Five Things To Know: State vs. Utah

Saturday, December 13

Salt Lake City, Utah

9 p.m.

Mississippi State

Utah

Buy tickets

TUPELO, MS - December 07, 2025 - Mississippi State Forward Sergej Macura (#11) during the game between the San Francisco Dons and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the Cadence Bank Arena in Tupelo, MS. Photo By Mike Mattina

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Five Things To Know: State vs. Utah

December 12, 2025 | Men's Basketball

WATCH: State vs. Utah [ESPNU]LISTEN: State Radio Network - Powered by Learfield Notes (PDF)Live Stats Buy Tickets

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Mississippi State men's basketball wraps up a three-game stretch away from home as the Bulldogs meet Utah from the Big 12 Conference on Saturday evening at the Delta Center, home of the NBA's Utah Jazz.

State (4-5, 0-0 SEC) will face its third Big 12 opponent on the season. The Bulldogs fell to No. 16 Iowa State (96-80) on 11/10 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Kansas State (98-77) on 11/20 at the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Utes (7-3, 0-0 Big 12) are led by first-year coach Alex Jensen, who played at Utah on the 1998 NCAA Tournament National Runner-Up squad. Offensively, Utah is fueled by four players in double figures headed by Terrence Brown (21.6 PPG, 3.3 APG, 1.6 SPG) and Don McHenry (17.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG). Keanu Dawes (11.4 PPG, 9.8 RPG) is nearly averaging a double-double for the Utes.

As a program, Mississippi State secured its third straight NCAA Tournament bid for the third time in program history during the 2024-25 season. The last time the Bulldogs accomplished the feat was in 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05.

This season, State is looking to connect four consecutive NCAA Tournament trips for the 2nd time in program history. The previous 4-year run went from 2001-02 to 2004-05 under Rick Stansbury.

The Bulldogs are one of seven SEC teams and one of 25 schools nationally with an active streak of at least three consecutive NCAA Tournament trips.

State's victories over No. 18 Pitt, at No. 21 Memphis, versus No. 21 Ole Miss, at No. 19 Ole Miss and against No. 7 Texas A&M gave the Bulldogs five wins over AP Top 25 foes for the first time in program history during the 2024-25 regular season.

Humphrey Coliseum has been one of the nation's most electric atmospheres during the Chris Jans era where the Bulldogs posted two of the program's top six program average attendance marks in 2023-24 and 2024-25. The Hump celebrated the 50th anniversary of opening its doors on Dec. 1.

Fans can purchase single game tickets for the program's remaining non-conference 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
State and Utah will meet for the third time over the last four seasons under Coach Jans. The Bulldogs have won all three previous meetings headed by a 1995 NCAA Tournament Round of 32 matchup in Boise, Idaho.

Overall, the Maroon and White are 23-28 against Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas State, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF and West Virginia who also are members of the Big 12 Conference.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (4-5, 0-0 SEC) vs. Utah (7-3, 0-0 Big 12)
Where: Salt Lake City, Utah – Delta Center
When: Saturday, December 13, 9:05 p.m. CT
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast (https://hailst.at/43XYc1ps)

TV: ESPNU
Channels: Ch. 208 DirecTV • Ch. 141 • Dish • Ch. 1162 MaxxSouth • Ch. 206 C-Spire
Stream: ESPN app, www.ESPN.com/watch (Subscription Required)
Direct Link: https://hailst.at/3WUBZxm
Talent: Roxy Bernstein, Corey Williams

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield
Talent: Neil Price, Richard Williams
Affiliate: WZLA-FM 96.1 Lazer – Your Greatest Hits
Free Online Audio: Hail State and The Varsity Network Apps
Direct Link: https://hailst.at/3KrHvoj

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT STATE
1. Chris Jans, one of the nation's premier bench bosses, is in his fourth season of leading 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 .702 winning percentage (210-89) in his 10th season as a NCAA Division I head coach. He earned his 200th career victory against No. 21 Ole Miss (01/18/2025).

Jans is tied for 8th with Thad Matta (Butler) among NCAA active coaches with the aforementioned .702 winning percentage. They sit behind only Mark Few (Gonzaga), Bill Self (Kansas), John Calipari (Arkansas), Randy Bennett (Saint Mary's), Rick Pitino (St. John's), Tom Izzo (Michigan State) and Kelvin Sampson (Houston) among coaches with at least 10 seasons of NCAA Division I experience.

In his four seasons at State, Jans has amassed 67 victories which trails only Florida's Todd Golden among the six, SEC fourth-year coaches. He is the only active SEC coach at his respective school to post a trio of 20-plus win seasons during his first three seasons inside the league.

