Wednesday, February 10
Starkville
8:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
LSU
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-LSU
February 09, 2021 | Men's Basketball
by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State men's basketball team plays its first conference home game in 22 days and squares off with LSU on Wednesday at Humphrey Coliseum.
Last time out, the Bulldogs (11-9, 5-6 SEC) ended a four-game SEC losing streak and knocked off South Carolina, 75-59, on Saturday. The 16-point win marked its largest margin of victory over the Gamecocks in Columbia and equaled the second-largest margin of victory for the Bulldogs over the 40-game series.
LSU (11-6, 6-4 SEC) has dropped four of its last five going back to 01/19 with three of those decisions coming against ranked opponents. The Tigers are playing their fourth consecutive SEC road game for the first time since the 1971-72 season.
Mississippi State has won 12 of its last 16 February games dating back to 02/12/2019. The Bulldogs enter this week's action in a seventh-place tie with Georgia and Ole Miss in the SEC standings. Only 1.5 separate State from Arkansas, Florida and Tennessee for the third spot.
A balanced offensive attack has been a successful formula for Mississippi State in 2020-21 as the Bulldogs has won eight of their nine 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 20 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 31.7 rebounds per game and a +8.1 rebounding margin.
Mississippi State is 6-1 when committing 12 turnovers or less and has won all seven of its outings when knocking down at least eight three-pointers this season.
MSU-LSU HARDWOOD SERIES
Wednesday's meeting marks the 215th in the all-time series where LSU holds a 112-102 edge. The two teams have split the previous eight meetings during the Ben Howland era. The Tigers have won three of the last four after State posted a three-game sweep in 2016-17.
LSU claimed a 92-88 overtime decision as both teams shot over 50 percent during the last meeting at Humphrey Coliseum on 02/06/2019.
Quinndary Weatherspoon pumped home 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting, while Reggie Perry tucked away a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Bulldogs. The Tigers were fueled by Naz Reid and Tremont Waters who dialed up 29 and 26 points, respectively, followed by Kavell Bigby-Williams' 14 points and 13 rebounds.
The Matchup: Mississippi State (11-9, 5-6 SEC) vs. LSU (11-6, 6-4 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Wednesday, February 10, 8:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
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. 381 (XM), Ch. 971 (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 fourth-most in the SEC and only behind Auburn (91), Tennessee (87) 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 47 games in double figures, headed by 14 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 47.1 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. (17.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.5 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 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 17.7 points per game are third and his 43.5 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, 4.1 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.1 SPG) has notched double figures in 15 of his 17 outings and during 19 of his 25 career starts. He secured a 20-point outing, his sixth of the season, versus Iowa State (01/30). MSU has racked up a 15-5 record when Molinar provides 10-plus points in his career. His 83.6 percent free throw percentage is third, his 16.8 points is fifth and his 47.3 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 10.9 points per game improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore season is tied for tops among SEC players with Auburn's Allen Flannigan this season and 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.
Smith (12.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.1 APG) has collected 14 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 second in the SEC 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 8.4 rebounds per game and 3.5 offensive rebounds per contest headline the SEC. His six games of 10-plus boards is second, while his 4.9 defensive rebounds per game is sixth in the SEC rankings. Smith has connected on 47-of-77 from the field (61.0 percent) over his last 10 appearances.
3. Abdul Ado (5.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.9 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 118th career start during Wednesday's LSU game. The 118 starts would be good enough for sole possession of third place and passing former teammate Quinndary Weatherspoon (2016-17-18-19). The 118 starts also would be five 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 1.9 blocks per game is fourth this season. Overall, Ado has piled up 220 career blocks, which ranks third in program history. His 1.86 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 LSU 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 708 career rebounds currently sit 12th on MSU's all-time list and is six rebounds away from passing Jerry Graves (1959-60-61).
4. Mississippi State's roster features a talented group of newcomers. The freshmen class is ignited by Deivon Smith (4.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.0 APG), Derek Fountain (4.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG) and Cameron Matthews (2.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.1 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.
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 six of his 11 SEC games and dished out three or more assists in seven of his 11 SEC outings. He has distributed 39 assists against 20 turnovers during his last 12 games and set a new career-high with nine dimes versus Iowa State (01/30).
