Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-Georgia

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

ATHENS, Georgia – Mississippi State men's basketball embarks on back-to-back SEC road tilts as the Bulldogs travel to Georgia on Wednesday evening at Stegeman Coliseum.

Last time out, State (12-3, 1-2 SEC) captured a 64-54 win over Ole Miss for its first SEC victory under Chris Jans. Georgia (11-4, 1-1 SEC) has protected its home floor during its SEC opener under Mike White with a 76-64 victory over No. 22 Auburn before falling 82-75 at Florida last Saturday.

One of the staples of a Coach Jans team is all-out effort and a suffocating defense. Through 15 games, the Bulldogs are among the nation's best surrendering 56.7 points per game (2nd SEC • 5th nationally) on a 38.7 opponent field goal percentage (3rd SEC • 21st nationally).

Historically at State, the 56.7 points per game allowed is the program's second-lowest 14-game total in the modern era since the 1955-56 season, which was Babe McCarthy's first season with the Bulldogs.

The Maroon and White has dialed up 151 steals on a 10.1 per game clip (3rd SEC • 12th nationally). Both are tied for the program's highest mark through 15 games, and it marks the third time that State is averaging at least 10 steals per game going back to 1979-80.

According to KenPom, the Bulldogs are among the nation's top 35 in six additional categories which include steal percentage (15.4 – 5th), offensive rebounding percentage (36.7 – 11th), adjusted defensive efficiency (89.5 – 13th), defensive turnover percentage (24.3 – 14th), effective defensive field goal percentage (45.3 – 27th) and two-point field goal percentage defense (44.6 – 29th).

State also possesses top 5 SEC marks with a 1.23 assist-to-turnover ratio (4th), a +3.53 turnover margin (4th), have dished out 15.20 assists per game (T-4th) and grabbed 38.87 rebounds per game (5th).

With its victories over Marquette and Utah, the Maroon and White are one of five programs nationally who are unblemished with multiple non-conference victories over NCAA NET Quad 1 opponents this season (Arizona, Connecticut, Purdue, TCU).

Georgia's top scoring duo is Terry Roberts (15.7 PPG, 4.2 APG, 3.8 RPG, 1.9 SPG) and Kario Oquendo (14.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG). Roberts has ripped off double figures in eight consecutive games headed by a 26-point outing against Auburn and a 25-point performance at Florida to begin SEC play.

Braelin Bridges (7.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG) has been inserted into the starting lineup over his last eight appearances and has responded with five efforts of 10-plus points.

Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe (6.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.0 APG) has upped his marks to 9.0 points and 8.0 rebounds during his first two SEC outings, while Jabri Abdur-Rahim (6.7 PPG) has been UGA's top performer off the bench. Abdur-Rahim has connected for 21 of his 28 field goals on three's.

SERIES HISTORY VS. GEORGIA
Wednesday's matchup will break a 58-58 tie in the all-time series between the two schools. State has won the last five meetings, four coming in double figures. The five-game winning streak is the longest for the Maroon and White during the all-time series.

The last time the two programs met in Athens was an 83-73 victory for State to open SEC action during the 2020-21 season.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (12-3, 1-2 SEC) at Georgia (11-4, 1-1 SEC)
Where: Athens, Georgia – Stegeman Coliseum
When: Wednesday, January 11, 5:31 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Roy Philpott, Pat Bradley
Channel Lineup: Ch. 611 (DirecTV); 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 .767 winning percentage (155-47) in his seventh season as a NCAA Division I head coach. The .767 clip ranks third nationally only trailing Gonzaga's Mark Few (.836) and Kansas' Bill Self (.772).

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 program's 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 coaches in SEC history 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 (14.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.7 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 65 of his 66 career appearances in the Maroon and White where he has amassed 888 points, 507 rebounds and connected on 57.7 percent of his field goal attempts. The 57.7 shooting clip is sixth in program history among players who have made at least 300 field goals.

Smith has piled up 47 career outings in double figures, 15 double-doubles and registered 7 of his 12 outings of 20-plus points versus SEC competition. For his career, the Bay St. Louis native reached 1,000 career points versus Ole Miss (01/07) after he began his career with 112 during his freshman season at Western Kentucky.

