Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-No. 24 Alabama

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men's basketball team turns its attention to the first of seven scheduled NCAA NET Quad 1 opportunities over the next 10 games as the Bulldogs take on No. 24 Alabama at Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday evening.

State (11-4, 2-1 SEC) rode season-highs in points (88), field goals made (37) and blocks (10) en route to an 88-72 bounce back victory over Georgia on Wednesday. The Maroon and White overcame a halftime deficit for the first time in 2021-22 and for the 23rd time under Ben Howland.

A balanced scoring effort has been key to Mississippi State's success this season. The Bulldogs have posted an 8-1 mark this season when at least four players register 10-plus points. State has accomplished the feat during four of its last five victories.

Alabama (11-5, 2-2 SEC) has played the nation's third-toughest schedule, fueled by eight wins over NCAA NET Quad 1 and Quad 2 competition. The Crimson Tide knocked off No. 3 Gonzaga (91-82 on 12/04) and No. 14 Houston (83-82 on 12/11), a pair of NCAA Final Four squads from a season ago.

In accordance with Mississippi State University's indoor mask requirement announced on Jan. 7, all individuals must wear face coverings inside all university buildings, including athletic facilities effective Jan. 10 through Feb. 1. The requirement applies to all fans attending basketball games at Humphrey Coliseum except while actively eating or drinking.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (11-4, 2-1 SEC) vs. No. 24 Alabama (11-5, 2-2 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Saturday, January 15, 5:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network (Watch ESPN App)
Talent: Mike Morgan, Daymeon Fishback
DirecTV: Ch. 611, Dish: Ch. 404/408, AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 1607, MaxxSouth: Ch. 10266, C Spire: Ch. 220
Online: Watch ESPN App (Cable Subscription Required)
(https://hailst.at/WatchESPN)

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield IMG College
Talent: Neil Price, Richard Williams
Affiliates: WKBB-FM 100.9 Starkville/West Point (Full List: https://hailst.at/MBKAffiliates)
Free Online Audio: Hail State Plus (https://hailst.at/MBKListen); The Varsity Network App

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Entering this weekend's action, Mississippi State holds top three marks on the SEC leaderboard in free throw percentage (73.4 – 1st), field goal percentage (47.7 – 2nd), rebounding margin (+9.3 – 2nd), defensive rebounding percentage (76.7 – 3rd) and offensive rebounding percentage (36.0 – 3rd).

The Bulldogs are joined by Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio State and Oklahoma as the only Power 5 teams to rank inside their respective conferences top 4 in field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free throw percentage.

The +9.3 rebounding margin for State is 10th nationally. The Bulldogs have rated among the nation's top 20 in rebounding margin during each of the last three seasons.

State sits at No. 24 in the ESPN BPI, checks in at No. 41 in the KenPom.com ratings and holds the No. 48 spot in the NCAA NET rankings. The Bulldogs are about to begin a stretch of seven games over a 10-game span from Jan. 15-Feb. 16 versus NCAA Net Quad 1 competition.

2. Mississippi State's coaching staff led by Ben Howland along with assistant coaches George Brooks, Korey McCray and Ernie Zeigler are in their seventh season together in Starkville during the 2021-22 season. The Bulldogs coaching quartet is second-longest tenured group at the Power 5 level only behind the West Virginia staff, who is entering its 10th season under Bob Huggins.

Howland and his staff piled up three consecutive 20-plus win seasons from 2017-18 to 2019-20 and has totaled 97 victories since the start of 2017-18. The 97 wins are tied for fifth with Arkansas among SEC teams behind Auburn (109), Kentucky (103), Tennessee (103) and LSU (101).

3. Last time out, Mississippi State dialed up a 53-point second half to win going away, 88-72, to collect its fifth consecutive victory over Georgia.

State connected for 29 of its season's best 37 field goals inside the paint to garner a healthy 58-28 advantage in paint points. On the defensive end, the Maroon and White had four players come away with multiple steals and four players combined for a season-high 10 blocks.

Iverson Molinar set a new career-high with 17 of his 28 pints after halftime and tied a career-best with seven assists. It marked the Panama natives third career game of 20-plus points and 5-plus assists.

Cameron Matthews filled the stats sheet with a SEC career-high 10 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.

Mississippi State's bench made major contributions with a season-high 31 points on a 13-for-22 shooting effort. Javian Davis registered a MSU career-high 12 points during a SEC outing and grabbed a team-leading six rebounds, whereas Andersson Garcia provided a career-best 10 points.

4. Iverson Molinar is joined by fellow All-SEC Preseason First-Team pick J.D. Notae (Arkansas) as the only SEC players to score in double figures during every game they've played in this season.

Molinar and Alabama's Jahvon Quinerly are the only SEC players to be ranked among the SEC's top 10 in points (17.5 – 3rd) and assists (4.5 – 7th).

Molinar also is ranked among the SEC leaders in free throw percentage (88.7 – 1st), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.79 – 1st) and field goal percentage (47.6 – 7th).

Molinar is working his way towards becoming the 41st player in program history and eighth under Coach Howland to reach 1,000 career points at Mississippi State. He enters Saturday's action 53 points away from the milestone.

Tolu Smith is the SEC's defending rebounding champion and racked up the most double-doubles among SEC players last season. He has missed 10 games this season.

If Smith qualified for the SEC leaderboard, he would rank first in field goal percentage (65.9), seventh in rebounds (7.8) and 12th in points (14.2). He has a pair of double-doubles over his five appearances in 2021-22 headed by a 22-point, 11-rebound performance against Richmond (11/27).

