Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Saint Louis

Saturday, March 20

Frisco, Texas (Comerica Center)

4:00 PM

Mississippi State

Saint Louis

Photo by: Austin Perryman/MSU Athletics

Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Saint Louis

March 18, 2021 | Men's Basketball

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by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

FRISCO, Texas – The Mississippi State men's basketball team returns to postseason play for the third consecutive time when postseason tournaments have been played as the Bulldogs face Saint Louis from the Atlantic 10 Conference during Saturday's NIT Round of 16 at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas.

The Bulldogs (15-14) have won four of their last six games and are one of eight SEC programs to secure a postseason bid. State has won four of its last five NIT openers in the 2000s to ignite trips to the 2007 and 2018 NIT Final Four.

The winner of Saturday's matchup advances to face Richmond (14-8), a 76-66 winner over Toledo, in the quarterfinal round set for Thursday, March 25th, televised by the ESPN Family of Networks.

The Maroon and White has limited the opposition to 58.2 points per game and a collective 34.2 shooting percentage during its last six victories. The Bulldogs also held SEC regular season and tournament champion Alabama to SEC lows of 64 points and a 32.3 percent shooting clip (02/27).

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

Mississippi State has won the battle of boards against 23 of its 29 opponents in 2020-21, highlighted by a +10 rebounding margin in 10 games. Most recently, the Bulldogs dialed up a 46-30 advantage on the glass against Kentucky during the SEC Tournament Second Round (03/11).

The Bulldogs are ranked inside the SEC's top three in numerous categories which include rebounding margin (+7.1 – 1st), offensive rebounding percentage (36.4 – 1st), opponent field goal percentage (40.3 – 2nd), opponent rebounds (32.1 – 2nd), opponent points per game (66.6 – 3rd), offensive rebounds per game (12.5 – 3rd) and defensive rebounding percentage (72.4 – 3rd).

Mississippi State is 6-2 when committing 12 turnovers or less and has won eight of its nine outings when knocking down at least eight three-pointers this season. The Bulldogs are fourth among SEC teams in paint points (956).

MSU-SAINT LOUIS HARDWOOD SERIES
Mississippi State and Saint Louis have split the previous two meetings. Most recently, the Bulldogs blitzed the Billikens, 75-50, during the 2014-15 season at the Corpus Christi Coastal Classic in Texas.

Travis Daniels led the way with 21 points aided by four treys. Gavin Ware and Fred Thomas added 16 and 14 points, respectively, for the Maroon and White.

Mississippi State holds a 15-11 record against current Atlantic 10 members. The Bulldogs have won two of three meetings over Dayton since 2017-18. The Flyers secured an 85-82 double overtime decision earlier this season.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (15-14, 8-10 SEC) vs. Saint Louis (14-6, 6-4 A-10)
Where: Frisco, Texas – Comerica Center
When: Saturday, March 20, 4:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: ESPN
Talent: John Schriffen, Fran Fraschilla
DirecTV: Ch. 206, Dish: Ch. 140, AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 1602, MaxxSouth: Ch. 1023, C Spire: Ch. 200
Online: Watch ESPN app & Watch ESPN online (Cable Subscription Required)
(http://hailst.at/MSUvsSLU032021)

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)

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 83 victories since the start of the 2017-18 season which is tied for the fifth-most with Arkansas in the SEC and only behind Auburn (94), Tennessee (92), Kentucky (90) and LSU (85).

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. have etched 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 66 games in double figures, headed by 17 outings of 20-plus points. The Bulldogs are 10-2 when each member of the trio scores at least 10 points during the same game this season.

Molinar, Smith and Stewart Jr. have racked up 45.1 points per game, which is second-most in the SEC only behind LSU's Cameron Thomas, Trendan 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 (16.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.0 SPG) has notched double figures in 23 of his 26 outings this season and during 27 of his 33 career starts. He secured a 21-point outing, his seventh of the season, versus Kentucky (03/11) at the SEC Tournament where the Panama native tallied eight points over the last 3:07 of the contest to bring the Bulldogs back from a five-point deficit. MSU has racked up an 18-10 record when Molinar provides 10-plus points in his career. His 47.5 field goal percentage is fifth, his 16.6 points are sixth and his 80.4 percent free throw percentage is 11th on the SEC leaderboard. Molinar amassed career-highs with 24 points at Vanderbilt (01/09) and at Georgia (12/30).

