Five Things To Know: State-Baylor

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

RALEIGH, North Carolina – Mississippi State will have the nation's eyes all to itself as the Bulldogs open day two's coverage of the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 versus Baylor on Friday morning at Lenovo Center, home of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes.

State (21-12, 8-10 SEC) and Baylor (19-14, 10-10 Big 12) will tipoff at 11:15 a.m. CT in an 8-9 matchup with the winner advancing to Sunday's NCAA Round of 32. The Bulldogs have won two of their previous 8-9 matchups and will be looking for the program's first NCAA Tournament victory since 2008 when State knocked off Oregon in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

Everyone talks about their schedule being a gauntlet, but the Bulldogs have had to face off with the league's elite this season as a record-breaking 14 teams earned bids to March Madness.

Taking it further, State and Georgia were the only teams to play at least seven conference games against Associated Press Top 10 opponents. Eight of State's 12 losses came against teams ranked inside the top 16 of the NCAA NET Rankings.

Playing AP Top 25 games is no stranger to State under Coach Jans. The Bulldogs have played 26 SEC ranked opponents over the last three seasons which is good enough for second-most headed by a league-best 16 SEC matchups versus AP top 10 foes.

The Maroon and White are one of seven SEC squads (Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M) and are one of 27 teams nationally to produce at least 13 combined NCAA NET Quad 1 and 2 victories on the season.

State has dialed up a 35-5 mark versus non-SEC opponents and have held 23 of those non-SEC opponents to 60 points or less during the Coach Jans era. The Bulldogs have 11 of 15 decisions against fellow major conferences squads (ACC • BIG EAST • Big Ten • Big 12 • former Pac-12) under the direction of Coach Jans with nine of the 11 wins coming on road/neutral floors.

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

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

Earlier this month, State fell out of the AP Top 25 for the first time in the 2025 calendar year. The Bulldogs were ranked inside the AP poll during the month of March for the first time since 2003-04 and for 11 straight weeks with the last time State accomplishing that run of success being 2018-19. The Maroon and White secured as high as a No. 14 ranking three times in 2024-25, the latest being 01/27, which remains a program watermark under Coach Jans.

With their victories over No. 18 Pitt (80-57), No. 21 Memphis (79-66), No. 21 Ole Miss (84-81), at No. 19 Ole Miss (81-71) and No. 7 Texas A&M (70-54), the Bulldogs finished the regular season with five victories over AP Top 25 foes for the first time in program history.

Respectively, the Pitt and Memphis triumphs are State's largest home and largest road wins over AP Top 25 opponents in program history.

In total, the Maroon and White have captured 10 victories over AP Top 25 opponents in three seasons under Coach Jans. The 10 wins are already the most ranked victories for a State coach during his first three seasons in Starkville.

State has secured three NCAA Tournament appearances fueled by a trio of 21-win campaigns with Coach Jans at the helm. The last time the Bulldogs accomplished the feat was in 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05 under Rick Stansbury.

State has committed 351 turnovers through 33 games which shatters a program low dating back to at least the 1979-80 season. State has had 12 games of committing single-digit turnovers this season headed by a program-low two miscues at Arkansas (03/08) during the regular season finale.

The Maroon and White has collected 304 steals which is the most, canned 277 three-pointers which is fourth-best, and averaged 79.8 points per game which is fifth-most in program history in addition to the best scoring mark since 1990-91 through 33 games.

SERIES HISTORY
State has won three of the four previous meetings with the Bears which include both in the postseason at the 1990 and 2018 NITs. The Bulldogs used a Quinndary Weatherspoon buzzer beater to defeat Baylor, 78-77, in 2018.

Overall, State is 23-25 versus current members of the Big 12 Conference. The Bulldogs have defeated No. 11 TCU (82-74 on 01/28/2023) and Utah (78-73 on 11/17/2024) under Coach Jans.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (21-12, 8-10 SEC) vs. Baylor (19-14, 10-10 Big 12)
Where: Raleigh, North Carolina – Lenovo Center
When: Friday, March 21, 11:15 a.m. CT
Live Stats Direct Link: https://hailst.at/3Rj7uy4

TV: CBS (Ch. 4 – DirecTV; Ch. 4/7761 Dish; Ch. 1004 MaxxSouth; Ch. 4 C-Spire)
Stream: Paramount Plus (Subscription Required)
Direct Link: https://hailst.at/3DPGq6w
Talent: Ian Eagle, Bill Raferty, Grant Hill, Tracy Wolfson

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield
Talent: Neil Price, Richard Williams
Affiliates: WZLA-FM 96.1 Starkville/West Point

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 .713 winning percentage (206-83) in his 9th season as a NCAA Division I head coach. He earned his 200th career victory against Ole Miss (01/18).

