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Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-No. 2 Alabama

Mississippi State men's basketball meets its fourth top 10 opponent of SEC play and continues its stretch of four of five games versus ranked competition when the Bulldogs travel to SEC frontrunner and No. 2 Alabama on Wednesday at Coleman Coliseum.

 

State (12-7, 1-6 SEC) will look to snap a four-game losing streak, while Alabama (17-2, 7-0 SEC) has won all seven of its SEC decisions by 10+ points. The last time the Bulldogs defeated an AP top 5 opponent was a 54-45 win over No. 5 Oklahoma on 12/28/2002.

 

One of the staples of a Coach Jans team is all-out effort and a suffocating defense. Through 19 games, the Bulldogs are among the nation's best surrendering 58.3 points per game (2nd SEC • 6th nationally) on a 39.0 opponent field goal per¬centage (4th SEC • 16th nationally).

 

Historically at State, the 58.3 points per game allowed is the program's second-lowest 19-game total in the modern era since the 1955-56 season, which was Babe McCarthy's first season with the Bulldogs.

 

The Maroon and White has dialed up 186 steals on a 9.8 per game clip (2nd SEC • 11th nationally) through 19 games. Both marks are second in program history only behind the 2003-04 SEC championship squad.

 

According to KenPom, the Bulldogs are among the nation's top 35 in six additional categories which include steal percentage (14.9 – 3rd), defensive turnover percentage (24.2 – 10th), adjusted defensive efficiency (90.9 – 11th), offensive rebounding percentage (35.9 – 14th), two-point field goal percentage defense (44.4 – 20th) and effective defensive field goal percentage (46.0 – 29th).

 

State also possesses top 5 SEC marks with a +3.74 turnover margin (2nd), a 1.15 assist-to-turnover ratio (4th) and15.89 turnovers forced per game (5th). The Bulldogs also have grabbed 38.42 rebounds per game (Tied 5th).

 

Alabama is the only Power 5 team in the nation who is undefeated in conference play. The Tide is tied for third nationally with six NCAA NET Quad 1 victories only trailing Kansas and Purdue.

 

Brandon Miller (19.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.7 APG) leads the SEC and all NCAA freshmen at 19.8 points per game. He also ranks among the SEC's top 10 in three-point field goal percentage (45.7 – 1st), fere throw percentage (82.8 – 3rd), rebounds (8.3 – 4th) and field goal percentage (46.1 – 8th).

 

Mark Sears (14.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.7 APG) has drained 42 of his 81 field goals from three-point territory. He has ripped off double-digit points in seven of his last eight outings sparked by 26 points at Arkansas and 20 points at Mississippi State.

 

Noah Clowney (9.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.2 BPG) does the heavy lifting on the interior for the Crimson Tide. He is coming off his best SEC performance of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds at Missouri last Saturday.

 

Jahvon Quinerly (7.1 PPG, 3.3 APG) is Alabama's top performer off the bench and has provided double figures in four of his last six outings. Last time out, he amassed a SEC season's best 13 points at Missouri.  

 

SERIES HISTORY VS. ALABAMA

The Bulldogs will face a ranked Alabama team for the seventh time over the last three seasons. The Crimson Tide have won five of those previous six matchups since 2020-21 and possess a 131-78 overall series advantage.

 

State's last win in the series was a 78-76 victory over No. 24 Alabama on 01/15/2022 at Humphrey Coliseum. The last time the Bulldogs won in Tuscaloosa was a 67-61 decision on 02/20/2016 during Ben Howland's first season.

 

The Matchup:  Mississippi State (12-7, 1-6 SEC) at No. 2 Alabama (17-2, 7-0 SEC)

Where: Tuscaloosa, Alabama – Coleman Coliseum

When: Wednesday, January 24, 8:05 p.m. CT

Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

 

TV: SEC Network

Talent: Roy Philpott, Mark Wise

Channel Lineup: Ch. 611 (DirecTV); Ch. 404/408 (Dish); Ch. 220 (C-Spire); Ch. 1026 (MaxxSouth)

Online: ESPN App (Cable Subscription Required)

(https://hailst.at/WatchESPN)

 

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield

Talent: Neil Price, Richard Williams

Affiliates: WKBB-FM 100.9 Starkville/West Point (Full List: https://hailst.at/MBKAffiliates)

Free Online Audio: Hail State On-Demand (https://hailst.at/MBKListen); The Varsity Network App

 

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE

1. Chris Jans, one of the nation's premier bench bosses, leads State's program. He is assisted by James Miller, David Anwar and George Brooks. His New Mexico State program which Miller and Anwar were apart of became the Western Athletic Conference's (WAC) standard bearer after racking up four regular season championships, three NCAA Tournament appearances and three WAC Tournament titles.

 

Jans, a three-time WAC Coach of the Year, owns an impressive .752 winning percentage (155-51) in his seventh season as a NCAA Division I head coach. The .752 clip ranks fifth nationally only trailing Gonzaga's Mark Few (.835), Kansas' Bill Self (.769), Kentucky's John Calipari (.761) and San Diego State's Brian Dutcher (.753).

