Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-South Carolina

Wednesday, February 24

Starkville

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

South Carolina

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-South Carolina

February 23, 2021 | Men's Basketball

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by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State men's basketball team looks for a regular season sweep and faces South Carolina for the second time over an 18-day span on Wednesday evening.

The Bulldogs (12-11, 6-8 SEC) are looking to build off their recent momentum courtesy of a 66-56 win over Ole Miss on Saturday, while South Carolina (5-11, 3-9 SEC) has dropped its last five outings which began with State's 75-59 triumph on 02/06 in Columbia .

State's four captains of Abdul Ado, Iverson Molinar, Tolu Smith and D.J. Stewart Jr. combined for 54 of the team's 66 points in Oxford. The Bulldogs enter this week's action in sole possession of ninth place in the SEC standings and trail Tennessee by two games for fifth place.

A balanced offensive attack has been a successful formula for 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 18 of its 23 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 31.6 rebounds per game and a +6.7 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 fourth among SEC teams in paint points (738) and second-chance opportunities (279) on the season.

MSU-SOUTH CAROLINA HARDWOOD SERIES
The two teams began its home-and-home slate back in 2015-16. Each team has recorded a sweep, and the two programs have split the matchup on three occasions.

Earlier this season, D.J. Stewart Jr. pumped in a SEC career-best 29 points followed by Iverson Molinar's 16 points and four assists to fuel State's 75-59 rout on 02/06 in Columbia.

The Bulldogs have won three straight and 13 of the 17 all-time meetings in Starkville. Nick Weatherspoon dialed up 18 points and six assists followed by D.J. Stewart Jr.'s 16 points and Abdul Ado's 14 points as the Bulldogs earned a 79-76 home court win last season.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (12-11, 6-8 SEC) vs. South Carolina (5-11, 3-9 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Wednesday, February 24, 6:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Roy Philpott, Mark Wise
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/MSUvsSC022421)

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. 84 (Sirius/XM/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 80 victories since the start of the 2017-18 season which is fifth-most in the SEC, behind Auburn (92), Kentucky (89), Tennessee (89) and LSU (81). 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 53 games in double figures, headed by 15 outings of 20-plus points. The Bulldogs are 10-0 when each member of the trio scores at least 10 points this season.

Molinar, Smith and Stewart Jr. have racked up 46.4 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.

Molinar (16.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.2 SPG) has notched double figures in 18 of his 20 outings and during 22 of his 28 career starts. He secured a 20-point outing, his sixth of the season, versus Iowa State (01/30). MSU has racked up a 16-7 record when Molinar provides 10-plus points in his career. His 82.9 percent free throw percentage is third, his 16.9 points are fourth and his 47.7 field goal percentage is sixth 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 11.0 points per game improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore season is tied for first among SEC players with Auburn's Allen Flanigan this season and is tied for the 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.

Stewart Jr. (16.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.5 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 23-10 record over the last two seasons when he scores 10-plus points.

The Grace, Mississippi, native has already surpassed his 2019-20 total with 19 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 16.7 points per game are fifth, his 42.9 percent shooting clip is 10th, his 78.3 free throw percentage is tied for 11th and his 1.5 steals are 12^th among SEC leaders. He and Molinar are two of eight SEC players to have at least six games of 20-plus points this season.

Smith (12.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.1 APG) has collected 16 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 3.4 offensive rebounds per contest headline the SEC, while his 8.3 rebounds per game are second in the league rankings. His seven games of 10-plus boards also are tied for second, while his 4.9 defensive rebounds per game is sixth in the SEC. Smith has connected on 64-of-99 from the field (64.6 percent) over his last 13 appearances.

3. Abdul Ado (5.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.8 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 121st career start during Wednesday's South Carolina game. The 121 starts would be good enough for sole possession of second place and would be two shy of passing 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 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 1.8 blocks per game is fourth this season. Overall, Ado has piled up 223 career blocks, which ranks third in program history. His 1.84 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 65 career games with multiple rejections.

Ado is tied with Varnado for Mississippi State's all-time field goal percentage leader heading into the South Carolina contest among players with at least 275 baskets made. He 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). Ado's 722 career rebounds sit 11th on MSU's all-time list and is 32 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 (5.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG), Deivon Smith (5.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.0 APG) and Cameron Matthews (2.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 0.9 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 six appearances, he has provided 7.8 points on 18-of-33 shooting (54.5 percent) and 3.3 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 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 nine of his 14 SEC games and dished out three or more assists in nine of his 14 SEC outings. He has distributed 49 of his 69 assists over his last 15 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 22 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 (5.6 PPG, 1.8 RPG), Javian Davis (2.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG) and Quinten Post (3.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG).