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

Smith is ranked inside the SEC's top 15 in points (14.20 – 13th) along with league's top 5 in rebounds (7.80 – 5th) and field goal percentage (59.5 – 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 (9.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.3 SPG) heads into the Georgia game 79 points shy of 1,000 for his career. He has provided double figures in nine games which is second on the team this season. The Olive Branch product has racked up 51 career games where Mississippi State and Memphis has garnered a 40-11 record.

Jeffries continues to showcase his versatility with 38 career games of 5+ rebounds, 23 career outings with 3+ assists, 22 outings with 2+ three-pointers made, 21 career games with multiple steals and 16 career outings with multiple blocks.

Jeffries tallied a season's best 15 points apiece during the Akron and Jackson State contests. He opened SEC action with his third career double-double fueled by a career-high 15 rebounds coupled with 11 points versus No. 8 Alabama.

Matthews (6.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.0 BPG) has already secured 8 of his top 16 career scoring performances in 2022-23. He collected a season's best 14 points against South Dakota.

Matthews is the only SEC player in 2022-23 to have at least five blocks, five assists and five steals during a game this season. He racked up a career-best five blocks versus Texas A&M Corpus-Christi during the 2022-23 opening act. Matthews 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 10 of his 28 outings with 2+ assists, 8 of his 27 games with 2+ steals and 7 of his 25 performances of 5+ rebounds during the 2022-23 campaign.

Moore (6.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.4 SPG, 2.2 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 37 of 72 career games and his 54 steals last season were the most by a MSU player since Lamar Peters in 2018-19. His 2.4 steals per contest are tied for third 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 18 outings. He returned to action with 6 points and 4 assists against Alabama during the SEC opener.

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 (7.8 PPG, 3.1 APG, 1.5 RPG, 1.4 SPG) 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.

Davis ranks among the SEC's top 10 with a 1.95 assist-to-turnover ratio. He distributed season's best of six assists at No. 8 Tennessee and against Nicholls.

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 17 games of 2+ steals.

Reed Jr., a 2022 All-Ohio Valley First-Team and NABC All-District 18 Second-Team pick, has started 66 of his 72 career games between MSU and Southeast Missouri. He comes into the Georgia game 129 points away from 1,000 for his career.

Reed Jr. (6.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.1 APG) has posted 8.2 points per contest over his last six appearances and connected for multiple treys in four of his last six outings. He came away with a season's best 15 points during the Marquette game, while his best SEC outing was 9 points and a career-high tying 8 rebounds against Ole Miss.

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 42 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 53.6 percent of his career field goal attempts.

McNair Jr. (4.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG) made his first career MSU starts versus Omaha. His MSU bests are 13 points versus Ole Miss followed by 10 points against No. 8 Alabama.

McNair Jr. has hauled down 7 rebounds versus Ole Miss, No. 8 Alabama and Arkansas – Pine Bluff. For the season, he's notched 7 efforts of 5+ points and 6 outings of 5+ rebounds in 2022-23.

For his career, McNair Jr. has amassed 13 games of 10+ points coupled with 33 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 has made two starts, most recently at No. 8 Tennessee where he racked up 14 of his season's best 15 points during the second half.

Stevenson hauled down a season-high versus Omaha. He has collected 6 outings of 5+ points and 3 efforts of 5+ rebounds in 2022-23.

For his career, Stevenson has 69 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.

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).

Hamilton has scored all 31 of his PTS over his last eight appearances. Four times, he has notched 5+ points, with a season's best 9 points at No. 8 Tennessee.

Murphy has secured 6.8 points per game over his last six appearances headed by a career-high 11 points against No. 8 Alabama and a 10-point effort versus Drake.

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 seven 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 spot 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.

Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-Georgia

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Players Mentioned

Dashawn Davis

Kimani Hamilton

Jamel Horton Jr.

D.J. Jeffries

Shawn Jones Jr.

Cameron Matthews

Will McNair Jr.

Iverson Molinar

Shakeel Moore

KeShawn Murphy

Eric Reed Jr.

Martavious Russell

Tolu Smith III

Tyler Stevenson

Mississippi State University Athletics