Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-No. 13 Texas Tech

Saturday, January 29

Lubbock, Texas

5:00 PM

Mississippi State

#13 Texas Tech

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-No. 13 Texas Tech

January 28, 2022 | Men's Basketball

WATCH: MSU at Texas Tech (ESPN2)LISTEN: Hail State Plus WATCH: Coach Howland Presser Notes (PDF)Live Stats

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

LUBBOCK, Texas – Mississippi State men's basketball team concludes a challenging week of consecutive top 15 road challenges when the Bulldogs take on No. 13 Texas Tech during Saturday's Big 12/SEC Challenge at United Supermarkets Arena.

State (13-6, 4-3 SEC) heads into the weekend tied for fifth place with Texas A&M in the SEC standings. Both teams sit a half-game behind Arkansas and Tennessee for third place. The Maroon and White is in the midst of six of seven games against NCAA NET Quad 1 competition with trips to Arkansas, LSU and Alabama on the horizon.

A balanced scoring effort has been key to Mississippi State's success this season. The Bulldogs have posted a 9-1 mark when at least four players register 10-plus points. State has accomplished that feat during three of its four SEC victories.

Texas Tech (15-5 5-3 Big 12) was dealt a 94-91 double overtime setback at No. 5 Kansas on Monday. The Red Raiders have won 11 of their 12 home decisions by double figures this season, the lone exception was a 75-67 victory over then No. 6 Kansas (01/08).

The Matchup: Mississippi State (13-6, 4-3 SEC) vs. No. 13 Texas Tech (15-5, 5-3 Big 12)
Where: Lubbock, Texas – United Supermarkets Arena
When: Saturday, January 29, 5:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: ESPN2 (Watch ESPN App)
Talent: Rich Hollenberg, Tim Welsh
DirecTV: Ch. 209, Dish: Ch. 143, AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 1606, MaxxSouth: Ch. 1024, C Spire: Ch. 202
Online: Watch ESPN App (Cable Subscription Required)
(https://hailst.at/WatchESPN)

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield
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 field goal percentage (47.7 – 2nd), rebounding margin (+8.2 – 2nd) and defensive rebounding percentage (76.0 – 3rd).

The +8.2 rebounding margin for State is 15th nationally. The Bulldogs have rated among the nation's top 20 in rebounding margin during each of the last three seasons.

The Maroon and White is rated No. 22 nationally with a 113.9 offensive efficiency rating according to KenPom.com. The Bulldogs have finished among the nation's top 25 in that category during three of the last four seasons.

State sits at No. 23 in the ESPN BPI, checks in at No. 38 in the KenPom.com ratings and holds the No. 41 spot in the NCAA NET rankings. Three of the six losses for the Bulldogs have come against NCAA Quad 1 opponents on the road or at a neutral site by single digits and by an average margin of defeat of 6.3 points per contest.

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 99 victories since the start of 2017-18. The 98 wins are sixth among SEC teams behind Auburn (113), Kentucky (106), Tennessee (106), LSU (102) and Arkansas (101).

3. Last time out, Mississippi State erased a 16-point second-half deficit at No. 12 Kentucky, but the Wildcats closed the extra session with eight consecutive points en route to an 82-74 decision.

Iverson Molinar turned in a performance for the ages with 22 of his career-high 30 points during the second half and overtime. He was 13-of-21 from the floor, handed out three assists and registered three steals.

Molinar scored State's final 10 points of regulation capped by a pair of free throws with 22 seconds left to knot the score at 72-72. He is one of four SEC visiting players over the last decade to score at least 30 points at Rupp Arena. The other include Elston Turner (Texas A&M – 2012-13), Sindarius Thornwell (South Carolina – 2016-17) and Antonio Blakeney (LSU – 2016-17).

Garrison Brooks chipped in 11 points and five rebounds, while Shakeel Moore drained a trio of three-pointers during the second 20 minutes.

Rocket Watts and Javian Davis were State's top performers off the bench with a combined 15 points. Watts led the way with a SEC season's best nine points.

4. Iverson Molinar is the only SEC player to score in double figures in every game his team has played in this season. His streak of 19 straight outings to start a season with 10-plus points is the longest for a MSU player since Tony Watts reached double figures during all 28 games in 1991-92.

Molinar is the only SEC player and one of six Power 5 players to be ranked among top 10 of their respective leagues in points (18.4 – T-2nd), field goal percentage (49.8 – 5th) and assists (4.3 – 7th). The list includes Terrell Brown, Jr. (Washington), Mike Miles, Jr. (TCU), Will Richardson (Oregon), Dereon Seabron (North Carolina State) and Alondes Williams (Wake Forest). The Panama native also is ranked among the SEC leaders in free throw percentage (87.6 – 2nd), and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.38 – 2nd).

Molinar became the 41st player in MSU history and eighth during Howland's MSU tenure to eclipse 1,000 career points with a 20-point performance against Ole Miss (01/22). He enters Saturday's action 21 points shy of being able to pass five players on the program's all-time scoring list and move into 36th place.

Molinar has amassed at least 15 points and five assists in seven games this season. The seven games of 15-5 are tied for 2nd among Power 5 players with Joseph Girard (Syracuse) and Wendell Moore, Jr. (Duke). The trio trails only Baylor's James Akinjo.

