Tuesday, January 5
Starkville
8:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
#13 Missouri
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-No. 13 Missouri
January 04, 2021 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State men's basketball team has another opportunity to protect its home floor and picked up a signature win over a ranked opponent when the Bulldogs take on No. 13 Missouri at Humphrey Coliseum on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs (6-4, 1-1 SEC) have won 12 of their last 14 SEC home outings dating back to an 81-62 victory over Alabama (02/12/2019). A balanced offensive attack has been a successful formula for State in 2020-21 as the Bulldogs have posted a 5-1 record when four players or more reach double figures.
Mississippi State heads into Tuesday's action in a six-way tie for fourth place in the SEC standings and will look to return to the win column after falling to Kentucky in a 78-73 double overtime affair last Saturday.
MSU-MISSOURI HARDWOOD SERIES
Mississippi State has won six of its last seven under Ben Howland and eight of its last nine over Missouri since the 2014-15 season en route to a 9-5 series advantage.
The Bulldogs swept both meetings last year, highlighted by a 72-45 rout in Starkville. Reggie Perry amassed 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyson Carter, the reigning SEC Sixth Man of the Year, stuffed the stats sheet with 15 points, seven assists and three steals.
A win over No. 13 Missouri would end of seven-game skid to ranked opponents and give the Bulldogs their first win over a top 25 foe since a 92-84 victory against then No. 16 Auburn (01/26/2019).
The Matchup: Mississippi State (6-4, 1-1 SEC) vs. No. 13 Missouri (7-1, 1-1 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Tuesday, January 5, 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/MIZvsMSU010521)
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. 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. This year's Bulldogs 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 25 games in double figures, headed by six outings of 20-plus points. Molinar, Smith and Stewart Jr. have racked up 49.2 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, 4.1 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.3 SPG) has notched double figures in all seven of his outings in 2020-21 and during 11 of his 15 career starts. MSU has won 10 of its 12 games when Molinar provides 10-plus points in his career. He managed 16 of his career-best 24 points during the second half versus Georgia (12/30). The Panama native also came away with 21 points against Jackson State (12/08). Molinar added 20 points and distributed a career-high seven assists versus Dayton (12/12). He has piled up five of his top six career scoring efforts this season.
Molinar's 18.4 points per game would rank third in the SEC rankings if he qualified. His 12.5 points per game improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore season is tops among SEC players this season and second-highest over the last decade slightly behind of current Toronto Raptors guard Terence Davis of Ole Miss in 2016-17 (+12.7).
Stewart Jr. (18.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.3 APG) also has amassed five of his top six career scoring performances in 2020-21. The Bulldogs have posted a 17-7 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 has joined Gavin Ware (2015-16) as the only MSU players during the 2000s to start a season with 10 straight games of 10-plus points. He is one of eight players and the only sophomore or younger to accomplish the feat since 1982-83. Stewart Jr.'s 18.3 points per game are third on the SEC leaderboard. He and Molinar is two of seven SEC players to have three games of 20-plus points this season.
Another game of 10-plus points for Molinar and Stewart Jr. would enable the duo to join Smith and Stewart Jr. from earlier this season who also registered double figures in their first eight appearances on the season. Prior to this season, the last MSU pair to have an eight-game run to start the season in double figures was Cameron Burns and Greg Carter during the program's SEC regular season championship season of 1990-91, while the last duo to accomplish the feat as sophomores or younger are program top 10 scorers Rickey Brown and Ray White in 1976-77.
Smith (12.5 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.1 BPG) has collected eight 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 paces all SEC players with four double-doubles on the season, most recently a 13-point, 12-rebound effort against Mississippi Valley State (12/21). His 8.9 rebounds and 3.9 offensive rebounds per game coupled with his five games of 10-plus boards headline the SEC.
3. Abdul Ado (5.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.9 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 108th career start during Tuesday's Missouri game. The 108 starts are good enough for sole possession of sixth place going back to the 1986-87 season. 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 201 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).
