Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-No. 8 Tennessee

Tuesday, January 3

Knoxville, Tenn.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

#8 Tennessee

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-No. 8 Tennessee

January 02, 2023 | Men's Basketball

WATCH: MSU vs. No. 8 Tennessee [ESPN2]LISTEN: Hail State On-Demand Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – Mississippi State hits the road and faces another NCAA NET Quad 1 opportunity as the Bulldogs travel to No. 8 Tennessee on Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena.

The Bulldogs (11-2, 0-1 SEC) are opening up SEC action against back-to-back ranked opponents for the first time in program history. State will attempt to even up its SEC mark following a 78-67 defeat to No. 8 Alabama at Humphrey Coliseum on 12/28.

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 (Arizona, Connecticut, Miami, Purdue).

One of the staples of a Coach Jans team is all-out effort and a suffocating defense. Through 13 games, the Bulldogs are among the nation's best surrendering 54.5 points per game (2nd SEC • Tied 4th nationally) on a 36.6 opponent field goal percentage (2nd SEC • 7th nationally).

Historically at State, the 54.5 points per game allowed is the program's lowest 13-game total in the modern era since the 1955-56 season, which was Babe McCarthy's first season with the Bulldogs. State's 36.6 opponent field goal percentage is the program's third-lowest clip through 13 games dating back to 1978-79.

The Maroon and White has dialed up 131 steals on a 10.08 per game clip (4th SEC • 12th nationally). Both are the program's third-highest mark through 13 games, and it marks the third 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 5 additional categories with 13.77 offensive rebounds per game (4th SEC • 11th nationally), 13.7 fouls committed per contest (1st SEC • 16th nationally), 40.15 rebounds per game (3rd SEC • 23rd nationally), a +13.62 scoring margin (4th SEC • 29th nationally), and a +6.77 rebounding margin (5th SEC • 31st nationally).

State also possesses top 5 SEC marks with a 1.22 assist-to-turnover ratio (4th), a +3.38 turnover margin (4th) and have dished out 15.46 assists per game (5th).

Tennessee (11-2, 1-0 SEC) looks to extend its impressive home winning streaks to 24 consecutive games overall and to 11 straight versus SEC opponents. The Volunteers won the prestigious Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament over Thanksgiving fueled by a 64-50 win over Kansas. Their lone setbacks are to a pair of Pac-12 schools in Colorado (78-66 on 11/13) and at No. 9 Arizona (75-70 on 12/17).

Offensively, Tennessee's balanced attack is led by Santiago Vescovi (12.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 2.5 SPG). The has drained 30 of his 45 field goals from beyond the three-point line and is coming off a season's best 22 points at Ole Miss.

Olivier Nkamhoa (11.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.7 APG) and Zakai Zeigler (10.7 PPG, 3.3 APG, 3.1 RPG, 2.2 SPG) have each hit for double-digit points in five of their last seven contests. Zeigler, the reigning SEC Sixth Man of the Year, piled up a season-high 21 points at No. 9 Arizona.

Tyreke Key (10.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.6 APG) and Julian Phillips (10.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.6 APG) give the Volunteers five players averaging double figures. Phillips exploded for a season's best 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds against Southern Cal.

Tennessee has played the last eight contests without All-SEC Preseason Second-Team pick Josiah Jordan-James (8.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.6 SPG) due to injury.

SERIES HISTORY VS. TENNESSEE
Tuesday's meeting marks the eighth time over the last nine matchups since 2016-17 that the Bulldogs will take on a ranked Tennessee squad. The Vols have won all seven of those contests. State's last win in the series an 86-73 decision on 02/01/2020 when both schools were unranked.

Overall, Tennessee possesses an 88-44 series advantage. The last time the Bulldogs won in Knoxville was a 71-66 victory on 02/03/2015.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (11-2, 0-1 SEC) at No. 8 Tennessee (11-2, 1-0 SEC)
Where: Knoxville, Tennessee – Thompson-Boling Arena
When: Tuesday, January 3, 6:01 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: ESPNU
Talent: Tom Hart, Dane Bradshaw
Channel Lineup: Ch. 208 (DirecTV); Ch. 1605 (AT&T U-Verse); Ch. 141 (Dish); Ch. 206 (C-Spire); Ch. 1162 (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 .770 winning percentage (154-46) in his seventh season as a NCAA Division I head coach. The .770 clip ranks third nationally only trailing Gonzaga's Mark Few (.835) and Kansas' Bill Self (.771).

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 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 (14.8 PPG, 8.5 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 63 of his 64 career appearances in the Maroon and White where he has amassed 867 points, 500 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 46 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 is 21 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 20 outings dating back to last season.

Smith and UK's Oscar Tshiebwe are the SEC players ranked inside the league's top 10 in points (14.77 – Tied for 10th) along with league's top 5 in rebounds (8.46 – 4th) and field goal percentage (59.3 – 3rd) 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 (9.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.0 SPG) heads into the Tennessee game 90 points shy of 1,000 for his career. He has provided double figures in six of his last eight games and 9 of his last 12 outings. 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 37 career games of 5+ rebounds, 23 career outings with 3+ assists, 22 outings with 2+ three-pointers made, 19 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 (6.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.1 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 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. 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.

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, 7 of his 26 games with 2+ steals and 6 of his 24 performances of 5+ rebounds during the 2022-23 campaign.

Moore (7.0 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.5 SPG, 2.3 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 70 career games and his 54 steals last season were the most by a MSU player since Lamar Peters in 2018-19. His 2.5 steals per contest are tied for 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 17 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 (8.7 PPG, 2.9 APG, 1.7 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.

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 16 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 64 of his 70 career games between MSU and Southeast Missouri. He comes into the Tennessee game 138 points away from 1,000 for his career.

Reed Jr. (6.4 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.1 APG) has posted 10.0 points per contest over his last four appearances and connected for multiple treys in three of his last four outings. He came away with a season's best 15 points 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 41 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 career field goal attempts.

McNair Jr. made his first career MSU starts versus Omaha. His MSU bests are 10 points against No. 8 Alabama to go along with 7 rebounds versus No. 8 Alabama and Arkansas – Pine Bluff. He has notched 6 efforts of 5+ points and 5 outings of 5+ rebounds in 2022-23.

For his career, McNair Jr. has amassed 12 games of 10+ points coupled with 32 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 five 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 has secured 7.5 points per game over his last four 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 five 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.