Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Ole Miss

Tuesday, January 19

Starkville

8:00 PM

Mississippi State

Ole Miss

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Ole Miss

January 18, 2021 | Men's Basketball

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by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State men's basketball team will look to end its three-game homestand on a high note as the Bulldogs play host the first of two installments of the SEC's most played hardwood rivalry when Ole Miss makes its annual trip to Humphrey Coliseum on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs (9-5, 4-2 SEC) move into the second-third of their conference schedule in sole possession of fourth place in the SEC standings. State trails LSU by a full game for the second spot and is separated by a half-game with No. 6 Tennessee for the third position.

Mississippi State has won nine of their last 12 decisions with its three losses coming by a combined nine points and two of the three setbacks being double overtime affairs.

The Bulldogs bounced back with a 72-69 victory over Florida on Saturday. Tolu Smith turned in a performance for the ages with career-highs 27 points and 14 rebounds. He also matched his career-best with three blocks. State also received double figures from Iverson Molinar (13 PTS, 6 REB, 3 ASST), D.J. Stewart Jr. (11 PTS, 4 REB, 3 ASST, 2 STL) and Abdul Ado (11 PTS, 9 REB, 3 BLK).

A balanced offensive attack has been a successful formula for Mississippi State in 2020-21 as the Bulldogs have posted a 7-1 record when four players or more reach double figures.

Mississippi State has outrebounded 13 of its 14 opponents, highlighted by a +10 rebounding margin in six (6) games in 2020-21. The Bulldogs posted a +21 rebounding advantage over Florida, its highest margin versus a SEC opponent under sixth-year coach Ben Howland.

A win over Ole Miss would give the Bulldogs their first 5-2 SEC start since the 2008-09 season and their fourth start of 5-2 or better through seven SEC games during the 2000s.

MSU-OLE MISS HARDWOOD SERIES
Mississippi State has two of its last three, three of its last five and holds an overall 145-117 series advantage over Ole Miss. The Bulldogs have won 16 of the 20 meetings during the 2000s at Humphrey Coliseum.

The two teams protected its home court last season with Mississippi State emerging with a 69-44 rout of the Rebels in Starkville. Reggie Perry amassed 22 points and 14 rebounds followed by Nick Weatherspoon and Robert Woodard II's 11 points apiece. Weatherspoon also notched six assists and four steals.
Ole Miss dialed up an 83-58 decision in Oxford last season. Breein Tyree pumped in 27 of his career-high 40 points during the second half for the Rebels.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (9-5, 4-2 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (6-6, 1-4 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Tuesday, January 19, 8:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Dave Neal, Daymeon Fishback
DirecTV: Ch. 611, Dish: Ch. 404/408, AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 1607, MaxxSouth: Ch. 1026, C Spire: Ch. 220
Online: Watch ESPN app & Watch ESPN online (Cable Subscription Required)
(http://hailst.at/OMvsMSU011921)

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. 137 (Sirius), Ch. 190 (XM), Ch. 961 (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 77 victories since the start of the 2017-18 season which is tied for fourth-most in the SEC with LSU and only behind Auburn (89), Kentucky (85) and Tennessee (84). 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 35 games in double figures, headed by 10 outings of 20-plus points. Molinar, Smith and Stewart Jr. have racked up 49.6 points per game, which is second-most in the SEC only behind LSU's Cameron Thomas, Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart.

Molinar (18.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.3 SPG) has notched double figures in all 11 of his outings in 2020-21 and during 15 of his 19 career starts. MSU has racked up a 13-3 record when Molinar provides 10-plus points in his career. His 18.4 points is fifth, his 50.3 field goal percentage is seventh and his 3.4 assists are 12th 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 two SEC players (Scotty Pippen Jr. from Vanderbilt) to score 10-plus points in all of his team's games in 2020-21.

Molinar's 12.5 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 11 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. (17.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.0 SPG) has captured nine of his top 12 career scoring performances in 2020-21. The Bulldogs have posted a 20-7 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 tallied 11 points against Florida (01/16) after he was limited to a season-low nine points against Texas A&M (01/13). Stewart Jr.'s 17.4 points per game are seventh and his 45.2 percent shooting clip is 12th among SEC leaders. He and Molinar are two of eight SEC players to have four games of 20-plus points this season.

