Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Vanderbilt

Saturday, February 13

Starkville

12:00 PM

Mississippi State

Vanderbilt

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Vanderbilt

February 12, 2021 | Men's Basketball

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by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State men's basketball team heads into the last third of its SEC slate and completes the first of its five home-and-home series of 2020-21 against Vanderbilt during a Saturday matinee at Humphrey Coliseum.

Five Saturday's ago, the Bulldogs (11-10, 5-7 SEC) left the Music City with a 3-1 SEC record. State has won four of its last five Saturday decisions starting with the first matchup with Vanderbilt (5-10, 1-8 SEC).

The Bulldogs have posted a 12-5 record in February games going back to 02/12/2019. Mississippi State heads into the weekend's action in an eighth-place tie with Auburn and Georgia in the SEC standings. Only 2.5 games separate State from Arkansas, LSU and Tennessee for the second spot.

A balanced offensive attack has been a successful formula for Mississippi State in 2020-21 as the Bulldogs has won eight of their 10 games in 2020-21 record when four players or more reach double figures.

Mississippi State has won the battle of boards against 17 of its 21 opponents in 2020-21, highlighted by a +10 rebounding margin in eight games. The Bulldogs hold the SEC's top spot limiting their opponents to 31.5 rebounds per game and a +7.7 rebounding margin.

Mississippi State is 6-1 when committing 12 turnovers or less and has won seven of its eight outings when knocking down at least eight three-pointers this season.

The Bulldogs are third among SEC teams in paint points (684) on the season, only behind Georgia (806) and Arkansas (748). State also runs third in the SEC on second-chance points (267), trailing only Arkansas (295) and Auburn (269).

MSU-VANDERBILT HARDWOOD SERIES
Mississippi State has won three in a row, four of its last five and five of its last seven over the Commodores under Ben Howland. The last time the Bulldogs posted a four-game winning streak over Vanderbilt was from 2000-01 to 2003-04.

Overall, the Commodores hold a 79-52 series advantage. However, Mississippi State has won the last four at Humphrey Coliseum en route to a 35-23 edge in Starkville.

Earlier this season, Iverson Molinar posted career-highs with 24 points, eight rebounds and four steals during State's 84-81 win over Vanderbilt in Nashville. He was joined by Jalen Johnson, Tolu Smith and D.J. Stewart Jr. as the quartet pumped in 68 points on a collective 24-of-35 shooting performance. Cameron Matthews sealed the three-point win with a game-clinching steal in the closing seconds.

The Bulldogs and Commodores are playing a rare home-and-home series for only the third time during the 2000s and going back to the 1991-92 season. In fact, State is looking for its first two-game regular season sweep over Vanderbilt since 1977-78.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (11-10, 5-7 SEC) vs. Vanderbilt (5-10, 1-8 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Saturday, February 13, 12:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Dave Neal, Jon Sundvold
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/VandyvsMSU021321)

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. 384 (XM), Ch. 974 (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 79 victories since the start of the 2017-18 season which is tied for fourth-most in the SEC with LSU and only behind Auburn (92), Tennessee (88) and Kentucky (86). 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 49 games in double figures, headed by 15 outings of 20-plus points. The Bulldogs are 9-0 when each member of the trio scores at least 10 points this season.

Molinar, Smith and Stewart Jr. have racked up 46.9 points per game, which is second-most in the SEC only behind LSU's Cameron Thomas, Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart. It also marks the highest MSU scoring trio since Ravern Johnson, Dee Bost and Renardo Sidney piled up 47.1 points per game during the 2010-11 season.

Stewart Jr. (17.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG) has captured nine of his top 10 career scoring performances in 2020-21. He pumped home a SEC career-high 29 points and added three steals at South Carolina (02/06). Stewart Jr. exploded for a career-best 32 points on 13-of-22 shooting versus Dayton (12/12). The Bulldogs have posted a 22-10 record over the last two seasons when he scores 10-plus points.

The Grace, Mississippi, native has already surpassed his 2019-20 total with 18 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 17.0 points per game are fourth and his 43.0 percent shooting clip is 11th among SEC leaders. He and Molinar are two of seven SEC players to have at least six games of 20-plus points this season.

Molinar (16.8 PPG, 3.0 APG, 2.9 RPG, 1.1 SPG) has notched double figures in 16 of his 18 outings and during 20 of his 26 career starts. He secured a 20-point outing, his sixth of the season, versus Iowa State (01/30). MSU has racked up a 15-6 record when Molinar provides 10-plus points in his career. His 82.1 percent free throw percentage is third, his 16.8 points is fifth and his 46.6 field goal percentage is seventh 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 10 career scoring efforts this season.