Fountain has come away with 7.7 PPG and 2.7 RPG over his last three outings. He poured in season's best with nine points, two blocks and two assists at South Carolina (02/06). Fountain also grabbed a season-high tying four rebounds over his 29 minutes of action versus the Gamecocks.
Matthews has impacted the game on the defensive end with steals in 13 of 20 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 (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 (3.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG) and Quinten Post (3.4 PPG, 2.4 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 fired in 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 upped his marks to 5.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in his last four outings and has scored in 16 of his 26 career appearances at Mississippi State.
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Tigers are led by the SEC's top scoring trio in Cameron Thomas (22.3 PPG, 1.3 APG), Trendon Watford (16.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.3 SPG) and Javonte Smart (15.4 PPG, 3.8 APG, 1.4 SPG). The trio has accounted for a SEC-best 24 outings of 20-plus points on the season.
Thomas has exploded for a SEC-leading 12 games of 20-plus points on his own highlighted by five of his last six outings. He amassed a season's best 32 points against Texas A&M (12/29) in the SEC opener and provided 28 points in LSU's last win at Texas A&M (01/26). A big part of Thomas' success is his ability to get to the free throw line where he averages 7.4 attempts per game and connects on 89.7 percent of his foul shots.
Watford has worked his way to a pair of 20-point, 10-rebound performances in SEC action. He came away with 26 points and 10 rebounds at Kentucky (01/23). The 26 points also were a season-high and marked his eight game of 20-plus point on the season. Like Thomas, a key component to Watford's success is he averages 6.4 foul shot attempts per game and hits at a 70.8 percent ratio.
Smart does a majority of his damage from three-point territory and ability to drive to the basket. He has drained 2.7 triples per game at a 43.9 percent shooting clip. Smart equaled his career-high with 29 points on 12-of-18 from the floor against No. 10 Texas Tech during the SEC/Big 12 Challenge (01/30). He has dished out five-plus assists in nine of 16 games.
Darius Days (12.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.3 SPG) has connected on 72.1 percent of his two-point field goal attempts and collected four double-doubles on the season. He notched 18 points and 13 rebounds against Arkansas (01/13) for his last double-double. Days left the Texas Tech game (01/30) due to injury and did not play at Alabama (02/03) last time out.
Mwani Wilkinson (4.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG) and Eric Gaines (2.6 PPG, 1.1 SPG) are the only other LSU players to score in double figures in a conference outside of Days, Smart, Thomas and Watford. Gaines tallied 10 points at Ole Miss (01/09), while Wilkinson secured 11 points versus Arkansas (01/13).
FROM THE BENCH – BEN HOWLAND MEDIA SESSION
Q: What kind of challenges do the trio of Trendon Watford, Cameron Thomas, and Javonte Smart present?
BH: "They're really good players. Starting with [Cameron] Thomas, he's the leading freshman scorer in the country this year. He's really able to get his own shot because of his incredible elevation on his shot. He gets two-and-a-half, three feet in the air every time he shoots a jump shot. It's very hard to defend him. When he gets hot, he can really get on a roll. We've seen it. Maybe the first couple of league games I watched him play, somehow, I was watching them [LSU]. I don't know who they were playing, but it was someone we were getting ready to play. He was just killing it. It was just amazing. He's very talented."
"I've always loved [Javonte] Smart. Smart's a junior now, a very intelligent point guard. He plays on a really good teams for LSU. I've watched their Texas Tech game last night, and he was so good in that game. They should've won that game for sure. He had 29 points and was just orchestrating everything offensively. They're top 10 in the country in [KenPom] offensive efficiency because of these three players along with Darius Days, who according to what I'm reading into from [the tweets following] Will Wade's [press conference] this morning. He's going to play against us tomorrow. He had sprained his ankle in that [Texas] Tech game and missed their last SEC game at Alabama … He's a very, very good player as well. He's had a lot of experience because he's been a starter for a couple of year's now and has played a lot all three years he's been there."
"And then, [Trendon] Watford, is really talented. Watford waffled where he was even coming back this year. He put his name in last year and went through the whole [NBA Draft] process. Then, at the last minute, he elected to stay. A year ago, he was their starting three man and had never played the four before. Now, he's playing the four exclusively almost. He's a really a hard matchup for your four's because you have a three man who has great size, really skilled and hard matchup whether he shoots it. He's a great passer. He's very good around the basket, and he's an excellent offensive rebounder. They are very talented."
