Bulldogs Winning And Having A Ton Of Fun

Photo by: Laura Parsley/MSU Athletics

Bulldogs Winning And Having A Ton Of Fun

November 18, 2021 | Men's Basketball

By: Logan Lowery, Assistant Coordinator/Communications

STARKVILLE – One thing has certainly been apparent through Mississippi State's first three games this season.

The Bulldogs are having fun.

Winning, of course, has a lot to do with it but it's the way MSU is winning that has brought the most smiles to the faces of the coaching staff and players alike.

"This is probably the most fun year I've had here at Mississippi State," said junior guard Iverson Molinar. "We're all sharing the ball and all have skill sets. I'm learning to make plays for others. It's fun when you play hard and are winning and are playing together."

The Bulldogs held their first two opponents North Alabama and Montana to under 50 points, the first time they've done that since 2004-05. In Game 3, Mississippi State topped a Detroit Mercy team 77-64 that is coached by former Indiana head man Mike Davis and loaded with Power 5 transfers on Wednesday.

State has had its share of success with transfers as well this year. Three of the Bulldogs scoring in double figures for the season were acquired through the transfer portal in the offseason.

North Carolina State transfer Shakeel Moore is second on the team scoring 14 points per game and tied his career-high with 19 points against Detroit Mercy. North Carolina transfer Garrison Brooks is putting up 11.7 points and pulling down a team-best 7.7 rebounds while Memphis transfer D.J. Jeffries is chipping in 10.7 points.

"I'm having a ton of fun," Moore said. "We have great chemistry and a great team. Everybody is two feet in, I just love it. It's an exciting time."

The Bulldogs got another top transfer on the floor for the first time on Wednesday night as Rocket Watts, formerly of Michigan State, made his much-awaited debut.

Then there's the steady influence and leadership that Molinar provides in his third year at Mississippi State. Molinar leads the team averaging 16 points and dishing out five assists per game. He has also only turned the ball over five times through the first three games while logging a team-high 89 minutes of action.

Molinar was the Bulldogs' leading scorer last season (16.7 ppg) but has gladly welcomed all the other weapons that have been brought in to help him shoulder the scoring load.

"We've been building the chemistry throughout the team and I feel like anybody can get hot," Molinar said.

The Bulldogs have had plenty of other contributions in the early stages of the season as well. Freshman Cam Carter scored 11 points and was a perfect 4 of 4 from the field in his collegiate debut against North Alabama while sophomore Cameron Matthews crashed the boards for a career-high 14 rebounds in that contest.

Matthews is currently second on the team with seven rebounds per game while also stacking the stats sheet in other areas with 8.3 points, three assists and 2.3 steals.

Head coach Ben Howland has already reaped high praise Carter's way, calling the 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard the team's best on-ball defender.

"Cam Carter is just a great kid and such a hard worker," Howland said. "He's a good defender and just a pleasure. You can see why he's going to be a special player to be as driven as he is. He competes every day against everybody out there. He's a great competitor. I love that about Cam Carter."

Andersson Garcia produced six points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench in his season debut against Montana while Javian Davis and Derek Fountain have been steady performers averaging 16.3 and 13.7 minutes per game respectively as reserves.

Through the first three games, MSU is averaging 79.3 points and leads the Southeastern Conference in both field goal and 3-point percentage. The Bulldogs are shooting 47.4 from the outside and 53 percent overall from the field.

State has also outrebounded their opponents by an average of 10 boards per game while collecting 10.3 steals per contest.

"We all have the same faith, each and every one of us," Matthews said. "We all believe in each other. I love playing with these guys, especially when we lock in defensively. We get steals and long rebounds. Transition offense is where you have the most fun."

Their opposition, however, is not enjoying the experience quite as much. The Bulldogs have limited opponents to only 11 fast break points all season, including only two to Detroit Mercy on Wednesday.

Perhaps the most frightening aspect for the remainder of State's scheduled opponents is that the Bulldogs still have a couple big men the mend and are set to hit the floor soon. Forward Tolu Smith, who led the SEC in rebounding and with eight double-doubles last season, is getting closer to coming back along with KeShawn Murphy, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound freshman that was an ESPN Top 100 recruit.

"We're not even at full strength so that's what's really exciting about this team," Moore said. "We've got Tolu, the double-double king, sitting out and Rocket Watts still coming back. If we keep playing the way that we're playing and adding on with the rest of those guys, it's going to be a big year for us."