Molinar's 10.9 points per game improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore season is first among SEC players this season and fifth-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 (13.1 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.1 APG) has collected 15 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 tied for first in the SEC with six double-doubles on the season, most recently with 24 points and 11 rebounds versus LSU (02/10) for his second 20-10 effort of the season. His career-bests are 27 points and 14 rebounds against Florida (01/16) where 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 8.5 rebounds per game and 3.6 offensive rebounds per contest headline the SEC. His seven games of 10-plus boards are tied for first, while his 4.9 defensive rebounds per game is sixth in the SEC rankings. Smith has connected on 57-of-87 from the field (64.8 percent) over his last 11 appearances.

3. Abdul Ado (5.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.8 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 119th career start during Saturday's Vanderbilt game. The 119 starts are good enough for sole possession of third place and would be four 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 an 11th 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 1.8 blocks per game is fourth this season. Overall, Ado has piled up 220 career blocks, which ranks third in program history. His 1.85 career blocks per game also is third in program history, only behind NCAA all-time leader Jarvis Varnado and Erick Dampier. The Nigeria native has amassed 64 career games with multiple rejections.

Ado is Mississippi State's all-time field goal percentage leader heading into the Vanderbilt contest among players with at least 250 baskets made. His 59.1 career shooting clip also checks in seventh among active Power 5 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). His 714 career rebounds currently sit 11th on MSU's all-time list and is 40 rebounds away from passing Jack Houston (1952-53-54-55).

4. Mississippi State's roster features a talented group of newcomers. The freshmen class is ignited by Derek Fountain (6.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG), Deivon Smith (4.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.9 APG) and Cameron Matthews (2.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.0 SPG). Smith and Matthews became the first true freshmen tandem to start a MSU season opener since Tyson Carter and Mario Kegler during the 2016-17 season.

Fountain fired in season's best 20 points and seven rebounds versus LSU (02/10) off the bench. Over his last four appearances, he has provided 10.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. The 20-point game put Fountain in elite company with 1,000-point scorers Tyson Carter (2018-19-20-21), Lamar Peters (2017-18-19) and Quinndary Weatherspoon (2016-17-18-19) as the only four freshmen to secure 20-plus points coming off the bench during the Ben Howland era. In fact, Fountain is one of seven MSU freshmen since 1988-89 to score 20-plus points during a SEC game off the bench.

Smith, the eighth ESPN top 100 signee to play with the Bulldogs under 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 seven of his 12 SEC games and dished out three or more assists in seven of his 12 SEC outings. He has distributed 40 of his 60 assists over his last 13 games and set a new career-high with nine dimes versus Iowa State (01/30).

Matthews has impacted the game on the defensive end with steals in 13 of his 20 appearances 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 (01/09). 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, who coupled with Fountain and Matthews, are the state of Mississippi's top three prospects for the Class of 2020.

5. The Bulldogs also have received solid contributions from Jalen Johnson (6.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG), Javian Davis (3.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG) and Quinten Post (3.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG).

Johnson has piled up 1,179 points and 533 rebounds over 118 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 at least one trey in 14 of his 19 appearances and multiple three's in six outings during the 2020-21 campaign.

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 came away with a SEC season's best six points at Arkansas (02/02). Post also collected a career-best 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals at No. 18 Tennessee (01/26). The Netherlands native has scored in 17 of his 27 career appearances at Mississippi State.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Commodores have dropped all five of their road decisions this season. However, three of the five have been decided by seven points or less – at Kentucky (77-74 on 01/05), at Florida (78-71 on 01/27) and at Georgia (73-70 on 02/06).

Scotty Pippen Jr. (20.4 PPG, 5.1 APG, 1.6 SPG) is the only SEC player to collect double figures during all of his team's games in 2020-21. He has amassed 20-plus points in seven outings, which is tied for third on the SEC leaderboard. Pippen Jr. piled up a season's best 32 points and dished out six assists at Florida (01/27). He dialed up his lone double-double of the season, 18 points and 12 assists, during the Mississippi State game (01/09). Pippen Jr.'s 20.4 points and 5.1 assists are second among SEC leaders.

Dylan Disu (14.4 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 1.2 SPG) heads into Saturday's action in second place behind State's Tolu Smith on the SEC rebounding list. He has garnered four double-doubles on the season, most recently a pair of 18-point and 10-rebound efforts against Auburn (02/09) and at Kentucky (01/05). Disu has secured 10-plus points in 12 of his 14 appearances on the season.

Jordan Wright (8.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG) has been inserted into Vanderbilt's starting lineup during the last five games. He has posted double-digit points in back-to-back outings. Last time out, Wright filled the box score with 14 points, three assists and two steals versus Auburn (02/09).

