Five Things To Know MSU-Rutgers

Saturday, December 23

Newark, N.J.

11:00 AM

Mississippi State

Rutgers

Tickets

TUPELO, MS - December 17, 2023 - Mississippi State Guard Dashawn "Rams" Davis (#10) during the game between the North Texas Mean Green and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Cadence Bank Arena in Tupelo, MS. Photo By Mike Mattina

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Five Things To Know MSU-Rutgers

December 21, 2023 | Men's Basketball

WATCH: MSU vs. Rutgers [Big Ten Network]LISTEN: Hail State On Demand Live Stats Notes (PDF)Buy Tickets

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

NEWARK, New Jersey – Mississippi State men's basketball faces another Power 5 non-conference challenge before the holiday break as the Bulldogs square off with Rutgers at the Gotham Classic in a Saturday afternoon tilt held inside the Prudential Center, home of the NHL's New Jersey Devils.

This season, the Bulldogs (9-2, 0-0 SEC) have already collected a trio of non-conference Power 5 victories over Arizona State (Pac-12), Northwestern (Big Ten) and Washington State (Pac-12) on neutral floors. Overall, State has won all five of its contests by an average of 16.8 points per game on neutral courts in 2023-24.

Last time out, the Bulldogs used a strong first half finish and carried that momentum into the early parts of the second half en route to capturing a convincing 72-54 victory over North Texas.

State has won its last two games played at the Prudential Center. The Bulldogs defeated Clemson (82-71) and Kansas State (67-61) during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, respectively, as part of the Never Forget Tribute Classic.

State features a suffocating defense under second-year coach Chris Jans after being one of two teams to rank inside the nation's top 25 in scoring defense, opponent field goal percentage defense and steals in 2022-23.

This season, the Bulldogs hold the SEC's top three spots and are among the top 30 in three-point field goal percentage defense (27.9 – 1st SEC – 14th nationally), scoring defense (63.0 – 1st SEC – 25th nationally and field goal percentage defense (38.5 – 3rd SEC – 35th nationally).

State also possesses national top 20 rankings from KenPom.com in defensive efficiency (92.7 – 10th) and effective field goal percentage defense (43.9 – 16th).

State's offense has drained 87 three-pointers which is tied for the fifth-most in program history over the team's first 11 games. Josh Hubbard, Trey Fort, Dashawn Davis and D.J. Jeffries have each hit 10+ triples on the season and combined for 65 of the team's 87 treys (74.7 percent).

Rutgers (7-3, 0-1 Big Ten) has won its last two games which includes a 70-63 victory over Seton Hall at the Prudential Center. The Scarlet Knights are fueled one of the Big Ten's best big men in Clifford Omoruyi (11.7 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 3.7 BPG) who has already notched four double-doubles on the season. He is coming off a season-high 25 points and added 11 rebounds versus Long Island.

Aundre Hyatt (11.5 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.0 SPG), an LSU transfer, has sank a team-leading 19 three's on the season, while Jamichael Davis (5.2 PPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG) has ripped off back-to-back games with double figures since being inserted into Rutgers' starting five.

SERIES HISTORY
The Scarlet Knights have won the only meeting between the two teams on the hardwood, a 74-69 decision, during the 1999-2000 season in St. Charles, Missouri.

State has won both of its previous meetings over Big Ten opponents under Coach Jans. The Bulldogs earned a 66-57 victory against Northwestern earlier this season and picked up a 69-51 road win over Minnesota last season.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (9-2, 0-0 SEC) vs. Rutgers (5-4, 0-1 Big Ten)
Where: Prudential Center – Newark, New Jersey
When: Saturday, December 23, 11:00 a.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/475ehAV)

Stream: Big Ten Network (Cable Subscription Required)
App: FOX Sports App (https://hailst.at/3TmbyQw)
Channels: Ch. 610 (DirecTV); Ch. 439 (Dish); Ch. 165 (MaxxSouth); Ch. 324 (C-Spire)
Talent: Jason Horowitz, Austin Johnson

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/480IQZQ); 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 was one of 10 SEC coaches to amass at least 21 victories and secure a NCAA Tournament berth during their first season in league history during the 2022-23 season.

