by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications TUPELO, Mississippi – Mississippi State men’s basketball heads to Tupelo for a Saturday doubleheader with the women’s program as the Bulldogs take on McNeese at Cadence Bank Arena. The Tupelo doubleheader begins with State’s women facing Belmont at 2 p.m. CT followed by the McNeese matchup at 5 p.m. CT. State (8-1) returned to […]
by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications
TUPELO, Mississippi – Mississippi State men’s basketball heads to Tupelo for a Saturday doubleheader with the women’s program as the Bulldogs take on McNeese at Cadence Bank Arena.
The Tupelo doubleheader begins with State’s women facing Belmont at 2 p.m. CT followed by the McNeese matchup at 5 p.m. CT.
State (8-1) returned to the Associated Press Top 25 poll earlier this week after back-to-back wins over No. 18 Pitt (90-57) and Prairie View A&M (91-84).
At some point, the Bulldogs have been ranked inside the AP Top 25 during each of Coach Jans’ first three seasons. The last time State achieved that feat was back in 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05 under Rick Stansbury.
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. State will look to secure three straight NCAA Tournament trips for the third time in program history this season.
Coach Jans has captured six ranked victories over AP Top 25 opponents which tie him with Stansbury for the most ranked wins during a State coaches first three seasons. Coach Jans has accomplished the feat in few games.
State is ranked among the SEC’s top 5 in six categories: offensive rebounds (13.78 – 3rd), steals per game (10.00 – 4th), turnover margin (+5.22 – 4th), assist/turnover ratio (1.86 – 4th), assists per game (17.56 – 4th) and defensive rebound percentage (72.9 – 5th).
The Bulldogs have piled up 86.2 points per game which is the fourth-highest mark in program history through nine games and the program’s highest mark going back to 1990-91. The Maroon and White also has canned 83 triples which is third-most in program history after nine games.
State’s offensive efficiency is ranked 17th according to KenPom and has vaulted up 159 spots in offensive efficiency going back to Coach Jans’ first season in Starkville.
After selling out seven contests and boasting the program’s fifth highest attendance average for season in 2023-24, Humphrey Coliseum has averaged 8,640 fans which is the program’s highest mark through the team’s opening four 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
Saturday’s matchup marks the 10th meeting between State and McNeese on the hardwood. Last time, the Bulldogs emerged with a 90-77 victory in 2018-19 behind a 25-point performance from Lamar Peters.
Overall, the Maroon and White have combined for a 58-5 mark against Houston Christian, Lamar, New Orleans, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana, Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M – Corpus Christi and Texas-Rio Grande Valley who also are members of the Southland Conference.
The Matchup: Mississippi State (8-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. McNeese (5-4, 0-0 Southland)
Where: Tupelo, Mississippi – Cadence Bank Arena
When: Saturday, December 14, 5:05 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)
TV: ESPNU (Ch. 208 – DirecTV; Ch. 141 Dish; Ch. 1162 MaxxSouth; Ch. 206 C-Spire)
Stream: Watch ESPN App (Subscription Required)
Direct Link: https://hailst.at/3CzMtLv
Talent: Mike Morgan, Pat Bradley
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/4iueB3i
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 .728 winning percentage (193-72) in his 9th season as a NCAA Division I head coach. He is sixth among NCAA active coaches with the aforementioned .728 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 leading State, Jans has amassed 50 victories, which holds the top spot among the six, SEC third-year coaches. He is the only active SEC coach at his respective school to post a pair of 20-plus win seasons in their first two SEC seasons with Calipari entering his first season at Arkansas and Eric Musselman now coaching at Southern Cal.
Jans, Calipari (Kentucky – 2009-10 & 2010-11) and Bruce Pearl (Tennessee – 2005-06 & 2006-07) are the only SEC coaches to take their squads to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments over their first two seasons during the 2000s.
Nationally, Jans is joined by Jon Scheyer (Duke) and Rodney Terry (Texas) as the only third-year coaches 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 Bob Cousy Award, a Wooden 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 769 points through 44 games is second in program history for freshmen and sophomores trailing only Ray White from the 1970s. He has racked up double figures in 39 of 44 outings fueled by 18 efforts of 20+ points. His freshman campaign of 598 points was tops for a State freshmen and 8th overall for a single-season.
Hubbard’s SEC top 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) as State won the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Hubbard drained 108 three-pointers last season which shattered Barry Stewart’s freshmen record of 68 from 2006-07. He also surpassed Darryl Wilson’s single-season watermark of 97 in 1995-96 during the regular season finale versus No. 17 South Carolina (03/09/2023).
Hubbard has sunk multiple triples in 38 of 44 career games and has hit at least one three-pointer in 22 consecutive games. In total, he has already buried 140 treys which is already 14th on State’s list.
The Madison native picked up where he left off from a season ago and has poured in 19.0 points per game this season which is 5th 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.
Hubbard has dialed up 22.9 points per game sparked by 70 triples over his last 18 outings. He has led the team in scoring during 18 of his 25 career starts since the Auburn game on 01/28/2024.
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 been inserted into the starting lineup in 12 of the team’s last 22 outings since the Georgia game on 02/07/2024. He posted a career-high tying 11 points versus Prairie View A&M (12/08).
