Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-No. 25 Texas A&M

Saturday, February 25

Starkville

2:30 PM

Mississippi State

#25 Texas A&M

Tickets

STARKVILLE, MS - January 28, 2023 - Mississippi State Forward Will McNair Jr (#13) during the game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, MS. Photo By Mike Mattina

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-No. 25 Texas A&M

February 24, 2023 | Men's Basketball

Buy Super Saturday Tickets Fan Gameday Central WATCH: MSU vs. A&M [SECN]LISTEN: Hail State On-Demand Live Stats Notes (PDF)

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men's basketball faces off against the SEC's hottest squad as No. 25 Texas A&M brings a six-game winning streak into Humphrey Coliseum for a Saturday matinee.

The Bulldogs (18-10, 6-9 SEC) will look to return to the win column after falling 66-64 at Missouri in overtime on Tuesday. Texas A&M (21-7, 13-2 SEC) has won all six of its February decision, most recently a 68-63 victory over No. 11 Tennessee.

One of the staples of a Coach Jans team is all-out effort and a suffocating defense. State is the nation's only program to rank inside the top 20 in scoring defense (59.5 – 2nd SEC • 6th nationally), opponent field goal percentage (38.8 – 3rd SEC • 6th nationally) and steals (9.04 – 2nd SEC • 20th nationally).

Historically at State, the 59.5 points per game allowed is the program's third-lowest average through 28 games in the modern era since 1955-56, which was Babe McCarthy's first season with the Bulldogs. This year's team trails the 1981-82 squad led by Bob Boyd at 57.5 points per game and the 1958-59 team under McCarthy which allowed 59.1 points per contest.

The Maroon and White has dialed up 252 steals on a 9.0 per game clip through 28 games. Both marks also are fourth in program history behind the 1991-92 squad coached by Richard Williams along with the SEC championship 2003-04 and the 2001-02 teams led by Rick Stansbury.

According to KenPom, the Bulldogs are among the nation's top 25 in six additional categories which include adjusted defensive efficiency (89.7– 4th), steal percentage (13.7 – 6th), effective defensive field goal percentage (45.3 – 10th), two-point field goal percentage defense (45.3 – 19th), defensive turnover percentage (22.6 – 21st) and offensive rebounding percentage (34.4 – 22nd).

State also possesses top 5 SEC marks and has forced its opponents into 14.89 turnovers per game (3rd), collected 12.43 offensive rebounds per game (3rd), limited opponents to a 30.1 three-point percentage (4th), secured a +2.21 turnover margin (5th), compiled a 1.16 assist-to-turnover ratio (5th), grabbed 37.39 rebounds per game (5th) and dished out 14.50 assists per game (5th).

Texas A&M has won 20 of its last 23 games against SEC opponents dating back to last year's conference tournament. The 13-2 conference start for the Aggies is a program best dating back to 1979-80 when the program finished 14-2 and won the Southwest Conference regular season title.

Wade Taylor IV (15.9 PPG, 4.1 APG, 1.8. SPG), the reigning SEC Player of the Week, has ripped off double figures in five straight games and eight of his last nine outings. He has dialed up 20-plus points in four of last five and equaled a season's best 25 points versus No. 11 Tennessee last time out. Taylor IV has done a lot of damage from the foul line going 26-for-27 over his last two games.

Tyrece Radford (13.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.3 APG) has rattled home 10 consecutive games in double figures fueled by a SEC best 30 points at Auburn and a 22-point outing at Kentucky at the end of January.

Julius Marble (9.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG) and Dexter Dennis (8.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.3 APG) have upped their marks into double figures during SEC action. Dennis has provided double-digit points in four of last six outings fueled by a pair of double-doubles. He poured in 17 points and 10 rebounds at Missouri last weekend.

One of Texas A&M's top performers off the bench has been Andersson Garcia (2.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG) who played his first two seasons at Mississippi State. The Aggies are 11-0 when Garcia grabs 5-plus rebounds on the season.

SERIES HISTORY VS. TEXAS A&M
Mississippi State has won five of the last eight in the series going back to 2016-17. However, Texas A&M holds a 9-8 overall series edge and has won games over the Bulldogs during each of Buzz Williams' first three seasons.

State's last win in the series was a 63-57 victory over the Aggies on March 3, 2021. The last three meetings have been decided by a total of 10 points.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (18-10, 6-9 SEC) vs. No. 25 Texas A&M (21-7, 13-2 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Saturday, February 25, 2:31 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Richard Cross, Richard Hendrix
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 .749 winning percentage (161-54) in his seventh season as a NCAA Division I head coach. The .749 clip is fifth nationally trialing only Gonzaga's Mark Few (.835), Kansas' Bill Self (.770), Kentucky's John Calipari (.760) and San Diego State's Brian Dutcher (.758).

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 is 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 (14.9 PPG, 8.4 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, a two-time SEC Player of the Week in 2022-23, has started 78 of his 79 career appearances in the Maroon and White where he has amassed 1,092 points, 625 rebounds and connected on 57.8 percent of his field goal attempts. The 57.7 shooting clip is tied for 4th in program history among players who have made at least 400 field goals.