 

Jans is the only men's basketball coach at State to win his opening 11 games. The previous mark was held by E.C. Hayes, who completed the 1911-12 season at 9-0 and won the opening game of the 1912-13 campaign.

 

The 11-0 start for the Maroon and White was the program's fourth start with at least 11 straight wins and the program's best start since the 2003-04 SEC regular season championship campaign began with a 13-0 mark.

 

Chris Jans was one of three coaches in SEC history to start his first season with at least 11 consecutive victories (John Calipari, Kentucky, 2009-10; Floyd Burdette, Alabama, 1946-47). 

 

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. Tolu Smith (13.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.5 APG) captured All-SEC Preseason First-Team. The Bulldogs have had a player secure preseason first-team honors during four of the last five seasons. Smith is joined by Quinndary Weatherspoon (2018-19), Reggie Perry (2019-20) and Iverson Molinar (2021-22), who each garnered All-SEC Preseason First-Team selections by the conference coaches.

 

Smith has started 69 of his 70 career appearances in the Maroon and White where he has amassed 936 points, 543 rebounds and connected on 56.6 percent of his field goal attempts. The 56.6 shooting clip is tied for sixth in program history among players who have made at least 300 field goals.

 

Smith has piled up 50 career outings in double figures, 18 double-doubles and registered 8 of his 13 outings of 20-plus points versus SEC competition. For his career, the Bay St. Louis native reached 1,000 career points versus Ole Miss. He began his career with 112 during his freshman season at Western Kentucky.

 

Smith and Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe are the only SEC players to rank among the league's top 15 in points (13.74 – tied 13th) along with league's top 5 in rebounds (8.05 – 5th) and field goal percentage (55.2 – 3rd) in 2022-23.

 

Smith dialed up a non-conference career-best 26 points on an 11-for-13 shooting clip versus Akron and earned the Barstool Sports Invite Game MVP nod. He also pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds against Marquette and Utah en route to Fort Myers Tip-Off MVP honors.

 

Smith notched his first 20-10 game of 2022-23 and sixth career 20-10 outing with 20 points and 10 rebounds at No. 21 Auburn. He has tucked away three straight double-doubles which includes 12 points and 11 rebounds versus Florida.

 

3. In addition to Smith, State's returning group is highlighted by D.J. Jeffries, Cameron Matthews and Shakeel Moore. The quartet combined to average 49.3 percent of the team's points, 48.4 percent of the team's rebounds, 43.9 percent of the team's assists, 52.9 percent of the team's steals and 46.9 percent of the team's blocks over 90 starts last season.

 

Jeffries (9.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.4 SPG) heads into the Alabama game 45 points shy of 1,000 for his career. He has provided double figures in 11 games, which is second on the team this season. The Olive Branch product has racked up 53 career games where Mississippi State and Memphis has garnered a 40-13 record.

 

Jeffries continues to showcase his versatility with 40 career games of 5+ rebounds, 24 outings with 2+ three-pointers made, 23 career outings with 3+ assists, 23 career games with multiple steals and 18 career outings with multiple blocks.

 

Jeffries tallied a season's best 15 points apiece during the Akron and Jackson State contests. He opened SEC action with his third career double-double fueled by a career-high 15 rebounds coupled with 11 points versus No. 8 Alabama. 

 

Matthews (6.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.4 SPG) has already secured 6 of his top 11 career scoring performances in 2022-23. He collected a season's best 14 points against South Dakota.

 

Matthews is the only SEC player in 2022-23 to have at least five blocks, five assists and five steals during a game this season. He racked up a career-best five blocks versus Texas A&M Corpus-Christi during the 2022-23 opening act. Matthews also notched career-highs of five assists and five blocks versus Jackson State.

 

Like Jeffries, his high school teammate from Olive Brach where the duo won a state championship in 2017-18, Matthews is a stat sheet stuffer. For his career, Matthews has piled up 12 of his 30 outings with 2+ assists, 11 of his 29 performances of 5+ rebounds and 9 of his 28 games with 2+ steals and during the 2022-23 campaign.  

 

Moore (8.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.4 SPG, 2.0 APG) has collected 17 of his 22 career games with 10-plus points in Maroon and White. Mississippi State and NC State are a combined 15-7 when Moore secures double figures.

 

Moore has tallied multiple steals in 40 of 76 career games and his 54 steals last season were the most by a MSU player since Lamar Peters in 2018-19. His 2.4 steals per contest are second on the SEC leaderboard this season. The North Carolina native's 1.6 SPG were 12th in the SEC (2021-22), while his 1.4 SPG were 9th in the ACC (2020-21).

 

Over his last four games, Moore has accounted for 13.5 points per game. He ripped off a career-best 20 points against No. 9 Tennessee and added a 15-point, 4-steal effort at Georgia.

 

For his career, Moore has drained 2+ three-pointers in 25 career games and handed out 3+ assists in 25 career outings.

