Five Things To Know No. 21 MSU-Georgia Tech

Tuesday, November 28

Atlanta, Ga.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

Georgia Tech

Tickets

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Five Things To Know No. 21 MSU-Georgia Tech

November 27, 2023 | Men's Basketball

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by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

ATLANTA, Georgia – The first true road contest of the 2023-24 season awaits No. 21 Mississippi State as the Bulldogs travel to Georgia Tech for the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge on Tuesday at McCamish Pavilion.

The Bulldogs (6-0, 0-0 SEC) enter this week's action as one of three SEC squads and one of 24 undefeated teams remaining in the country. State is joined by Baylor, Miami and Purdue as the only programs to own at least a 5-0 mark with at least a trio of Power 6 non-conference wins (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12) on the season.

After entering the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches Top 25 polls last Monday, the Maroon and White check in at No. 21 and No. 22, respectively, released earlier today.

Once again, State's suffocating defense is back at it after being one of two teams to finish ranked inside the nation's top 25 in scoring defense, opponent field goal percentage defense and steals in 2022-23. This season, the Bulldogs are among the top 15 in opponent field goal percentage (36.1 – 10th), scoring defense (59.2 – 12th) and three-point field goal percentage defense (24.4 – 12th).

State's offense has drained 48 three-pointers over its first six games which is tied for third in program history. Josh Hubbard and Trey Fort have done the heavy lifting and combined for 26 of the team's 48 treys (54.2 percent).

Georgia Tech (2-2, 0-0 ACC) has dropped back-to-back decisions, most recently at undefeated Cincinnati on 11/22. The Yellow Jackets have four players led by Miles Kelly (18.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.3 SPG). He already has provided a 27-point and 25-point performance on the young season. Kowacie Reeves (12.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 1.3 SPG), a Florida transfer, has posted double figures in three of four games.

SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday's meeting marks the 30th all-time meeting between the former SEC rivals. Georgia Tech holds a 16-13 advantage with the two teams splitting the last 10 in the series.

The last time the two programs met on the hardwood was a home-and-home series during the 1973-74 and 1974-75 seasons with each team winning on the road.

The Matchup: No. 21 Mississippi State (6-0, 0-0 SEC) at Georgia Tech (2-2, 0-0 ACC)
Where: Atlanta, Georgia – McCamish Pavilion
When: Tuesday, November 28, 6:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/3sjVymT)

TV: ACC Network (Cable Subscription Required)
App: ESPN App (https://hailst.at/46RrQF3)
Channels: Ch. 612 (DirecTV); Ch. 402 (Dish); Ch. 166 (MaxxSouth); Ch. 314 (C-Spire)
Talent: Wes Durham, Dan Bonner

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield
Talent: Neil Price, Richard Williams
Affiliates: WZLA-FM 96.1 Starkville/West Point
Free Online Audio: Hail State App (https://hailst.at/MBKListen); The Varsity Network App

5 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. The Iowa native is one of 10 SEC coaches to amass at least 21 victories and secure a NCAA Tournament berth during their first season in league history.

Jans, a three-time WAC Coach of the Year during his tenure at New Mexico State, owns an impressive .749 winning percentage (170-57) in his eighth season as a NCAA Division I head coach. He is fifth among NCAA active coaches with a .749 winning percentage behind only Mark Few (Gonzaga), Bill Self (Kansas), Brian Dutcher (San Diego State) and John Calipari (Kentucky).

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. The Maroon and White are among the nation's leaders returning 80.9 percent of its points, 72.4 percent of its rebounds, 83.8 percent of its assists, 83.6 percent of its steals and 75.2 percent of its blocks from last season.

However, State has showcased its depth with its newcomers, who have amassed 55.6 percent of the team's points (250-of-455) over the first six games. In fact, three of the team's top five scorers are newcomers in Jimmy Bell Jr., Trey Fort and Josh Hubbard.

3. Tolu Smith, Shakeel Moore, D.J. Jeffries, Dashawn Davis and Cameron Matthews combined for 85.3 percent of the team's starts (145-of-170) from last season.

Smith has been showered with numerous preseason accolades headed by the Karl Malone and Naismith Trophy Watch Lists. He also was a consensus 2022-23 All-SEC First-Team pick and a consensus 2023-24 All-SEC Preseason First-Team selection joined by Texas A&M's Wade Taylor IV. Smith has racked up 1,210 points and 679 rebounds and has started 84 of 85 games at State. He is joined by Purdue's Zach Edey as the only returning college players in 2023-24 to average at least 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and shoot 55-plus percent from the floor last season. Smith is slated to return during SEC action.

Moore has registered 27 of his 32 career games with 10-plus points while at Mississippi State. He has notched a season's best eight points on three occasions, the last coming versus Northwestern (11/19). Defensively, Moore has accounted for multiple steals in 45 of 95 career games. His 145 career steals are seventh among SEC active players, while his 1.7 steals per game were 10th on the SEC leaderboard in 2022-23.

