Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Iowa State

Saturday, January 30

Starkville

5:00 PM

Mississippi State

Iowa State

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Iowa State

January 29, 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 makes a brief stop at home and steps out of league action to face Iowa State during Saturday's SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

The Bulldogs (9-8, 4-5 SEC) are making their third overall appearance in the challenge. State is tied for the eighth position with Auburn but only sit two games back of Florida and LSU for second place in the SEC standings.

Iowa State (2-8, 0-6 Big 12) has dropped four of its last five in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge with its lone win being an 87-73 victory over then No. 20 Ole Miss on 01/26/2019.

A unique storyline for Saturday's contest is former guard Shane Power, who played at both schools. He combined for 1,234 career points and knocked down 138 three-pointers during his time at Iowa State (2000-01, 2001-02) and Mississippi State (2003-04, 2004-05). Power sits as State's all-time leader in three-point field goal percentage at 41.7 percent.

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 15 of its 17 opponents in 2020-21, highlighted by a +10 rebounding margin in seven games. The Bulldogs hold the SEC's top spot limiting their opponents to 30.8 rebounds per game and a +8.8 rebounding margin.

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

MSU-IOWA STATE HARDWOOD SERIES
Mississippi State has won both of its previous meetings with the Cyclones during the 1978-79 and 1979-80 seasons. Rickey Brown, one of the program's top five scorers, averaged 25.0 points per game to spark the two victories.

The Bulldogs will look for the program's first win in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. State dropped a 71-61 decision to TCU during the first year of the event in 2013-14 and fell 63-62 to Oklahoma last season in Oklahoma City.

State holds a 14-16 all-time mark against current Big 12 members and has won two of its last three decisions against the conference. The Bulldogs upended Kansas State, 67-61, in 2019-20 as part of the Never Forget Tribute Classic in Newark, New Jersey preceded by a thrilling 78-77 triumph over Baylor during the 2018 NIT when Quinndary Weatherspoon hit a buzzer beater.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (9-8, 4-5 SEC) vs. Iowa State (2-8, 0-6 Big 12)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Saturday, January 30, 5:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: ESPN2
Talent: Beth Mowins, Joe Kleine
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/ISUvsMSU013021)

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. 373 (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.

#FIGHT4LITERACY GAME
Mississippi State will host #Fight4Literacy Games presented by International Paper to promote childhood reading and raise funds for local literacy work.

The coaching staff will wear #Green4Literacy lapel pins and wristbands in support of the #Fight4Literacy in the state. All funds raised through the #Fight4Literacy will give local kids crucial literacy training to combat this statistic. 

As the presenting partner of the #Fight4Literacy, International Paper Company has guaranteed a $10,000 donation to literacy programs in Mississippi and will match all donations up to $5,000. In communities across the country, International Paper and Coaching for Literacy will donate more than $300,000 to help children become better readers.

In addition, local businesses and restaurants are invited to join the #Fight4Literacy Week as an extension to #Fight4Literacy Games as a way for communities to rally around literacy. Participating businesses will raise awareness about the issue of illiteracy and donate a portion of sales to literacy programs in Mississippi.

Fans can join the Bulldogs by pledging to donate per assist during the 4-game window following each team's #Fight4Literacy game. For every $10 raised, Coaching for Literacy (CFL) can provide two books to local kids.

To learn more about the men's team's efforts: pledgeit.org/ms-state-mbb.  

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 fifth-most in the SEC and only behind Auburn (91), Kentucky (86), Tennessee (85) and LSU (78). 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 41 games in double figures, headed by 12 outings of 20-plus points. Molinar, Smith and Stewart Jr. have racked up 47.7 points per game, which is second-most in the SEC only behind LSU's Cameron Thomas, Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart.

Stewart Jr. (17.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.1 SPG) has captured nine of his top 10 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 20-10 record over the last two seasons when he scores 10-plus points during his career.

