Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-Mississippi Valley State

Saturday, December 3

Starkville

1:00 PM

Mississippi State

Mississippi Valley State

Tickets

STARKVILLE, MS - November 17, 2022 - Mississippi State Guard Martavious Russell (#21) during the game between the South Dakota Coyotes and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, MS. Photo By Mike Mattina

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-Mississippi Valley State

December 02, 2022 | Men's Basketball

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by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – After a spotless November which featured five double-digit victories and four home wins, Mississippi State men's basketball squares off with Mississippi Valley State to open the December portion of its schedule in a Saturday matinee at Humphrey Coliseum.

The Bulldogs (7-0) enter the weekend as one of three SEC teams, one of eight Power 5 schools and one of 15 NCAA programs undefeated through the season's first 25 days.

Chris Jans is one of three coaches in their first season with a program to remain unbeaten during the 2022-23 season alongside of Maryland's Kevin Willard and Missouri's Dennis Gates.

Jans and Gates are two of seven SEC coaches to start their first season at least 7-0 in the shot clock era dating back to 1985-86. Additional active SEC coaches on that list include Kentucky's John Calipari (19-0 in 2009-10) and Arkansas' Eric Musselman (8-0 in 2019-20).

One of the staples of a Coach Jans team is all-out effort and a suffocating defense. Through seven games, the Bulldogs are among the nation's best surrendering 49.3 points per game (1st SEC • 2nd nationally) on a paltry 34.0 opponent field goal percentage (1st SEC • 3rd nationally). Coach Jans is the first SEC coach in the shot clock era who team has allowed 55 points or fewer in each of their first seven career games.

Historically at State, the 49.3 points per game allowed and the 34.0 opponent field goal percentage is the program's lowest seven-game totals in the modern era since the 1955-56 season, which was Babe McCarthy's first season with the Bulldogs.

The Maroon and White also is among the SEC/NCAA leaders in 7 additional categories with 15.57 offensive rebounds per game (2nd SEC • 3rd nationally), a 39.5 offensive rebounding percentage (2nd SEC • 5th nationally), 11.6 steals per game (3rd SEC • 7th nationally), 43.43 total rebounds per game (2nd SEC • 8th nationally), a 24.7 opponent three-point percentage defense (3rd SEC • 10th nationally), a +9.71 rebounding margin (2nd SEC • 14th nationally) and a +19.14 scoring margin (T-2nd SEC • 18th nationally.

In 14 halves of hoops on the young season, State has allowed 25 points or fewer on 6 occasions and limited the opposition to under a 30 percent shooting clip 4 times.

The Bulldogs have notched a 1.35 assist-to-turnover ratio (3rd SEC), a +4.86 turnover margin (5th SEC), dished out 15.29 assists per game (5th SEC) and registered 4.86 blocks per game (5th).

SERIES HISTORY VS. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
Saturday's matchup is the second over the last three seasons and the seventh overall between the Bulldogs and Delta Devils on the hardwood. Mississippi State has won the previous six meetings by an average of 27.3 points per contest.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (7-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Mississippi Valley State (1-8, 0-0 SWAC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Saturday, December 3, 1:01 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
Fan Gameday Central: (https://hailst.at/BasketballGameday)

Stream: SEC Network+ (ESPN App only)
Talent: Bart Gregory and Charlie Winfield
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 .773 winning percentage (150-44) in his seventh season as a NCAA Division I head coach. The .773 clip ranks second nationally only trailing Gonzaga's Mark Few (.835).

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 (15.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.9 BPG, 0.7 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 57 of his 58 career appearances in the Maroon and White where he has amassed 781 points, 464 rebounds and connected on 57.7 percent of his field goal attempts. The 57.7 shooting clip is fifth all-time in program history for player who have made at least 200 field goals.

Smith has piled up 42 career outings in double figures, 15 double-doubles and registered seven of his 10 outings of 20-plus points versus SEC competition. For his career, the Bay St. Louis native is 107 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 13 of his last 14 outings dating back to last season and is one of four SEC players to rank inside the league's top 10 in points (15.1 – 8th), rebounds (10.6 – 1st) and field goal percentage (60.6 – 2nd) 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 (9.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.9 SPG) heads into the Mississippi Valley State game 150 points shy of 1,000 for his career. He has provided double figures in five of his last six games and 47 career games where Mississippi State and Memphis has garnered a 37-10 record.

Jeffries continues to showcase his versatility with 32 career games of 5+ rebounds, 20 career outings with 3+ assists, 17 career games with multiple steals and 16 career outings with multiple blocks. Jeffries fired in 10 of his season-high 15 points during the first half of the Akron game.

Matthews (7.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG) has already secured 5 of his top 13 career scoring performances in 2022-23. He collected a season's best 14 points coupled with 6 rebounds and 3 assists against South Dakota. Matthews racked up a career-best five blocks versus Texas A&M Corpus-Christi in the 2022-23 opening act and his 1.1 blocks are tied for 13th on the SEC leaderboard.

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 23 outings with 2+ assists, 23 games with 2+ steals and 21 performances of 5+ rebounds.

Moore (6.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.0 SPG, 1.9 APG) has collected 13 of his 18 career games with 10-plus points in Maroon and White. Mississippi State and NC State are 14-4 when Moore secures double figures.

Moore has tallied multiple steals in 34 of 66 career games and his 54 steals last season were the most by a MSU player since Lamar Peters in 2018-19. His 3.0 steals per contest are 3rd 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 11 points, four rebounds and three steals off the bench versus Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the season opener. For his career, he has drained 2+ three-pointers in 22 games and handed out 3+ assists in 15 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 +69 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 16 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 8 assists over his last four outings and secured 3 points and 4 rebounds against Akron.

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 54.3 percent of his field goal attempts and started 27 games headlined by both NCAA Tournament games last season.

McNair Jr. tallied a season-high 6 points against South Dakota and hauled down a season's best 7 rebounds versus Arkansas – Pine Bluff. For his career, he has amassed 11 games of 10+ points coupled with 30 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 58 of his 64 career games between MSU and Southeast Missouri. He comes into the Mississippi Valley State game 182 points away from 1,000 for his career and came away with a season's best 15 points aided by a 6-for-7 clip at the foul line during the Marquette game.

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 37 career games, has 36 career games in double figures, has 22 career games of 2+ assists and 10 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). His MSU bests 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).

As a whole, the freshmen quartet notched 17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 assists and 3 steals during the Omaha game. Murphy got rolling with season's bests of 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks against Omaha (11/28) over 17 minutes of action. Hamilton has scored all 17 of his PTS over the team's last 5 games (11/13-11/28).

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.