Gameday: Five Things To Know No. 15 MSU-Drake

Tuesday, December 20

Lincoln, Neb.

4:00 PM

Mississippi State

Drake

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things To Know No. 15 MSU-Drake

December 19, 2022 | Men's Basketball

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by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

LINCOLN, Nebraska – Another neutral site challenge versus a quality mid-major opponent awaits No. 15 Mississippi State when the Bulldogs square off with Drake from the Missouri Valley Conference during the inaugural Battle at the Vault event on Tuesday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena on the University of Nebraska campus.

State (11-0, 0-0 SEC) concludes its pre-holiday grind of four games over a 10-day span before turning its attention to the 18-round SEC gauntlet against No. 9 Alabama on December 28 at Humphrey Coliseum.

The Bulldogs have risen to No. 15 in this week's Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Top 25 released earlier on Monday. The last time the Maroon and White was a consensus top 15 program when State checked in at No. 14 on 01/07/2019.

State heads into this week's action as the SEC's only undefeated team, one of two unbeaten Power 5 schools (Purdue) and one of five unblemished programs in the nation (Connecticut, New Mexico, Utah State).

The Bulldogs are one of four programs nationally to already capture two NCAA NET Quad 1 wins (Arizona State, Connecticut, Purdue).

Chris Jans is the only first-year coach in 2022-23 to remain undefeated and is one of three SEC coaches to start his first season with at least 11 consecutive victories (John Calipari, Kentucky, 2009-10; Floyd Burdette, Alabama, 1946-47).

One of the staples of a Coach Jans team is all-out effort and a suffocating defense. Through 11 games, the Bulldogs are among the nation's best surrendering 52.1 points per game (1st SEC • 3rd nationally) on a paltry 35.8 opponent field goal percentage (2nd SEC • 6th nationally).

The Bulldogs were 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 52.1 points per game allowed is the program's lowest 11-game total in the modern era since the 1955-56 season, which was Babe McCarthy's first season with the Bulldogs. State's 35.8 opponent field goal percentage is the program's second-lowest clip through 11 games dating back to 1978-79.

The Maroon and White has dialed up 120 steals on a 10.91 per game clip (T-2nd SEC • 6th nationally). Both are program highs through 11 games, and it marks the fifth time that State is averaging over 10.0 steals per game going back to 1979-80.

The Bulldogs are among the SEC/NCAA leaders in 6 additional categories with 14.45 offensive rebounds per game (3rd SEC • 6th nationally), 13.3 fouls committed per contest (1st SEC • 13th nationally), a +17.64 scoring margin (2nd SEC • 14th nationally), 40.73 rebounds per game (4th SEC • 19th nationally) and a +8.27 rebounding margin (3rd SEC • 23rd nationally).

State also possesses top 5 SEC marks with a 1.32 assist-to-turnover ratio (3rd), a 28.0 opponent three-point percentage (4th), dished out 15.91 assists per game (4th SEC) and compiled a +4.00 turnover margin (5th).

Drake (8-3, 1-1 Missouri Valley) has piled up four consecutive 20-plus win seasons under fifth-year coach Darian DeVries and have notched three straight postseason trips when postseason tournaments have been played.

Drake's Bulldogs have averaged 23.8 wins over the four-year span headlined by a 26-5 mark during the 2020-21 campaign. Drake defeated Wichita State in the NCAA First Four before falling to Southern Cal in a 6-11 matchup at the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Tucker DeVries (18.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.3 SPG), the 2022-23 MVC Preseason Player of the Year, has already amassed six game of 20-plus points headed by a 29-point performance on 10-of-14 shooting against Wyoming (11/20). Roman Penn (10.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.8 APG, 0.9 SPG), another 2022-23 Preseason All-MVC First-Team member, has provided double figures in three of his last five outings kickstarted by a 32-point outburst at Indiana State (11/30).

Sardaar Calhoun (9.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.7 SPG) has been Drake's top performer off the bench. He came away with 10-plus points during his first three games this season along with three of his last four outings.

Garrett Sturtz (9.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.1 SPG) and D.J. Wilkins 8.2 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.3 APG) join DeVries and Penn to give Drake a quartet of All-MVC Preseason honorees.

