Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-No. 18 Tennessee

Tuesday, January 26

Knoxville, Tenn.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

#18 Tennessee

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-No. 18 Tennessee

January 25, 2021 | Men's Basketball

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by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee – A second road test against another ranked opponent during a 72-hour span awaits the Mississippi State men's basketball team as the Bulldogs travel to No. 18Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs (9-7, 4-4 SEC) will start the last week of January in a seventh-place tie with Arkansas in the SEC standings. State is one game back of Florida and LSU or third place, in addition to trailing Kentucky and Tennessee (10-3, 4-3 SEC) by a half-game for the fifth spot.

A balanced offensive attack has been a successful formula for Mississippi State in 2020-21 as the Bulldogs has won seven of its eight games in 2020-21 record when four players or more reach double figures.

Mississippi State has won the battle of boards against 14 of its 16 opponents in 2020-21, highlighted by a +10 rebounding margin in six games. The Bulldogs hold the SEC's top spot limiting their opponents to 30.9 rebounds per game and a +8.6 rebounding margin.

Mississippi State is 5-1 when committing 12 turnovers or less this season.

The Bulldogs will look for their second win over a top 25 opponent and its third NCAA NET quadrant one victory on the season. State's previous quad one wins came over Missouri (78-63 on 01/05) and Florida (72-69 on 01/16).

A win over the Volunteers would end a couple of skids for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs last victory in Knoxville was a 71-66 decision on 02/03/2015. State also would put a 12-game streak in the rear view mirror versus top 25 opponents on the road.

The last time the Bulldogs defeated a ranked opponent on the road was an 80-75 triumph over then No. 14 Ole Miss on 01/09/2010. Dee Bost pumped home 25 points and dished out six assists to lead State.

MSU-TENNESSEE HARDWOOD SERIES
The Bulldogs snapped a four-game losing skid to Tennessee with an 86-73 triumph last season and will look for back-to-back victories over the Volunteers for the first time since the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. Overall, Tennessee has an 85-44 series advantage, headed by a 46-11 mark in Knoxville.

Reggie Perry racked up 24 points and 12 rebounds followed by D.J. Stewart Jr.'s 16 of his then career-high 20 points during the second half last season. Mississippi State scorched the nets going 18-of-26 from the field during the second half. Robert Woodard II added 14 points, while Nick Weatherspoon stuffed the box score with 11 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (9-7, 4-4 SEC) vs. No. 18 Tennessee (10-3, 4-3 SEC)
Where: Knoxville, Tennessee – Thompson-Boling Arena
When: Tuesday, January 26, 6:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Tom Hart, Jimmy Dykes
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/MSUvsUT012621)

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. 383 (XM), Ch. 973 (Internet)

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 (90), Kentucky (86) 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 39 games in double figures, headed by 12 outings of 20-plus points. Molinar, Smith and Stewart Jr. have racked up 48.7 points per game, which is second-most in the SEC only behind LSU's Cameron Thomas, Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart.
Stewart Jr. (18.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.1 SPG) has captured 10 of his top 11 career scoring performances in 2020-21. He pumped home a SEC career-high 27 points and added a career-best four steals at No. 18 Alabama (01/23). Stewart Jr. exploded for a SEC season's best 32 points on 13-of-22 shooting versus Dayton (12/12). The Bulldogs have posted a 20-9 record when he scores 10-plus points during his career.

The Grace, Mississippi, native has already surpassed his 2019-20 total with 15 games in double figures, highlighted by a 12 consecutive games to start the season. He piled up 24 points during the second half of State's 78-63 win over No. 13 Missouri (01/05). Stewart Jr.'s 18.0 points per game are fourth and his 44.0 percent shooting clip is 13th among SEC leaders. He and Molinar are two of seven SEC players to have at least five games of 20-plus points this season.

Molinar (17.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.3 SPG) has notched double figures in 12 of his 13 outings and during 16 of his 21 career starts. He bounced back from a season-low with a 19-point effort at No. 18 Alabama (01/23). MSU has racked up a 13-4 record when Molinar provides 10-plus points in his career. His 17.5 points is fifth, his 46.7 field goal percentage is eight and his 3.2 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.

Molinar's 11.6 points per game improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore season is tops among SEC players this season and the fourth-highest in the SEC over the last decade. Current Toronto Raptors and former Ole Miss guard Terence Davis from the 2015-16 to 2016-17 season holds the decade's top spot at a 13.1 improvement.

