Gameday: Five Things To Know No. 17 MSU-Nicholls

Saturday, December 17

Starkville

2:00 PM

Mississippi State

Nicholls

Tickets

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - December 11, 2022 - Mississippi State Guard Eric Reed Jr (#11) during the game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo By Rebecca Twite

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things To Know No. 17 MSU-Nicholls

December 16, 2022 | Men's Basketball

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by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – No. 17 Mississippi State continues its march toward the holiday break and resumes its busy stretch of four games over an 11-day span when Nicholls visits Humphrey Coliseum for a Saturday afternoon affair.

State (10-0) enters the weekend as the SEC's only undefeated team, one of three unbeaten Power 5 schools (Purdue, Virginia) and one of seven unblemished programs in the nation (Connecticut, New Mexico, UNLV, Utah State).

The Bulldogs head into this weekend's action as one of five programs to already capture two NCAA NET Quad 1 wins (Arizona State, Connecticut, Purdue, Virginia).

Chris Jans is the only first-year coach in 2022-23 to remain undefeated and is one of three SEC coaches during the shot clock era since 1985-86 to start his first season with at least 10 consecutive victories (John Calipari, Kentucky, 2009-10; Jerry Green, Tennessee, 10-0).

One of the staples of a Coach Jans team is all-out effort and a suffocating defense. Through 10 games, the Bulldogs are among the nation's best surrendering 50.7 points per game (1st SEC • 2nd nationally) on a paltry 35.0 opponent field goal percentage (2nd SEC • 6th nationally).

The Bulldogs are joined by 2011-12 Virginia as the only teams during the 2000s to limit their first 10 opponents to 60 points or less.

Historically at State, the 50.7 points per game allowed is the program's lowest 10-game total in the modern era since the 1955-56 season, which was Babe McCarthy's first season with the Bulldogs. State's 35.0 opponent field goal percentage also is a program-best through 10 games since 1978-79.

The Maroon and White also is among the SEC/NCAA leaders in 7 additional categories with 11.30 steals per game (2nd SEC • 4th nationally), 14.60 offensive rebounds per game (3rd SEC • 8th nationally), a +19.20 scoring margin (2nd SEC • 9th nationally), 13.0 fouls committed (1st SEC • 9th nationally), a +4.70 turnover margin (4th SEC • 21st nationally), 40.70 rebounds per game (4th SEC • 21st nationally) and a +8.10 rebounding margin (4th SEC • 23rd nationally).

In 20 halves of hoops on the young season, State has allowed 25 points or fewer on 8 occasions and limited the opposition to under a 30 percent shooting clip 6 times.

The Bulldogs have notched a 1.38 assist-to-turnover ratio (3rd SEC) and dished out 15.90 assists per game (4th SEC).

Recently, Nicholls (5-5, 1-0 Southland) went toe-to-toe with Texas Tech and carried a double-digit lead during the second half before ultimately falling 78-71 on the road. The Colonels are coming off an 88-73 win over Southeastern Louisiana during their Southland Conference opener on Thursday.

Latrell Jones (15.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 1.3 APG) has fired in double figures in last five outings headed by a 26-point outburst versus San Diego. Caleb Huffman (15.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.6 SPG, 1.6 APG) has drained multiple treys in each of his last three games, while Micah Thomas (12.0 PPG, 3.9 APG, 1.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG) gives Nicholls a trio of double figure scorers.

SERIES HISTORY VS. NICHOLLS
Saturday's matinee is the seventh all-time meeting with Nicholls. State has won all six previous matchups. The closest meeting was the most recent, a 67-58 victory, during the 2010-11 season.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (10-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Nicholls (5-5, 1-0 Southland)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Saturday, December 17, 2:01 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
Fan Gameday Central: (https://hailst.at/BasketballGameday)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Roy Philpott, Mark Wise
Channel Lineup: Ch. 611 (DirecTV); Ch. 1607 (AT&T U-Verse); Ch. 404/408 (Dish); Ch. 220 (C-Spire); Ch. 1026 (MaxxSouth)
Online: 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 On-Demand (https://hailst.at/MBKListen); The Varsity Network App

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Chris Jans, one of the nation's premier bench bosses, leads State's program. He is assisted by James Miller, David Anwar and George Brooks. His New Mexico State program which Miller and Anwar were apart of became the Western Athletic Conference's (WAC) standard bearer after racking up four regular season championships, three NCAA Tournament appearances and three WAC Tournament titles.

Jans, a three-time WAC Coach of the Year, owns an impressive .777 winning percentage (153-44) in his seventh season as a NCAA Division I head coach. The .777 clip ranks second nationally only trailing Gonzaga's Mark Few (.835).