Smith and Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe are the only SEC players in 2022-23 to rank among the league's top 10 in points (14.89 – 10th) along with league's top 5 in double-doubles (9 – Tied 2nd), rebounds (8.39 – 3rd) and field goal percentage (58.7 – 1st).

Smith and Tshiebwe are the only SEC players and two of seven Power 5 players to average at least 14.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and shoot 55 percent or better from the field.

Smith has piled up 59 career outings in double figures, 22 double-doubles and registered 10 of his 16 outings of 20-plus points versus SEC competition. He became the sixth MSU player since 2017-18 and the 42nd player overall to reach 1,000 points with a SEC season's best 25 points during the Missouri game.

Smith has stepped it up with 16.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game over his last 12 outings sparked by all 12 games in double figures and seven double-doubles. He dialed up a career-high tying 27 points on an 11-for-13 shooting clip and grabbed 13 rebounds versus No. 11 TCU. Overall, Smith has piled up eight career 20-10 outings.

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, 1.2 SPG) reached 1,000 career points in-style with a season's best 18 points ignited by a career-high five treys versus LSU.
Jeffries has provided double figures in four of his six February outings and in 15 total games, which is second on the team this season. The Olive Branch product has racked up 57 career games where Mississippi State and Memphis has garnered a 43-14 record.

Jeffries continues to showcase his versatility with 47 career games of 5+ rebounds, 27 outings with 2+ three-pointers made, 25 career outings with 3+ assists, 24 career games with multiple steals and 19 career outings with multiple blocks.

Matthews (7.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.6 SPG) has already secured 7 of his top 10 career scoring performances in 2022-23. He collected a season's best and SEC career-high 17 points coupled with 7 rebounds and 3 assists at Ole Miss.

Matthews has fired in double figures in three of his last four, four of his last six and five of his last eight outings. He has amassed 10.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.6 APG and 2.0 SPG over his last eight games.

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, he has piled up 20 of his 38 outings with 2+ assists, 17 of his 35 performances of 5+ rebounds and 15 of his 34 games with 2+ steals during the 2022-23 campaign.

Matthews is one of three SEC players along with Arkansas' Anthony Black and Missouri's Kobe Brown in addition to one of seven Power 5 players to average at least 7.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Matthews secured his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds versus No. 11 TCU. He is the only SEC player in 2022-23 to hit at least five blocks, five assists and five steals during a game. Matthews has secured 5+ assists three times and 5+ steals twice in 2022-23.

Moore (9.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.8 SPG) has collected 22 of his 27 career games with 10-plus points in Maroon and White. Mississippi State and NC State are a combined 19-8 when Moore secures double figures.

Over his last 11 games, Moore has accounted for 11.6 points per contest. He ripped off a career-high 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting at South Carolina followed by a 20-point performance versus No. 9 Tennessee. The North Carolina native has tucked away 10+ points in 7 of those 11 outings.

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 42 of 85 career games and his 1.8 steals per contest are 7th 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).

Both Moore and Matthews have gone over the century mark in steals for their careers. The last time State had two players on its roster with 100-plus steals at the same time was Quinndary Weatherspoon and Lamar Peters during the 2018-19 season.

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 (8.6 PPG, 3.4 APG, 1.7 SPG) ranks among the SEC's top 10 in league contests with a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio (7th), 3.8 assists per game (7th) and 1.9 steals per game (5th). He secured a SEC season-high 17 points at Arkansas, posted a 16-point outing during State's win over No. 11 TCU and provided all 12 of his points during the second half/overtime at Ole Miss.

Earlier this season, Davis 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.

For his career, Davis has turned in 24 games of 10+ points and 2 games of 20+ points to go along with 14 of his 27 games of 2+ steals in 2022-23 and 26 career games of 5+ assists. He has equaled his season's best with six assists three times in SEC play: at No. 8 Tennessee, versus Missouri and against LSU.

Reed Jr., a 2022 All-Ohio Valley First-Team and NABC All-District 18 Second-Team pick, has started 70 of his 84 career games between MSU and Southeast Missouri.

Reed Jr. (4.4 PPG, 2.2 RPG) came away with a season's best 15 points during the Marquette game, while his best SEC outing was 9 points against Ole Miss and at Missouri. He has drained multiple triples in 6 games in 2022-23 and in 43 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 amassed 14 games of 10+ points coupled with 35 games of 5+ rebounds, 12 games of 2+ blocks and 10 games of 2+ assists over his career.

McNair Jr. (3.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG) has piled up his top 3 scoring efforts in Maroon and White 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 5.5 points per game over seven 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 11 efforts of 5+ points and 10 outings of 5+ rebounds in 2022-23.

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 (4.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG) 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. He ripped off double figures in three consecutive games while scoring 19 of his 32 points against No. 11 TCU, at South Carolina and versus Missouri during the second half.

Stevenson has collected 9 outings of 5+ points and 3 efforts of 5+ rebounds in 2022-23. He hauled down a season-high seven rebounds versus Omaha.

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 seven occasions highlighted by SEC season's best and career-high tying 6 points against LSU. He added a trio of 5-point efforts at Arkansas, at Ole Miss and at Missouri. Defensively, Jones Jr. recorded a steal in seven of his first eight appearances before his missed seven consecutive games due to injury.

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.