Ado is Mississippi State's all-time field goal percentage leader heading into the Missouri 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.
4. Mississippi State's roster features a talented group of newcomers. The freshmen class is ignited by Deivon Smith (4.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.3 APG) and Cameron Matthews (2.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.4 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). Over his last eight outings, Matthews has dished out 18 assists against seven turnovers.
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 (8.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG), Javian Davis (4.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG) and Quinten Post (3.7 PPG, 1.6 RPG).
Johnson piled up 1,143 points and 522 rebounds over 109 career games with his previous stops being at Saint Louis and Louisiana-Lafayette. He has amassed 55 career outings of 10-plus points and 11 outings of 20-plus points. Johnson has upped his averages to 12.8 points per game and knocked down 11 of his 16 treys over his last four games since being inserted in the starting lineup.
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). He tacked on six points and a steal against Dayton (12/12) and has scored in 10 of his 17 career appearances at Mississippi State.
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Missouri (7-1, 1-1 SEC) bounced back from a 73-53 SEC opening loss to No. 7 Tennessee (12/30) in a big way and downed previously undefeated Arkansas, 81-68, in Fayetteville (01/02).
The Tigers have won all three of their road and neutral site games on the season. In addition to winning at Arkansas, Missouri knocked off then No. 21 Oregon by an 83-75 margin in Omaha, Nebraska (12/02) and dialed up a 72-62 win at Wichita State (12/06).
Xavier Pinson (15.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.3 APG), Mark Smith (12.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG) and Dru Smith (11.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.6 APG, 2.0 SPG) headline a talented backcourt that has drained a combined 34 three-pointers and compiled 17 combined games in double figures during the team's first eight games.
Pinson has notched a pair of 20-plus point efforts, most recently a season's best 23-points coupled with five rebounds and four assists at Arkansas. He converted on 12-of-15 at the foul line.
Jeremiah Tilmon (10.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG), a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Watch List member, has converted on 60 percent of his field goal attempts and notched a pair of double-doubles on the season. He pumped home a career-high 25 points on 9-of-13 from the floor and grabbed 11 rebounds at Arkansas.
Missouri's top performers off the bench have been Javon Pickett (7.1 PPG) and Mitchell Smith (4.8 PPG). Pickett has tacked on three 10-plus point performances, headed by 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and five rebounds in a win over then No. 6 Illinois (12/12).
FROM THE BENCH – BEN HOWLAND MEDIA SESSION
Q: What have you seen from the team's demeanor coming off that tough loss?
BH: "We didn't do anything live yesterday. We walked through Missouri's stuff. Then, we watched film after lifting. But obviously, our guys were really hurting after that game. There's somberness, but I explained to them, 'Hey, that game is over now.' The whole key to it with every experience is to learn from it and not let that carry over into the next game."
"That game is over, we're 1-1, and we've got another incredible opportunity tomorrow against a very good Missouri team that's really, really tough. They just had a great road win against Arkansas, and they're 10 in the [NCAA] NET rankings. So, it's a great opportunity for us to grow and learn from what we did, and we will. We have great kids, so they're going to respond. I'm very confident in that."
Q: What do you think Tolu Smith needs to improve on?
BH: "He just needs to slow down in the post. Tolu is playing a pace sometimes that's going too fast. He's just got to slow down and get settled. That comes with experience. Players are bigger and stronger [in the SEC]. We watched film yesterday. He watched the entire game and edits with the team, so he got a lot of film work. He came in and did extra work today and this morning for an hour."
"He's got a great attitude and a great work ethic. He's going to keep improving and getting better. He is leading the league in rebounding as of today in all games. He's done some very good things for us. Offensively, he's got to focus on his postgame. Every kid wants to shoot and work on shooting and facing up and shooting three's. That's been the focus of his time that he spends outside of practice. He's got to be focused on, number one, being able to use that 6-11, 245 pounds and score on people with his back to basket some. That's something we'll work on today."
