Five Things To Know: No. 14 State-No. 6 Tennessee

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee – No. 14 Mississippi State draws its fourth consecutive ranked versus ranked matchup as the Bulldogs travel to No. 6 Tennessee on for a Super Tuesday showcase game.

State (15-3, 3-2 SEC) is one of four SEC squads (Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M) and one of 11 teams nationally with at least 8 combined NCAA NET Quad 1 and 2 victories on the season.

The Bulldogs also are joined by Tennessee (16-2, 3-2 SEC) as the only teams in the nation to collect a pair of true non-conference road wins over NCAA NET Quad 1 foes.

The only other time in program history that the Maroon and White has faced four consecutive ranked opponents was in 1999-2000 against No. 7 Auburn, No. 22 LSU, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 22 Vanderbilt from 01/29 to 02/09.

State advanced to No. 14 in this week's Associated Press and USA Today Top 25 rankings which were announced earlier on Monday. The No. 14 ranking matches a program watermark in the AP poll under Coach Jans from two weeks ago.

State is one of two programs (Auburn) in the country to amass at least six non-conference victories and a 6-1 record or better against NCAA NET Quad 1 and Quad 2 non-conference opponents.

With their victories over No. 18 Pitt (80-57), No. 21 Memphis (79-66) and No. 21 Ole Miss (84-81), the Bulldogs have won three games over AP Top 25 foes for the first time in program history before the month of February.

Respectively, the Pitt and Memphis triumphs are State's largest home and largest road wins over AP Top 25 opponents in program history. The Bulldogs also posted a 35-point win over South Carolina which was the program's second-largest margin of victory for a SEC opener.

In total, the Maroon and White have captured eight victories over AP Top 25 opponents under Coach Jans. The eight wins are already the most ranked victories for a State coach during his first three seasons in Starkville.

Coach Jans' eight victories over AP Top 25 foes are tied for the top spot with Missouri's Dennis Gates and Alabama's Nate Oats for current coaches at their respective schools during their first three SEC seasons.

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 under Rick Stansbury.

State will look to secure three straight NCAA Tournament trips for the third time in program history this season. The last time the Maroon and White accomplished the feat was in 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05 under Stansbury.

The Bulldogs have piled up 82.9 points per game which is the third-highest mark in program history and most since 1990-91 through 18 games. The Maroon and White also has piled up 177 steals and canned 155 three-pointers which are the third-best marks in program history through 17 games.

After selling out seven contests and boasting the program's fifth highest attendance average for season in 2023-24, Humphrey Coliseum has averaged 8,538 fans which is the program's highest mark through the team's first nine games dating back to the 2007-08 season.

Fans can purchase single game tickets for the program's remaining home games 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
The Bulldogs were the only SEC squad that Tennessee, the defending regular season champions, didn't defeat last season. State won the regular season meeting 77-72 behind Josh Hubbard's 25 points followed by Tolu Smith III's 23 points and nine rebounds. The Bulldogs doubled down in the SEC Tournament by a 73-56 margin as Cameron Matthews provided 18 points and 8 rebounds.

Like the Ole Miss game over the weekend, it marks the first ranked against ranked meeting in the all-time series with the Volunteers. Overall, Tennessee leads the series by a 90-46 margin. State's last win in Knoxville was a 71-66 triumph during the 2014-15 season.

The Matchup: No. 14 Mississippi State (15-3, 3-2 SEC) vs. No. 6 Tennessee (16-2, 3-2 SEC)
Where: Knoxville, Tennessee – Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
When: Tuesday, January 21, 6:01 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: ESPN2 (Ch. 209 – DirecTV; Ch. 143 Dish; Ch. 1024 MaxxSouth; Ch. 202 C-Spire)
Stream: ESPN App (Subscription Required)
Direct Link: https://hailst.at/4gLksQk
Talent: Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes

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/40wVQ8r

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 .730 winning percentage (200-74) in his 9th season as a NCAA Division I head coach. He earned his 200th career victory against Ole Miss (01/18), and his 57 wins are the most for a State coach over his first three seasons.

Jans is sixth among NCAA active coaches with the aforementioned .730 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 at State, Jans has amassed 57 victories, which holds the top spot among the six, SEC third-year coaches. He is the only active SEC coach at his respective school to post a pair of 20-plus 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 is looking to remain in the elite company of Calipari (Kentucky – 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12), Bruce Pearl (Tennessee – 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08) and Tubby Smith (Kentucky – 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000) as the only SEC coaches to take their squads to back-to-back-to-back NCAA Tournaments with at least 21 wins over their first three seasons in league history.

Nationally, Jans is joined by Jon Scheyer (Duke) and Rodney Terry (Texas) as the only third-year coaches in the nation to take their squads to the 2023 and 2024 NCAA Tournaments, respectively.