As of late, D.J. Harvey (6.6 PPG) and Trey Thomas (5.4 PPG) have been the Commodores top performers off the bench. The pair combined for 30 points on a combined 11-of-22 shooting performance against the Bulldogs earlier this season.

Maxwell Evans (6.5 PPG) has hit for 10-plus points in three of his last five outings and connected for multiple three's in those five games. He racked up a season's best 29 points on 9-of-15 from the floor versus South Carolina (01/30).

FROM THE BENCH – BEN HOWLAND MEDIA SESSION
Q: What year in high school was Derek Fountain when he first appeared on the staff's radar, and what drew you to recruit him?
BH: "His junior year, we started recruiting him. You could see that he had a real nice skill package for a guy with size. He was a kid that grew up playing the guard position more than a big because he had a late growth spurt. So, he was a guy that because of that he had good guard skills. We were really fortunate to get him. He was down the road going to a prep school this past May/June. What a fortuitous thing it was for us to be able to get him to come here. As you can see now, he's going to be a really good player for us."

Q: What do you hope to use from and improve on from the previous matchup with Vanderbilt?
BH: "I watched that game yesterday the first time we played them. It was a one-point game at halftime. It was a very tight game. They're a scary team because they're playing really well right now. Their last four games have all been very tight. They lost at Florida in a seven-point loss against a really good Florida team. That thing was a very close game all the way through it. They beat South Carolina, prior to South Carolina going down to beat Florida right after that, before we played them. They beat South Carolina badly. They had them [South Carolina] down by 18 at halftime and go on to win by 12. It was really a 20-point game most of the second half."

"They played Georgia in a one possession game in the last 30 seconds and they had a chance to win at Georgia, losing by 2 because of a foul. They could have won. I think [Scotty] Pippen [Jr.] took a shot that ended up being blocked with about 15 seconds left that could have put them up. Then, they lost to Auburn in their last outing at home by six in a very tight game."

"They're [Vanderbilt] playing really well, and they're a very dangerous team. They're as good of a shooting team as there is in our league. Everybody can shoot the ball for their team. When you look at Pippen and [Dylan] Disu, they are two of the best players in our conference. Pippen is a really, really special player. He's a great passer, a great scorer and a great shooter. He makes good decisions. He gets to the [free throw] line. He shoots high percentages, both from three and from the field. He has a good assist-to-turnover ratio – he's got 51 assists in the nine games he's played in conference. He's a very good player."

"Disu has equally as impressive stats. He's shooting over 40 percent from three, has a very high field goal percentage, a very good rebounder and blocks shots. He's really talented. You look at the other guys, too. In the South Carolina game, Maxwell Evans had around 28 [points]. He played really well. He's shooting 46 percent from three in conference, really dangerous. A year ago, he had 30 against LSU in a win at home against LSU. He's a senior, so he has that added emphasis of 'This is my last go around, I want to do my very best'."

"Jordan Wright is playing really well. They come out with [Myles] Stute, who's a good shooter. [DJ] Harvey is a good shooter. They're very talented. [Trey] Thomas had 17 against us in the first game. He [has] a very small, slight build, but he's very skilled. He can really shoot. Everybody can shoot. They're a very difficult team because they stretch the floor so well with all of those guys that have the ability to shoot."

Q: How has your team responded since the LSU game?
BH: "We had a good practice yesterday. Normally, after a Wednesday game before a Saturday noon game, we wouldn't normally tape and go full contact, but because of how we defend them and our need to work on our transition defense, we went for about an hour and 10 minutes yesterday. It was really good. It was very spirited, and the guys played extremely hard. I was very pleased with that. I think that was a positive thing."

"Any time you play that poorly defensively, you want to get that taste out of your mouth and the best way to do that is to get back to the court and compete. They did that yesterday, that was progress. We'll practice again in about an hour and I expect to have another really good practice."

Q: We've seen the development of Derek Fountain in games, how are Andersson Garcia and Keondre Montgomery coming along in practice?
BH: "They don't get a lot of practice time right now 5-on-5 because they're the next two [that come in]. They get some but not a ton. Right now, this time of year, it's all about preparation for opponents. It's limited for them, unfortunately. They still get individual workouts and get up shots, but in terms of the 5-on-5 play, it's a limited number. It's typically Derek [Fountain], Cam [Cameron Matthews], Jalen [Johnson], and D.J. [Stewart Jr.] at the wings, along with Iverson [Molinar] and Deivon [Smith] at the point [guard]."

UP NEXT
Mississippi State returns to the road to face Auburn on Tuesday. The Tigers are the lone SEC opponent State has yet to meet in 2020-21. Tip time is on-tap for 8 p.m. CT from Auburn Arena, televised by ESPNU 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.