Q: What is it about Missouri's group that really impresses you?
BH: "You can just see that they really played well the last half of the conference season a year ago. They had some very big wins in our league. They crushed a good Auburn team by 20 [points] in Columbia. They had a number of really good wins in the last half of the conference season a year ago and you can see that team growing, especially [Xavier] Pinson when he moved into the starting lineup."
"I forgot what happened that caused that. But when he got to be in the starting rotation with Dru Smith in the backcourt, those two guards are really a great pair of guards. One is a fifth-year senior and one is a junior – both are really, really good players."
"You look at Mark Smith, and you look at number four [Javon Pickett], a really good player that comes off the bench. Pickett is long, they're playing him some at the four this year. I really like their perimeter and their depth. [Torrence] Watson is a fifth perimeter guy, and he can really shoot it. [Drew] Buggs, they picked up this year, he is a good point guard that came from Hawaii. That gives them another ball handler, and a guy that makes good decisions. They have a lot of depth in the back court."
"[Jeremiah] Tilmon had his best game of his career, probably, in the last outing Saturday against Arkansas where he had 25 points. He really played great, and he's been playing really well for them. I think Kobe Brown is doing a really nice job. They bring in [Mitchell] Smith for him, so they have a lot of depth and experience. They're older. It's always an advantage to be older. You look at their team, they're an older group of guys and that helps."
Q: What else stands out to you about Missouri?
BH: "They play a very good defense. They're one of the better defensive teams in our league. They really, really do a good job of their man-to-man. They ice balls screens, and they'll switch some ball screens one through four. They really get out and deny things. When you penetrate, everybody's collapsing and forcing you to kick it back out. They do a great job defensively."
"I think they're really executing well offensively. They push the ball hard in transition even on made shots. You're going to see them try to push it and try to attempt to push it really hard, as did Kentucky and Georgia. So, we've got to do a good job on our transition defense with these guys as well. They're number 10 right now in the [NCAA] NET rankings."
UP NEXT
Mississippi State returns briefly to the road with a trip to Vanderbilt on Saturday. Tip time is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT from Memorial Gym 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.
The Bulldogs (6-4, 1-1 SEC) have won 12 of their last 14 SEC home outings dating back to an 81-62 victory over Alabama (02/12/2019). A balanced offensive attack has been a successful formula for State in 2020-21 as the Bulldogs have posted a 5-1 record when four players or more reach double figures.
Mississippi State heads into Tuesday's action in a six-way tie for fourth place in the SEC standings and will look to return to the win column after falling to Kentucky in a 78-73 double overtime affair last Saturday.
MSU-MISSOURI HARDWOOD SERIES
Mississippi State has won six of its last seven under Ben Howland and eight of its last nine over Missouri since the 2014-15 season en route to a 9-5 series advantage.
The Bulldogs swept both meetings last year, highlighted by a 72-45 rout in Starkville. Reggie Perry amassed 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyson Carter, the reigning SEC Sixth Man of the Year, stuffed the stats sheet with 15 points, seven assists and three steals.
A win over No. 13 Missouri would end of seven-game skid to ranked opponents and give the Bulldogs their first win over a top 25 foe since a 92-84 victory against then No. 16 Auburn (01/26/2019).
The Matchup: Mississippi State (6-4, 1-1 SEC) vs. No. 13 Missouri (7-1, 1-1 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Tuesday, January 5, 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/MIZvsMSU010521)
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. 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. This year's Bulldogs 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 25 games in double figures, headed by six outings of 20-plus points. Molinar, Smith and Stewart Jr. have racked up 49.2 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, 4.1 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.3 SPG) has notched double figures in all seven of his outings in 2020-21 and during 11 of his 15 career starts. MSU has won 10 of its 12 games when Molinar provides 10-plus points in his career. He managed 16 of his career-best 24 points during the second half versus Georgia (12/30). The Panama native also came away with 21 points against Jackson State (12/08). Molinar added 20 points and distributed a career-high seven assists versus Dayton (12/12). He has piled up five of his top six career scoring efforts this season.