Jeffries has found his way into State's starting five in 71 of 74 career games. He eclipsed 600 career rebounds against UT Martin (11/11) and followed that up by surpassing 1,100 career points versus Washington State (11/18) to start the Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament. Last time out, Jeffries secured eight points to go along with four rebounds and three assists versus Nicholls (11/24).

Davis rated among the SEC's top 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.95 – 6th), steals (1.68 – 9th) and assists (3.52 – 10th) last season. Three of his top four scoring performances have come away from Humphrey Coliseum headed by 18 points against Utah in the Fort Myers Tipoff Championship Game and a SEC season-high 17 points during a signature road win at Arkansas. He posted 11.5 points, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals in two games en route to Hall of Fame Tipoff All-Tournament Team.

Matthews was joined by Davis and Moore in 2022-23 as the first trio in program history to accumulate 50-plus steals during the same season. He showcased his versality as one of eight Power 5 players to dial up at least 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game last season. This season, Matthews posted a trio of 10-plus scoring efforts and grabbed at least five rebounds on five of six outings.

4. The Bulldogs have brought in an impressive group of newcomers which include Jimmy Bell Jr. (West Virginia), Trey Fort (Howard College), Jaquan Scott (Salt Lake Community College) and Andrew Taylor (Marshall) from the transition portal and junior college ranks.

Bell Jr. (10.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.5 BPG) has started 40 straight games over the last two seasons and was a key member of West Virginia's 2022-23 NCAA Tournament squad. He has already notched four of his 11 career outings of 10-plus points this season. Bell Jr. ripped off 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds during the North Alabama game (11/14). Overall, he has fired in eight of his top 11 scoring efforts against non-conference opponents.

Fort (7.7 PPG), one of the nation's top junior college recruits, was a NJCAA All-America Second-Team honoree last season. His 24.9 points per game was fourth among junior college players. Fort has notched double figures two times highlighted by a 21-point explosion versus Arizona State (11/08) on opening night. The 21 points are the most scored by a MSU player during a season opener since Tyson Carter secured 23 points against Florida International in 2019-20.

Scott (2.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG) posted 16.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per game at Salt Lake CC last season, and his team was the 2021-22 NJCAA Runner-Up. He secured nine points and nine rebounds versus Southern Miss in the charity exhibition game. Scott's best regular season outing was four points against Nicholls (11/24).

Taylor (3.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.5 APG) was dubbed a SEC Impact transfer by CBS' Jon Rothstein. His 1,621 career points are second among SEC active players. Last season, Taylor joined by St. John's Shamorie Ponds in 2017-18 as the only college players over the last decade to average at least 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He tallied a season's best nine points versus North Alabama (11/14).

5. Mississippi State's talented freshmen class features Harrison Alexander, Gai Chol, Josh Hubbard and Adrian Myers. The Bulldogs also bring back Shawn Jones Jr., KeShawn Murphy and Martavious Russell who will look to build on their freshmen campaigns.

Hubbard (16.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.8 APG), the SEC Freshmen of the Week for 11/20 and an ESPN top 100 recruit, capped his high school career as the state of Mississippi's all-time leading scorer with 4,367 career points which broke a record that stood for 37 years previously held by Mississippi State's Robert Woodard.

Hubbard has piled up 97 points through his first six games which is 4th most for a MSU freshman and the most since Rickey Brown (1996-77). He delivered a signature performance with 29 points versus Northwestern (11/19), the most for a MSU player under Coach Jans. It also marked the most for a State player off the bench since Tony Watts also scored 29 points at Ole Miss in 1989-90.

Hubbard has ripped off double figures in five straight games which also included a 22-point effort against UT Martin (11/11) in his Humprey Coliseum debut. He is the third freshmen joining Brad Smith (1989-90) and Barry Stewart (2006-07) as the only State players to produce two 20+ point performances off the bench over the last 30-plus seasons.

Jones Jr. (6.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.8 SPG) wrapped up the 2022-23 campaign on a strong note with seven of his top 10 scoring efforts coming against SEC opponents. He has carried that momentum into the start of the 2023-24 campaign with a trio of 8-point efforts versus Arizona State (11/08), UT Martin (11/11) and Washington State (11/18). Jones Jr. also set a new career-mark with three steals and tied a career-best with two blocks in the UT Martin game.

Chol (4.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG), a native of South Sudan, took advantage of extended minutes with 11 points and six rebounds against UT Martin (11/11). He was 3-of-4 from the floor and a flawless 5-for-5 at the foul line.

Mississippi State is selling season tickets, $96 mini plans and non-conference single game tickets for the upcoming 2023-24 campaign. Visit www.HailState.com/Tickets for more information.

Humphrey Coliseum will become one of the nation's premier arenas as major renovations continue ahead of the upcoming season. If interested in making contributions to Humphrey Coliseum, please contact the Bulldog Club at (662) 325-3074.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its official social media accounts by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.