Smith (13.2 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.1 BPG) has collected 12 games in double figures during his first season with 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 the SEC's co-leader 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 8.8 rebounds per game, 3.8 offensive rebounds per contest and six games of 10-plus boards headline the SEC. His 58.3 shooting clip is second and 1.1 blocks per game is tied for 13th in the SEC rankings. Smith has racked up 14.3 points per game on 35-of-51 from the field over his last six appearances.

3. Abdul Ado (5.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.1 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 114th career start during Tuesday's Tennessee game. The 114 starts are good enough for sole possession of fifth place and eight shy of all-time leader Dee Bost (2009-10-11-12) in program history. He ranks first among Power five players and third 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 2.1 blocks per game third this season. Overall, Ado has piled up 215 career blocks, which ranks third in program history. His 1.89 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). He has amassed 62 career games with multiple rejections.

Ado is Mississippi State's all-time field goal percentage leader heading into the Tennessee contest among players with at least 250 baskets made. His 60.0 career shooting clip also checks in fifth among active Power 5 players and is 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, 3.3 RPG, 2.4 APG) and Cameron Matthews (2.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 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 five-plus points in four of his eight SEC games and dished out three-plus assists in five of his eight SEC outings. He has distributed 19 assists against 10 turnovers during SEC action.

Matthews has impacted the game on the defensive end with steals in 11 of 16 games and registered multiple steals on six occasions. He secured the game-clinching steal on Vanderbilt's Scotty Pippen Jr. during the closing seconds in Nashville. Matthews came away with a SEC season's best six points and a career-high seven rebounds at No. 18 Alabama (01/23).

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 (6.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG), Javian Davis (4.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG) and Quinten Post (2.9 PPG, 1.6 RPG).

Johnson has piled up 1,168 points and 531 rebounds over 115 career games with his previous stops being at Saint Louis and Louisiana-Lafayette. He has amassed 58 career outings of 10-plus points and 11 outings of 20-plus points. Johnson has knocked down 17 of his 22 treys over his last 10 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 chipped in SEC season-high of five points, seven rebounds and two assists versus Kentucky (01/02) and returned to the rotation after a four-game absence against Ole Miss (01/19).
Post fired in a career-best 10 points versus Mississippi Valley State (12/21) to claim his first career game in double figures. He 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 22 career appearances at Mississippi State.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Volunteers emerged with victories in four of their first five SEC games before dropping back-to-back outings to Florida (75-49 on 01/19) and No. 19 Missouri (73-64 on 01/23).

Tennessee tops the SEC leaderboard in scoring defense (59.8), scoring margin (+14.2), turnover margin (+5.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4). The Volunteers also have limited their opposition to a 39.9 percent shooting clip which is second in the SEC rankings.

Tennessee possesses a balanced offensive attack with seven players averaging over eight points for the season. John Fulkerson (11.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG), Victor Bailey Jr. (11.6 PPG) and Jaden Springer (10.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.1 SPG) led the way in double figures. Bailey Jr. has come off the bench for the Volunteers in the last five games.

Fulkerson has connected on 53.4 percent of his field goal attempts and reached 10-plus points in 11 of 13 games on the season. He garnered a season's best 16 points coupled with eight rebounds and three blocks against Arkansas (01/06). Fulkerson has one double-double on the season, 15 points and 12 rebounds, versus Cincinnati (12/12).

Springer has missed Tennessee's last two games but has secured 10.0 points, 5.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game in his last two appearances from the starting lineup.

Santiago Vescovi (9.3 PPG, 3.4 APG, 1.2 SPG) has knocked down 27 of his 37 shots from beyond the three-point line. His season's best was 23 points aided by six treys at Texas A&M (01/09). Vescovi and Fulkerson did the heavy lifting for the Volunteers with 16 points apiece against Mississippi State during last season's meeting.

Keon Johnson (9.0 PPG, 1.0 SPG), Josiah-Jordan James (8.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.5 SPG) and Yves Pons (8.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.0 BPG) have been solid contributors throughout the season. Last time out against Missouri, the trio accounted for 40 points. Pons delivered 20 points, five rebounds and two blocks.

FROM THE BENCH – BEN HOWLAND MEDIA SESSION
Q: For most of the year, Tennessee has been ranked inside the top 10 in the polls. What have you seen out of Tennessee from watching them on film?
BH: "I've watched them all year, and they're really impressive. They have a lot of depth. [Jaden] Springer was out in the last game against Missouri with a sprained ankle. I'm not sure what his status is, but he's a very good player that comes off the bench for them – a really big-time athlete. He may or may not play, I have no idea."

