Five Things To Know MSU-Washington State

Saturday, November 18

Uncasville, Conn.

11:00 AM

Mississippi State

Washington State

Tickets

STARKVILLE, MS - November 14, 2023 - Mississippi State Guard/Forward Cameron Matthews (#4), Mississippi State Guard Trey Fort (#11) and Mississippi State Guard Shakeel Moore (#3) during the game between the North Alabama Lions and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, MS. Photo By Mike Mattina

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Five Things To Know MSU-Washington State

November 17, 2023 | Men's Basketball

WATCH: MSU vs. Washington State [ESPN+]LISTEN: Hail State On Demand Buy Tickets Live Stats

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

UNCASVILLE, Connecticut – Four undefeated teams will converge at the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic over the weekend at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

Mississippi State (3-0) will face off with Washington State (2-0), while Northwestern (3-0) will take on Rhode Island (2-0) in Saturday's semifinal action streamed online by ESPN+.

The semifinal winners will meet at 12 p.m. CT on ESPN2 followed by the consolation game at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU on Sunday.

State is receiving votes in both polls heading into this weekend's action. The Bulldogs have won their first three games by an average of 22.0 points per contest and will look to claim their second straight multi-team tournament event under Chris Jans after defeating Marquette and Utah to win the Fort Myers Tipoff last year.

The Maroon and White have canned 30 treys over its first three games highlighted by Trey Fort and Josh Hubbard who have combined for 18 triples. Over the last two games, State's bench has done the heavy lifting and outscored its opponents by an 84-31 margin.

The Cougars have protected their home court by defeating Idaho (84-59) and Prairie View A&M (83-65). Andrej Jakimovski (17.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 2.0 APG) and Isaac Jones (15.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.5 APG) headline four Washington State players averaging in double figures.

SERIES HISTORY
Washington State has secured both previous meetings over the Bulldogs on neutral courts during the 2008-09 and 2010-11 seasons. The last meeting was highlighted by a 28-point performance by current NBA standout Klay Thompson, an 83-57 rout, for the Cougars.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (3-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Washington State (2-0, 0-0 Pac 12)
Where: Uncasville, Connecticut – Mohegan Sun Arena
When: Saturday, November 18, 11:00 a.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/478r72n)

Stream: ESPN+ (Subscription Required)
App: ESPN App, www.ESPN.com/watch
Talent: Derrick Jones, Chris Spatola
(https://hailst.at/45QVqsN)

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield
Talent: Bart Gregory, Richard Williams
Affiliates: WKBB-FM 100.9 Starkville/West Point
Free Online Audio: Hail State App (https://hailst.at/MBKListen); The Varsity Network App

5 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. The Iowa native is one of 10 SEC coaches to amass at least 21 victories and secure a NCAA Tournament berth during their first season in league history.

Jans, a three-time WAC Coach of the Year during his tenure at New Mexico State, owns an impressive .746 winning percentage (167-57) in his eighth season as a NCAA Division I head coach. He is fifth among NCAA active coaches with a .746 winning percentage behind only Mark Few (Gonzaga), Bill Self (Kansas), Brian Dutcher (San Diego State) and John Calipari (Kentucky).

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. The Maroon and White are among the nation's leaders returning 80.9 percent of its points, 72.4 percent of its rebounds, 83.8 percent of its assists, 83.6 percent of its steals and 75.2 percent of its blocks from last season.

However, State has showcased its depth with its newcomers, who have amassed 62.3 percent of the team's points (149-of-239) over the first three games. In fact, the team's top three leading scorers are newcomers in Jimmy Bell Jr., Trey Fort and Josh Hubbard.

3. Tolu Smith, Shakeel Moore, D.J. Jeffries, Dashawn Davis and Cameron Matthews combined for 85.3 percent of the team's starts (145-of-170) from last season.

Smith has been showered with numerous preseason accolades headed by the Karl Malone and Naismith Trophy Watch Lists. He also was a consensus 2022-23 All-SEC First-Team pick and a consensus 2023-24 All-SEC Preseason First-Team selection joined by Texas A&M's Wade Taylor IV. Smith has racked up 1,210 points and 679 rebounds and has started 84 of 85 games at State. He is joined by Purdue's Zach Edey as the only players to average at least 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and shoot 55-plus percent from the floor. Smith is slated to return during SEC action.

Moore provided 12.0 points per contest over the team's last 17 games and earned the starting nod on 15 occasions down the stretch last season. He has registered 27 of his 32 career games with 10-plus points while at Mississippi State. Defensively, Moore has accounted for multiple steals in 44 of 92 career games and his 1.7 steals per game were 10th on the SEC leaderboard in 2022-23.