Smith (13.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.1 BPG) has collected 11 games in double figures during his first season in the 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 five double-doubles on the season, most recently career-bests with 27 points and 14 rebounds against Florida (01/16). He tallied 17 of his 27 points, eight of his 14 rebounds and sank all six of his shot attempts during the second half. Smith's 9.0 rebounds per game, 3.9 offensive rebounds per contest and six games of 10-plus boards headline the SEC. His 59.3 shooting clip is second and 1.2 blocks per game is 11th in the SEC rankings. Smith has racked up 17.0 points per game on 27-of-35 from the field over his last four appearances.

3. Abdul Ado (5.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.9 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 112th career start during Tuesday's Ole Miss game. The 112 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 12th 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 fourth this season. Overall, Ado has piled up 209 career blocks, which ranks third in program history. His 1.87 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 Ole Miss contest among players with at least 250 baskets made. His 60.1 career shooting clip also checks in fifth among active Power 5 players and is tied for 12th highest overall among the NCAA active players. Ado came away with a SEC season's best with 11 points and nine rebounds against Florida (01/16).

4. Mississippi State's roster features a talented group of newcomers. The freshmen class is ignited by Deivon Smith (4.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.4 APG) and Cameron Matthews (2.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.1 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 1.3 steals per game in SEC action. He has distributed 14 assists against six turnovers in SEC plays and has dished out three-plus dimes in four of his six conference outings.

Matthews has impacted the game on the defensive end with steals in 9 of 14 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 (7.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG), Javian Davis (4.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG) and Quinten Post (3.2 PPG, 1.6 RPG).

Johnson has piled up 1,165 points and 528 rebounds over 113 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 9.1 points per game and knocked down 16 of his 21 treys over his last eight 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) and is scheduled to return to the rotation after a four-game absence during the Ole Miss game.

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 21 career appearances at Mississippi State.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Rebels picked up a SEC victory over Auburn (72-61 on 01/06) but have dropped three in a row since to LSU (75-61 on 01/09), at Florida (72-63 on 01/12) and against Georgia (78-74 on 01/16). The Ole Miss defense has forced its opponents into 17.7 turnovers per contest which ranks inside the nation's top 20.

Devontae Shuler (14.1 PPG, 4.3 APG, 1.8 SPG) has piled up double figures in eight of his 12 game this season. He has provided four outings of 20-plus points, headed by 24 points and eight assists versus Georgia last time out. Shuler has canned 13 of his team-leading 25 triples over his last five games. He is the SEC's active leader in points (1,076), assists (291) and steals (163).
Romello White (11.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.1 BPG), a transfer from Arizona State, has garnered 10-plus points in six games. His best performance was a 20-point, 11-rebound outing at Alabama (12/29) during the SEC opener. White has drained 67.1 percent of his shots and is fourth among Power 5 active players in field goal percentage.

Jarkel Joiner (9.9 PPG) is coming a season's best 22 points during the Georgia game and has paced the Rebels with 12.2 points per game in SEC play. He averaged 15.6 points per contest at Cal State Bakersfild in 2018-19.

KJ Buffen (9.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.1 SPG) and Luis Rodriguez (8.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.8 SPG) have each chipped in five games apiece with double-digit points. Rodriguez is one of 11 SEC players to improve his scoring average by at least seven points from his freshman to his sophomore season in 2020-21.

FROM THE BENCH – BEN HOWLAND MEDIA SESSION
Q: Has the team come together as a group quicker than you would have thought going into the season?
BH: "Yeah, you know what, we had a really good win against Florida after a disappointing loss against Texas A&M. I think our guys have great chemistry and really like each other. There's a real good bond within this group. There's good role definition. We've got one of the best trios in terms of scoring in D.J. [Stewart Jr.], Iverson [Molinar], and Tolu [Smith]. In the SEC, I think they're second in terms of points per game with those three guys."

"Abdul [Ado] is no question our leader and the best defender in the league. He protects the paint and does a great job ball screening. I thought he had his best game this season against Florida the other night with 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocks – all the other things [he does] that don't show up on the stat sheet. It was interesting – I watched the replay of the game, and I was doing edits of it to show the team yesterday. I listened to the announcers from ESPN2 talk about their conversation with Mike White saying how impressed Mike was with Abdul going into the game prior to when we played. He does so many things that don't show up on the stat sheet that makes his team win."

"I thought Deivon [Smith] played well the other night. He had 25 big minutes. His minutes and the uptake in his minutes are really helping our team perform better, I think. But this is a huge game for us against Ole Miss. Obviously, not only is it a rivalry game, but this is our last home game for a while. We have four road games coming up, so this is a critical game for us as we get ready to embark on two straight weeks of playing everything on the road in the conference."