Jans remains 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 out of 175 coaches in SEC history to take their squads to three straight NCAA Tournaments with at least 21 wins during their first three seasons inside the league.

Nationally, Jans is joined by Jon Scheyer (Duke) as the only fourth-year coaches in the nation to take their squads to the 2023, 2024 and 2025 NCAA Tournaments, respectively.

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 canceled.

2. State's returning group is fueled by Josh Hubbard, Shawn Jones Jr. and Dellquan Warren.

Hubbard, a two-time All-SEC Second-Team selection, joined Erick Dampier as the only State players to notch All-SEC status during their freshman and sophomore seasons. He is a consensus All-SEC Preseason First-Team pick this season in addition to being named to the Bob Cousy, John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Oscar Robertson Preseason Watch Lists.

Hubbard is joined by Bailey Howell (1957-58-59) and Jamont Gordon (2006-07-08) as the lone State players to rip off back-to-back seasons of 550+ points. His 1431 career points are 18th on State's all-time list and the fourth-highest point total in program history through 78 games behind Howell, Jerry Jenkins (1973-74-75) and Jim Ashmore (1954-55-56-57).

This season, Hubbard ranks the SEC's top 10 in four categories: points per game (21.22– 2nd), three-point field goals made (2.78 – 5th), three-point field goal percentage (35.2 – 5th) and assists per game (3.89 – 10th).

Hubbard, the only major conference player (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) from last season with 600+ points and 100+ assists to return to college basketball in 2025-26, has racked up double figures in 71 of 78 outings fueled by 18 of his 33 efforts of 20+ points versus SEC foes. He has secured 15+ points and 5+ assists in 11 career outings where State has gone 8-3.

Hubbard has sunk multiple triples in 65 of 78 career games and has hit at least one three-pointer in 56 consecutive games which set a program record breaking Darryl Wilson's mark of close to 30 years during the Oklahoma game (02/22). The Madison native has already buried 241 treys which is already 4th on the program's all-time list.

Last season, Hubbard exploded for a career-best 38 points against No. 4 Alabama (01/29/2025). The 38 points are the most for a State player during the 2000s, and the most points in program history versus a ranked opponent.

The Alabama game began a stretch where Hubbard has dialed up 22.1 points per contest sparked by 74 triples over his last 23 games. He poured in a season's best 29 points against New Mexico (11/21) which also matched a non-conference career-best. The junior guard has led the team the Maroon and White in scoring in 40 of his 59 straight starts since the Auburn game (01/28/2024).

Hubbard, a two-time Howell Trophy winner awarded to the state's top collegiate player and ESPN top 100 recruit for the Class of 2023, capped his high school career as Mississippi's all-time leading scorer with 4,367 points. He broke a record that stood for 37 years previously held by Mississippi State's Robert Woodard.

Jones Jr. has started seven of nine games in 2025-26 after he made 80 of his first 93 appearances over his first three seasons off the bench. He is one of nine players in program history to see action on three NCAA Tournament squads and the only SEC rotation player in 2025-26 to play all four seasons at the same school.

Jones Jr. fired in a career-best 17 points versus Southeastern Louisiana (11/15) on 7-of-10 shooting fueled by a career-high three treys. He has improved his scoring average in all four seasons at State.

Jones Jr. has produced four of his seven career outings in double figures over State's last 15 games dating back to the LSU game (03/01/25-12/07/25). He has posted 6.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals per contest over the 15-game run.

Warren has seen action in 33 games off the bench over the last two seasons. He chipped in multiple assists in 10 outings in addition to multiple steals on three occasions. The sophomore equaled his career-best with five points versus North Alabama (11/05) to begin the 2025-26 campaign followed by another five-point effort against San Francisco (12/07).

Announced at SEC Media Days by Coach Jans, Gai Chol will miss the 2025-26 season due to injury.

3. State's transfer class includes Achor Achor (Samford • Kansas State), Amier Ali (Arizona State), Quincy Ballard (Florida State • Wichita State), Jayden Epps (Georgetown • Illinois), Sergej Macura (KK Mega Bemax • Serbia) (Ja'Borri McGhee (UAB) Brandon Walker (UT-Arlington • Montana State).

Achor has collected 1045 over his two junior college seasons and his four seasons at the NCAA Division I level. His best season was when the Melbourne, Australia product was a 2023-24 Lou Henson Award finalist which is awarded to the nation's top mid-major player while at Samford.

