Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-PItt

Tuesday, March 14

Dayton, Ohio

8:10 PM

Mississippi State

Pittsburgh

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DAYTON, OH - March 13, 2023 - Mississippi State Guard Martavious Russell (#21), Mississippi State Guard Justin Rumph (#15) and Mississippi State Head Coach Chris Jans during shoot around at University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio. Photo By Mike Mattina

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-PItt

March 13, 2023 | Men's Basketball

WATCH: MSU vs. PITT [tru TV]LISTEN: Hail State On-Demand Live Stats Tickets Notes (PDF)

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

DAYTON, Ohio – Mississippi State men's basketball will have the national stage in a standalone matchup with Pittsburgh during the opening night of March Madness on Tuesday in NCAA First Four action at UD Arena hosted by the University of Dayton.

The Bulldogs (20-11, 8-10 SEC) will make their 12th NCAA Tournament appearance and have secured eight of the program's trips dating back to 2001-02. State's best run came in 1996 under Richard Williams when State defeated Virginia Commonwealth, Princeton, Connecticut and Cincinnati during its NCAA Final Four run.

The Bulldogs finished the season as one of the SEC's hottest teams winning 9 of their last 13 games. The run has been highlighted by a trio of NCAA NET Quad 1 wins over No. 11 TCU (01/28), at Arkansas (02/11) and against No. 25 Texas A&M (02/25) in addition to three NCAA NET Quad 2 triumphs over Missouri (02/14), securing a rivalry sweep over Ole Miss (02/18) and a SEC Tournament victory over Florida (03/09).

The Bulldogs season profile is fueled by a three-point victory over No. 6 Marquette, the BIG EAST regular season and tournament champion. State is joined by No. 5 Purdue, No. 8 Arizona and No. 11 Connecticut to earn an undefeated mark with multiple victories over NCAA NET Quad 1 nonconference opponents.

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 (61.0 – 2nd SEC • 10th nationally), opponent field goal percentage (39.4 – 3rd SEC • 10th nationally) and steals (8.85 – 2nd SEC • 17th nationally).

Historically at State, the 61.0 points per game allowed is the program's fifth-lowest average through 33 games in the modern era since 1955-56, which was Babe McCarthy's first season.

The Maroon and White has dialed up 292 steals on an 8.9 per game clip through 33 games. The 8.9 steals average is third-best in program history through 33 games trailing only the 1991-92 squad coached by Richard Williams and the SEC championship 2003-04 team led by Rick Stansbury.

According to KenPom, the Bulldogs are among the nation's top 25 in five additional categories which include adjusted defensive efficiency (91.3 – 6th), steal percentage (13.4 – 7th), offensive rebounding percentage (35.2 – 15th), effective defensive field goal percentage (46.2 – 19th) and defensive turnover percentage (22.0 – 23rd).

State men's and women's programs will make its fifth joint NCAA Tournament trip in 2023. The previous appearances were in 2002, 2003, 2009 and 2019. Led by Jans and Sam Purcell, the Bulldogs are the only school during the 2000s to have each program make the NCAA Tournament with a pair of first-year coaches at the helm.

Pittsburgh (22-11, 14-6 ACC) is led by Jeff Capel, the ACC's Coach of the Year. The Panthers captured a share of third place finish tied with Clemson and Duke in the ACC standings. PITT improved their win total by 11 games is tied for the program's second-best mark.

The Panthers have a quartet of players averaging in double figures led by Jamarius Burton (15.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.4 APG), Blake Hinson (15.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.2 APG), Nelly Cummings (11.0 PPG, 4.8 APG) and Greg Elliott (10.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG).

Burton, an All-ACC First-Team pick, has ripped off double figures in nine straight games and 18 of his last 20 appearances. His top two scoring performances were 31 and 28 points, respectively, against North Carolina (12/30) and Clemson (01/07).

Hinson, a transfer from Ole Miss, secured All-ACC Second-Team accolades. He has drained 91 of his 169 field goals from beyond the three-point line. Hinson has provided 10-plus points in eight of his last 10 outings headed by a 24-point effort at No. 16 Miami (03/04).