 

4. The Bulldogs have four talented transfers making contributions which include Dashawn Davis (Oregon State), Will McNair Jr. (New Mexico State), Eric Reed Jr. (Southeast Missouri) and Tyler Stevenson (Southern Miss).

 

Davis was the Pac-12's leader in assists with 5.5 dimes per game and a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio in 2021-22 with Oregon State. The last Oregon State player to lead the Pac-12 was Gary Payton, a Naismith Hall of Famer and NBA 75th Anniversary Team member.

 

Davis (8.2 PPG, 3.2 APG, 1.8 RPG, 1.4 SPG) averaged 15.0 points per contest en route to Fort Myers Tip-Off All-Tournament Team honors. The New York native drained five of his career-high six treys against Utah during the second half.

  

Davis ranks among the SEC's top 10 in league contests with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio (4th), 3.7 assists per game (Tied 8th) and 1.6 steals per game (Tied 10th). He secured a SEC season-high 13 points at No. 21 Auburn and has improved his averages to 9.3 points per game over his last four outings.

 

For his career, Davis has turned in 19 games of 10+ points and 2 games of 20+ points to go along with 22 games of 5+ assists and 20 games of 2+ steals.

 

Reed Jr., a 2022 All-Ohio Valley First-Team and NABC All-District 18 Second-Team pick, has started 70 of his 76 career games between MSU and Southeast Missouri. He comes into the Alabama game 127 points away from 1,000 for his career.

 

Reed Jr. (5.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG) came away with a season's best 15 points during the Marquette game, while his best SEC outing was 9 points and a career-high tying 8 rebounds against Ole Miss. He has drained multiple triples in 5 games in 2022-23 and in 42 career games.

 

Reed Jr. was the only OVC player in 2021-22 to rank among the league's top 10 in points (16.1 – 6th), free throw percentage (81.5 – 3rd) and three-point percentage (36.2 – 10th).

 

McNair Jr. improved his stat averages over his first three seasons under Coach Jans at New Mexico State. He has connected on 53.4 percent of his career field goal attempts.

 

McNair Jr. (4.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG) made his first career MSU starts versus Omaha. His MSU bests are 13 points versus Ole Miss followed by 10 points against No. 8 Alabama and 10 points versus Florida. The Philadelphia native is averaging 8.3 points per game over four SEC home appearances.  

 

McNair Jr. has hauled down 7 rebounds versus Ole Miss, No. 8 Alabama and Arkansas – Pine Bluff. For the season, he's notched 8 efforts of 5+ points and 7 outings of 5+ rebounds in 2022-23.

 

McNair Jr. has amassed 14 games of 10+ points coupled with 34 games of 5+ rebounds, 11 games of 2+ blocks and 10 games of 2+ assists over his career.

 

Stevenson registered 74 starts over four seasons where he notched 2021-22 All-Conference USA Honorable Mention and was a Bailey Howell Trophy finalist at Southern Miss. He was one of three USM players to pile up over 1,200 career points and 600-plus rebounds during the 2000s.

 

Stevenson finished 2021-22 a fixture among the C-USA leaders in points (14.5 – 13th), rebounds (7.5 – 5th) and blocks (1.1 – 10th). He has made two starts in 2022-23, most recently at No. 8 Tennessee, where he racked up 14 of his season's best 15 points during the second half.

 

Stevenson (3.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG) hauled down a season-high seven rebounds versus Omaha. He has collected 6 outings of 5+ points and 3 efforts of 5+ rebounds in 2022-23.

 

For his career, Stevenson has 69 games of 10+ points, 20 games of 10+ rebounds, 18 double-doubles, 8 games of 20+ points and 10+ rebounds and 13 games of 2+ blocks.

 

5. Mississippi State freshmen class includes redshirt freshman KeShawn Murphy coupled with true freshmen Kimani Hamilton, Martavious Russell and Shawn Jones Jr.

 

Hamilton and Murphy are ESPN top 100 prospects for their respective classes. Hamilton's father, Tang (1998-99-2000-01), sits among MSU's top 20 in points (1,307 – 20th) and rebounds (677 – Tied for 16th).

 

Hamilton has notched 5+ points on four occasions in 2022-23, with a season's best 9 points at No. 8 Tennessee. His best all-around effort was 4 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists versus South Dakota.

 

Murphy came away with a career-high 11 points against No. 8 Alabama and a 10-point effort versus Drake. He has tallied 5+ points five times in addition to handed out 2+ assists on four occasions and made 2+ three-pointers in three games.

 

Jones Jr. has provided 5+ points on three occasions and has recorded a steal in seven of his 10 appearances. His season's bests are 6 points during the Mississippi Valley State and Arkansas - Pine Bluff contests. Jones Jr. missed seven consecutive games due to injury before he returned at Georgia.

 

Russell collected season-highs of 7 points and 2 steals against Arkansas - Pine Bluff. His one-handed flush inside the contest's final minute earned the No. 5 spot on SportsCenter's Top 10.

Original source can be found here.