"I think that [John] Fulkerson and [Yves] Pons up front are veteran guys who are really good players. Pons is such a defensive stopper. He's very good at guarding his man. He's also a great shot blocker and plays incredibly hard. They're both good offensive players. Fulkerson leads them in scoring. He's really good."

"It's amazing, they have seven guys on their team that are left-handed. It's like an all left-handed team I've never heard of. It's like playing a baseball team. I think they start four lefties. That being said, they're really talented. I think [Santiago] Vescovi is a great shooter. You can't leave him open at all. The kid that starts for them, number 45 Keon Johnson, is an excellent freshman wing that is very strong. He's old school. He's got the pullup game, and really plays above the rim – a phenomenal athlete. He's a really good player. They're coming off, like you said two losses, so they're going to be bringing their very best effort to the game tomorrow night."

Q: What did you learn from your team from Saturday's game at Alabama, and how do playing these high-caliber ranked teams help your team improve?
BH: "I think that we had our poorest game in terms of effort of the year against Ole Miss. So, it was a bounce back game no matter who we were playing. It just happened to be Alabama, who is the best team in our league and really playing at eye level. So, it probably even heighted the response even more because they have been killing everybody. They've been playing and beating everyone by an average of 28 [points] a game."

"I thought we really played hard and really competed against a very good team. They're good. We had a chance there with a one-possession game and a minute to go. They hit the three from [John] Petty [Jr.] to put them up six [points], and they call a timeout with 20 seconds left. I thought our effort was really good and our practices leading up to it. The two practices before were very, very spirited and high-level, which is what we need to do. We're a young team. We've got to learn from every experience and grow from every experience and handle the adversity by reacting to it in the proper way. There's always going to be adversity in every season and every year."

Q: Are there any specific improvements that you want to see from your guys offensively in the future?
BH: "Yeah, taking better care of the ball would be number one. When you look at the last game, we had too many turnovers that led to easy baskets. We've got to do a better job at taking care of the basketball and cutting down on our turnovers. I think that's a huge one."

Q: What do you see from the aspect of getting Tolu Smith more touches? Is it more him needing to demand the ball, or his teammates needing to find him more?
BH: "You know what, I think it's a combination. I think teams are really sensitive to him, and I think he's getting doubled a lot now. We're going to work on today is help him get out of double teams easier. Twice he was doubled at the game at Alabama, and there was no guard at his side of the floor to be able to pass it out quickly. Working to get the catch back out so we can reserve it and get them out of a rotation where they're having to rotate long ways on the weak side."

"We want to get him the ball early too. We've got to do a better job of finding him in transition and really trying to get him the ball before the defense gets set. He's working hard. He works very hard to try to get the ball, so I would say that's not as big of an issue. People are very aware of him with some of the big games he's had in the conference thus far."

Q: How have the first few months gone with this roster, and how have they handled adjusting to new roles?
BH: "As you point out, we're incredibly young. I was thinking about it earlier today. Abdul [Ado] and D.J. [Stewart Jr.] were starters last year, and Iverson [Molinar] played about 12 minutes a game. After that, nobody on last year's team played here."

"It's a very new roster. I think our guys have handled their roles. We have freshmen learning on the job. Both Deivon [Smith] and Cameron [Matthews] are getting a lot of minutes. They're growing as players, and they've grown a lot already this season. We added JD, he [Javian Davis] missed four games during the middle of the conference. He's playing an important role for us. QP [Quinten Post] has been a kid that I need to keep trying to get a few more minutes in each game."

"One of the things we did in the last game was to get D.J. [Stewart Jr.] more rest. I have to force feed rest, regardless of what happens. His productivity went way up playing 33 minutes, versus playing 36 or 37 minutes. I have to continue to do here these remaining 11 games in the regular season for him and for Iverson. I've got to get more minutes for Deivon in there, and Cameron's minutes continue to go up. We have to get more rest for our guys so they can be really productive when they're in the game. I think I did a better job of that. If you look at the Alabama game, both Tolu [Smith] and Abdul [Ado] played 30 minutes each, which is better than what they've been playing."

UP NEXT
Mississippi State makes a brief stop at home between its four straight conference road games and steps out of league action to face Iowa State during Saturday's SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT from Humphrey Coliseum, televised by ESPN2 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.