Cummings and Elliott also have drained their fair share of triples combining for 130 treys. Cumming has secured double digit points in seven of his last eight headed by 14-point, 13-assist performance against Syracuse (02/25).

Nike Sibande (8.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG), the ACC's Sixth Man of the Year, has been PITT's top performer off the bench. He has upped his mark to 13.1 points per game over his last five sparked by three of his top six scoring efforts on the season.

SERIES HISTORY VS. PITTSBURGH
Mississippi State and Pittsburgh are meeting for the second time in the postseason. The Bulldogs emerged with a 66-61 road win during the 2001 NIT Round of 16. Derrick Zimmerman, now an assistant coach at NCAA Tournament bound Louisiana-Lafayette, provided a team-leading 15 points off the bench.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (21-12, 8-10 SEC) vs. Pittsburgh (22-11, 14-6 ACC)
Where: Dayton, Ohio – UD Arena
When: Tuesday, March 14, 8:10 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: Tru TV
Talent: Tom McCarthy, Avery Johnson, Jon Rothstein
Channel Lineup: Ch. 246 (DirecTV); Ch. 242 (Dish); Ch. 634 (C-Spire); Ch. 1058 (MaxxSouth)
Online: NCAA March Madness App

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 .745 winning percentage (164-56) in his seventh season as a NCAA Division I head coach. The .745 clip is fifth nationally trailing only fellow NCAA Tournament coaches Gonzaga's Mark Few (.836), Kansas' Bill Self (.769), San Diego State's Brian Dutcher (.760) and Kentucky's John Calipari (.759).

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.

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).

The 21 wins for Jans are a program-record for a first-year coach. He recently eclipsed Rick Stansbury's 20 victories in 1998-99.

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 (15.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.7 APG) is one of five SEC players to dial up All-SEC First-Team and All-SEC Preseason First-Team accolades. The Bulldogs have had an All-SEC First-Team pick in four of the last five seasons. Smith's company includes Quinndary Weatherspoon (2018-19), Reggie Perry (2019-20) and Iverson Molinar (2021-22).

Smith, the 2023 Bailey Howell Trophy recipient awarded to the State of Mississippi's top college player, has started 83 of his 84 career appearances where he has amassed 1,197 points, 671 rebounds and connected on 57.4 percent of his field goal attempts in Maroon and White. The 57.4 shooting clip is 5th 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 (15.82 – 8th) along with league's top 5 in double-doubles (12 – 2nd), rebounds (8.52 – 2nd) and field goal percentage (57.4 – 1st).

Smith and Tshiebwe are two of five Power 5 players to average at least 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and shoot 55 percent or better from the field. The others are Zach Edey (Purdue), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana) and Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona).

Smith has piled up 64 career outings in double figures, 25 double-doubles and registered 12 of his 18 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 regular season's best 25 points during the Missouri game (02/04).

Smith has stepped it up with 17.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game over his last 17 outings sparked by all 17 games in double figures and 10 double-doubles. He dialed up a career-high 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Florida (03/09) in the SEC Tournament. Overall, Smith has piled up 10 career 20-10 outings.

3. In addition to Smith, State's returning group is highlighted by D.J. Jeffries, Cameron Matthews and Shakeel Moore.

Jeffries (8.8 PPG, 6.2 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 (02/08). He collected his fourth career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds at Vanderbilt (03/04).

Jeffries provided double figures in 16 total games, which is second on the team. The Olive Branch product has racked up 58 career games where Mississippi State and Memphis has garnered a 43-15 record.

Jeffries continues to showcase his versatility with 51 career games of 5+ rebounds, 27 outings with 2+ three-pointers made, 27 career outings with 3+ assists, 26 career games with multiple steals and 19 career outings with multiple blocks.

Matthews (7.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.5 SPG) has already secured 8 of his top 11 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 (02/18).

Matthews is one of two SEC players and one of five Power 5 players to average at least 7.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The others are Kobe Brown (Missouri), Caleb McConnell (Rutgers), Kevin McCullar (Kansas) and Justyn Mutts (Virginia Tech).

