Five Things To Know: Mississippi State-West Georgia

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – The wait of 228 days is nearly complete as Mississippi State men's basketball makes its highly-anticipated season debut against West Georgia on Monday at Humphrey Coliseum.

State has secured back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances fueled by a pair of 21-win campaigns with Coach Jans at the helm. The last time the Bulldogs collected back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids was during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. State will look to secure three straight NCAA Tournament trips for the third time in program history this season.

Last season, the Bulldogs captured three victories over Associated Press Top 10 opponents for the first time since 2001-02. State validated its regular season home win over No. 5 Tennessee by upending the top-seeded Vols at the SEC Tournament in addition to defeating No. 8 Auburn at Humphrey Coliseum.

Humphrey Coliseum was one of the nation's most electric environments in 2023-24 and posted the program's fifth highest attendance average for a season. The Bulldogs boasted seven sellouts, the most on record for a season dating back to 2008-09, highlighted by four in a row to conclude the season.

Fans can purchase single game tickets through Mississippi State's Athletic Ticket Office at www.HailState.com/tickets or by calling (662) 325-2600 / (888) 463-2947 (GO DAWGS).

SERIES HISTORY & SEASON OPENERS
Monday's opener will mark the first meeting between the two schools on the hardwood, and the first NCAA Division I game for West Georgia who enter the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Wolves are coming a 26-5 campaign and a Gulf South Conference championship at the NCAA Division II level.

The Bulldogs have posted a combined 21-1 mark against Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, North Alabama, North Florida and Stetson who are members of the A-Sun.

The Maroon and White has won 10 of its last 11 seasons openers since 2013-14 highlighted by both season debuts under Coach Jans by an average 17-point margin of victory. Coach Jans has won all eight of his season openers as a NCAA Division I head coach. Seven of the eight wins have come by 10-plus points.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (0-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. West Georgia (0-0, 0-0 Atlantic Sun)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Monday, November 4, 6:30 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

Stream: SEC Network+ (Cable Subscription Required); ESPN+ (Subscription Required)
App: ESPN App, www.ESPN.com/watch
Talent: Bart Gregory, Charlie Winfield
Direct Link: https://hailst.at/4dR1J3C

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 and The Varsity Network Apps
Direct Link: https://hailst.at/4ecmyGK

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT STATE
1. Chris Jans, one of the nation's premier bench bosses, leads the State program. He is assisted by George Brooks, David Anwar, Patrice Days, Scott Padgett and Dillon Elder.

Jans, a three-time WAC Coach of the Year during his tenure at New Mexico State, owns an impressive .723 winning percentage (185-71) in his 9th season as a NCAA Division I head coach. He is sixth among NCAA active coaches with a .723 winning percentage behind only Mark Few (Gonzaga), Bill Self (Kansas), Brian Dutcher (San Diego State), John Calipari (Arkansas) and Darian DeVries (West Virginia).

In his three seasons leading Mississippi State, Jans has amassed 42 victories, which is tops among the six, SEC third-year coaches. He is the only active SEC coach at his respective school to post a pair of 20-win seasons in their first two SEC seasons with Calipari entering his first season at Arkansas and Eric Musselman now coaching at Southern Cal.

Jans, Calipari (Kentucky – 2009-10 & 2010-11) and Bruce Pearl (Tennessee – 2005-06 & 2006-07) are the only SEC coaches to take their squads to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments over their first two seasons during the 2000s. Nationally, Jans is joined by Jon Scheyer (Duke) and Rodney Terry (Texas) as the only second-year coaches to take their squads to the 2023 & 2024 NCAA Tournaments.

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. State's returning group is fueled by Josh Hubbard, Shawn Jones Jr., Cameron Matthews and KeShawn Murphy.

Hubbard, a Bob Cousy Award Preseason Watch List member and a consensus All-SEC Second-Team preseason pick, registered 17.1 points per game which was tops among SEC freshmen last season. His 598 points were tops for a State freshmen and 8th overall for a single-season.

Hubbard's SEC top scoring efforts are 34 points versus No. 16 Kentucky (02/27/2024), 32 points at LSU (02/24/2024) and 28 points versus No. 17 South Carolina (03/09/2024). His best non-con scoring effort was 29 points against Northwestern (11/19/2023) as State won the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Hubbard drained 108 three-pointers which shattered Barry Stewart's program freshmen record of 68 in 2006-07. He also surpassed Darryl Wilson's single-season watermark of 97 in 1994-95 in the regular season finale versus No. 17 South Carolina (03/09/2023).

Hubbard, 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. He broke a state record that stood for 37 years previously held by Mississippi State's Robert Woodard.

Jones Jr. was inserted into the starting lineup in eight of the final 13 games in 2023-24. He has posted four of his top six scoring efforts on the road or neutral floors. Jones Jr.'s career-high is 11 points against South Carolina (02/28/2023).

Matthews is one of college basketball's most versatile players and was one of only three players to dial up at least 9.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game a season ago. He is one of five SEC players and one of 22 players among the Power 5 conferences (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) to play their fifth season at the same school in 2023-24.

