Five Things To Know MSU-Arizona State

Wednesday, November 8

Chicago, Ill.

8:55 PM

Mississippi State

Arizona State

Tickets

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Five Things To Know MSU-Arizona State

November 07, 2023 | Men's Basketball

WATCH: MSU vs. Arizona State [www.Barstool.TV - Online Only]Live Stats Buy Tickets

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

CHICAGO, Illinois – After 240 days of preparation, Mississippi State men's basketball program returns to the hardwood to take on fellow 2023 NCAA First Four participant Arizona State during a marquee SEC/Pac-12 season opening matchup as part of the Barstool Sports Invitational at Wintrust Arena in Chicago's Windy City.

The Bulldogs hope to begin their journey toward a sixth consecutive postseason appearance when postseason tournaments have been played and will look to make it back-to-back NCAA Tournament trips for the first time since 2007-08 and 2008-09.

Arizona State has piled up 20-plus wins in four of the last six seasons highlighted by a trio of NCAA Tournament bids under Bobby Hurley.

SERIES HISTORY & SEASON OPENERS
The Sun Devils have won both previous meetings between the two schools by a combined six points, most recently a 72-67 decision at the MGM Resorts Main Event in Las Vegas during the 2018-19 season.

The Bulldogs have won nine of their last 10 season openers and claimed a 63-44 victory over Texas A&M – Corpus Christi last season under Jans.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (0-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Arizona State (0-0, 0-0 Pac-12)
Where: Chicago, Illinois – Wintrust Arena
When: Wednesday, November 8, ~8:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

Stream: www.Barstool.TV/live
Talent: Jake Marsh, David Portnoy, Dan Katz
(https://hailst.at/470hnqr)
Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield
Talent: Neil Price, Richard Williams
Affiliates: WLZA-FM 96.1 Starkville/West Point (Full List: https://hailst.at/MBKAffiliates)
Free Online Audio: Hail State App (https://hailst.at/MBKListen); The Varsity Network App

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM – COACH JANS
"For us, it's more just the matchup and the neutral court, which will include the possibilities of the NET [rankings] gain being higher than it would be if we've played someone at home. So, in terms of how it felt for our players or as a coach, it's like any other game."
"They're known for their offensive plan and players. But if you get inside the numbers, their defense is what's rated higher, at least last year in terms of effective field goal percentage, defensive efficiency ratings and whatnot. A lot of that has to with not just their size at the rim, but even on the wings … They're a formidable team. Coach Hurley obviously coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance. He's been there, done that. It'll be a heck of an opener for both of us."

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. 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 .742 winning percentage (164-57) entering his eighth season as a NCAA Division I head coach. He is fifth among NCAA active coaches with a .742 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.

3. Tolu Smith (15.7 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.7 APG), Shakeel Moore (9.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.7 SPG), D.J. Jeffries (8.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.1 SPG), Dashawn Davis (8.7 PPG, 3.5 APG, 1.7 SPG) and Cameron Matthews (6.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.5 SPG) 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 players to average at least 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and shoot 55-plus percent from the floor. Smith is expected to return during SEC action.

Moore provided 12.0 points per contest over the team's last 17 games and earned the starting nod on 15 occasions down the stretch last season. He has registered 27 of his 32 career games with 10-plus points while at Mississippi State. Defensively, Moore has accounted for multiple steals in 44 of 91 career games and 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 65 of 68 career games. He started the 2022-23 campaign on a strong note with double figures in eight of his first 10 outings. Jeffries came away with a non-conference season's best 15 points versus Akron in last year's Barstool event. He did his heavy lifting with 5.5 of his 6.4 rebounds per game coming on the defensive end.

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 came 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.

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. Matthews tallied eight of his 11 games with 10 or more points last season.

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. started all 34 games for West Virginia's 2022-23 NCAA Tournament squad. He notched two of his top three scoring performances against top 15 competition in TCU and Auburn. His 15.8 offensive rebounding percentage was third among Power 5 players a season ago.

Taylor was dubbed a SEC Impact transfer by CBS' Jon Rothstein. His 1,609 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.

Fort, 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. Scott posted 16.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. His team was the 2021-22 NJCAA Runner-Up.

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 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. He also was an ESPN top 100 recruit.

Jones Jr. wrapped up the 2022-23 campaign on a strong note with seven of his top 10 scoring efforts coming against SEC opponents. His lone outing with double-digit points was an 11-point effort against South Carolina during the regular season home finale.

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.