Gameday: Five Things To Know No. 21 MSU-No. 8 Alabama

Wednesday, December 28

Starkville

8:00 PM

Mississippi State

#8 Alabama

Tickets

STARKVILLE, MS - December 17, 2022 - Mississippi State Forward Tolu Smith (#1) during the game between the Nicholls State Colonels and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, MS. Photo By Kevin Snyder

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things To Know No. 21 MSU-No. 8 Alabama

December 27, 2022 | Men's Basketball

Buy Tickets Fan Gameday Central WATCH: No. 21 MSU vs. No. 8 Alabama (SECN)LISTEN: Hail State On-Demand Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – The No. 21 Mississippi State men's basketball team turns its focus to the 18-game SEC gauntlet as the Bulldogs take on No. 8 Alabama during the SEC opener for both programs on Wednesday evening at Humphrey Coliseum.

State (11-1, 0-0 SEC) will look to return to the win column after dropping a 58-52 decision to Drake. The Bulldogs entered that contest as SEC's last undefeated team and one of four unbeaten programs left in the nation.

State is one of four programs nationally who are unblemished with multiple wins over NCAA NET Quad 1 opponents (Arizona State, Connecticut, Purdue).

One of the staples of a Coach Jans team is all-out effort and a suffocating defense. Through 12 games, the Bulldogs are among the nation's best surrendering 52.6 points per game (1st SEC • 3rd nationally) on a paltry 35.8 opponent field goal percentage (2nd SEC • 6th nationally).

Historically at State, the 52.6 points per game allowed is the program's lowest 12-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 tied for the program's second-lowest clip through 12 games dating back to 1978-79.

The Maroon and White has dialed up 122 steals on a 10.17 per game clip (4th SEC • 13th nationally). Both are tied for the program's second-highest mark through 12 games and it marks the third time that State is averaging 10.0 steals per game going back to 1979-80.

The Bulldogs are among the SEC/NCAA leaders in 5 additional categories with 14.00 offensive rebounds per game (3rd SEC • 9th nationally), 13.4 fouls committed per contest (1st SEC • 11th nationally), a +15.67 scoring margin (3rd SEC • 19th nationally), 40.33 rebounds per game (4th SEC • 26th nationally) and a +7.58 rebounding margin (5th SEC • 30th nationally).

State also possesses top 5 SEC marks holding its opponents to a 28.4 three-point field goal percentage (3rd), a 1.25 assist-to-turnover ratio (4th) and a dished out 15.58 assists per game (4th).

Alabama (10-2, 0-0 SEC) has already captured three Associated Press Top 25 victories highlighted by wins over North Carolina (103-101 on 11/27) and Houston (71-65 on 12/10) when both programs were ranked No. 1.

Brandon Miller (19.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.0 APG) leads all NCAA freshmen at 19.3 points per game and all SEC players with five performances of 20-plus points. His season's best is a 36-point outburst against No. 15 Gonzaga.
Mark Sears (14.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.8 APG) has drained 29 of his 51 field goals from three-point territory. He has ripped off double-digit points in five of his last six outings fueled by a 22-point effort versus North Carolina.

Noah Clowney (9.5 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.5 BPG) does the heavy lifting on the interior for the Crimson Tide. His five performances of 10 or more rebounds are tied for second among SEC players.

SERIES HISTORY VS. ALABAMA & RANKED VS. RANKED GAMES
Wednesday's matchup marks the fifth time that Mississippi State and Alabama will meet as ranked opponents on the hardwood. The last time the two programs met as ranked foes was on 01/18/2005, a 98-49 win for the Crimson Tide.

Overall, Alabama holds a 130-78 series advantage. The Bulldogs have won four of the last five at Humphrey Coliseum which includes a 78-76 victory over then No. 24 Alabama last season.

State is 13-17 all-time in ranked versus ranked matchups and won its last game against No. 16 Auburn, a 92-84 victory, on 01/26/2019.

The Matchup: No. 21 Mississippi State (11-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. No. 8 Alabama (10-2, 0-0 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Wednesday, December 28, 8:05 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
Fan Gameday Central: (https://hailst.at/BasketballGameday)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Paul Sunderland, Pat Bradley
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 .774 winning percentage (154-45) in his seventh season as a NCAA Division I head coach. The .774 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 the Maroon and White was the program's fourth start with at least 11 straight wins and the best start since the 2003-04 SEC regular season championship campaign began with a 13-0 mark.

Chris Jans was the last first-year coach in 2022-23 to stay undefeated and was 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).

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 (15.6 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.8 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 62 of his 63 career appearances in the Maroon and White where he has amassed 862 points, 494 rebounds and connected on 58.2 percent of his field goal attempts. The 58.2 shooting clip is fifth in program history among players who have made at least 300 field goals.

Smith has piled up 46 career outings in double figures, 15 double-doubles and registered 8 of his 12 outings of 20-plus points versus SEC competition. For his career, the Bay St. Louis native is 26 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 and LSU's K.J. Williams are ranked inside the SEC's top 10 in points (15.58 – Tied for 8th) along with league's top 5 in rebounds (8.67 – Tied for 3rd) and field goal percentage (62.2 – 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 (9.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.9 SPG) heads into the Alabama game 101 points shy of 1,000 for his career. He has provided double figures in five of his last seven games and 8 of his last 11 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 36 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 best 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 (6.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.5 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 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 6 of his 24 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, Moore has drained 2+ three-pointers in 23 games and handed out 3+ assists in 16 outings. He has missed State's last two games due to injury.

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 (9.2 PPG, 2.8 APG, 1.9 RPG, 1.3 SPG) has been grinding his way through injury in 2022-23 and has accounted for plus-minus ratio of +89 over his nine 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.
Reed Jr., a 2022 All-Ohio Valley First-Team and NABC All-District 18 Second-Team pick, has started 63 of his 69 career games between MSU and Southeast Missouri. He comes into the Alabama game 146 points away from 1,000 for his career.

Reed Jr. (6.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.1 APG) 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 has upped his scoring average to 10.7 PPG over his last three appearances for State.

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 40 career games, has 39 career games in double figures, has 24 career games of 2+ assists and 12 career games of 2+ steals.

McNair Jr. improved his stat averages over his first three seasons under Coach Jans at New Mexico State. He has connected on 53.7 percent of his field goal attempts.

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. He has notched 5 efforts of 5+ points and 4 outings of 5+ rebounds in 2022-23.

For his career, McNair Jr. 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.

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 against Nicholls followed by seven rebounds versus Omaha. He has collected 5 outings of 5+ points and 3 efforts of 5+ rebounds in 2022-23.

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.

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.

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).

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 versus Jackson State and tallied 5 rebounds against Mississippi Valley State. Over his last five outings, he has posted 5.8 PPG and 3.4 RPG.

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 four 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.

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.