Five Things To Know MSU-Bethune Cookman

Sunday, December 31

Starkville

2:00 PM

Mississippi State

Bethune-Cookman

Tickets

TUPELO, MS - December 17, 2023 - Mississippi State Guard Shakeel Moore (#3) and Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Jans 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-Bethune Cookman

December 29, 2023 | Men's Basketball

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by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men's basketball returns from its holiday break and meets Bethune-Cookman to close out its non-conference slate in a New Year's Eve afternoon tilt at Humphrey Coliseum.

State's (10-2, 0-0 SEC) non-conference resume is headlined by a quartet of non-conference Power 5 neutral court victories over Arizona State (Pac-12), Northwestern (Big Ten), Rutgers (Big Ten) and Washington State (Pac-12). Only the Bulldogs and Memphis possess four non-conference wins over Power 5 opponents on road/neutral floors this season.

State is joined by Florida Atlantic as the only teams in the country to amass six neutral court victories in 2023-24. The Bulldogs won their six neutral court outings by an average of 15.7 points per contest.

Last time out, the Bulldogs put together another strong second-half performance and grinded its way to a 70-60 victory over Rutgers. The Maroon and White busted open a halftime tie with eight of the first 10 points out of the locker room and built a 12-point advantage over the first 10 minutes of the second half.

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 two spots and are among the top 25 in three-point field goal percentage defense (26.4 – 1st SEC – 9th nationally), scoring defense (62.8 – 1st SEC – 20th nationally and field goal percentage defense (38.4 – 2nd SEC – 23rd nationally).

State also possesses national top 20 rankings from KenPom.com in three additional categories: defensive efficiency (92.1 – 8th), effective field goal percentage defense (43.5 – 11th) and offensive rebounding percentage (24.1 – 24th).

State's offense has drained 91 three-pointers which is sixth-most in program history over the team's first 12 games. Josh Hubbard, Trey Fort, Dashawn Davis and D.J. Jeffries have each hit 10+ triples on the season and combined for 68 of the team's 91 treys (74.7 percent).

Bethune-Cookman (5-7, 0-0 SWAC) already came off the holiday break and were handed a 98-54 defeat at UCF. The Wildcats have three players averaging in double figures led by Jakobi Heady (15.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.5 SPG) and Zion Harmon (14.4 PPG, 3.9 APG, 1.8 SPG). Heady has secured five consecutive games in double figures, while Harmon has dialed up four outings of 20-plus points fueled by 33-point performance at Longwood (11/26).

SERIES HISTORY
State has won the lone meeting between the two schools on the hardwood, a 67-51 victory, during the 2009-10 season. The Bulldogs had four players secure double figures highlighted by Jarvis Varnado's 10 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (10-2, 0-0 SEC) vs. Bethune-Cookman (5-7, 0-0 SWAC)
Where: Humphrey Coliseum – Starkville, Mississippi
When: Sunday, December 31, 2:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/49jvj0P)

Stream: SEC Network + (Cable Subscription Required)
App: ESPN App (https://hailst.at/46GnAqY)
Talent: Bart Gregory, Charlie Winfield

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/48rpgpA); 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 .747 winning percentage (174-59) in his eighth season as a NCAA Division I head coach. He is fifth among NCAA active coaches with a .747 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 12 games, State has showcased its depth with its newcomers and bench play. Two of the team's top three scorers are newcomers in Jimmy Bell Jr. and Josh Hubbard. The Bulldogs have piled up 32.08 bench points per game which is 3rd on the SEC leaderboard and 20th nationally.

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.

Moore (7.5 PPG, 1.7 APG) has registered 30 of his 35 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 10.8 points per game over his four starts. Defensively, Moore has accounted for multiple steals in 46 of 101 career games. His 150 career steals are tied for sixth among SEC active players and his 115 steals at State are tied for 22nd on the program's all-time list.

Jeffries (7.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 SPG) has found his way into State's starting five in 77 of 80 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 six outings. He added a season's best 12 rebounds to go along with 11 points versus Murray State (12/13) to tuck away his first double-double of the season.

Davis (8.2 PPG, 3.8 APG, 2.2 SPG) is ranked 4th in steals and tied for 8th in assists among SEC players on the season. All five of his games of 10+ points in 2023-24 have come on the road/neutral floors fueled by season's bests of 13 points and 7 assists against Rutgers (12/23). He also posted consecutive games in double figures en route to Hall of Fame Tipoff All-Tournament Team. Davis' MSU-best of 18 points came against Utah in the Fort Myers Tipoff Championship Game last season.

Matthews (10.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 3.0 APG, 2.3 SPG) has showcased his versality as one of two players nationally to dial up at least 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game this season. He has posted seven outings of 10+ points sparked by a season-high 18 points coupled with 11 rebounds versus Rutgers (12/23). The Bulldogs are 15-3 lifetime when Matthews collects 10 or more points. He also has grabbed 5+ rebounds 10 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. (9.6 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.3 BPG), the SEC's Player of the Week on 12/26, has started 46 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 six of his 13 career outings of 10-plus points this season. Bell Jr. ripped off a season's best 17 points and hauled down a career-high 18 rebounds against Rutgers (12/23). His 9.4 rebounds per contest are tops on the SEC's leaderboard, and he's pulled down 10+ rebounds on six 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 third 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 (14.8 PPG, 1.7 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 178 points through his first 12 games which is 5th-most for a MSU freshman and the most since Rickey Brown (1976-77). His 14.8 points per game are tops among SEC freshmen and 15th overall in the league. Hubbard delivered 10 consecutive games in double figures from 11/11 to 12/17 and tallied 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 by 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. (5.3 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 (6.2 PPG, 2.7 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.