Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-No. 5 Auburn

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's men's basketball team heads into the final week of the regular season with two NCAA NET Quad 1 opportunities on the docket starting with SEC frontrunner and No. 5 Auburn on Wednesday evening at Humphrey Coliseum.

The Bulldogs (17-12, 8-8 SEC) will honor Garrison Brooks and Justin Rumph as part of Senior Night festivities leading into the game. State is looking for the program's first victory over a top five opponent dating back to a 54-45 victory over No. 5 Oklahoma on Dec. 28, 2002.

Entering the regular season's last week, two games separate 5th from 10th place in the SEC standings. State sits in a four-way tie with Florida, LSU and South Carolina for sixth place. The four teams trail Alabama by a game and are a game clear of Texas A&M.

A balanced scoring effort has been key to Mississippi State's success this season. The Bulldogs have posted a 11-1 mark when at least four players register 10-plus points. State has accomplished that feat during five of its seven SEC victories.

A victory Wednesday would give Auburn (25-4, 13-3 SEC) a clinching share of the SEC regular season championship. The Tigers have dropped their last three road decisions to Arkansas (80-76 on 02/08), Florida (63-62 on 02/19) and to No. 17 Tennessee (67-62 on 02/26) since starting SEC play at 10-0.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (17-12, 8-8 SEC) vs. No. 5 Auburn (25-4, 13-3 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Wednesday, March 2, 8:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network (Watch ESPN App)
Talent: Roy Philpott & Mark Wise
DirecTV: Ch. 611, Dish: Ch. 404/408, AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 1607, MaxxSouth: Ch. 1026, C Spire: Ch. 220
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

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM – COACH HOWLAND
"Our guys are excited. We know how good they are. They've been in the top five for most of the year and are top-10 in both the NET and KenPom [rankings]. They have a great team with the top front line in All-Americans with [Walker] Kessler and [Jabari] Smith; those guys are unbelievable. I also really like their guards. KD Johnson is a hard-nosed player that does so much to help them win, and Wendell Green Jr. is spectacular with his offensive output."

"They have a lot of depth. Guys like [Devan] Cambridge and Jaylin Williams are really good players coming off the bench. Allen [Flanigan] had a tough break with the Achilles injury, but he has come back and is a lot to deal with. They've got a lot of talent, play really hard and are excellent defensively. They're unbelievable on the offensive glass, and they have the defensive player of the year not just in the SEC but the nation hands down in Kessler. Jabari Smith is the number one pick in the upcoming [NBA] draft, and I don't think that's a question either. He's going to score 82 nights of the year next year and shoots incredible for someone with that range and size."

"Garrison [Brooks] has done a great job for us this year. He's been consistent and solid and brings leadership and intelligence to the team. His ability to rebound and score on a consistent basis has been great. He's a great leader in the locker room and on the floor. He's been really great for our culture. I feel bad he didn't get to play the entire year as the power forward. Going back and forth with Tolu's injuries was hard to do. This will be our last home game of the year, and we want to go out on a high note."

"I think it's really special for both the fathers and the sons. When you look at Reggie [Perry], Robert [Woodard II] and Tyson [Carter] and their fathers, all their fathers were accomplished players. No offense to George Brooks. He was just OK, or so I've been told by both George and Coach [Richard] Williams. This is special. Anybody who has ever gone to school here loves Mississippi State. The one thing I've learned after seven years of being here is that there is so much pride and love in the university. You see so many people giving back. It's amazing how much the people give back here. People love Mississippi State. It's unbelievable. Guys like Al Perry, Mr. Woodward and Mr. Carter were all so proud to have their sons follow in their footsteps. It's special for George too to be able to coach Garrison and be there on a daily basis. It's great for their father and son bond."

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Entering this week's action, Mississippi State holds top three marks on the SEC leaderboard in field goal percentage (45.9 – 2nd), rebounding margin (+5.5 – 2nd) and defensive rebounding percentage (74.0 – 3rd).

State sits at No. 30 in the ESPN BPI, checks in at No. 43 in the KenPom.com ratings and holds the No. 52 spot in the NCAA NET rankings.

Eight of the 12 losses for the Bulldogs have come against NCAA Quad 1 opponents this season. Seven of the eight losses have come on the road or at a neutral site with seven of the setbacks also have come by single digits.

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 103 victories since the start of 2017-18. The 103 wins are sixth among SEC teams behind Auburn (119), Kentucky (113), Tennessee (113), Arkansas (109) and LSU (106).

3. Last time out, Mississippi State used a pair of 20-point efforts from Iverson Molinar and Tolu Smith to dial up a 74-69 victory over Vanderbilt last Saturday.

The 22 points and eight rebounds for Smith was SEC season-highs, while Molinar's 20 points pushed him over 1,200 career points. Shakeel Moore provided nine points, two assists and two steals in his return to the starting lineup. Andersson Garcia stuffed the stats sheet with eight points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals off the bench.

The Bulldogs erased a two-point halftime hole and used a 16-2 run midway through the second half to take an 11-point advantage, 57-46, at the 8:41 mark.

The Commodores got back within two late on multiple occasions, but a Molinar floater in the paint followed by two D.J. Jeffries free throws put the Dawgs back up by six inside the final minute.

4. Iverson Molinar is the only SEC player to score in double figures in every game his team has played in this season. He and Ohio State's E.J. Liddell are the only two players nationally to accomplish the feat.

The 29-game streak for Molinar is the longest for a MSU player to start a season since Jeff Malone scored 10+ PTS during all 29 games in 1982-83. The Panama native has registered back-to-back seasons with over 500 points.