Q: How has Deivon Smith handled starting in the last three games?
BH: "I think what he does for us is he does a great job pushing the ball in transition, that's number one. We saw we had a lot of good defensive positions in our last game at South Carolina and scored a lot in transition out of those stops. He's a big part of the reason why because he does a good job of advancing the ball with the pass and also pushing the ball with the dribble. Just a nice job on a number of decisions there doing that for us."
"The biggest thing for him is keep getting better in the halfcourt offense – penetrating and making good decisions at the end of his drives. And also, being a better defender and being able to stay in front of the ball. I think he has really grown in that area. He's doing a better job jumping to his passes, stunting and getting into gaps and getting back into zone. It's just a continuous growth thing, especially staying in front of the ball and not getting penetrated on when he's on the ball."
Q: What has been your message to the team in the big picture with their being a couple of games separating second/third place from ninth/10th place?
BH: "We talk about the fact that if we can win tomorrow, it will put us even in the SEC at 6-6. That's what our goal is to get back even again. We try to keep focused on the now."
Q: How much of a step forward did you see after during these recent SEC road games?
BH: "It was a huge step for us, and our guys were really excited about the win [at South Carolina] as you can imagine. We had beat Iowa State the previous Saturday, but that wasn't a conference game. To win on the road is always special and always difficult. All the games are difficult, but with that being said, winning on the road was special."
"South Carolina was coming off a great win where they just won at Florida and played a very good Florida team tough and ended up winning down there. So, this was a positive step for our team. Now, we need to build on it. We're going to be really tested because LSU has been off. They haven't played in a week. They've been sitting there waiting on us now … You never know how it's going to work out. This is going to be a tough game. [Darius] Days is supposed to be back, and that's a big step in the right direction for them because he's a very good player."
UP NEXT
Mississippi State completes the first of its five home-and-home series and takes on Vanderbilt for a Saturday matinee. Tip time is schedule for 12 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.
STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State men's basketball team plays its first conference home game in 22 days and squares off with LSU on Wednesday at Humphrey Coliseum.
Last time out, the Bulldogs (11-9, 5-6 SEC) ended a four-game SEC losing streak and knocked off South Carolina, 75-59, on Saturday. The 16-point win marked its largest margin of victory over the Gamecocks in Columbia and equaled the second-largest margin of victory for the Bulldogs over the 40-game series.
LSU (11-6, 6-4 SEC) has dropped four of its last five going back to 01/19 with three of those decisions coming against ranked opponents. The Tigers are playing their fourth consecutive SEC road game for the first time since the 1971-72 season.
Mississippi State has won 12 of its last 16 February games dating back to 02/12/2019. The Bulldogs enter this week's action in a seventh-place tie with Georgia and Ole Miss in the SEC standings. Only 1.5 separate State from Arkansas, Florida and Tennessee for the third spot.
A balanced offensive attack has been a successful formula for Mississippi State in 2020-21 as the Bulldogs has won eight of their nine 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 20 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 31.7 rebounds per game and a +8.1 rebounding margin.
Mississippi State is 6-1 when committing 12 turnovers or less and has won all seven of its outings when knocking down at least eight three-pointers this season.
MSU-LSU HARDWOOD SERIES
Wednesday's meeting marks the 215th in the all-time series where LSU holds a 112-102 edge. The two teams have split the previous eight meetings during the Ben Howland era. The Tigers have won three of the last four after State posted a three-game sweep in 2016-17.
LSU claimed a 92-88 overtime decision as both teams shot over 50 percent during the last meeting at Humphrey Coliseum on 02/06/2019.
Quinndary Weatherspoon pumped home 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting, while Reggie Perry tucked away a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Bulldogs. The Tigers were fueled by Naz Reid and Tremont Waters who dialed up 29 and 26 points, respectively, followed by Kavell Bigby-Williams' 14 points and 13 rebounds.