The Grace, Mississippi, native has already surpassed his 2019-20 total with 16 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 17.6 points per game are fourth and his 43.4 percent shooting clip is 6th 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 (17.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.4 SPG) has notched double figures in 13 of his 14 outings and during 17 of his 22 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 13-5 record when Molinar provides 10-plus points in his career. His 17.4 points is fifth, his 46.6 field goal percentage is fifth, his 82.0 free throw percentage is fourth and his 3.0 assists are 14th 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 10 of his top 12 career scoring efforts this season.

Molinar's 11.5 points per game improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore season is tops among SEC players this season and tied for 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 points per game improvement.

Smith (12.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.0 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 8.7 rebounds per game, 3.7 offensive rebounds per contest and six games of 10-plus boards headline the SEC. His 5.0 defensive rebounds per game is fifth in the SEC rankings. Smith has connected on 35-of-54 from the field over his last eight appearances.

3. Abdul Ado (5.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.0 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 115th career start during Saturday's Iowa State game. The 115 starts are good enough for a fourth-place tie with Craig Sword (2013-14-15-16) and seven shy of the program's all-time leader Dee Bost (2009-10-11-12). He ranks first among Power five players and third overall among NCAA active players in blocks followed by a tied for 10th 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 2.0 blocks per game is third this season. Overall, Ado has piled up 216 career blocks, which ranks third in program history. His 1.88 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 Iowa State contest among players with at least 250 baskets made. His 59.7 career shooting clip also checks in tied for sixth among active Power 5 players and is 15th highest overall among the NCAA active players. Ado came away with a SEC season's best with 11 points against Florida (01/16) and hauled down a season-high 12 rebounds at No. 18 Tennessee (01/26).

4. Mississippi State's roster features a talented group of newcomers. The freshmen class is ignited by Deivon Smith (4.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.6 APG) and Cameron Matthews (2.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.1 SPG), who became the first true 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 five of his nine SEC games and dished out three-plus assists in six of his nine SEC outings. He has distributed 24 assists against 12 turnovers during SEC action and equaled a career-best with five dimes at No. 18 Tennessee (01/26).

Matthews has impacted the game on the defensive end with steals in 12 of 17 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 of 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 (6.3 PPG, 2.2 RPG), Javian Davis (3.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG) and Quinten Post (3.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG).

Johnson has piled up 1,168 points and 532 rebounds over 116 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 11 games.

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 a SEC season's best five points during the Texas A&M (01/13) and Tennessee games (01/26). Post also collected a career-best 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals against the Volunteers. The Netherlands native has scored in 13 of his 23 career appearances at Mississippi State.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
As a program, Iowa State has piled up at least 23 victories and made NCAA Tournament trips in seven of the last nine seasons fueled by a pair of NCAA Sweet 16 runs in 2013-14 and 2015-16.

This season, the Cyclones have lost three of their six Big 12 outings by single digits which includes near victories over a pair of top 10 opponents on the road in No. 8 West Virginia (70-65 on 12/18) and No. 4 Texas (78-72 on 01/05). Five of their eight setbacks are to top 25 opponents.

Rasir Bolton (15.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.9 SPG) has secured double figures in nine of 10 outings and provided at least five assists on six occasions. He poured in a season's best 25 points at No. 8 West Virginia (12/18) and is coming off a 19-point performance against Oklahoma State (01/25).

Jalen Coleman-Lands (12.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.1 SPG) missed the Oklahoma State but has notched 10-plus points in eight of his nine appearances on the season. He garnered 17 points and six rebounds at No. 3 Iowa (12/11).

Javon Johnson (12.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG) has ripped off double figures in his last three games highlighted by 21 points at No. 4 Texas (01/05) followed by Solomon Young (12.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.0 BPG) who has secured 10-plus points in four consecutive games, most recently a 15-point outing against No. 18 Texas Tech (01/09).

Tyler Harris (7.1 PPG, 1.2 SPG) is Iowa State's top performer off the bench but was inserted into the starting lineup during the Oklahoma State game. He came away with season-highs of 18 points and four steals against the Cowboys.

