Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-South Carolina

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

COLUMBIA, South Carolina – Mississippi State men's basketball will look to validate its recent victory over No. 11 TCU as the Bulldogs look to close out the first half of the SEC season on a strong note at South Carolina on Tuesday at Colonial Life Arena.

Mississippi State (13-8, 1-7 SEC) and South Carolina (8-13, 1-7 SEC) will look to snap five-game SEC losing streaks. Last time out, the Bulldogs secured their third victory over a NCAA NET Quad 1 non-conference opponent on the season. State is one of four programs (Arizona, Connecticut, Purdue) to register an undefeated mark with multiple wins over NCAA NET Quad 1 non-conference opponents.

One of the staples of a Coach Jans team is all-out effort and a suffocating defense. Through 21 games, the Bulldogs are among the nation's best surrendering 59.4 points per game (2nd SEC • 8th nationally) on a 39.0 opponent field goal percentage (3rd SEC • 12th nationally).

Historically at State, the 59.4 points per game allowed is the program's third-lowest 21-game total in the modern era since the 1955-56 season, which was Babe McCarthy's first season with the Bulldogs. This year's team is only behind the 1981-82 and 1983-84 squads through 21 games.

The Maroon and White has dialed up 200 steals on a 9.5 per game clip (2nd SEC • 11th nationally) through 21 games. Both marks are second in program history only behind the 2003-04 SEC championship squad.

According to KenPom, the Bulldogs are among the nation's top 25 in six additional categories which include steal percentage (14.4 – 3rd), adjusted defensive efficiency (91.4 – 11th), offensive rebounding percentage (35.5 – 15th), defensive turnover percentage (23.4 – 16th), effective defensive field goal percentage (45.7 – 22nd) and two-point field goal percentage defense (45.2 – 24th).

State also possesses top 5 SEC marks with a +3.05 turnover margin (3rd), forced opponents into 15.43 turnovers per game (4th), compiled a 1.16 assist-to-turnover ratio (4th), grabbed 38.33 rebounds per game (Tied 4th), limited opponents to a 30.9 three-point field goal clip (5th) and dished out 14.33 assists per game (5th).

The Gamecocks have four players averaging in double figures headed by Gregory 'GG' Jackson II (16.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG). He has amassed 20-plus points on seven occasions fueled by a season's best 30 points against No. 16 Auburn. Jackson II has secured a trio of double-doubles headed by a 20-point, 10-rebound effort at Florida.

Meechie Johnson (11.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.4 APG) and Chico Carter Jr. (11.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.6 APG) have each drained more than 50 percent of their shots from three-point territory. Johnson poured in a career-best 26 points during South Carolina's SEC win over Kentucky, while Carter Jr. has provided double figures in three of his last four outings.

Hayden Brown (10.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.0 SPG) is coming off a SEC season's best 17 points last time out at Georgia. For a majority of the season, Jacobi Wright (5.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.6 APG) has been South Carolina's top performer from the bench. Like Brown, he pumped home a SEC season-high 13 points during the Georgia game.

SERIES HISTORY VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
Mississippi State has won four of five over the Gamecocks during the last two seasons and eight of 11 in the series dating back to 2017-18. State posted the program's largest margin of victory, 73-51 by 22 points, during the 44-game series at last season's SEC Tournament.

Overall, the Bulldogs possess a 27-17 series edge. However, South Carolina has won three of the last four matchups in Columbia. The two programs will meet in a home-and-home series for the eighth straight season as South Carolina makes the return trip on Tuesday, February 28 to Starkville.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (13-8, 1-7 SEC) vs. South Carolina (8-13, 1-7 SEC)
Where: Columbia, South Carolina – Colonial Life Arena
When: Tuesday, January 31, 5:31 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Courtney Lyle, Mark Wise
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 .750 winning percentage (156-52) in his seventh season as a NCAA Division I head coach. The .750 clip ranks fifth nationally only trailing Gonzaga's Mark Few (.835), Kansas' Bill Self (.769), Kentucky's John Calipari (.761) and San Diego State's Brian Dutcher (.756).

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 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 (14.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.8 APG) captured All-SEC Preseason First-Team. 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 71 of his 72 career appearances in the Maroon and White where he has amassed 978 points, 563 rebounds and connected on 57.3 percent of his field goal attempts. The 57.3 shooting clip is sixth in program history among players who have made at least 300 field goals.

Smith and Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe are the only SEC players in 2022-23 to rank among the league's top 15 in points (14.43 – 12th) along with league's top 5 in rebounds (8.24 – 5th) and field goal percentage (57.7 – 2nd).

Smith has piled up 52 career outings in double figures, 19 double-doubles and registered 8 of his 14 outings of 20-plus points versus SEC competition. For his career, the Bay St. Louis native reached 1,000 career points versus Ole Miss. He began his career with 112 during his freshman season at Western Kentucky.