Jans is the last coach to defeat two-time defending national champion UConn led by Dan Hurley at the 2022 NCAA Tournament while at New Mexico State and was the last coach to defeat the Huskies on a neutral court, a span of 984 days, until Memphis defeated UConn at the 2024 Maui Invitational.

As a junior college head coach, Jans won the 1997-98 NJCAA Division II National Championship at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Jans 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 before he won the 2015 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year during his first season as a NCAA Division I head coach at Bowling Green.

Jans ushered in an unprecedented run of success over a five-year span at New Mexico State where he guided the Aggies to a 122-32 record sparked by three NCAA Tournament trips. The program was in-line for a 4th NCAA Tournament appearance before the 2019-20 postseason was cancelled.

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

Hubbard, a John R. Wooden Award Midseason Watch List recipient along with a Bob Cousy Award and Lute Olson Award Preseason Watch List member, registered 17.1 points per game which was tops among SEC freshmen last season.

Hubbard's 897 points through 53 games is second in program history for freshmen and sophomores trailing only Ray White from the 1970s. He has racked up double figures in 47 of 53 outings fueled by 19 efforts of 20+ points. His freshman campaign of 598 points was 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 last season which shattered Barry Stewart's freshmen record of 68 from 2006-07. He also surpassed Darryl Wilson's single-season watermark of 97 in 1995-96 during the regular season finale versus No. 17 South Carolina (03/09/2023).

Hubbard has sunk multiple triples in 44 of 53 career games and has hit at least one three-pointer in 31 consecutive games which is the second-longest streak in State history. In total, he has already buried 161 treys which is already tied for 12th on the program's all-time list.

The Madison native picked up where he left off from a season ago and has poured in 16.6 points per game this season which is 10th among the SEC leaders. He fired in 20 of his 23 points after halftime versus Utah (11/17) and amassed a season-high 26 points fueled by six three-pointers against West Georgia (11/04) during the 2024-25 season opener.

Hubbard has dialed up 19.1 points per game sparked by 89 triples over his last 26 outings. He has led the team in scoring during 20 of his 34 career starts since the Auburn game on 01/28/2024.

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. has made 64 of his 77 appearances off the bench over his three seasons with the Bulldogs. He posted a career-high tying 11 points versus Prairie View A&M (12/08).

Jones Jr. also tallied 11 points against South Carolina (02/28/2023). He has made 26 of his 42 shot attempts from two-point territory this season.

Matthews is one of college basketball's most versatile players and is the only active NCAA player with at least 850 points, 750 rebounds, 300 assists and 225 steals. He is one of five SEC players and one of 22 players among the Power 5 hoops conferences (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) to play their fifth season at the same school in 2024-25.

During his three seasons under Coach Jans, Matthews has dialed up an impressive +669 plus/minus cumulative mark when on the floor. He has been a positive plus/minus performer in 66 of 87 games, racked up 35 outings with at least +10 mark and secured at least a +20 rating on 13 occasions.

Matthews has dialed up consecutive double-doubles over his last two games. He fired in a career-best tying 19 points coupled with 10 rebounds and six steals versus No. 6 Kentucky (01/11). He also stuffed the stats sheet with 10 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and three assists against Ole Miss (01/18).

The Bulldogs are 23-9 lifetime when Matthews collects 10 or more points, and State is 5-3 when he provides a double-double,

Matthews has posted 240 career steals which are 1st on State's all-time list and is 3rd among NCAA active Power 5 players (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12 SEC). The Olive Branch native set the State all-time mark during the McNeese game (12/14).

The All-SEC Defensive nod for Matthews in 2023-24 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 58 career games and made all three of his career starts in 2024-25. He has improved his points and rebounds per game averages during each of his three seasons culminating with 10.3 points and 7.7 rebounds this season.

The Alabama native has pumped home six of his top eight scoring efforts in 2024-25 ignited by a career-high 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting against No. 18 Pitt (12/04). He dialed up his first career double-double with 18 points and a career-best 14 rebounds versus Utah (11/17).

Murphy has been a stats sheet stuffer with 11 outings of multiple assists and six games of multiple blocks followed by four games of multiple steals this season. His 7.7 rebounds per contest are 9th sparked by a 5.6 clip on the defensive end which also is 7th in the SEC rankings.

An ESPN top 100 recruit for the Class of 2021, Murphy secured a SEC career-best of 18 points and added 11 rebounds against Ole Miss (01/18). State has won 13 of 15 games over the last three seasons when he scores double-digit points and all three outings with a double-double in 2024-25.

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 has played in 62 games where he garnered 545 career points between Mississippi State and Penn State. He amassed 16.7 points per game last season which ranked eight on the Big Ten leaderboard with the Nittany Lions. 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).

Clary drained 8-of-9 at the foul line en route to a season's best 12-point outing versus Southeastern Louisiana (11/12). He has missed State's last 11 games due to a leg injury (12/04-01/18).