FROM THE BENCH – BEN HOWLAND MEDIA SESSION
Q: What have you seen from Iowa State on film so far?
BH: "They're scary on film. When you watch them against West Virginia, they should have beat West Virginia. They had West Virginia on the road, with an unbelievable opportunity to win, which is hard to do. I know that personally [from my time at Pittsburgh]. They played Baylor incredibly tough at home. Those teams are [projected] one seed and two seeds [in the NCAA Tournament]. They're very talented."

"Their starting point guard, [Rasir Bolton], is a really good player. He's out of Virginia originally. He's really skilled – he's an excellent passer, excellent scorer, shoots it strong and is tough. He's a very good player. They have another guard, [Jalen] Coleman-Lands, who is a fifth-year senior. He transferred in from Penn State originally, a really good player. He's shooting almost 40 percent from three. They have another perimeter player who plays the four spot [power forward position] at times for them, Javan Johnson, from Alabama, who started out at Troy. He sat out for a year [after transferring] and is really playing well for them. He's had some big games."

"They've had a tough schedule when you look at who they've been playing – Texas at Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, West Virginia – all highly ranked teams. I'm really impressed with their personnel. Solomon Young, their starting center who has been starting there for the past few years, is a really good big. He can score in a lot of ways – around the basket, left shoulder, right shoulder, shoots it, faces up and is a very good offensive rebounder. They've got talent."

Q: What did you see from Quinten Post against Tennessee that led to him having his best rebounding standpoint of the season?
BH: "I thought he played really hard. He was quick to the ball, and he did a good job rebounding. He had five points. I thought he played extremely hard and was very quick to the ball. He had seven rebounds yesterday in practice, which tied for the most on our team. It's a positive step forward."

Q: Are turnovers the biggest issue that the team is focusing on right now?
BH: "Yeah. In fact, yesterday in practice – after every single turnover, we stopped practice and did either pushups or sprints. That's where we are. Any time we turn it over, we're stopping practice now. We're going to be accountable for it right then and there. Hopefully, that's going to help us."

Q: What have you seen from the team defensively these last few games, and is there anywhere you'd like to see them improve in that area?
BH: "We've done a good job defensively as a whole in both of those games [the Alabama and Tennessee games]. Our transition defense has been good. We out-rebounded Tennessee by 12, who is a really good rebounding team. We have done a good job with our help defense. I think Tennessee shot a little below 40 percent [from the field] in that game. It was really low. Our defense was excellent against them, and it was good against Alabama, even though Alabama made a fair amount of its three's. That was the difference in that game, but our defense has been good."

"I've been very pleased with our defense. You always make mistakes in the game of basketball. Whether it's on offense or defense, a team that makes the least amount of mistakes usually wins. We definitely made mistakes defensively in both games. But when you look at the numbers, the numbers are pretty good. We forced turnovers. We forced turnovers in both games against both teams. We just have too many on our end."

Q: What have you seen from Cameron Matthews in the starting lineup, and what do you expect moving forward?
BH: "He makes us a much better defensive team when he's in the game. His ability to defend and really compete is good. He's not as good of a shooter as Jalen Johnson, so the trade-off is offense for defense. The fact that we played really good defense in both of those games [the Tennessee and Alabama games] gave us a chance to win both of those games."

"Cameron is working hard. He's in the gym right now [before practice] working on shooting. We have bunch of guys in there today getting shots up. I'm really excited about his development. Jalen came in today and got shots up too. I'm not going away from Jalen. I have to get him some more minutes. I'm pleased with what he [Matthews] brings us in terms of energy, toughness, and overall defense. Cameron is doing a very good job."

UP NEXT
Mississippi State starts its February slate with road trips to Arkansas and South Carolina. The Bulldogs and Razorbacks are set for an 8 p.m. CT tip from Bud Walton Arena on Tuesday, 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.