Ben Howland and in the SEC over the last decade. The trio has piled up 32 games in double figures, headed by nine outings of 20-plus points. Molinar, Smith and Stewart Jr. have racked up 49.5 points per game, which is second-most in the SEC only behind LSU's Cameron Thomas, Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart.

Molinar (18.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.4 SPG) has notched double figures in all 10 of his outings in 2020-21 and during 14 of his 18 career starts. MSU has racked up a 12-3 record when Molinar provides 10-plus points in his career. His 18.9 points is third, his 51.4 field goal percentage is fourth and his 3.4 assists are tied for 11th on the SEC leaderboard. Molinar amassed career-highs with 24 points at Vanderbilt (01/09) and at Georgia (12/30). The Panama native has piled up nine of his top 11 career scoring efforts this season and is one of three SEC players (Scotty Pippen Jr. from Vanderbilt and Jermaine Cousinard from South Carolina) to score 10-plus points in all of his team's games in 2020-21.

Molinar's 13.0 points per game improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore season is tops among SEC players this season and the second-best in the SEC over the last decade slightly behind current Toronto Raptors and former Ole Miss guard Terence Davis from the 2015-16 to 2016-17 season (+13.1).

Molinar and Stewart Jr. are joined by Gavin Ware (2015-16) as the only MSU players during the 2000s to start a season with 10 straight games of 10-plus points. The duo also are two of nine MSU players total and the only sophomores or younger to accomplish the feat since 1982-83.

Stewart Jr. (17.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.6 APG) has captured nine of his top 12 career scoring performances in 2020-21. The Bulldogs have posted a 19-7 record when he scores 10-plus points during his career. Stewart Jr. exploded for a career-high and SEC season's best 32 points on 13-of-22 shooting versus Dayton (12/12). The Grace, Mississippi, native began the season with 12 straight games in double figures and will look to bounce back from a season-low nine points against Texas A&M (01/13). Stewart Jr.'s 17.8 points per game are fifth on the SEC leaderboard. He and Molinar are two of six SEC players to have four games of 20-plus points this season.

Smith (12.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.1 BPG) has collected 10 games in double figures during his first season in Maroon and White. Prior to his time at MSU, his previous career-high was nine points against West Virginia (11/16/2018) while at Western Kentucky.

Smith is tied for the SEC's top spot with four double-doubles on the season, most recently a 13-point, 12-rebound effort against Mississippi Valley State (12/21). His 8.6 rebounds are second, whereas his 3.7 offensive rebounds per game coupled with his five games of 10-plus boards also headline the SEC. Smith has posted 13.7 points per game on 16-of-22 from the field over his last three appearances.

3. Abdul Ado (5.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.9 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 111th career start during Saturday's Florida game. The 111 starts are good enough for sole possession of sixth place in program history. He ranks first among Power five players and fourth overall among NCAA active players in blocks followed by a 13th place showing among active Power 5 players in rebounds.

Ado has ranked among the SEC's top 10 in blocks shots during all four seasons and his 1.9 blocks per game are tied for fourth this season. Overall, Ado has piled up 206 career blocks, which ranks third in program history. His 1.86 career blocks per game also is third in program history, only behind NCAA all-time leader Jarvis Varnado and Erick Dampier. The Nigeria native moved into third place and eclipsed 200 career blocks with four rejections versus Kentucky (01/02).

Ado is Mississippi State's all-time field goal percentage leader heading into the Florida contest among players with at least 250 baskets made. His 59.7 career shooting clip also checks in sixth among active Power 5 players and is tied for 15th highest overall among the NCAA active players.

4. Mississippi State's roster features a talented group of newcomers. The freshmen class is ignited by Deivon Smith (4.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.3 APG) and Cameron Matthews (2.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.2 SPG), who became the first freshmen tandem to start a MSU season opener since Tyson Carter and Mario Kegler during the 2016-17 season.

Smith, the eighth ESPN top 100 signee to play with the Bulldogs under head coach Ben Howland, exploded for a career-best 13 points. He also handed out three assists and added two steals in his home state at Georgia (12/30). Smith has tallied 5.4 points and 1.4 steals per game in SEC action. He has distributed 10 assists against four turnovers over his five SEC outings.

Matthews has impacted the game on the defensive end with steals in 9 of 13 games and registered multiple steals on five occasions. He secured the game-clinching steal on Vanderbilt's Scotty Pippen Jr. during the closing seconds in Nashville. Matthews tallied a SEC season's best five points versus Texas A&M (01/13).

MSU's freshmen class also features Keondre Montgomery and Derek Fountain, who coupled with Matthews, are the state of Mississippi's top three prospects for the Class of 2020. Montgomery and Fountain sank their first career baskets against Texas State (11/30) and Jackson State (12/08), respectively.

5. The Bulldogs also have received solid contributions from Jalen Johnson (7.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG), Javian Davis (4.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG) and Quinten Post (3.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG).

Johnson has piled up 1,162 points and 528 rebounds over 112 career games with his previous stops being at Saint Louis and Louisiana-Lafayette. He has amassed 56 career outings of 10-plus points and 11 outings of 20-plus points. Johnson has upped his averages to 10.0 points per game and knocked down 16 of his 21 treys over his last seven games since being inserted in the starting lineup against Central Arkansas (12/16).

Davis posted 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game over his 31 appearances as a redshirt freshmen at Alabama in 2019-20. His top Bama performance was a 20-point, 10-rebound effort against South Carolina (02/29/2020). Davis has upped his marks to 5.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game over his last six outings. He chipped in five points, seven rebounds and two assists versus Kentucky (01/02).