Jeffries has found his way into State's starting five in 68 of 71 career games. He started the 2022-23 campaign on a strong note with double figures in eight of his first 10 outings. Jeffries eclipsed 600 career rebounds against UT Martin (11/11). He enters Saturday's game versus Washington State seven points away from reaching 1,100 for his career.

Davis rated among the SEC's top 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.95 – 6th), steals (1.68 – 9th) and assists (3.52 – 10th) last season. Three of his top four scoring performances came away from Humphrey Coliseum headed by 18 points against Utah in the Fort Myers Tipoff Championship Game and a SEC season-high 17 points during a signature road win at Arkansas. He began the 2023-24 with 10 points versus Arizona State (11/08) and handed out four assists apiece in his last two outings.

Matthews was joined by Davis and Moore in 2022-23 as the first trio in program history to accumulate 50-plus steals during the same season. He showcased his versality as one of eight Power 5 players to dial up at least 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game last season. Matthews posted a 12-point performance versus UT Martin (11/11) followed up by six points, six rebounds, five steals and four assists against North Alabama (11/14).

4. The Bulldogs have brought in an impressive group of newcomers which include Jimmy Bell Jr. (West Virginia), Trey Fort (Howard College), Jaquan Scott (Salt Lake Community College) and Andrew Taylor (Marshall) from the transition portal and junior college ranks.

Bell Jr. (11.3 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 2.9 BPG) has started 37 straight games over the last two seasons and was a key member of West Virginia's 2022-23 NCAA Tournament squad. He notched two of his top three scoring performances against top 15 competition in TCU and Auburn. Bell Jr. ripped off 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds during the North Alabama game (11/14). He has fired in six of his top nine scoring efforts against non-conference opponents.

Fort (13.7 PPG), one of the nation's top junior college recruits, was a NJCAA All-America Second-Team honoree last season. His 24.9 points per game was fourth among junior college players. Fort has notched double figures in two of three games highlighted by a 21-point explosion versus Arizona State (11/08) on opening night. The 21 points are the most scored by a MSU player during a season opener since Tyson Carter secured 23 points against Florida International in 2019-20.

Scott posted 16.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. His team was the 2021-22 NJCAA Runner-Up. He secured nine points and nine rebounds versus Southern Miss in the charity exhibition game.

Taylor (4.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.0 APG) was dubbed a SEC Impact transfer by CBS' Jon Rothstein. His 1,621 career points are second among SEC active players. Last season, Taylor joined by St. John's Shamorie Ponds in 2017-18 as the only college players over the last decade to average at least 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Last time out, he tallied a season's best nine points versus North Alabama.

5. Mississippi State's talented freshmen class features Harrison Alexander, Gai Chol, Josh Hubbard and Adrian Myers. The Bulldogs also bring back Shawn Jones Jr., KeShawn Murphy and Martavious Russell who will look to build on their freshmen campaigns.

Hubbard (13.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.3 APG), an ESPN top 100 recruit, capped his high school career as the state of Mississippi's all-time leading scorer with 4,367 career points which broke a record that stood for 37 years previously held by Mississippi State's Robert Woodard.

With 22 points versus UT Martin (11/11), Hubbard became the seventh State freshmen during the 2000s to produce a 20-plus point effort off the bench. He has scored 40 points over his first three outings which is the most by a State freshman since Erick Damper in 1993-94.

Jones Jr. (6.7 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG) wrapped up the 2022-23 campaign on a strong note with seven of his top 10 scoring efforts coming against SEC opponents. He has carried that momentum into the start of the 2023-24 campaign with pair of 8-point efforts versus Arizona State (11/08) and UT Martin (11/11). Jones Jr. also set a new career-mark with three steals and tied a career-best with two blocks in the UT Martin game.

Chol (5.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG), a native of South Sudan, took advantage of extended minutes with 11 points and six rebounds against UT Martin (11/11). He was 3-of-4 from the floor and a flawless 5-for-5 at the foul line.

Mississippi State is selling season tickets, $96 mini plans and non-conference single game tickets for the upcoming 2023-24 campaign. Visit www.HailState.com/Tickets for more information.

Humphrey Coliseum will become one of the nation's premier arenas as major renovations continue ahead of the upcoming season. If interested in making contributions to Humphrey Coliseum, please contact the Bulldog Club at (662) 325-3074.

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 (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.