Molinar is joined by Vanderbilt's Scotty Pippen Jr. and Alabama's Jahvon Quinerly as three of nine Power 5 players to be ranked among the top 11 of their respective leagues in points (18.1 – 3rd), field goal percentage (47.7 – 6th) and assists (3.7 – 11th). The list also includes Terrell Brown, Jr. (Washington), Isaiah Mobley (Southern Cal), Mike Miles, Jr. (TCU), Will Richardson (Oregon), Alondes Williams (Wake Forest) and Payton Willis (Minnesota).

Molinar is ranked among the SEC leaders in free throw percentage (87.5 – 1st), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.74 – 7th). He has scored or assisted on 37.3 percent of MSU's points this season.

Molinar is 24 points away of being able to pass three players on the program's all-time scoring list which would include Leland Mitchell (1961-62-63), Dave Williams (1966-67-68) and Erick Dampier (1994-95-96) to move into 25th place. He is one of five players during Coach Howland's tenure to eclipse 1,200 career points at State.

Molinar has amassed at least 15 points and five assists in eight games this season. The eight games of 15-5 headline the SEC and are ranked inside the top 10 among Power 5 players.

Tolu Smith is the SEC's defending rebounding champion and racked up the most double-doubles among SEC players last season. If he qualified for the SEC leaderboard, Smith would rank 2nd in field goal percentage (55.6) and 15th in rebounds (5.8) and 15th in points (13.0).

Five of Smith's top six scoring efforts have come versus SEC opponents this season: 22 points versus Vanderbilt (02/26), 21 points at South Carolina (02/23), 18 points against Arkansas (12/29), 17 points at Florida (01/19) and 16 points versus Missouri (02/18).
Smith has garnered 10-plus in 11 of his 16 appearances in 2021-22 and in 31 of his 46 career games at State. Five of seven career outings of 20-plus points have come against SEC opponents.

5. Mississippi State's transfer class of Garrison Brooks, D.J. Jeffries, Shakeel Moore and Rocket Watts has amassed 3,316 career points and 155 career games in double figures. The quartet has combined for 44.7 percent of State's points this season.

Brooks holds the top spot among SEC active players and is second among Power 5 players nationally with 995 career rebounds in addition to sitting fifth among SEC's active players with 1,589 career points. He has pumped in 10-plus points during six of his last nine outings.

Brooks matched his season's best with 18 points versus South Carolina (02/01). He has posted 13.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game over his last six home outings, which also includes a 16-point, 10-rebound effort against No. 24 Alabama (01/15). Of his 19-career double-doubles, 15 have come against Power 5 competition.

Brooks is five rebounds shy of becoming the only active Power 5 player with over 1,500 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

Mississippi State is 11-4 when Jeffries scores in double figures. He amassed a season's best 19 points against Winthrop (12/21) and his SEC season-high is 15 points at No. 25 Alabama (02/16). The Olive Branch product has fired in 10-plus points in 15 games with seven outings coming against SEC opponents this season.

Jeffries has showcased his versatility with 11 games of 5-plus rebounds, 8 games of 3-plus assists, 6 games of 2-plus steals and 5 games of 2-plus blocks.

Moore has had 10 of 15 career games of 10-plus points come this season at MSU. 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 in four consecutive games and on 17 occasions this season. His 1.7 steals per game check in 11th on the SEC leaderboard.

Watts tallied back-to-back games in double figures at No. 13 Texas Tech (01/29) and against South Carolina (02/01) for the first time this season. His season-high is 15 points versus Lamar (12/02), and he's scored 53.0 percent of his points during SEC action.

Watts has missed 10 games total which includes the last five outings due to various injuries.

SERIES HISTORY
Auburn has won three straight and five of the last six since the 2016-17 season to take a 79-70 series advantage. State's last win over the Tigers was a 92-84 victory when both programs were ranked back on Jan. 26, 2019 at Humphrey Coliseum.

Quinndary Weatherspoon poured in 27 points followed by double-doubles courtesy of Lamar Peters (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Reggie Perry (10 points, 11 rebounds). Nick Weatherspoon chipped in 12 points for the Maroon and White.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The balanced attack for Auburn features four players in double figures headed by Jabari Smith (16.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.0 BPG). He has turned in his top three scoring performances over Auburn's last four games headed by a season's best 31 points against Vanderbilt (02/16). Smith also poured in 28 points and seven rebounds at Florida (02/19) coupled with 27 points and eight rebounds at No. 17 Tennessee (02/26).

K.D. Johnson (12.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.0 SPG) and Wendell Green, Jr. (12.2 PPG, 5.0 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.6 SPG) anchor the backcourt for the Tigers. Green's 5.0 assists are third, whereas Johnson's 2.0 steals are third on the SEC leaderboard.

Green's top scoring performance was 23 points to go along with eight rebounds and six assists versus Alabama (02/01). Johnson has been extremely consistent with 10-plus points in 12 of the last 15 games which began with a 23-point effort versus Florida (01/08).

Walker Kessler (11.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 4.7 BPG, 1.0 SPG), a former teammate of Garrison Brooks at North Carolina, is the nation's top shot blocker. He is the first SEC player since Shaquille O'Neal at LSU during the early 1990s to have multiple triple-doubles

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will travel to Texas A&M for the last game of the 2021-22 SEC regular season on Saturday evening. Tip time is set for 7:30 p.m. CT from Reed Arena televised by SEC Network and available online courtesy of the ESPN app and www.ESPN.com/watch.

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.

Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-No. 5 Auburn

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Players Mentioned

Garrison Brooks

Andersson Garcia

D.J. Jeffries

Iverson Molinar

Shakeel Moore

Justin Rumph

Tolu Smith III

Rocket Watts

Mississippi State University Athletics