SERIES HISTORY VS. DRAKE
Tuesday's afternoon tilt is the third meeting on the hardwood between Mississippi State and Drake. The Maroon and White swept both meetings of a home-and-home series during the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons under NCAA Final 4 coach Richard Williams.

State emerged with an 82-80 overtime win in Des Moines followed by a 79-50 rout in Starkville. Cameron Burns (23 points, 10 rebounds), Greg Carter (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Todd Merritt (10 points, 10 rebounds) registered double-doubles for the Maroon and White in the overtime win, while Tony Watts amassed 25 points during the meeting at Humphrey Coliseum.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (11-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Drake (8-3, 1-1 Missouri Valley)
Where: Lincoln, Nebraska – Pinnacle Bank Arena
When: Tuesday, December 20, 4:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

Stream: Baller TV ($ - www.BallerTV.com; Online Only)
Talent: Alex Cohen, Bart Hyche

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield
Talent: Jim Ellis, 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 .778 winning percentage (154-44) in his seventh season as a NCAA Division I head coach. The .778 clip ranks second nationally only trailing Gonzaga's Mark Few (.835).

Jans is the only men's basketball coach at State to win his opening 11 games. The previous mark was held by E.C. Hayes, who completed the 1911-12 season at 9-0 and won the opening game of the 1912-13 campaign. The 11-0 start for State is the program's fourth 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 (16.2 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.8 BPG) 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 61 of his 62 career appearances in the Maroon and White where he has amassed 853 points, 488 rebounds and connected on 58.1 percent of his field goal attempts. The 58.1 shooting clip is fifth all-time in program history for player who have made at least 300 field goals.

Smith has piled up 46 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 35 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point barrier.

Smith picked up this season where he finished the 2021-22 campaign. He has provided double figures in 17 of his last 18 outings dating back to last season.

Smith along with UK's Oscar Tshiebwe are the only players to be ranked inside the SEC's top 10 in points (16.18 – 6th) along with league's top 5 in rebounds (8.91 – 2nd) and field goal percentage (61.9 – 1st) in 2022-23.

Smith dialed up a non-conference career-best 26 points on an 11-for-13 shooting clip versus Akron and earned the Barstool Sports Invite Game MVP nod. He also pulled down a career-high 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 (10.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.9 SPG) heads into the Drake game 104 points shy of 1,000 for his career. He has provided double figures in five of his last six games and eight of his last 10 outings. The Olive Branch product has racked up 50 career games where Mississippi State and Memphis has garnered a 40-10 record.

Jeffries continues to showcase his versatility with 35 career games of 5+ rebounds, 23 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 pumped home 10 of his season-high tying 15 points in the second half versus Jackson State.

Matthews (7.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.2 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 during the 2022-23 opening act. He also notched career-highs of five assists and five blocks versus Jackson State.

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 9 of his 27 outings with 2+ assists, 6 of his 25 games with 2+ steals and 5 of his 23 performances of 5+ rebounds during the 2022-23 campaign.

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 a combined 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 second on the SEC leaderboard this season. The North Carolina native's 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. The 17 points were two shy of his career-high and his highest scoring output since tallying a career-best 19 points against Detroit Mercy on 11/17/2021.

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 (9.3 PPG, 2.8 APG, 2.0 RPG, 1.5 RPG) has been grinding his way through injury in 2022-23 and has accounted for plus-minus ratio of +96 over his eight appearances. 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 treys against Utah during the second half.

For his career, Davis has turned in 18 games of 10+ points and 2 games of 20+ points to go along with 20 games of 5+ assists and 15 games of 2+ steals. He secured 14 points and handed out a season's best six assists against Nicholls.

Horton Jr., the 2022 America East Defensive Player of the Year, has started 44 games between MSU and UAlbany. He has distributed 14 assists over his last eight outings.

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 53.8 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 State and 7 rebounds versus Arkansas – Pine Bluff. For his career, he has amassed 11 games of 10+ points coupled with 31 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 62 of his 68 career games between MSU and Southeast Missouri. He comes into the Drake game 157 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 is 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting against Nicholls followed by seven rebounds versus Omaha.

For his career, Stevenson has 68 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 seven 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. Jones Jr. has missed the last three games due to injury.

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.

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