Post fired in a career-best 10 points versus Mississippi Valley State (12/21) to claim his first career game in double figures. He provided nine points to go along with career-bests of five rebounds, three assists and two blocks during the Texas State game (11/30). Post tacked on SEC career-highs of five points and three rebounds against Texas A&M (01/13). The Netherlands native has scored in 12 of his 20 career appearances at Mississippi State.

FROM THE BENCH – BEN HOWLAND MEDIA SESSION
Q: When you watch Florida on film, how different are they without Keyontae Johnson in the lineup considering how high of a caliber player he is?
BH: "He is one of the best players in our league going into the season. Number one, we are thankful and thank God that he is okay. When he collapsed, worse-case scenario was running through everybody's head, but he seems like he is going to be fine. That is very good news for everybody, most importantly Keyontae. He is a great player, and I am sure he will be back in time."

"They are still a very good team. I watched their last couple games here. The big kid, [Colin] Castleton had the best game of his career against Ole Miss the other night with seven blocks, a double-double and over 20 points. He was really effective. He made a lot of huge plays down the stretch, old fashion and-ones, two of them that were huge."

"Tre Mann is one of the best guards in our league. He is just incredibly talented and has grown from a year ago. He is probably closer to 6-5 now. He plays the point – handles it and shoots it. He is a great athlete and is very hard to guard off of the dribble. He is very aggressive and looks to score. He is a very good defensive player, he does it all. They have some really talented kids, and they are a force to be reckon with. Their guard play is so tough."

Q: How was the locker room after the disappointing loss against Texas A&M?
BH: "Very disappointed, everybody was disappointed and hurt. We had a great opportunity to get to 4-1 and didn't capitalize on it. Today, we will have a practice. Yesterday, we did a walkthrough and lifted. We didn't do anything up-and-down yesterday … We expect to have a good practice today and really get good preparation for this good Florida team."

Q: What is the mood of the practices today, and how eager will your guys get back out there?
BH: "Kids, at their age, they recover really well. I think we will have a really focused practice today after that disappointing loss and a late game. Yesterday, they were subdued but did a good job in weight room. We watched film from the game to learn and to grow from our mistakes. Also, to understand our shortcomings and why we lost. We have a great group of kids and good leadership."

Q: Your team has played a series of three single possession games that have gone both ways. Is that nature of a good team in a competitive league that games are going to come down to a single possession most nights?
BH: "This year, it seems that it has come down like that quite a bit for us, with two double overtime losses and a one-point loss the other night. We have won some really close games in the last minute. We are being competitive with everybody. The difference between losing and winning are very small margins. That's why we emphasizing every little thing in practice and every little detail. It often comes down to one possession – one more mistake, one more made free throw, one better possession or blocking out or rebounding. Every single detail matters and that's something our guys are learning first hand."

Q: What did you learn most from your father's advice?
BH: "Experience matters, I think there's a lot to that. His favorite quote to me when I was a child was 'Benjamin, learn by doing'. There is truth to that. I learned a multitude of things [from him]. Learn to do my chores and not forget, I have learned so many different things. His favorite quote when I was a child was 'Learn by doing'. He was a pastor and a minister. There was something biblical in nature in that statement."

Q: How much of a leader has Iverson [Molinar] developed off the court? How well do the other player respond? Does he lead by example? Is he vocal, what kind of leader is he?
BH: "I think he is a lead by example guy. He has great relationships with everybody and is a really nice young man. He is a great kid, very pleasant and always has a smile on his face. He is the 'glass is half full' type of kid and has a very positive attitude. That exudes from his personality."

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Last time out, Florida put together a 20-2 run to overcome a nine-point hole over the game's last six minutes to snatch a 72-63 win over Ole Miss on Tuesday.

The Gators have four players averaging in double figures for the season but played the Ole Miss game without the services of Keyontae Johnson (16.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.0 SPG) and Scottie Lewis (11.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 1.5 RPG).

Colin Castleton (12.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.9 BPG) has been Florida's go-to player of late. He has exploded for three 20-point performances over his five SEC outings. He racked up 23 points on an efficient 11-of-13 shooting at Vanderbilt (12/30) followed by a a 21-point, 10-rebound, 8-block effort to claim his first double-double of the season against Ole Miss (01/12).

Tre Mann (14.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.6 SPG) has registered double figures in seven of his nine outings. He is joined by MSU's trio of Iverson Molinar, D.J. Stewart Jr. and Tolu Smith among SEC players who have had seven point or more per game jump from their freshman to sophomore season. Mann provided 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals versus Ole Miss (01/12).

Lewis was limited to two points apiece at Alabama (01/05) and against Kentucky (01/09) before he missed the Ole Miss game. Prior to that, he had amassed five consecutive games in double figures, headed by 19 points aided by a quartet of three-pointers at Florida State (12/12).

Noah Locke (9.9 PPG) has drained 19 of his 31 field goals from three-point territory. His season's bests were two 15-point games against Stetson (12/06) and Ole Miss (01/12).

Tyree Appleby (8.6 PPG, 2.6 APG, 1.6 SPG) has chipped in double figures during two of last three games, fueled by a season-high 18 points at Alabama (01/05). He enters Saturday's action 24 points away from 1,000 after opening his career with two seasons at Cleveland State.

UP NEXT
The final test on Mississippi State's three-game homestand will be the first of two meetings with in-state rival Ole Miss on Tuesday. Tip time is on-tap for 8 p.m. CT from Humphrey Coliseum, televised by SEC Network and available online courtesy of the Watch ESPN app.

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.