Jans, a three-time WAC Coach of the Year during his tenure at New Mexico State, owns an impressive .746 winning percentage (173-59) in his eighth season as a NCAA Division I head coach. He is fifth among NCAA active coaches with a .746 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.

Through 11 games, State has showcased its depth with its newcomers, who have amassed 46.5 percent of the team's points (389-of-836). In fact, two of the team's top three scorers are newcomers in Jimmy Bell Jr. 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 (7.2 PPG, 1.7 APG) has registered 29 of his 34 career games with 10-plus points while at Mississippi State. He came away with a season's best 16 points against Murray State (12/13) and has posted 11.0 points per game over his last three starts. Defensively, Moore has accounted for multiple steals in 46 of 100 career games. His 149 career steals are seventh among SEC active players and his 114 steals at State are tied for 23rd on the program's all-time list.

Jeffries (7.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.0 SPG) has found his way into State's starting five in 76 of 79 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). Jeffries secured a season-high 13 points versus North Texas (12/17) and has provided double figures in four of his last five outings. He added a season's best 12 rebounds to go along with 11 points to tuck away his first double-double of the season versus Murray State (12/13).

Davis (7.7 PPG, 3.5 APG, 2.0 SPG) 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. This season, Davis checks in among the SEC's top 15 in steals (2.00 – 5th), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73 – 12th) and assists (3.45 – Tied 13th). 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. Three of his top four scoring performances have come away from Humphrey Coliseum headed by MSU-best 18 points against Utah in the Fort Myers Tipoff Championship Game.

Matthews (9.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.2 APG, 2.4 SPG) 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 has showcased his versality as one of two players nationally to dial up at least 9.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game this season. Matthews has posted six outings of 10+ points sparked by a season-high 14 points versus Tulane (12/09) in 2023-24. He also has grabbed 5+ rebounds nine times, secured multiple steals on seven occasions and handed out multiple assists in seven outings this 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 the junior college ranks.

Bell Jr. (8.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.1 BPG) has started 45 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 five of his 12 career outings of 10-plus points this season. Bell Jr. ripped off 14 points during the North Alabama (11/14) and Tulane (12/09) games. His 8.6 rebounds per contest are tied for second on the SEC's leaderboard, and he's pulled down 10+ rebounds on five occasions.

Fort (6.4 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 were 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, 1.8 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 six points and six rebounds against Tulane (12/09).

Taylor (3.8 PPG, 1.3 APG) was dubbed a SEC Impact transfer by CBS' Jon Rothstein. His 1,636 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 brought back Shawn Jones Jr., KeShawn Murphy and Martavious Russell who will look to build on their freshmen campaigns.

Hubbard (16.0 PPG, 1.5 APG), the SEC Freshmen of the Week for 11/20 and an ESPN top 100 recruit for the Class of 2023, 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 176 points through his first 11 games which is 5th-most for a MSU freshman and the most since Rickey Brown (1976-77). His 16.0 points per game are tops among SEC freshmen and 11th overall in the league. Hubbard has delivered 10 consecutive games in double figures and three outings of 20-plus points off the bench which is the second-most for a State player over the last 30-plus seasons trailing only Darryl Wilson in 1993-94.

Hubbard's season-high of 29 points versus Northwestern (11/19) was the most for a MSU player under Coach Jans. It also marked the most points scored for a State player off the bench since Tony Watts also scored 29 at Ole Miss in 1989-90. He dialed up a pair of 22-point efforts against UT Martin (11/11) during his Humphrey Coliseum debut and versus Tulane (12/09) where all 22 points came in the first half.

Jones Jr. (5.6 PPG) 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).

Murphy (7.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG) made his season debut returning from injury against Nicholls (11/24). His top performance in 2023-24 was a career-best 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting versus North Texas (12/17). Murphy also posted a career-high 10 rebounds versus Tulane (12/09).

Chol (3.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG), a native of South Sudan, took advantage of extended minutes with 11 points and six rebounds against UT Martin (11/11). He also tallied five points versus Nicholls (11/24) coupled with four points and four rebounds during the Tulane game (12/09).

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

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.