Q: To follow up that, how is Abdul doing?
BH: "It's funny how many athletes you talk to that have played games while they were sick or weren't feeling well. It's amazing how some of the best games ever are guys who have played when they were not feeling well. I know the most points I ever scored in a high school game was when I was really sick. If you ask any athlete, I don't know what it is, maybe it's just a focus you get after dealing with so much. Now, you are just locked in."

"He [Ado] really brought it, and he knew what an important game it was for this team to come back and get a win after a disappointing loss against Texas A&M on Wednesday. For Abdul, that was his motivation. I have to do whatever I can to help my team win. The dunk he had was a really inspiring dunk that really got us going. Then, another dunk late in the game. He just had two monster jams. He played great at both ends of the floor. I am really happy and proud of him. To answer your initial question, he is feeling a lot better and doing well, which is obviously a big deal for us."

Q: How do you see your team matching up with Ole Miss?
BH: "I tell you what, they are really a talented team. I think their team has so much depth, which is one of the many things that makes them difficult. They can play a lot of guys, and they all have great bodies. Also, they are a really good defensive team. They have been in the top of all the defensive stats, looking at defensive field goal percentage and forcing turnovers. They really get out and pressure you. Not only is that 1-3-1 zone a part of what they do, but just really just good man-to-man. They are doubling the posts more than they have done in the previous two years with Kermit [Davis]."

"They have added some more things to what they are doing. They are forcing it more baseline within their man-to-man defense. Their personnel is really good with great guards. I think, the kid that sat out last year, [Jarkel] Joiner is a very good player that has been playing fantastic form the past two games. He shoots the ball and does a really great job scoring it. [Devontae] Shuler is a really good player and their leading scorer. He was great last year and a really good player."

"When [Luis] Rodriguez got hurt a year ago, they really had high hopes for him a year ago. Now, he is playing like it now. He is a good defender, a great shooter, a good rebounder and a big, strong physical presence. I think [KJ] Buffen playing great form, and he is a key guy with a lot of experience in his third year now. He started his first two years. So, he has the most experience of anybody in the program other than [Devantae] Shuler."

"I think the addition of Romello White inside has been huge, he is their second leading scorer. We played against Romello when he was at Arizona State a couple years back. We were in a tournament out there [in Las Vegas] when Quinndary [Weatherspoon] was a senior. He is a very good player. I think he was all league and led the Pac-12 [Conference[ in rebounding last year. He is a real presence. They also have depth and good size. [Khadim] Sy is back at the five. They have a kid [Robert] Allen who transferred from Samford who is a very good player and a lefty at the four. They also have [Matthew] Murrell and [Austin] Crowley as the backup guards who are both good players that have very bright futures. One is a freshman and one is a sophomore. They have a lot a depth and a lot of guys that we need to be prepared for."

Q: How much have you prepared the team for Ole Miss's 1-3-1 trap?
BH: "It will be a focus for us today at our practice. Yesterday, we just kind of walked through what they do offensively. We didn't do a lot of physical work yesterday from the standpoint of on the court. After a long, tough game against Florida, I felt it was better that we approach it this way. So today, we'll be working on it quite a bit. They do a great job on their 1-3-1, really force a lot of turnovers. That's something that Kermit [Davis] has always done with his teams, whether it be Middle Tennessee or Ole Miss."

Q: Coach, you have talked a lot this year about the youth and inexperience on the team and having to go through experiences and learn from their mistakes. With that being said, how has that learning curve been for those guys learning from those mistakes and coming back better for it?
BH: "I think it has been good. I think we have been doing a good job of learning. We watch a lot of film. This is probably the most film we have watched with a team since I have been here. We watch a lot of film trying to use it as teaching moments – both positive in showing all the good things and also showing things that we need to get better at. That is something with a young team that you really need to do. So, I think our team is getting better."

"I was really proud of Tolu's [Smith] defensive effort in the last game. He tied his career-high in blocks, but he did so many think defensively that don't show up on his stats sheet that helped us win. That is a big deal. Our guards did a great job of rebounding defensively. I think D.J. [Stewart Jr.] had 4, Iverson [Molinar] had 6, and Deivon [Smith] had 6. That is 16 defensive rebounds out of the one and two spots that are huge, things like that."

UP NEXT
Mississippi State faces back-to-back road challenges against top 25 foes in No. 18 Alabama and No. 6 Tennessee. The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide tipoff at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday from Coleman Coliseum, televised by the 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.