Smith dialed up a career-high tying 27 points on an 11-for-13 shooting clip and grabbed 13 rebounds versus No. 11 TCU. He has piled up seven career 20-10 outings, both against ranked opponents this season. Smith added 20 points and 10 rebounds at No. 21 Auburn. He has notched double-doubles in four of his last five appearances.

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 (8.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.3 SPG) heads into the South Carolina game 30 points shy of 1,000 for his career. He has provided double figures in 11 games, which is second on the team this season. The Olive Branch product has racked up 53 career games where Mississippi State and Memphis has garnered a 40-13 record.

Jeffries continues to showcase his versatility with 42 career games of 5+ rebounds, 24 outings with 2+ three-pointers made, 23 career outings with 3+ assists, 23 career games with multiple steals and 19 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 (6.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.5 SPG) has already secured 7 of his top 12 career scoring performances in 2022-23. He collected a season's best 14 points against South Dakota and secured his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds versus No. 11 TCU.

Matthews is the only SEC player in 2022-23 to hit at least five blocks, five assists and five steals during a game. He racked up a career-best five blocks versus Texas A&M Corpus-Christi during the 2022-23 opening act. Then, Matthews 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 14 of his 32 outings with 2+ assists, 12 of his 30 performances of 5+ rebounds and 11 of his 30 games with 2+ steals during the 2022-23 campaign.

Moore (8.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.2 SPG, 2.1 APG) has collected 18 of his 23 career games with 10-plus points in Maroon and White. Mississippi State and NC State are a combined 16-7 when Moore secures double figures.

Moore is one of three SEC players joining Kentucky's Tshiebwe and Tennessee's Zakai Zeigler and one of 15 players nationally on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.

Moore has tallied multiple steals in 40 of 78 career games and his 54 steals last season were the most by a MSU player since Lamar Peters in 2018-19. His 2.1 steals per contest are 5th 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).

Over his last six games, Moore has accounted for 11.7 points per game. He ripped off a career-best 20 points against No. 9 Tennessee and added a 15-point, 4-steal effort at Georgia.

For his career, Moore has drained 2+ three-pointers in 26 career games and handed out 3+ assists in 26 career outings.

4. The Bulldogs have four talented transfers making contributions which include Dashawn Davis (Oregon State), 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 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio in 2021-22 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 (8.9 PPG, 3.2 APG, 1.8 RPG, 1.6 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 in league contests with a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio (7th), 3.5 assists per game (8th) and 1.9 steals per game (Tied 6th). He secured a SEC season-high 14 points at No. 2 Alabama and has improved his averages to 12.2 points per game over his last five outings.

For his career, Davis has turned in 21 games of 10+ points and 2 games of 20+ points to go along with 22 games of 5+ assists and 21 games of 2+ steals.

Reed Jr., a 2022 All-Ohio Valley First-Team and NABC All-District 18 Second-Team pick, has started 70 of his 78 career games between MSU and Southeast Missouri. He comes into the South Carolina game 118 points away from 1,000 for his career.

Reed Jr. (4.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG) 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. He has drained multiple triples in 5 games in 2022-23 and in 42 career games.

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).

McNair Jr. improved his stat averages over his first three seasons under Coach Jans at New Mexico State. He has connected on 53.8 percent of his career field goal attempts.

McNair Jr. (4.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG) made his first career MSU starts versus Omaha. His top 3 scoring efforts in Maroon and White are all against SEC opponents: 13 points versus Ole Miss followed by 10 points against No. 8 Alabama in the SEC opener and 10 points versus Florida. The Philadelphia native is averaging 8.3 points per game over four SEC home appearances.

McNair Jr. has hauled down 7 rebounds versus Ole Miss, No. 8 Alabama and Arkansas – Pine Bluff. For the season, he's notched 9 efforts of 5+ points and 7 outings of 5+ rebounds in 2022-23.

McNair Jr. has amassed 14 games of 10+ points coupled with 34 games of 5+ rebounds, 11 games of 2+ blocks and 10 games of 2+ assists over his career.

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 in 2022-23, most recently at No. 8 Tennessee, where he racked up 14 of his season's best 15 points during the second half.

Stevenson (4.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG) provided a lift off the bench with 10 points against No. 11 TCU. He hauled down a season-high seven rebounds versus Omaha. Stevenson has collected 6 outings of 5+ points and 3 efforts of 5+ rebounds in 2022-23.

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 notched 5+ points on four occasions in 2022-23, with a season's best 9 points at No. 8 Tennessee. His best all-around effort was 4 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists versus South Dakota.

Murphy came away with a career-high 11 points against No. 8 Alabama and a 10-point effort versus Drake. He has tallied 5+ points five times in addition to handed out 2+ assists on four occasions and made 2+ three-pointers in three games.

Jones Jr. has provided 5+ points on three occasions and has recorded a steal in seven of his 11 appearances. His season's bests are 6 points during the Mississippi Valley State and Arkansas - Pine Bluff contests. Jones Jr. missed seven consecutive games due to injury before he returned at Georgia.

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-South Carolina

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Players Mentioned

Dashawn Davis

Kimani Hamilton

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