Johnson has piled up 1,179 points and 533 rebounds over 120 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 21 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 29 career appearances at Mississippi State.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Like State, the Gamecocks possess one of the SEC's top scoring duos in A.J. Lawson and Keyshawn Bryant, who have combined for 32.5 points per contest. South Carolina is the SEC leader and heads into this week's action with 13.8 offensive rebounds per game.

Lawson (18.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG) has racked up 10 outings of 20-plus points on the season, which includes four straight games, six of his last seven and seven of his last nine performances. He came away with 22 points versus Missouri (02/20) last time out. Lawson has canned multiple treys during nine consecutive games and hit on 17 of his 50 three-pointers over last four appearances. The 18.3 points per contest is good enough for third place on the SEC leaderboard.

Bryant (14.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 1.0 BPG) has chipped in double-digit points in 11 of his 14 efforts on the season. He provided a season's best 26 points coupled with seven rebounds and four blocks at LSU (01/16). Bryant has dialed up 10-plus points in four of his last five games. He secured 15 points apiece during South Carolina's last two games against Tennessee (02/17) and Missouri (02/20).

Jermaine Couisnard (9.7 PPG, 3.6 APG, 1.4 SPG) has missed the team's last two games due to injury. He has dished our four-plus assists in nine of his 14 outings. His last game in double figures came as part of an SEC-best 18 points versus Georgia (01/27). The 3.6 assists are sixth in the SEC rankings.

Justin Minaya (7.9 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.8 APG) has turned in a trio of double-doubles on the season, most recently 10 points and 11 rebounds at Missouri (01/19). The 6.7 rebounds per contest are ninth among SEC players.

Recently, Seventh Woods (5.7 PPG, 2.7 APG, 1.3 SPG) has picked up his play with four games in double figures since the Vanderbilt game on 01/30. Woods pumped home a season-high 12 points at No. 22 Florida (02/03) and secured 10 points during the first meeting with Mississippi State (02/05).

FROM THE BENCH – HEAD COACH BEN HOWLAND MEDIA SESSION
Q: What have you seen from Derek Fountain improving defensively?
BH: "I thought he did a good job. He was really in good help [defense]. He was stunting well and being aggressive with his defense. He still has to get better at blocking out on every possession, but overall has made some strides. I thought he played his best game defensively at Ole Miss."

Q: What did D.J. Stewart Jr. do well to have a good game in the first matchup this year with South Carolina?
BH: "He scored in all ways. He scored from three, he scored from midrange, he scored at the basket and he scored at the foul line. That's what he has to do to put together a game of 29 points, which is a career high in an SEC game for him. I think he had four three's in that game. He really shot it well from three-point land, and that was big. He had a magnificent game on both ends of the floor. He played good defensively. I thought he created some turnovers. He was really fantastic, and we need to have a similar effort out of him tomorrow night."

Q: What do you expect to see from South Carolina?
BH: "They've been shorthanded these last couple of games. They had [Jermaine] Couisnard out for two games with a sprained foot against Ole Miss. He got hurt early in the game, eight minutes in. I'm assuming he'll be back for our game, and that makes a big difference. He's a really good player – one of their best players. Then, [Justin] Minaya missed a game. He was back in the last game coming off the bench. I think they'll be at full strength again."

"We know how tough they are to play against. Every time we play South Carolina, it's like a root canal – it's so difficult because they're so tough defensively. They change defenses, they're going to play both man and zone, they press some, they'll trap some out of their zone and they push the ball really hard. It's a team that, in terms of KenPom tempo, they're way up on the list. They really push the issue."

"They're playing different this year in that they're not pounding it inside as much as they have in previous years that we've played against South Carolina. It's a different thing to guard because they play four guards a lot. They really space the floor. Sometimes, [they] play five guards. Sometimes, they'll have [Keyshawn] Bryant and [Justin] Minaya as the four [power forward] and the five [center]. Those are tough matchups for your bigs.

"It [The Ole Miss win] was a great win for us. We needed that one desperately on the road. We have to try to put together two wins in a row here, and we've only done it one time the entire conference [season]. We have to try to put back-to-back games together, in terms of our effort, focus, and really playing well here to win. We know we're going to have to play really well to beat [South Carolina]. [AJ] Lawson is one of the best players in our league. He's an all-league player. [Keyshawn] Bryant has had a terrific year. He's a very difficult matchup. We have our hands full with these guys."

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs conclude their 2020-21 home slate and play host to No. 6 Alabama for Senior Night on Saturday. Tip time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT from Humphrey Coliseum, televised by 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.