Matthews dialed up a quartet of double-doubles in SEC action last season: 18 points, 11 rebounds against No. 17 South Carolina (03/09/2024), 14 points, 11 rebounds versus No. 8 Auburn (01/27/2024), 16 points, 12 rebounds at Ole Miss (01/30/2024) and 17 points, 10 rebounds against Arkansas (02/17/2024). The Bulldogs are 19-7 lifetime when Matthews collects 10 or more points.

Matthews has posted 24 career outings with at least five rebounds, multiple assists and multiple steals. He has garnered at least one steal in 73 of his 102 outings over the last three seasons. His 192 career steals are 5th on State's all-time list.

The All-SEC Defensive nod for Matthews last season enabled him to become the fourth player in program history to etch his name to the record book. His company includes Abdul Ado (2020-21), Greg Carter (1990-91) and Varnado (2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10).

Murphy has played in 40 career games, all coming off the bench. He has improved his scoring average during each of his last two seasons. Murphy, and ESPN top 100 recruit for the Class of 2021, posted 8.3 points and 5.8 rebounds over a six-game stretch to close February last season. His top scoring performance is an 18-point effort versus North Texas (12/17/2023). State is 5-1 when Murphy scores double figures.

3. State's talented six-member transfer class combined for 57.2 points per game at their previous stops last season. The group includes Kanye Clary (Penn State), Jeremy Foumena (Rhode Island), Claudell Harris Jr. (Boston College), Riley Kugel (Florida), RJ Melendez (Georgia) and Michael Nwoko (Miami • Florida).

Clary played in 55 games where he garnered 501 career points over his two seasons at Penn State. He amassed 16.7 points per game last season which ranked eight on the Big Ten leaderboard. Clary's career-high is 29 points against Rider (12/29/2023), while his Big Ten best was 27 points against No. 11 Wisconsin (01/16/2024).

Foumena saw action in 28 games off the bench last season after a redshirt season in 2022-23 at Rhode Island. His career-high is 16 points versus Wagner (11/14/2023) whereas his Atlantic 10 scoring watermark was 13 points against Fordham (01/24/2024).

Harris Jr. has piled up 1,318 career points over his previous stops at Charleston Southern and Boston College. He was named 2021-22 All-Big South Freshman Team and 2022-23 All-Big South Second Team in his first two seasons at Charleston Southern.

Harris Jr. has racked up 71 outings in double figures fueled by 17 performances of 20+ points. Boston College was 10-3 when Harris Jr. scored at least 15 points last seasons. His career-high is 34 points against High Point (01/11/2023) at Charleston Southern followed by 2023-24 season's best of 29 points versus Lehigh (12/21/2023) while at Boston College.

Kugel makes it a full circle moment after he originally committed to State during the November 2021 signing period. He captured 2022-23 All-SEC Freshman-Team honors and totaled 620 points over his first two seasons at Florida.

Kugel has managed 29 games in double figures headed by eight outings of 20+ points. His career watermark is 25 points against No. 13 Baylor (11/24/2023), while he posted a SEC-high of 24 points against Kentucky (02/22/2023).

Melendez is no stranger to the SEC after he spent last season at Georgia where the Bulldogs made a run to the 2024 NIT Final Four. He opened his collegiate career with back-to-back NCAA Tournament trips at Illinois.

Melendez has played in 90 games and improved his scoring average during each of his first three seasons sparked by 9.6 points per game at Georgia. His career-high is 35 points aided by six treys at Florida (01/27/2024) followed by non-con highs of 18 points versus Mercer (12/01/2023) and Mount St. Mary's (12/20/2023) while at Georgia.

Nwoko made 29 appearances a season ago at Miami where two of his top three efforts were against top 15 opponents. He tallied eight points and seven rebounds against No. 8 Duke (02/21/2024) coupled with eight points and six rebounds at No. 12 Kentucky (11/28/2023).

Nwoko has international experience representing Team Canada at the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas Championship and the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup.

4. State's roster features freshmen EJ Paymon and Dellquan Warren along with Gai Chol who will look to build on his freshman campaign.

Paymon was a three-time 4A state champion at Raymond High School. He was the 2023-24 Gatorade Player of the Year in Mississippi.

Warren, an ESPN top 100 recruit for the Class of 2024, played his final prep season at Our Savior Lutheran in New York which is the same prep program as Dashawn Davis who was on State's roster the last two seasons.

Chol made a majority of 16 appearances filling in for an injured Tolu Smith III in the non-conference portion of the schedule. The native of South Sudan started playing basketball around age 10 by attending camps in his home country hosted by NBA player Luol Deng.

5. As a program, State has earned six straight postseason appearances when postseason tournament has been played (3 NCAA • 3 NIT) and 16 postseason appearances (9 NCAA • 7 NIT) during the 2000s.
The Bulldogs have dialed up wins in 23 of 27 games versus non-SEC opponents and have held 18 of those opponents to 60 points or less during the Jans era.

State has posted an 8-3 mark against fellow non-conference Power 6 basketball schools (ACC • BIG EAST • Big Ten • Big 12 • Pac-12) under Coach Jans.

The 8 wins on the road/neutral floor with the Bulldogs posting an average 10.0 point margin-of-victory in those road/neutral contests.

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 and Instagram.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Five Things To Know: Mississippi State-West Georgia

Players Mentioned

Dashawn Davis

Cameron Matthews

Tolu Smith III

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