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 24 of his 42 outings with 2+ assists, 21 of his 39 performances of 5+ rebounds and 17 of his 36 games with 2+ steals during the 2022-23 campaign.

Matthews secured his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds versus No. 11 TCU (01/28). 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 (9.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.7 SPG) has collected 26 of his 31 career games with 10-plus points in Maroon and White. Mississippi State and NC State are a combined 22-9 when Moore secures double figures.

Over his last 16 games, Moore has accounted for 11.9 points per contest. He ripped off a career-high 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting at South Carolina (01/31) followed by 20-point performances versus No. 9 Tennessee (01/17) and South Carolina (02/28). The North Carolina native has tucked away 10+ points in 7 of his last 10, 9 of his last 13 and 11 of his last 16 outings.
Moore was one of three SEC players joined by 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 44 of 90 career games and his 1.7 steals per contest are 10th 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 (8.5 PPG, 3.5 APG, 1.7 SPG) finished among the SEC's top 10 with a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio (4th), 3.7 assists per game (8th) and 1.9 steals per game (5th) in league games.

Davis secured a SEC season-high 17 points at Arkansas (02/11), posted a 16-point outing during State's win over No. 11 TCU (01/28) and returned to double figures with 13 points coupled with a season-high eight assists versus Florida (03.09) at the SEC Tournament.

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 (11/23) during the second half.

For his career, Davis has turned in 25 games of 10+ points and 2 games of 20+ points to go along with 18 of his 31 games of 2+ steals in 2022-23 and 28 career games of 5+ assists.

Reed Jr., a 2022 All-Ohio Valley First-Team and NABC All-District 18 Second-Team pick, has started 70 of his 90 career games between MSU and Southeast Missouri.

Reed Jr. (3.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG) came away with a season's best 15 points during the Marquette game (11/21), while his best SEC outing was 9 points against Ole Miss (01/07) and at Missouri (02/21). He has drained multiple triples in 6 games in 2022-23 and in 43 career games.

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 36 games of 5+ rebounds, 13 games of 2+ blocks and 10 games of 2+ assists over his career.

McNair Jr. (3.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG) has piled up his top 3 scoring efforts in Maroon and White all against SEC opponents: 13 points versus Ole Miss (01/07) followed by 10 points against No. 8 Alabama (12/28) in the SEC opener and 10 points versus Florida (01/21).

McNair Jr. has hauled down 7 rebounds versus Ole Miss (01/07), No. 8 Alabama (12/28) and Arkansas – Pine Bluff (11/11). 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's (3.9 PPG, 1.8 RPG) season-high is 15 points during a start at No. 8 Tennessee (01/03). He also ripped off double figures in three consecutive games against No. 11 TCU (01/28), at South Carolina (01/31) and versus Missouri (02/04). Stevenson has collected 10 outings of 5+ points and 3 efforts of 5+ rebounds in 2022-23.

5. Mississippi State freshmen class includes redshirt freshman KeShawn Murphy coupled with true freshmen Kimani Hamilton, Martavious Russell and Shawn Jones Jr.

Jones Jr. (3.3 PPG, 1.7 RPG) has ripped off 7 of top 10 scoring efforts against SEC squads with all seven coming over State's final eight games of the regular season (02/08-03/04). He poured in a season's best 11 points versus South Carolina (02/28), his first career outing in double figures.

Jones Jr. has nearly doubled his season average to 5.8 points per contest over his last seven appearances. He is shooting 14-of-32 from the field during the seven-game run.

Hamilton's season's best 9 points at No. 8 Tennessee (01/03). His best all-around effort was 4 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists versus South Dakota (11/17). He has tallied 5+ points on four occasions.

Murphy came away with a career-high 11 points against No. 8 Alabama (12/28) during the SEC opener and a 10-point effort versus Drake (12/20). He has tallied 5+ points five times.

Russell collected a season-high 7 points against Arkansas – Pine Bluff (11/11). 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.