Jans is the second men's basketball coach at State to win his opening 10 games. He is joined by E.C. Hayes, who completed the 1911-12 season at 9-0 and won the opening game of the 1912-13 campaign. The 10-0 start for State is the program's fifth and the best since its 2003-04 SEC regular season championship campaign.

As a junior college head coach, Jans won the 1997-98 NJCAA Division II National Championship at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He also played a vital role as an assistant coach at Wichita State which was headed by a 2013 NCAA Final Four run, five NCAA Tournament trips and four Missouri Valley Conference regular season crowns.

2. Tolu Smith (16.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 BPG, 0.6 SPG) is one of nine players to capture All-SEC Preseason First-Team and secured the first 2022-23 SEC Player of the Week accolades on 11/14.

The Bulldogs have had a player secure preseason first-team honors during four of the last five seasons. Smith is joined by Quinndary Weatherspoon (2018-19), Reggie Perry (2019-20) and Iverson Molinar (2021-22), who each garnered All-SEC Preseason First-Team selections by the conference coaches.

Smith has started 60 of his 61 career appearances in the Maroon and White where he has amassed 838 points, 480 rebounds and connected on 58.2 percent of his field goal attempts. The 58.2 shooting clip is fifth all-time in program history for player who have made at least 300 field goals.

Smith has piled up 45 career outings in double figures, 15 double-doubles and registered eight of his 12 outings of 20-plus points versus SEC competition. For his career, the Bay St. Louis native is 50 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point barrier.

Smith picked up this season where he finished the 2022-23 campaign. He has provided double figures in 16 of his last 17 outings dating back to last season.

Smith along with UK's Oscar Tshiebwe are the only SEC players to be ranked inside the league's top 10 in points (16.30 – 7th) along with league's top 5 in rebounds (9.00 – 2nd) and field goal percentage (62.9 – 1st) in 2022-23.

Smith dialed up a non-conference career-best 26 points on an 11-for-13 shooting clip versus Akron. He also pulled down 16 rebounds against Marquette and Utah en route to Fort Myers Tip-Off MVP honors.

3. In addition to Smith, State's returning group is highlighted by D.J. Jeffries, Cameron Matthews and Shakeel Moore. The quartet combined to average 49.3 percent of the team's points, 48.4 percent of the team's rebounds, 43.9 percent of the team's assists, 52.9 percent of the team's steals and 46.9 percent of the team's blocks over 90 starts last season.

Jeffries (10.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.9 SPG) heads into the Nicholls game 113 points shy of 1,000 for his career. He has provided double figures in five straight games and eight of his last nine games and 50 career games where Mississippi State and Memphis has garnered a 40-10 record.

Jeffries continues to showcase his versatility with 34 career games of 5+ rebounds, 22 career outings with 3+ assists, 21 outings with 2+ three-pointers made, 18 career games with multiple steals and 16 career outings with multiple blocks.

Jeffries fired in 10 of his season's beset 15 points during the first half of the Akron game and followed up with 10 of his season-high tying 15 points in the second half versus Jackson State.

Matthews (7.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG) has already secured 7 of his top 15 career scoring performances in 2022-23. He collected a season's best 14 points against South Dakota.

Matthews racked up a career-best five blocks versus Texas A&M Corpus-Christi in the 2022-23 opening act. He also notched career-highs of five assists and five blocks during the Jackson State game.

Like Jeffries, his high school teammate from Olive Brach where the duo won a state championship in 2017-18, Matthews is a stat sheet stuffer. For his career, Matthews has piled up 26 outings with 2+ assists, 24 games with 2+ steals and 22 performances of 5+ rebounds.

Moore (7.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.7 SPG, 2.1 APG) has collected 14 of his 19 career games with 10-plus points in Maroon and White. Mississippi State and NC State are 15-4 when Moore secures double figures.

Moore has tallied multiple steals in 36 of 69 career games and his 54 steals last season were the most by a MSU player since Lamar Peters in 2018-19. His 2.7 steals per contest are tied for the top spot among SEC players this season. The North Carolina natives 1.6 SPG were 12th in the SEC (2021-22), while his 1.4 SPG were 9th in the ACC (2020-21).

Moore turned in a season-high 17 points and added four steals at Minnesota. For his career, he has drained 2+ three-pointers in 23 games and handed out 3+ assists in 16 outings.

4. The Bulldogs have brought in five talented transfers which include Dashawn Davis (Oregon State), Jamel Horton Jr. (UAlbany), Will McNair Jr. (New Mexico State), Eric Reed Jr. (Southeast Missouri) and Tyler Stevenson (Southern Miss).