5. Mississippi State's transfer class of Garrison Brooks, D.J. Jeffries, Shakeel Moore and Rocket Watts has amassed 2,917 career points and 135 career games in double figures. Their teams have posted a combined 98-37 record when providing 10-plus points headed by Jeffries' 29-6 and Watts' 17-2 marks, respectively.

Brooks holds the top spot among SEC active players with 899 career rebounds and sits fifth among SEC's active players with 1,438 career points. He has pumped in 10-plus points during seven of his last nine 10 and matched a season's best with 18 points against Furman (12/17).

Jeffries has upped his marks to 13.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game over his last six outings. He amassed a season-high 19 points versus Winthrop (12/21).

Moore has posted seven of his 12 career games in double figures at MSU this season. He has collected multiple steals on 11 occasions this season and his 2.1 steals per game are fourth in the SEC rankings.

Watts has missed four games due to injury this season and piled up a season-high 15 points versus Lamar (12/02). He is starting to heat up and has scored 39.6 percent of his points over his three SEC outings.

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM – HEAD COACH BEN HOWLAND
"We circle every game on the calendar. This game is definitely circled twice because it's a quality win if we're able to beat Alabama. Tolu [Smith] had a workout and practice today. He will be available, and we expect to get some minutes out of him tomorrow. He's in incredible condition and has done a great job considering everything he's gone through."

"I thought they both [Javian Davis and Andersson Garcia] had great games for us against Georgia when you look at their numbers and their overall contributions. They've been doing that all season long so I've had confidence in them the entire time. All this does is continue to give me confidence with the way they perform. I'm so happy for them and our team with the way they've been playing. Rocket also is getting some more minutes. Those three are key guys for us."

"In terms of Alabama, their five man is a big part of what they do. Last year, [Jordan] Bruner and [Alex] Reese were critical components of them winning both the league and the conference tournament. The big kid they have now, the 6-11 freshman [Charles] Bediako, is a very good finisher around the rim and offensive rebounder. He screens, rolls and finishes well. They'll play a lot of different people at that spot."

"The Furman transfer [Noah Gurley] can move the ball around and shoot three's just like Reese did last year. [Juwan] Gary is an excellent four man who played a lot of minutes for them last year. He is a tough matchup because he plays so hard. He's like Andersson Garcia because he's 6-8 and plays very tough."

"Their guards are very key. [Jahvon] Quinerly is a guy I voted for to win sixth man of the year last year. He's very talented and was one of their five best last year … He's an all-conference player. He creates space for others and for himself. He gets to the basket well and is an exceptional talent. He and [Jaden] Shackleford combine to make the highest scoring tandem of any two players on a team in our conference."

"Shackleford is a great three-point shooter and scorer. He takes more shots than anyone else on the team. Their team is always looking to score. [Keon] Ellis is always a problem because he's long, athletic and can shoot the three. He attacks the rim for offensive rebounds. [JD] Davison is also coming in as one of the best prospects in our conference. He's a big-time athlete who had an incredible dunk against Auburn. They're a very talented team and will come in ready to play after their losses against Missouri and Auburn."

SERIES HISTORY
Alabama owns a 129-77 overall series advantage on the strength of three straight and 17 of the last 22 meetings dating back to the 2010-11 season. The Bulldogs have protected their home court and won three of the last four inside Humphrey Coliseum under Ben Howland.

State's last win was an 80-73 decision on Feb. 25, 2020. Reggie Perry provided 21 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks coupled with a 19-point, 5-assist performance courtesy of Tyson Carter off the bench.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Crimson Tide defeated No. 14 Tennessee (73-68 on 12/29) and Florida (83-70 on 01/05) to open SEC action before dropping a pair of decisions to Missouri (92-86 on 01/08) and No. 4 Auburn (81-77 on 01/11).

Jaden Shackleford (16.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.3 APG) and Jahvon Quinerly (15.4 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.6 RPG) are ranked inside the SEC's top 10 scoring and have amassed a combined 28 games in double figures.

Shackleford was named to the Jerry West Award Watch List, while Quinerly was chosen to the Bob Cousy Award Watch List during the preseason. Shackleford poured in 28 points versus No. 3 Gonzaga (12/04), and Quinerly has dialed up a team-leading 17.5 points per game during SEC play.

The duo is joined by Keon Ellis (12.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.9 SPG) and have drained 105 of the team's 151 three-pointers on the season. Ellis has canned multiple triples in six of his last seven outings and tallied multiple steals on nine occasions in 2021-22.
Alabama's top performers off the bench are JD Davidson (8.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.3 APG) and Darius Miles (6.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG). They have teamed up for 11 games in double figures. Davidson's season's best was 20 points against No. 3 Gonzaga (12/04).
The Crimson Tide interior is sparked by Charlies Bediako (6.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.8 BPG), Juwan Gary (9.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG) and Noah Gurley (7.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG). All three are shooting at over a 50 percent clip for the season.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State continues its rugged 10-game stretch over the next month with another NCAA NET Quad 1 matchup at Florida on Wednesday. Tip time is slated for 5:30 p.m. CT televised by the SEC Network and streamed 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.

Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-No. 24 Alabama

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Players Mentioned

Garrison Brooks

Javian Davis

Andersson Garcia

D.J. Jeffries

Cameron Matthews

Iverson Molinar

Shakeel Moore

Tolu Smith III

Rocket Watts

Mississippi State University Athletics