Foumena has seen action in 36 games off the bench during his time at Mississippi State and Rhode Island after a redshirt season with the Rams in 2022-23. His career-high is 16 points versus Wagner (11/14/2023).

Harris Jr. has piled up 1,513 career points over his three stops at State, Charleston Southern and Boston College. He was named 2021-22 All-Big South Freshman Team and 2022-23 All-Big South Second Team during his first two seasons with Charleston Southern.

Harris Jr. made an instant impact with 20 points fueled by six trifectas in State's opening night win over West Georgia (11/04) and tacked on a season's best 21 points versus Prairie View A&M (12/08) during the non-conference. He is the only State player since at least 1988-89 to fire in 20 points off the bench during a season opener.

Overall, Harris Jr. has racked up 82 outings in double figures fueled by 19 performances of 20+ points. His teams are a combined 14-5 when he piles up 20-plus points.

Harris Jr. has ripped off double figures five of his last six outings and 11 times in total at State. The Bulldogs are 9-2 when he reaches double figures. He dropped in a SEC-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting versus South Carolina (01/04) during the SEC opener.

Harris Jr.'s 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) during his time at Boston College.

Kugel, an ESPN top 75 recruit for the Class of 2022, has made it a full circle moment after he originally committed to the Maroon and White in November 2021. He captured 2022-23 All-SEC Freshman-Team honors and has totaled 794 points over 82 games between State and Florida.

Kugel has managed 37 games in double figures headed by 11 outings of 20-plus points. His career watermark is 25 points against No. 13 Baylor (11/24/2023), while he posted a SEC career-high of 24 points against Kentucky (02/22/2023) with the Gators.

Kugel has dialed up double figures in four of his last six games and on eight occasions with State. The Bulldogs are 7-1 in those outings. He has fired in 16.4 points per game on 56.1 percent shooting (32-of-54) from the floor over those last six appearances.

Kugel native was on his way to another strong effort with eight points in eight minutes versus No. 6 Kentucky (01/11) before he left the game with multiple injuries. He provided season's best of 22 points against Butler (11/29) and Bethune-Cookman (12/30) in the non-conference.

Kugel ripped off a SEC season-high 21 points versus No. 21 Ole Miss (01/04) which included the go-ahead three-pointer in the closing minutes of overtime.

Like Kugel, 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, an ESPN top 75 recruit for the Class of 2021, has played in 108 games and improved his scoring average during each of his first three seasons sparked by 9.6 points per game at Georgia and State. His career-high is 35 points aided by six treys at Florida (01/27/2024).

Melendez has tallied 793 career points coupled with 38 career outings with 10-plus points. His teams are a combined 25-13 when he provides double figures.

Melendez has dialed up 15.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game over his last four outings headed by a season's best 19 points and seven rebounds at Vanderbilt (01/07). The Puerto Rico native has rattled home double-digit points in eight of his last 11 outings.

Nwoko made 47 appearances at State and Miami where two of his top five scoring efforts came against top 15 opponents last season. 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) with the Hurricanes.

Nwoko has five performances of 10+ points on the season where State has posted a 3-2 mark. His first career double-double with career-bests of 18 points and 11 rebounds versus No. 18 Pitt (12/04) over an efficient 18 minutes of action.

Nwoko tacked on his second double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Prairie View A&M (12/08). He has secured nine of his top 11 scoring efforts with State this season and tallied a conference career-best 10 points versus No. 6 Kentucky (01/11).
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 and Adrian Myers who will look to build on their freshman campaigns.

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.

Warren has chipped in multiple assists in five of his appearances in addition to multiple steals on three occasions over his 12 outings off the bench. He came away with two points, three rebounds and three assists during the SEC opener against South Carolina (01/04).

Chol has made 27 appearances, all coming off the bench, during his first two seasons in Maroon and White. The native of South Sudan started playing basketball around age 10 by attending camps in his home country hosted by NBA player Luol Deng.

Chol's career-highs are 11 points and six rebounds versus UT Martin (11/11/2023). He added eight points on 4-of-5 shooting versus West Georgia (11/04) during the 2024-25 opener in addition to securing six points and four rebounds during the UNLV game (11/28).

As announced by Coach Jans before the season opener, Myers and Paymon are expected to redshirt the 2024-25 season.

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 already signed a trio of ESPN top 100 recruits for the Class of 2025 which include King Grace (No. 69), Tee Bartlett (No. 88) and Jamarion Davis-Fleming (No. 90). The only other time that State has signed three freshmen inside ESPN's top 100 recruits was in 2015-16.

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.

Five Things To Know: No. 14 State-No. 6 Tennessee

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Players Mentioned

Dashawn Davis

Cameron Matthews

Tolu Smith III

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