The Matchup: Mississippi State (11-9, 5-6 SEC) vs. LSU (11-6, 6-4 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Wednesday, February 10, 8:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
TV: ESPNU
Talent: Beth Mowins, Dane Bradshaw
DirecTV: Ch. 208, Dish: Ch. 141, AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 1605, MaxxSouth: Ch. 1162, C Spire: Ch. 206
Online: Watch ESPN app & Watch ESPN online (Cable Subscription Required)
(http://hailst.at/MSUvsLSU021021)
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. 381 (XM), Ch. 971 (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 fourth-most in the SEC and only behind Auburn (91), Tennessee (87) 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 47 games in double figures, headed by 14 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 47.1 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. (17.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.5 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 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 17.7 points per game are third and his 43.5 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, 4.1 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.1 SPG) has notched double figures in 15 of his 17 outings and during 19 of his 25 career starts. He secured a 20-point outing, his sixth of the season, versus Iowa State (01/30). MSU has racked up a 15-5 record when Molinar provides 10-plus points in his career. His 83.6 percent free throw percentage is third, his 16.8 points is fifth and his 47.3 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 10.9 points per game improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore season is tied for tops among SEC players with Auburn's Allen Flannigan this season and 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.
Smith (12.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.1 APG) has collected 14 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 second in the SEC 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 8.4 rebounds per game and 3.5 offensive rebounds per contest headline the SEC. His six games of 10-plus boards is second, while his 4.9 defensive rebounds per game is sixth in the SEC rankings. Smith has connected on 47-of-77 from the field (61.0 percent) over his last 10 appearances.
3. Abdul Ado (5.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.9 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 118th career start during Wednesday's LSU game. The 118 starts would be good enough for sole possession of third place and passing former teammate Quinndary Weatherspoon (2016-17-18-19). The 118 starts also would be five 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 1.9 blocks per game is fourth this season. Overall, Ado has piled up 220 career blocks, which ranks third in program history. His 1.86 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 LSU 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 708 career rebounds currently sit 12th on MSU's all-time list and is six rebounds away from passing Jerry Graves (1959-60-61).
4. Mississippi State's roster features a talented group of newcomers. The freshmen class is ignited by Deivon Smith (4.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.0 APG), Derek Fountain (4.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG) and Cameron Matthews (2.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.1 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.
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 six of his 11 SEC games and dished out three or more assists in seven of his 11 SEC outings. He has distributed 39 assists against 20 turnovers during his last 12 games and set a new career-high with nine dimes versus Iowa State (01/30).
Fountain has come away with 7.7 PPG and 2.7 RPG over his last three outings. He poured in season's best with nine points, two blocks and two assists at South Carolina (02/06). Fountain also grabbed a season-high tying four rebounds over his 29 minutes of action versus the Gamecocks.
Matthews has impacted the game on the defensive end with steals in 13 of 20 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 (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 (3.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG) and Quinten Post (3.4 PPG, 2.4 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 fired in 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 upped his marks to 5.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in his last four outings and has scored in 16 of his 26 career appearances at Mississippi State.
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Tigers are led by the SEC's top scoring trio in Cameron Thomas (22.3 PPG, 1.3 APG), Trendon Watford (16.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.3 SPG) and Javonte Smart (15.4 PPG, 3.8 APG, 1.4 SPG). The trio has accounted for a SEC-best 24 outings of 20-plus points on the season.
Thomas has exploded for a SEC-leading 12 games of 20-plus points on his own highlighted by five of his last six outings. He amassed a season's best 32 points against Texas A&M (12/29) in the SEC opener and provided 28 points in LSU's last win at Texas A&M (01/26). A big part of Thomas' success is his ability to get to the free throw line where he averages 7.4 attempts per game and connects on 89.7 percent of his foul shots.
Watford has worked his way to a pair of 20-point, 10-rebound performances in SEC action. He came away with 26 points and 10 rebounds at Kentucky (01/23). The 26 points also were a season-high and marked his eight game of 20-plus point on the season. Like Thomas, a key component to Watford's success is he averages 6.4 foul shot attempts per game and hits at a 70.8 percent ratio.
Smart does a majority of his damage from three-point territory and ability to drive to the basket. He has drained 2.7 triples per game at a 43.9 percent shooting clip. Smart equaled his career-high with 29 points on 12-of-18 from the floor against No. 10 Texas Tech during the SEC/Big 12 Challenge (01/30). He has dished out five-plus assists in nine of 16 games.
