Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Texas A&M

Wednesday, March 3

Bryan-College Station, Texas

7:30 PM

Mississippi State

Texas A&M

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Texas A&M

March 02, 2021 | Men's Basketball

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by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Mississippi State men's basketball team has won two of its last three games as the Bulldogs head into the final week of the regular season with a trip to Texas A&M on Wednesday.

The Bulldogs (13-12, 7-9 SEC) sit in sole possession of ninth place in the SEC standings and trail only Missouri and Ole Miss by one game for a share of the sixth spot.

Over its last four victories, State has limited the opposition to 54.8 points per game and a collective 32.9 shooting percentage. The Bulldogs also held high-octane Alabama to SEC lows of 64 points and a 32.3 percent shooting clip last time out.

It will mark Texas A&M's (8-7, 2-6 SEC) return to the hardwood for the first time in 33 days. The Aggies came away with a 68-61 decision at Kansas State on 01/30 as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

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 19 of its 25 opponents in 2020-21, highlighted by a +10 rebounding margin in nine games. The Bulldogs are ranked inside the SEC's top three in rebounding margin (+7.0 – 1st), offensive rebounding percentage (35.6 – 1st), opponent rebounds (31.9 – 2nd) and defensive rebounds (26.6 – 3rd).

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 (812) and fourth in second-chance opportunities (307) on the season.

MSU-TEXAS A&M HARDWOOD SERIES
The Aggies hold a slight 8-7 series advantage on the strength of a 4-1 mark in Bryan-College Station. The Bulldogs have won four of the last six decisions which includes a 93-81 win over Texas A&M behind Abdul Ado's career-best 19 points on 02/20/2018.

Earlier this season, A&M edged the Bulldogs by a 56-55 margin. Iverson Molinar was the lone State player in double figures with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting. The Aggies had three players record double figures headed by Jay Jay Chandler's 12 points off the bench.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (13-12, 7-9 SEC) vs. Texas A&M (8-7, 2-6 SEC)
Where: Bryan-College Station, Texas – Reed Arena
When: Wednesday, March 3, 7:30 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Ry 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/MSUvsTAMU030321)

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. 191 (XM), Ch. 962 (Internet)

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 81 victories since the start of the 2017-18 season which is tied for the fourth-most with LSU in the SEC and only behind Auburn (93), Tennessee (90) and Kentucky (89).

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 57 games in double figures, headed by 15 outings of 20-plus points. The Bulldogs are 10-1 when each member of the trio scores at least 10 points this season. Molinar, Smith and Stewart Jr. have racked up 45.4 points per game, which is second-most in the SEC. 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. (16.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.8 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 24-11 record over the last two seasons when he scores 10-plus points.

The Grace, Mississippi, native has already surpassed his 2019-20 total with 21 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 16.5 points per game are fifth, his 42.8 percent shooting clip is 10th, his 79.2 free throw percentage is 11th and his 1.4 steals is 13th among SEC leaders. He and Molinar are two of 10 SEC players to have at least six games of 20-plus points this season.

Molinar (16.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.1 SPG) has notched double figures in 19 of his 22 outings and during 23 of his 30 career starts. He secured a 20-point outing, his sixth of the season, versus Iowa State (01/30). MSU has racked up a 16-8 record when Molinar provides 10-plus points in his career. His 16.3 points are sixth, his 46.7 field goal percentage is seventh and his 81.6 percent free throw percentage is eighth 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 10.4 points per game improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore season is second among SEC players only behind Auburn's Allen Flanigan this season and tied for eighth-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, 8.6 RPG, 1.1 APG) has collected 17 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 seven double-doubles on the season, most recently with 12 points and 13 rebounds versus No. 6 Alabama (02/27). He has rattled off two 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

Smith's 3.4 offensive rebounds per contest headline the SEC, while his 8.6 rebounds per game are second in the league rankings. His nine games of 10-plus boards also are first, while his 5.3 defensive rebounds per game is fourth in the SEC. Smith has provided a 74-of-115 shooting clip (64.3 percent) over his last 15 outings.