Jans is tied for sixth among NCAA active coaches with the aforementioned .713 winning percentage which sits behind only Mark Few (Gonzaga), Bill Self (Kansas), John Calipari (Arkansas), Brian Dutcher (San Diego State) and Randy Bennett (Saint Mary's).

In his three seasons at State, Jans has amassed 63 victories, which is most for a State coach and trails only Florida's Todd Golden among the six, SEC third-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 with Calipari in his first season at Arkansas.

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 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, 2024 and 2025 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 canceled.

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

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.

Hubbard is one of five major conferences players (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC) to amass 600+ points and 100+ assists this season. He is joined by North Carolina's R.J. Davis, Duke's Cooper Flagg, Marquette's Kam Jones and Alabama's Mark Sears.

Hubbard's 1214 career points are the most among SEC freshmen and sophomore players during the 2000s. He also ranks seventh overall among SEC freshmen and sophomore players which includes the illustrious company of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (LSU – 1854 PTS), Allan Houston (Tennessee – 1415 PTS), Bernard King (Tennessee – 1290 PTS), Jacky Dorsey (Georgia – 1234 PTS), Shaquille O'Neal (LSU – 1219 PTS) and James Robinson (Alabama – 1215 PTS).

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 1214 career points also is third highest in State history through 68 games behind Howell and Jerry Jenkins (1973-74-75).

Hubbard ranks among the SEC's top 15 in seven categories: points per game (18.67 – tied 3rd), assist-turnover ratio (2.76 – 1st), three-point field goals made (3.15 – 2nd), free throw percentage (87.8 – 6th), three-point field goal percentage (34.3 – 7th), assists per game (3.18 – 13th) and field goal percentage (39.7 – 15th).

Hubbard has racked up double figures in 62 of 68 outings fueled by 17 of his 26 efforts of 20+ points versus SEC foes. He has sunk multiple triples in 58 of 68 career games and has hit at least one three-pointer in 46 consecutive games which set a program record breaking Darryl Wilson's mark of over 30 years during the Oklahoma game (02/22). The Madison native has already buried 212 treys which is already 6th on the program's all-time list.

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

Over his last 13 outings, Hubbard has dialed up 22.4 points per game sparked by 45 triples. He has led the team in scoring during 33 of his 49 career starts since the Auburn game on 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 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 79 of his 92 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). Jones Jr. dialed up a SEC season's best 10 points versus Texas (03/04) and has posted 7.3 points per game over his last four outings.

Matthews is one of college basketball's most versatile players. He is the only player in SEC history and the only active NCAA player with at least 975 points, 850 rebounds, 375 assists and 250 steals. He is one of five SEC players and one of 22 players among the major 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 +653 plus/minus cumulative mark when on the floor. He has been a positive plus/minus performer in 73 of 102 games, racked up 38 outings with at least +10 mark and secured at least a +20 rating on 13 occasions.

Matthews, one of 15 finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, has posted 274 career steals which are 1st on State's all-time list and is 3rd among NCAA active major conference 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) and enters the NCAA Tournament four steals away from breaking into the top 3 in SEC history in that category.

Matthews is ranked inside the SEC's top 15 in steals per game (2.48 – 1st), assist per game (3.58 – tied 7th), rebounds per game (6.58 – 13th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.47 – 14th).

Matthews dialed up consecutive double-doubles earlier 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).

The Bulldogs are 23-11 lifetime when Matthews collects 10+ points. State also has secured a 16-5 mark when Matthews hands out 5+ assists and are 8-1 when Matthews records 5+ steals.

Murphy has played in 73 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 11.8 points and 7.5 rebounds this season.