Molinar's 18.4 points per game would rank third in the SEC rankings if he qualified. His 12.5 points per game improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore season is tops among SEC players this season and second-highest over the last decade slightly behind of current Toronto Raptors guard Terence Davis of Ole Miss in 2016-17 (+12.7).
Stewart Jr. (18.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.3 APG) also has amassed five of his top six career scoring performances in 2020-21. The Bulldogs have posted a 17-7 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 has joined Gavin Ware (2015-16) as the only MSU players during the 2000s to start a season with 10 straight games of 10-plus points. He is one of eight players and the only sophomore or younger to accomplish the feat since 1982-83. Stewart Jr.'s 18.3 points per game are third on the SEC leaderboard. He and Molinar is two of seven SEC players to have three games of 20-plus points this season.
Another game of 10-plus points for Molinar and Stewart Jr. would enable the duo to join Smith and Stewart Jr. from earlier this season who also registered double figures in their first eight appearances on the season. Prior to this season, the last MSU pair to have an eight-game run to start the season in double figures was Cameron Burns and Greg Carter during the program's SEC regular season championship season of 1990-91, while the last duo to accomplish the feat as sophomores or younger are program top 10 scorers Rickey Brown and Ray White in 1976-77.
Smith (12.5 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.1 BPG) has collected eight 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 paces all SEC players with four double-doubles on the season, most recently a 13-point, 12-rebound effort against Mississippi Valley State (12/21). His 8.9 rebounds and 3.9 offensive rebounds per game coupled with his five games of 10-plus boards headline the SEC.
3. Abdul Ado (5.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.9 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 108th career start during Tuesday's Missouri game. The 108 starts are good enough for sole possession of sixth place going back to the 1986-87 season. 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 201 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).
Ado is Mississippi State's all-time field goal percentage leader heading into the Missouri 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.
4. Mississippi State's roster features a talented group of newcomers. The freshmen class is ignited by Deivon Smith (4.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.3 APG) and Cameron Matthews (2.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.4 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). Over his last eight outings, Matthews has dished out 18 assists against seven turnovers.
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 (8.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG), Javian Davis (4.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG) and Quinten Post (3.7 PPG, 1.6 RPG).
Johnson piled up 1,143 points and 522 rebounds over 109 career games with his previous stops being at Saint Louis and Louisiana-Lafayette. He has amassed 55 career outings of 10-plus points and 11 outings of 20-plus points. Johnson has upped his averages to 12.8 points per game and knocked down 11 of his 16 treys over his last four games since being inserted in the starting lineup.
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). He tacked on six points and a steal against Dayton (12/12) and has scored in 10 of his 17 career appearances at Mississippi State.
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Missouri (7-1, 1-1 SEC) bounced back from a 73-53 SEC opening loss to No. 7 Tennessee (12/30) in a big way and downed previously undefeated Arkansas, 81-68, in Fayetteville (01/02).
The Tigers have won all three of their road and neutral site games on the season. In addition to winning at Arkansas, Missouri knocked off then No. 21 Oregon by an 83-75 margin in Omaha, Nebraska (12/02) and dialed up a 72-62 win at Wichita State (12/06).
Xavier Pinson (15.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.3 APG), Mark Smith (12.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG) and Dru Smith (11.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.6 APG, 2.0 SPG) headline a talented backcourt that has drained a combined 34 three-pointers and compiled 17 combined games in double figures during the team's first eight games.
Pinson has notched a pair of 20-plus point efforts, most recently a season's best 23-points coupled with five rebounds and four assists at Arkansas. He converted on 12-of-15 at the foul line.
Jeremiah Tilmon (10.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG), a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Watch List member, has converted on 60 percent of his field goal attempts and notched a pair of double-doubles on the season. He pumped home a career-high 25 points on 9-of-13 from the floor and grabbed 11 rebounds at Arkansas.