3. Abdul Ado (5.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.9 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 123rd career start during Wednesday's Texas A&M game. The 123 starts would set a program record allowing him to pass 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 1.9 blocks per game is third this season. Overall, Ado has piled up 230 career blocks, which ranks third in program history. His 1.87 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 67 career games with multiple rejections.

Ado is tied with Varnado for Mississippi State's all-time field goal percentage leader heading into the Texas A&M 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 739 career rebounds sit 11th on MSU's all-time list and is 15 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, 2.5 RPG), Deivon Smith (5.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.0 APG) and Cameron Matthews (2.2 PPG, 2.5 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.

Fountain fired in season's best 20 points and seven rebounds versus LSU (02/10) off the bench. Over his last eight appearances, he has provided 7.7 points and 3.1 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 10 of his 16 SEC games and dished out three or more assists in 11 of his 16 SEC outings. He has distributed 45 of his 75 assists (60.0 percent) over his last 12 games since the Florida game (01/16) 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 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 (5.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG), Javian Davis (2.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG) and Quinten Post (2.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG).

Johnson has piled up 1,186 points and 536 rebounds over 122 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 23 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 18 of his 31 career appearances at Mississippi State.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Before going on its 33-day pause, Texas A&M was 2-3 over its last five games which included a 56-55 win at Mississippi State.

The only player averaging double figures for the Aggies is Emanuel Miller (14.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.8 SPG) who reached 10-plus points in his first eight outings and 11 of 14 overall on the season. His 8.4 PPG jump between his freshman-to-sophomore season is seventh among SEC players. Miller has secured a trio of double-doubles, most recently 18 points and 11 rebound at Ole Miss (01/23).

The quartet of Quenton Jackson (9.5 PPG, 1.8 APG, 1.1 SPG), Andre Gordon (9.3 PPG, 2.3 APG, 1.1 SPG), Jay Jay Chandler (8.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG) and Savion Flagg (8.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.6 APG) have combined to drain 69 of the team's 96 three-pointers are the season.

For Chandler, the 12-point outing against Mississippi State began a run of four of his last five in double figures. He piled up 21 points aided by five trey against LSU (01/26). Flagg has upped his marks to 15.5 PPG and 7.0 RPG in his last two games.

Hassan Diarra (6.1 PPG, 1.1 SPG) give the Aggies six players who are averaging more than six points per contest. He had started four of the team's last six outings. Diarra tallied a pair of 14-point performances versus New Orleans (11/29) and Wofford (12/21) during non-conference action.

FROM THE BENCH – COACH HOWLAND MEDIA SESSION
Q: How do you prepare for an opponent that didn't play a game in February?
BH: "I was sitting and thinking about it today. They [Texas A&M] could have put in six or eight new sets that we've never seen before, that no one's seen because they haven't played in a month. In some ways, we're preparing for a team that we haven't seen play at all in a long time. It is what it is. I'm sure they'll be excited to be back after their players have been sitting there for basically a month without having a chance to play a game."

Q: When this offense gets into a rhythm, what sticks out to you as the main reason everything is moving so well?
BH: "When we're in a rhythm, our best offense comes off of our defense when we get stops. One thing that really hurt us in the last game [against Alabama] was that we didn't get enough transition baskets. I thought a lot of that was Alabama doing a great job [with their transition defense]. [We had] 44 shots, yet we only came up with six fastbreak points. Give them credit for really having their guys back in transition."

"In the halfcourt offense, it's hard. We're playing basically two bigs at the same time, so we don't have the spacing that you'd normally like to have on offense. That's hurt us at times, but when we're at our best, we're getting the ball inside and playing inside-out."

Q: Is there a sense of urgency from the team heading into the final stretch of the season?
BH: "We had a good practice yesterday. I think our guys are excited. We've won two of our last three, and we're going to be on the road for the last two. It's March now. It's amazing that we've spent the last nine months, between COVID and everything we've had to deal and contend with to get to this point, we want to finish strong. We had a good spirited practice yesterday, so I felt good about that."

UP NEXT
Mississippi State concludes the regular season with a trip to the Plains and Auburn on Saturday. Tip time is on-tap for 12 p.m. CT from Auburn Arena, 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.