The Alabama native had double figures in six straight games (01/25-02/15) and has boosted his mark to 13.6 points per contest over his last 17 efforts. Murphy pumped home a career-high 20 points against No. 18 Pitt (12/04) in addition to collecting his first career double-double with 18 points and a career-best 14 rebounds versus Utah (11/17) in the non-conference.

Murphy, one of the SEC's most improved players and top sixth men, has drained a SEC-leading 60.4 percent of his field goal attempts in conference games. He has posted 14 of his 19 outings of 10+ points off the bench have come against SEC opponents, while his 7.5 rebounds per contest are 8th and his 1.2 blocks per game are 14th on the SEC leaderboard.

Murphy and Kugel have combined for 29 outings of 10-plus points off the bench which is 3rd among SEC duos trailing only Auburn's Chaney Johnson and Tahaad Pettiford along with Alabama's Aden Holloway and Mouhamed Dioubate of Alabama this season.

An ESPN top 100 recruit for the Class of 2021, Murphy secured a quartet of double-doubles in SEC action fueled by 18-point efforts versus No. 21 Missouri (03/13), at No. 6 Alabama (02/25), against No. 4 Alabama (01/29), versus No. 21 Ole Miss (01/18) and against No. 3 Florida (02/11).

State has won 16 of 26 games over the last three seasons when Murphy scores double-digit points and three of his five outings with a double-double in 2024-25. He has been a stats sheet stuffer with 16 outings of multiple assists and 11 games of multiple blocks this season.

3. State has received 34.6 points per game from its transfer class of Claudell Harris Jr. (Boston College), Riley Kugel (Florida), RJ Melendez (Georgia) and Michael Nwoko (Miami • Florida)

Harris Jr. has piled up 1,630 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. His career-high is 34 points against High Point (01/11/2023) while at 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 87 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. The Louisiana native has drained 265 career three-pointers and hit a trey in 23 of his last 26 games for the Bulldogs.

Harris Jr. has ripped off double figures 16 times at State, and the Bulldogs are 12-4 when he reaches double figures. He dropped in a SEC-high 18 points at Arkansas (03/08) during the regular season finale and came away with 12 of his 15 points after halftime in a victory over No. 7 Texas A&M (02/18).

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 912 points over 97 games between State and Florida.

Kugel has managed 45 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 on 16 occasions with State, and the Bulldogs are 11-5 in those outings. He has fired in 10+ points in nine of his last 16 games (01/18-03/13) 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) during the non-conference.

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 123 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) last season.

Melendez has tallied 915 career points coupled with 45 career outings with 10-plus points. His teams are a combined 27-18 when he provides double figures. The Puerto Rico native piled up a season's best 19 points and seven rebounds at Vanderbilt (01/07) followed by a non-conference season-high of 18 points against McNeese (12/14). He has notched 11 of his 17 outings of 10+ points at State versus SEC opponents.

Nwoko made 62 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).

Nwoko has seven performances of 10+ points on the season where State has posted a 5-2 mark. His first career double-double with career-bests of 18 points and 11 rebounds versus No. 18 Pitt (12/04). The Canadian tacked on his second double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Prairie View A&M (12/08).

Nwoko has secured eight of his top nine scoring performances with State and tallied a conference career-bests of 11 points at Georgia (02/08) and at South Carolina (01/25). He has provided 16 of his 21 outings with 5+ rebounds and all six of his efforts with multiple blocks this season.

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

Kanye 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 has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with an injury (01/28).

Jeremy Foumena has seen action in 37 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).

4. State's roster features Dellquan Warren, Gai Chol and Martavious Russell to complete its rotation of players who have seen action in at least 10 games this season.

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 seen action in 25 games off the bench which includes each of State's last 13 SEC games (01/29-03/13). He has chipped in multiple assists in nine of his appearances in addition to multiple steals on three occasions. The freshmen came away with a season's best five points versus LSU (03/12) at the SEC Tournament.

Chol has made 31 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).

Russell has made 11 of his 20 appearances for State this season. He notched a career-high tying seven points against LSU (03/12) at the SEC Tournament.

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 already signed a trio of ESPN top 100 recruits for the Class of 2025 which include King Grace (No. 70), Tee Bartlett (No. 89) and Jamarion Davis-Fleming (No. 92). 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.

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