Missouri's top performers off the bench have been Javon Pickett (7.1 PPG) and Mitchell Smith (4.8 PPG). Pickett has tacked on three 10-plus point performances, headed by 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and five rebounds in a win over then No. 6 Illinois (12/12).
FROM THE BENCH – BEN HOWLAND MEDIA SESSION
Q: What have you seen from the team's demeanor coming off that tough loss?
BH: "We didn't do anything live yesterday. We walked through Missouri's stuff. Then, we watched film after lifting. But obviously, our guys were really hurting after that game. There's somberness, but I explained to them, 'Hey, that game is over now.' The whole key to it with every experience is to learn from it and not let that carry over into the next game."
"That game is over, we're 1-1, and we've got another incredible opportunity tomorrow against a very good Missouri team that's really, really tough. They just had a great road win against Arkansas, and they're 10 in the [NCAA] NET rankings. So, it's a great opportunity for us to grow and learn from what we did, and we will. We have great kids, so they're going to respond. I'm very confident in that."
Q: What do you think Tolu Smith needs to improve on?
BH: "He just needs to slow down in the post. Tolu is playing a pace sometimes that's going too fast. He's just got to slow down and get settled. That comes with experience. Players are bigger and stronger [in the SEC]. We watched film yesterday. He watched the entire game and edits with the team, so he got a lot of film work. He came in and did extra work today and this morning for an hour."
"He's got a great attitude and a great work ethic. He's going to keep improving and getting better. He is leading the league in rebounding as of today in all games. He's done some very good things for us. Offensively, he's got to focus on his postgame. Every kid wants to shoot and work on shooting and facing up and shooting three's. That's been the focus of his time that he spends outside of practice. He's got to be focused on, number one, being able to use that 6-11, 245 pounds and score on people with his back to basket some. That's something we'll work on today."
Q: What is it about Missouri's group that really impresses you?
BH: "You can just see that they really played well the last half of the conference season a year ago. They had some very big wins in our league. They crushed a good Auburn team by 20 [points] in Columbia. They had a number of really good wins in the last half of the conference season a year ago and you can see that team growing, especially [Xavier] Pinson when he moved into the starting lineup."
"I forgot what happened that caused that. But when he got to be in the starting rotation with Dru Smith in the backcourt, those two guards are really a great pair of guards. One is a fifth-year senior and one is a junior – both are really, really good players."
"You look at Mark Smith, and you look at number four [Javon Pickett], a really good player that comes off the bench. Pickett is long, they're playing him some at the four this year. I really like their perimeter and their depth. [Torrence] Watson is a fifth perimeter guy, and he can really shoot it. [Drew] Buggs, they picked up this year, he is a good point guard that came from Hawaii. That gives them another ball handler, and a guy that makes good decisions. They have a lot of depth in the back court."
"[Jeremiah] Tilmon had his best game of his career, probably, in the last outing Saturday against Arkansas where he had 25 points. He really played great, and he's been playing really well for them. I think Kobe Brown is doing a really nice job. They bring in [Mitchell] Smith for him, so they have a lot of depth and experience. They're older. It's always an advantage to be older. You look at their team, they're an older group of guys and that helps."
Q: What else stands out to you about Missouri?
BH: "They play a very good defense. They're one of the better defensive teams in our league. They really, really do a good job of their man-to-man. They ice balls screens, and they'll switch some ball screens one through four. They really get out and deny things. When you penetrate, everybody's collapsing and forcing you to kick it back out. They do a great job defensively."
"I think they're really executing well offensively. They push the ball hard in transition even on made shots. You're going to see them try to push it and try to attempt to push it really hard, as did Kentucky and Georgia. So, we've got to do a good job on our transition defense with these guys as well. They're number 10 right now in the [NCAA] NET rankings."
UP NEXT
Mississippi State returns briefly to the road with a trip to Vanderbilt on Saturday. Tip time is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT from Memorial Gym 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.
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