Tolu Smith is the SEC's defending rebounding champion and racked up the most double-doubles among SEC players last season. He is considered week-to-week after being injured during the Ole Miss game (01/22). Smith has garnered 10-plus in six of his eight appearances this season.

If Smith qualified for the SEC leaderboard, he would rank 1st in field goal percentage (61.9), 9th in rebounds (6.6) and 15th in points (13.3). He has tallied a pair of double-doubles over his eight 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 3,059 career points and 142 career games in double figures. Their teams have posted a combined 103-39 record when providing 10-plus points headed by Jeffries' 30-6 and Watts' 17-2 marks, respectively.

Brooks holds the top spot among SEC active players and is sixth nationally with 920 career rebounds in addition to sitting fifth among SEC's active players with 1,489 career points. He has pumped in 10-plus points during six of his last nine outings.

Brooks tucked away his second double-double of the season, 16 points and 10 rebounds, versus No. 24 Alabama (01/15). He also piled up a SEC season's best 17 points against Ole Miss (01/22).

Mississippi State is 9-1 when Jeffries scores in double figures. He amassed a season's best 19 points against Winthrop (12/21) and his SEC season-high is 13 points at Ole Miss (01/08).

Jeffries has showcased his versatility with 9 games of 2-plus assists, 7 games of 5-plus rebounds, 5 games of 2-plus blocks and 2 games of 2-plus steals.

Moore has had 10 of 15 career games of 10-plus points come this season at MSU. He has registered double figures in six of his last nine games. The North Carolina native provided a SEC's season's best 18 points at Florida (01/19) coupled with a pair of 15-point efforts during SEC victories over Arkansas (12/29) and No. 24 Alabama (01/15).

Moore has collected multiple steals on 12 occasions this season and his 1.9 steals per game check in seventh on the SEC leaderboard.

Watts has missed five games this season and piled up a season-high 15 points versus Lamar (12/02). He has scored 53.2 percent of his points during SEC action headed by a 9-point at No. 12 Kentucky (01/25).

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM – HEAD COACH BEN HOWLAND
"We had a very good second half [against Kentucky], but I obviously don't think we had a good first half at Rupp Arena. We showed a lot of character, grit and toughness to give us a shot to win that game. We had the ball with multiple chances to tie in overtime but couldn't make an open three or layup. It's just unfortunate. I feel good about how our guys competed, fought back and gave us a chance to win, but at the end of the day we didn't. We needed a road win. So, now we've got another opportunity against one of the best teams in the country in Texas Tech. They're very tough to face because of how good they are defensively in particular. Coach [Mark] Adams does a great job; a lot of teams have copied their defense because it's so effective."

"First of all, they have great length. Their smallest guy in the starting lineup is 6-6. They're long and athletic. Their scheme is very ball-side oriented. They try to push everything towards the sidelines and the baseline. If you watch them on film, you'll notice that often all five of their guys are on the ball side of the court. They're loaded up towards the ball and will aggressively attack any penetration that comes their way. They're very good at flooding the middle of the floor and sitting in help so it's hard to drive and penetrate."

"Sometimes those two [Garrison Brooks and Javian Davis] will play together, sometimes not. It depends on personnel. Kentucky played big. So, we matched up well against them. Obviously, we really miss Tolu [Smith] because he's our best low post player on both ends of the floor. That being said, they're doing a great job and have had to all season long."

SERIES HISTORY
The Bulldogs and Red Raiders have met twice on the hardwood. Texas Tech has won both decisions by a combined six points, the latest a 74-72 decision on Nov. 20, 2015 during Ben Howland's first season in Puerto Rico.

During last year's SEC/Big 12 Challenge, the Maroon and White provided the event clinching point for the SEC during a 95-56 rout of Iowa State. Iverson Molinar amassed a game-leading 20 points, followed by Tolu Smith's 16 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Derek Fountain added seven points for State.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Red Raiders identity is centered around their defense and balanced scoring attack. Texas Tech has limited its opposition to 60.8 points per game and a 38.2 shooting percentage. The Red Raiders have been ranked among the nation's top 20 in defense efficiency according to KenPom in each of the last five seasons and are fourth in 2021-22.

Five players have secured double figures headed by Bryson Williams (13.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG), Terrence Shannon, Jr. (12.0 PPG, 1.7 APG) and Kevin McCullar (11.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.6 SPG). As of late, Williams has been the hot hand with eight consecutive games in double figures, headed by 33 points on 14-of-19 shooting at No. 5 Kansas (01/24). Shannon Jr. has settled back into the starting lineup after missing time due to injury and amassed 23 points versus West Virginia (01/22).

Davion Warren (10.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.5 SPG) and Kevin Obanor (10.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG). Obanor has pieced together 10-plus points in five of his last six outings ignited by a 17-point, 8-rebound and 3-block at No. 5 Kansas (01/24).

Adonis Arms (8.0 PPG, 2.1 APG), Marcus Santos-Silva (4.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG) and Clarence Nadolny (4.4 PPG, 1.2 SPG) have been top players for Texas Tech off the bench. Arms poured in 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists during Tech's win at then No. 1 Baylor (01/11).

UP NEXT
Mississippi State embarks on its February sprint with nine games over a 26-day stretch. The Bulldogs meet South Carolina on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT from Humphrey Coliseum. The game will be televised by ESPNU and streamed online courtesy of www.WatchESPN.com and the 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.