Molinar's 10.7 points per game improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore season tied for second among SEC players with Florida's Tre Mann and only behind Auburn's Allen Flanigan this season. It also is tied for the seventh-highest jump 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. (15.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.4 SPG), an All-SEC Second-Team performer, has captured 10 of his top 11 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 25-12 record over the last two seasons when he scores 10-plus points.

The Grace, Mississippi, native has surpassed his 2019-20 total with 23 games in double figures, highlighted by a 12 consecutive games to start the season. He piled up 20 of his 24 points during the second half of State's 78-63 win over No. 13 Missouri (01/05). Stewart Jr. dished out a career-best 10 assists, which also is the third-highest by a MSU player at a SEC Tournament game against Kentucky (03/11). His 15.8 points per game are 10th, his 41.4 percent shooting clip is 10th, his 79.6 free throw percentage is 12th and his 1.4 steals is 14th among SEC leaders. He and Molinar are two of 12 SEC players to have at least six games of 20-plus points this season.

Smith (12.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.2 APG) has collected 20 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 eight double-doubles on the season, most recently with 13 points and 11 rebounds versus Kentucky (03/11) at the SEC Tournament. He has rattled off a pair of 20-10 performances in 2020-21 headlined by career-bests 27 points and 14 rebounds came against Florida (01/16). Smith tallied 17 of his 27 points, eight of his 14 rebounds and hit on all six of his shot attempts during the second half. He also turned 20 points, nine rebounds and two steals at Auburn (03/06).

Smith's 8.6 rebounds and 3.4 offensive rebounds per contest headline the SEC. He is looking to give State the SEC's rebounding champion in back-to-back seasons. Reggie Perry was the SEC's top rebounding in 2019-20. His 10 games of 10-plus boards also are first, while his 5.2 defensive rebounds per game is fifth in the SEC. He is two offensive rebounds shy of becoming the sixth player going back to the 1986-87 season to tuck away 100 offensive rebounds in a season. The list includes Abdul Ado, Erick Dampier, Lawrence Roberts and Jarvis Varnado.

3. Abdul Ado (5.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.1 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 127th career start during Saturday's Saint Louis game. The 127 starts are a program record, the previous mark was 122 career starts by 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, one of five players to earn a spot on the All-SEC Defensive Team in 2020-21, has ranked among the SEC's top 10 in blocks shots during all four seasons and his 2.1 blocks per game is third this season. Overall, Ado has piled up 242 career blocks, which ranks third in program history. His 1.91 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 69 career games with multiple rejections.

Ado tops Mississippi State's all-time field goal percentage leader heading into the Saint Louis contest among players with at least 275 baskets made. He came away with a SEC season's best with 12 points against Kentucky (03/11) at the SEC Tournament and hauled down a season-high 12 rebounds at No. 18 Tennessee (01/26). Ado's 770 career rebounds sit 10th on MSU's all-time list and is three rebounds away from passing Dave Williams (1966-67-68).

4. Mississippi State's roster features a talented group of newcomers. The freshmen class is ignited by Deivon Smith (4.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.0 SPG), Derek Fountain (4.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG) and Cameron Matthews (2.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.8 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 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 12 of his 18 SEC games and dished out three or more assists in 12 of his 18 SEC outings. He has distributed 57 of his 87 assists (65.5 percent) over his last 16 appearances since the Florida game (01/16) and set a new career-high with nine dimes versus Iowa State (01/30).

Fountain fired in season's best 20 points and seven rebounds versus LSU (02/10) off the bench. He has started six of the team's last eight games and seen 224 of his 247 minutes over the team's last 10 outings. 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.

Matthews has impacted the game on the defensive end with steals in 14 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 (5.2 PPG, 1.7 RPG), Quinten Post (2.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG) and Javian Davis (2.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG).

Johnson has piled up 1,186 points and 536 rebounds over 123 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 15 of his 24 appearances and multiple three's in six outings during the 2020-21 campaign.

