Five Things To Know: No. 14 State-South Carolina

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

COLUMBIA, South Carolina – No. 14 Mississippi State turns the page to the second-third of its SEC schedule when the Bulldogs make their yearly trek to South Carolina for a Saturday matinee at Colonial Life Arena.

State (15-4, 3-3 SEC) is one of five SEC squads (Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Texas A&M) and one of 14 teams nationally with at least 8 combined NCAA NET Quad 1 and 2 victories on the season.

The Bulldogs are joined by Memphis and Tennessee as the only teams in the nation to collect a pair of true non-conference road wins over NCAA NET Quad 1 foes.

State is one of four programs (Alabama, Auburn, Memphis) in the country to amass at least six non-conference victories. Only the Bulldogs and Auburn have amassed a 6-1 record or better against NCAA NET Quad 1 and Quad 2 non-conference opponents.

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

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 SEC respective schools during their first three inside the league.

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 81.5 points per game which is the fifth-highest mark in program history and most since 1990-91 through 19 games. The Maroon and White also canned 165 three-pointers is the third-best mark and 182 steals which is good enough for fourth place in program history through 19 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 have secured a 30-19 series advantage over South Carolina on the strength of winning 11 of the last 16 meetings dating back to the 2017-18 season.

The two teams have played a home-and-home series for the last 10 seasons. State will be looking for its fourth regular season sweep over the last eight seasons.

Earlier this season, the Bulldogs routed Carolina by an 85-50 margin. The 35-point triumph was State's largest SEC margin of victory under Coach Jans and during the 49-game series versus the Gamecocks. Josh Hubbard and Claudell Harris Jr. combined for 38 points on a 14-of-23 shooting clip fueled by eight three-pointers.

The Matchup: No. 14 Mississippi State (15-4, 3-3 SEC) vs. South Carolina (10-9, 0-6 SEC)
Where: Columbia, South Carolina – Colonial Life Arena
When: Saturday, January 25, 12:01 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network (Ch. 611 – DirecTV; Ch. 404/408 Dish; Ch. 1026 MaxxSouth; Ch. 220 C-Spire)
Stream: ESPN App (Subscription Required)
Direct Link: https://hailst.at/4gAlw9v
Talent: Roy Philpott, Perry Clark

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/3PFYUJb

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 .727 winning percentage (200-75) 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 .727 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 a share of the top spot with Florida's Todd Golden among the six, SEC third-year coaches. He is the only active coach at his respective SEC school to post a pair of 20-plus win seasons in his first two seasons inside the league with Calipari in 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 four coaches in SEC history to take their squads to three straight NCAA Tournaments with at least 21 wins in their first three seasons inside the league.

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 911 points is second-most among State freshmen and sophomores trailing only Jamont Gordon who piled up 974 points over 65 games during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. The 911 points also are seventh in program history through 54 career games. He enters the South Carolina game 89 points shy of becoming the 45th player at State to reach 1,000 for his career.

Hubbard has racked up double figures in 48 of 54 outings fueled by 19 efforts of 20+ points. He has sunk multiple triples in 45 of 54 career games and has hit at least one three-pointer in 32 consecutive games which is the second-longest streak in State history. In total, he has already buried 165 treys which is already 11th on the program's all-time list.

Hubbard picked up where he left off from a season ago and has poured in 16.5 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.

Over his last 28 outings, Hubbard has dialed up 19.0 points per game sparked by 95 triples. He has led the team in scoring during 21 of his 35 career starts since the Auburn game on 01/28/2024.

The Madison native's top SEC 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).

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 65 of his 78 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), while his SEC career-best is 11 points against South Carolina (02/28/2023).

Matthews is one of college basketball's most versatile players and is the only active NCAA player with at least 900 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 +661 plus/minus cumulative mark when on the floor. He has been a positive plus/minus performer in 66 of 88 games, racked up 35 outings with at least +10 mark and secured at least a +20 rating on 13 occasions. The Bulldogs are 23-9 lifetime when Matthews collects 10 or more points.

Matthews dialed up consecutive double-doubles in SEC play this season. He fired in a career-best tying 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and added six steals versus No. 6 Kentucky (01/11). He also stuffed the stats sheet with 10 points, 11 rebounds and four steals against Ole Miss (01/18).

Matthews has posted 242 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 Jarvis Varnado (2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10).

Murphy has played in 59 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 7.5 rebounds this season.

The Alabama native has pumped home seven of his top nine 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 7.5 rebounds per contest are 9th sparked by a 5.4 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 12 games due to a leg injury (12/04-01/21).

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 1,521 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 seven outings and 11 times at State which is tied for second on the team. 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 806 points over 83 games between State and Florida.

Kugel has managed 38 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 five of his last seven games and on nine occasions with State. The Bulldogs are 7-2 in those outings. He has fired in 13.4 points per game over his last seven appearances and 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.

Kugel 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 and Murphy have combined for 16 outings of 10-plus points off the bench which is tied for third-most among SEC duos this season.

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 109 games and improved his scoring average during each of his first four 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 803 career points coupled with 39 career outings with 10-plus points. His teams are a combined 25-14 when he provides double figures.

Melendez has dialed up 14.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game over his last five 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 five straight and nine of his last 12 outings.

Nwoko made 48 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. His first career double-double with career-bests of 18 points and 11 rebounds versus No. 18 Pitt (12/04). The Canada native tacked on his second double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Prairie View A&M (12/08).

Nwoko 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). He has provided 10 of his 15 outings with 5+ rebounds and all five of his performances with multiple blocks in Maroon and White this season.

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 against South Carolina (01/04) during the SEC opener.

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. His career-highs are 11 points and six rebounds versus UT Martin (11/11/2023).

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-South Carolina

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Dashawn Davis

Cameron Matthews

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