Jones Jr. also tallied 11 points against South Carolina (02/28/2023). He has made 14 of his 21 shot attempts from two-point territory on the young season.
Matthews is one of college basketball’s most versatile players and is the only active NCAA player with at least 800 points, 700 rebounds, 275 assists and 200 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 +590 plus/minus cumulative mark when on the floor. He has been a positive plus/minus performer in 59 of 78 games, racked up 29 outings with at least +10 mark and secured at least a +20 rating on 12 occasions.
Matthews dialed up a quartet of double-doubles in SEC action last season: 18 points, 11 rebounds against No. 17 South Carolina (03/09/2024), 14 points, 11 rebounds versus No. 8 Auburn (01/27/2024), 16 points, 12 rebounds at Ole Miss (01/30/2024) and 17 points, 10 rebounds against Arkansas (02/17/2024). State is 4-2 when Matthews provides a double-double.
The Bulldogs are 20-8 lifetime when Matthews collects 10 or more points. He dialed up a season’s bests of 14 points fueled by a 6-for-10 shooting clip and four steals against Butler (11/22).
Matthews has posted 27 career outings with at least five rebounds, multiple assists and multiple steals. He has garnered at least one steal in 82 of his 111 outings over the last four seasons. His 216 career steals are 2nd on State’s all-time list and 4th among NCAA active Power 5 players (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12 SEC). The Olive Branch native is two steals away from State’s all-time mark.
The All-SEC Defensive nod for Matthews last season 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 Varnado (2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10).
Murphy has played in 49 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 11.3 points and 7.9 rebounds this season.
The Alabama native has pumped home four of his top five 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 four outings of multiple assists and three games of multiple blocks followed by two games of multiple steals this season. His 7.9 rebounds per contest are 7th sparked by a 5.6 clip on the defensive end which also is tied for 6th in the SEC rankings.
An ESPN top 100 recruit for the Class of 2021, Murphy secured another 18-point scoring effort against North Texas (12/17/2023) in Tupelo. State has won 10 of 11 games over the last three seasons when Murphy scores double-digit points.
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 has notched at least eight points and handed out multiple assists during four of his last six appearances in Maroon and White. He drained 8-of-9 at the foul line en route to a season’s best 12-point outing versus Southeastern Louisiana (11/12).
Foumena has seen action in 33 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) whereas his Atlantic 10 scoring watermark was 13 points against Fordham (01/24/2024).
Harris Jr. has piled up 1,408 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). He is the only State player since at least 1988-89 to fire in 20 points off the bench during a season opener. Harris Jr. and Hubbard made program history as the first set of teammates to connect for at least six three-pointers during the same game.
Overall, Harris Jr. has racked up 76 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. His 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) while at Boston College.
Kugel, an ESPN top 75 recruit for the Class of 2022, makes it a full circle moment after he originally committed to the Maroon and White during the November 2021 signing period. He captured 2022-23 All-SEC Freshman-Team honors and totaled 699 points over 74 games between State and Florida.
Kugel has managed 33 games in double figures headed by nine 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 four occasions with State. He provided 17 of his season’s best 22 points during the second half of the Butler game (11/29). Kugel also secured 13 points highlighted by a two-handed dunk inside the closing minute of State’s 84-79 victory at SMU (11/22).
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 99 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) followed by non-con highs of 18 points versus Mercer (12/01/2023) and Mount St. Mary’s (12/20/2023) while at Georgia.
The Puerto Rico native has tallied 684 career points coupled with 32 career outings with 10-plus points. His teams are 21-11 when Melendez provides double figures, and he came away with 11 of his season’s best 15 points during the second half at SMU (11/22). Melendez has rattled home double digit points in three of his last five appearances.
Nwoko made 38 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 registered 13.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest fueled by a pair of double-doubles over his last three outings. His first career double-double with career-bests of 18 points and 11 rebounds versus No. 18 Pitt (12/04) over an efficient 18 minutes of action. He tacked on 10 points and 10 rebounds against Prairie View A&M (12/08) which was proceeded by career-bests of 11 rebounds, three blocks and two assists during the Utah (11/17) game.
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. He chipped in multiple assists in four of his appearances in addition to multiple steals on two occasions.
Chol has made 23 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.
Chol’s career-highs are 11 points and six rebounds versus UT Martin (11/11/2023). He added eight points on 4-of-5 shooting versus West Georgia (11/04) during the 2024-25 opener in addition to securing six points and four point during the UNLV game (11/28).
Paymon was a three-time 4A state champion at Raymond High School and was the 2023-24 Gatorade Player of the Year in Mississippi. As announced by Coach Jans on 11/06, 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 dialed up wins in 31 of 36 games versus non-SEC opponents and have held 22 of those opponents to 60 points or less during the Coach Jans era.
State has posted an 11-4 mark against fellow non-conference Power 6 basketball schools (ACC • BIG EAST • Big Ten • Big 12 • former Pac-12) under Coach Jans.
Nine of the 11 wins have come on road/neutral floors with the Bulldogs posting an average of an 8.9 point margin-of-victory in those road/neutral contests.
State has already signed a trio of ESPN top 100 recruits for the Class of 2025 which include Tee Bartlett, Jamarion Davis-Fleming and King Grace.
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.