Darius Days (12.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.3 SPG) has connected on 72.1 percent of his two-point field goal attempts and collected four double-doubles on the season. He notched 18 points and 13 rebounds against Arkansas (01/13) for his last double-double. Days left the Texas Tech game (01/30) due to injury and did not play at Alabama (02/03) last time out.
Mwani Wilkinson (4.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG) and Eric Gaines (2.6 PPG, 1.1 SPG) are the only other LSU players to score in double figures in a conference outside of Days, Smart, Thomas and Watford. Gaines tallied 10 points at Ole Miss (01/09), while Wilkinson secured 11 points versus Arkansas (01/13).
FROM THE BENCH – BEN HOWLAND MEDIA SESSION
Q: What kind of challenges do the trio of Trendon Watford, Cameron Thomas, and Javonte Smart present?
BH: "They're really good players. Starting with [Cameron] Thomas, he's the leading freshman scorer in the country this year. He's really able to get his own shot because of his incredible elevation on his shot. He gets two-and-a-half, three feet in the air every time he shoots a jump shot. It's very hard to defend him. When he gets hot, he can really get on a roll. We've seen it. Maybe the first couple of league games I watched him play, somehow, I was watching them [LSU]. I don't know who they were playing, but it was someone we were getting ready to play. He was just killing it. It was just amazing. He's very talented."
"I've always loved [Javonte] Smart. Smart's a junior now, a very intelligent point guard. He plays on a really good teams for LSU. I've watched their Texas Tech game last night, and he was so good in that game. They should've won that game for sure. He had 29 points and was just orchestrating everything offensively. They're top 10 in the country in [KenPom] offensive efficiency because of these three players along with Darius Days, who according to what I'm reading into from [the tweets following] Will Wade's [press conference] this morning. He's going to play against us tomorrow. He had sprained his ankle in that [Texas] Tech game and missed their last SEC game at Alabama … He's a very, very good player as well. He's had a lot of experience because he's been a starter for a couple of year's now and has played a lot all three years he's been there."
"And then, [Trendon] Watford, is really talented. Watford waffled where he was even coming back this year. He put his name in last year and went through the whole [NBA Draft] process. Then, at the last minute, he elected to stay. A year ago, he was their starting three man and had never played the four before. Now, he's playing the four exclusively almost. He's a really a hard matchup for your four's because you have a three man who has great size, really skilled and hard matchup whether he shoots it. He's a great passer. He's very good around the basket, and he's an excellent offensive rebounder. They are very talented."
Q: How has Deivon Smith handled starting in the last three games?
BH: "I think what he does for us is he does a great job pushing the ball in transition, that's number one. We saw we had a lot of good defensive positions in our last game at South Carolina and scored a lot in transition out of those stops. He's a big part of the reason why because he does a good job of advancing the ball with the pass and also pushing the ball with the dribble. Just a nice job on a number of decisions there doing that for us."
"The biggest thing for him is keep getting better in the halfcourt offense – penetrating and making good decisions at the end of his drives. And also, being a better defender and being able to stay in front of the ball. I think he has really grown in that area. He's doing a better job jumping to his passes, stunting and getting into gaps and getting back into zone. It's just a continuous growth thing, especially staying in front of the ball and not getting penetrated on when he's on the ball."
Q: What has been your message to the team in the big picture with their being a couple of games separating second/third place from ninth/10th place?
BH: "We talk about the fact that if we can win tomorrow, it will put us even in the SEC at 6-6. That's what our goal is to get back even again. We try to keep focused on the now."
Q: How much of a step forward did you see after during these recent SEC road games?
BH: "It was a huge step for us, and our guys were really excited about the win [at South Carolina] as you can imagine. We had beat Iowa State the previous Saturday, but that wasn't a conference game. To win on the road is always special and always difficult. All the games are difficult, but with that being said, winning on the road was special."
"South Carolina was coming off a great win where they just won at Florida and played a very good Florida team tough and ended up winning down there. So, this was a positive step for our team. Now, we need to build on it. We're going to be really tested because LSU has been off. They haven't played in a week. They've been sitting there waiting on us now … You never know how it's going to work out. This is going to be a tough game. [Darius] Days is supposed to be back, and that's a big step in the right direction for them because he's a very good player."
UP NEXT
Mississippi State completes the first of its five home-and-home series and takes on Vanderbilt for a Saturday matinee. Tip time is schedule for 12 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.
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