Achor was a 2023-24 All-Southern Conference First-Team honoree averaging 16.1 points per game and nearly fueled Samford to a 2024 NCAA Tournament upset of Kansas. His best effort at State was 9 points versus No. 16 Iowa State (11/10) followed by 12 rebounds against SMU (11/28).

Ali came on strong towards the end of freshmen campaign at Arizona State where he poured in five of his 7 outings in double figures against Big 12 foes. He poured in a season's best 16 points, eight during the extra session, highlighted by the game-winning three-pointer with under two seconds left in overtime versus New Orleans (11/24).

Ballard has started in 74 of his last 76 games for Wichita State and Mississippi State over the last three seasons. He leads all NCAA active players with a 71.1 career field goal percentage.

On the defensive end, Ballard has racked up 178 career blocks fueled by 47 performances with multiple blocks and six efforts of five-plus rejections. He registered his first double-double in Maroon and White with 12 points and 10 rebounds versus SMU (11/28).

Epps has piled up 1287 career points over 94 appearances sparked by 68 outings in double figures,
21 performances of 20-plus points and seven efforts of 30 or more points. He has drained 171 career three-pointers highlighted by 46 games with multiple treys.

Epps is complete combo guard with 24 games with multiple steals and 15 performances with five-plus assists. He piled up 17.5 points and 2.3 assists per game over his last six outings. Epps has drained multiple triples in four of his seven games at State.
Macura's KK Mega Bemax (Serbia) fellow starting five members are all playing major conference basketball this season: Andrija Jelavic (Kentucky), Filip Jovic (Auburn), Timotej Malovec (Miami) and Mihailo Petrovic (Illinois). He represented his native Slovenia at multiple FIBA events where he provided 11.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game as Slovenia won the silver medal at the 2024 U20 EuroBasket Championships.

Macura provided a season's best eight points against San Francisco (12/07) and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds versus North Alabama (11/05) during the season opener.

McGhee played at UAB where the Blazers were 24-13 and made the 2025 NIT Elite 8 under Andy Kennedy. State and UAB have won 17 of 25 games over the last two seasons where McGhee scored 10 or more points.

Overall, McGhee has amassed 1,501 career points which also includes two junior college seasons. He tallied a season's best 17 points against SMU (11/28) which proceeded with a 16-point, 5-assist effort versus New Orleans (11/24).

Walker, a two-time All-Big Sky Honorable Mention pick, has dialed up 51 of his 59 career outings over his last three seasons. He was ranked among the Big Sky's top 10 in field goal percentage and points last season.

Overall, Walker has produced 1,144 points over his four-year collegiate career. His two best efforts for State are 11 points at Georgia Tech (12/03) during his first start of the season in addition to 10 points versus No. 16 Iowa State (11/10).

4. State's freshmen class features King Grace, Jamarion Davis-Fleming, Tee Barlett and Cameren Paul were ranked No. 12 nationally and fifth-best among SEC schools by ESPN's Classes for 2025.

Davis-Fleming is consensus four-star prospect as the state of Mississippi's top prospect while playing at Canton High School. He was rated No. 97 in ESPN's Top 100 for the Class of 2025.
The 2024-25 Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year posted 24.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 4.0 blocks per game as the 2024-25 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Mississippi.

Davis-Fleming has secured a block in seven of nine games on the defensive end. His 1.4 blocks per game are 10th on the SEC leaderboard. Davis-Fleming fired in a season's best 11 points in his first career start where he made all five of his field goal attempts at Georgia Tech (12/03).

Grace is another consensus four-star prospect who played his final high school season at Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy based in Dallas, Texas. He ranked No. 75 in ESPN's Top 100 for the Class of 2025 and posted 24.3 points per game as a senior where he helped his team capture the EIBC Championship. Grace's top scoring effort is 8 points against Southeastern Louisiana (11/15).

Bartlett and Paul have yet to play for the Bulldogs this season.

5. As a program, State has earned seven straight postseason appearances when postseason tournament has been played (4 NCAA • 3 NIT) and 17 postseason appearances (10 NCAA • 7 NIT) during the 2000s.

The Bulldogs have compiled a 39-8 mark versus non-SEC opponents during the regular season and have held 34 of those 47 opponents (72.3 percent) to 70 points or less under Coach Jans.
State has posted a 12-5 regular season record against fellow major conference squads (ACC • BIG EAST • Big Ten • Big 12 • former Pac-12) under Coach Jans.

Ten of the 12 wins have come on road/neutral floors where the Bulldogs have posted an average 12.2 margin-of-victory in those 10 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.