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) and at Texas A&M (03/03). 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 20 of his 35 career appearances at Mississippi State.

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).

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Billikens, under the direction of former Kentucky guard Travis Ford, come into the NIT having won seven of their last 10 outings headed by a victory over Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament champion St. Bonaventure (70-59 on 02/06). Saint Louis also knocked off LSU (85-81 on 11/28) and North Carolina State (80-69 on 12/17) during non-conference play.

Javonte Perkins (17.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.9 APG) has filled it up for double figures in 19 of 20 games fueled by six games of 20-plus points. He pumped home a season's best 32 points came against LSU (11/28) and came away with a 25-point effort versus Massachusetts (03/05) in the A-10 Tournament. Perkins has drained 36 triples headed by 11 games with multiple three-pointers.

Jordan Goodwin (14.5 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.9 SPG) has amassed 14 double-doubles on the season. Most recently, he secured 18 points and 14 rebounds against UMass (03/12) at the A-10 Tournament. Goodwin has compiled a trio of 20-10 efforts all coming in non-conference action against Indiana State (12/15), at Minnesota (12/20) and versus Kansas City (12/23).

Hasahn French (8.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.2 BPG) has connected on 52.6 percent from the floor and tucked away double-digit points in three of his the team's last five games. He has notched multiple rejections in seven games on the season and totaled 224 career blocks, which ranks fourth among NCAA active players.

Yuri Collins (5.2 PPG, 6.2 APG, 1.2 SPG) has handed out five-plus assists in 13 of his 18 appearances. He has provided 10-plus points on three occasions headed by a pair of 17-point efforts versus North Carolina State (12/17) and Massachusetts (03/05) at the A-10 Tournament.

Gibson Jimerson (8.2 PPG), Marten Linssen (5.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG) and Fred Thatch Jr. (5.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG) have been the top performers for the Billikens off the bench. Jimerson started the season on a strong note with double figures in five of team's first eight games. He has sank 37 of his 58 field goals from three-point territory. Jimerson tallied 16 points versus LSU (11/28).

FROM THE BENCH – COACH HOWLAND MEDIA SESSION
Q: What was the reaction of the team and yourself when you heard you were in the NIT?
BH: "I was excited, honestly. The last time we were in the NIT was a great experience for us here [in 2018], and it led us to New York in the [NIT] Final Four. I thought it really helped us in the following year to make a run to get to the NCAA Tournament during Quinndary [Weatherspoon's] senior year. It's a great tournament with great history and great tradition."

"We are a young team. Any time you can get some postseason experience, I think it helps kids. There's only the 68 plus 16 teams that are playing. It's 84 teams [playing in the postseason], everybody else is done. I'm excited for our guys."

"Our guys had Saturday and Sunday off with obviously a tough loss with the way we got beat by Alabama, but I reminded them that Alabama beat LSU at LSU by 30 [points]. Alabama beat Arkansas by 31 [points]. Those teams are really good teams. Those teams bounced back, and they were incredible down the stretch. It is what it is. We're going to put that behind us. We had our second-best win of the year beating Kentucky for the first time in 12 seasons at the SEC Tournament."

"We went through a year last year where we didn't get to play in the SEC Tournament. We had a double bye. So, to have a chance to still be playing, to be hooping, to be playing ball, what's better than this?"

Q: A very quality opponent that almost was in the NCAA Tournament, what do you expect to see from Saint Louis?
BH: "They have three really good seniors to start. You look at [Hasahn] French, he's the third leading scorer. The two guards [Javonte Perkins and Jordan Goodwin] are great. The two and the three are really good players, but those three seniors are outstanding."

"They have a very good team … they ended up being 14-6. They beat LSU the second game this season, and they beat North Carolina State. They beat St. Bonaventure at home, who ended up coming out of their league as one of the teams that's in the [NCAA] tournament and has a good seed. They [St. Bonaventure] play LSU."

"They're a very good team, and they're very well coached. He [Travis Ford] does an outstanding job. They shoot it. They're good around the basket. They'll change defenses. They're primarily man-to-man, but they will also play three different zones. They'll play a 1-3-1, they'll play a 3-2 and they'll even play a little bit of a 2-3. They're tough. They're hard-nosed kids, and they've got good depth. They have a number of bigs that come off the bench for them that can score. They'll play small at times. They've got a great shooter in [Gibson] Jimerson. They've got a really nice team. It's going to be a big challenge."