Davis was the Pac-12's leader in assists with 5.5 dimes per game and a solid 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio with Oregon State. The last Oregon State player to lead the Pac-12 was Gary Payton, a Naismith Hall of Famer and NBA 75th Anniversary Team member.

Davis has been grinding his way through injury in 2022-23 and has accounted for plus-minus ratio of +90 when on the floor. He averaged 15.0 points per contest en route to Fort Myers Tip-Off All-Tournament Team honors. The New York native drained five of his career-high six trey against Utah during the second half.

For his career, Davis has turned in 17 games of 10+ points and 2 games of 20+ points to go along with 19 games of 5+ assists and 15 games of 2+ steals.

Horton Jr., the 2022 America East Defensive Player of the Year, has started 44 games between MSU and UAlbany. He has distributed 11 assists over his last seven outings and secured 3 points and 2 assists at Minnesota.

For his career, Horton Jr. has turned in 32 outings in double figures, 16 outings with 5+ assists and 12 outings with multiple steals. He was one of two America East players to rank among the league's top 11 in points (12.8 – 11th), assists (3.9 – 2nd) and steals (1.1 – 10th).

McNair Jr. improved his stat averages over his first three seasons under Coach Jans at New Mexico State. He has connected on 54.0 percent of his field goal attempts and started 27 games headlined by both NCAA Tournament games last season.

McNair Jr. made his first career MSU starts versus Omaha. His MSU bests are 8 points against Mississippi Valley Sate and 7 rebounds versus Arkansas – Pine Bluff. For his career, he has amassed 11 games of 10+ points coupled with 32 games of 5+ rebounds, 11 games of 2+ blocks and 9 games of 2+ assists.

Reed Jr., a 2022 All-Ohio Valley First-Team and NABC All-District 18 Second-Team pick, has started 61 of his 67 career games between MSU and Southeast Missouri. He comes into the Nicholls game 165 points away from 1,000 for his career.

Reed Jr. came away with a season's best 15 points aided by a 6-for-7 clip at the foul line during the Marquette game. He contributed 11 of his 13 points sparked by a trio of three's versus Jackson State during the second half.

Reed Jr. was the only OVC player in 2021-22 to rank among the league's top 10 in points (16.1 – 6th), free throw percentage (81.5 – 3rd) and three-point percentage (36.2 – 10th). He has drained multiple triples in 39 career games, has 38 career games in double figures, has 24 career games of 2+ assists and 12 career games of 2+ steals.

Stevenson registered 74 starts over four seasons where he notched 2021-22 All-Conference USA Honorable Mention and was a Bailey Howell Trophy finalist at Southern Miss. He was one of three USM players to pile up over 1,200 career points and 600-plus rebounds during the 2000s.

Stevenson finished 2021-22 a fixture among the C-USA leaders in points (14.5 – 13th), rebounds (7.5 – 5th) and blocks (1.1 – 10th). He made his first MSU start against Mississippi Valley State. Stevenson's season's best are eight points against Omaha, South Dakota and Arkansas-Pine Bluff followed by seven rebounds versus Omaha.

For his career, Stevenson has 67 games of 10+ points, 20 games of 10+ rebounds, 18 double-doubles, 8 games of 20+ points and 10+ rebounds and 13 games of 2+ blocks.

5. Mississippi State freshmen class includes redshirt freshman KeShawn Murphy coupled with true freshmen Kimani Hamilton, Martavious Russell and Shawn Jones Jr.

Hamilton and Murphy are ESPN top 100 prospects for their respective classes. Hamilton's father, Tang (1998-99-2000-01), sits among MSU's top 20 in points (1,307 – 20th) and rebounds (677 – Tied for 16th).

During the Omaha and Mississippi Valley State games, the freshmen quartet averaged 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 steals, 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per contest.

Hamilton has scored all 22 of his PTS over his last six appearances. Three times, he has notched 5+ points, with season-highs of 8 points and 2 steals versus Arkansas - Pine Bluff.

Murphy got rolling with season's bests of 10 points and 2 assists versus Jackson State. He added season-highs of 5 rebounds and 3 steals versus Mississippi Valley State followed by 2 blocks during the Omaha game.

Jones Jr. has provided 5+ points on three occasions and has recorded a steal during all six of his appearances. His season's bests are 6 points during the Mississippi Valley State and Arkansas - Pine Bluff contests.
Russell collected season-highs of 7 points and 2 steals against Arkansas - Pine Bluff. His one-handed flush inside the contest's final minute earned the No. 5 on SportsCenter's Top 10.

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.