Q: After the Alabama game, you said that your team had an outside shot to get into the NIT. How realistic did you think this possibility of being in the NIT was?
BH: "They had shown interest in us because, prior to, they want to make sure that you're going to accept the bid. There's a lot of paperwork. We knew that there was a chance prior to the SEC Tournament that we were being considered for the NIT if we didn't come out of a NCAA bid out of that SEC Tournament. I think, obviously, our win over Kentucky didn't hurt. We finished pretty strong there down the stretch. We had some quality wins during our season."

"We dealt like everybody else did with all the issues … I was hopeful by saying we had an outside chance. You don't know. I'm just glad it worked out for us. I'm excited that we're playing in it. We're going to play in the NIT. I know that with a young team and a team that is going to return some important players. It's always a good thing to get some postseason play and to keep playing and to keep competing. The flip side is, what are you doing, you're just resting. We have plenty of time to rest. We've got plenty of time to get away from the game for a few weeks. Let's put that off as long as we can."

Q: You talked about excitement, and Abdul got a little emotional talking about his time at Mississippi State after the Alabama game. How excited is Abdul Ado that he gets to play for Mississippi State a little longer?
BH: "I think he was excited. I thought that our team on Tuesday – we practiced Monday, we lifted and practiced on Monday for about an hour and a half. We came back and practiced Tuesday. We had a great practice on Tuesday. We were getting up and down. Guys were playing hard and competing. It was really great enthusiasm, so I was excited about that."

"Yesterday, we took off. It worked out perfectly because we had this tornado watch. So, it would've been kind of scary to be practicing in the middle of the tornado watch to begin with. It worked out because you don't want to go five straight days and then try to play a game. So, we'll practice today and then tomorrow down there."

"Abdul was great yesterday. Abdul's a great kid, he's a phenomenal young man. We've been blessed to have him the last five years."

Q: Besides the normal things of taking care of the ball, shooting well and playing good defense. What are some things that your team is going to have to do well to be successful against Saint Louis?
BH: "They're the best rebounding team in the A-10. Their guard is the best rebounder for a guard of anybody in the country. He averages over 10 rebounds a game, [No.] 0 [Jordan Goodwin]. They really rebound. They're very physical, and they'll try to beat you up physically."

"You'll see [Hasahn] French. French is a big, strong body. Thick, right shoulder, left shoulder. He's left-handed, but he shoots just as well right-handed around the basket. We have to get back in transition. We've got to do a good job of keeping them off the glass. We've got to be physical. They're a very physical team. We're going to have to really defend well. We've got to be able to score, get the ball inside and take advantage of our size."

Q: Do you see some similarities of what Quinndary Weatherspoon did in the 2018 NIT Tournament to lead to go into the NCAA Tournament the next year with this team?
BH: "That's kind of what I alluded to. I think a lot of times with a young team that plays in the NIT, you're trying to use this as a springboard into next season, especially when it comes to postseason play. We hope that's the case. I've seen it happen many times."

"It definitely helped us that year going into 2019. It was a good experience. Lamar [Peters] had a tremendous NIT [experience]. I think he had 14 assists against either Nebraska or Baylor. He really played well. He was really good. I think he had a double figure assists multiple times and that really helped him for the following year. For example, that year, the win at Louisville, is one of the best wins I've had since I've been here. It was in the NIT, and it was a great win against a very talented team. A team that had an NBA big on it and had good players."

"The bottom line is, yeah, everybody wants to be in the NCAA Tournament. Everybody didn't make it. Saint Louis, Louisville and Colorado State, those are the first three out of most of all. But the bottom line is you still have a chance to play. You've got to seize that opportunity and take full advantage of it. I've always felt that way."

UP NEXT
The winner of Mississippi State-Saint Louis advances to face Richmond during next Thursday's NIT Quarterfinal Round. Tip time is to be determined. All four NIT Quarterfinal games will be televised by the ESPN Family of Networks and available online courtesy of the Watch ESPN app.

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