by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications
 
TEMPE, Arizona – Mississippi State men’s basketball will look for its third consecutive multi-team tournament crown in as many seasons under head coach Chris Jans as the Bulldogs travel to the Arizona Tipoff over Thanksgiving weekend.
 
State (5-0) won the 2022 Fort Myers Tipoff defeating Marquette (58-55) and Utah (52-49) before claiming the 2023 Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament with victories over Washington State (76-64) and Northwestern (66-57).
 
The Bulldogs take on UNLV (4-1) from the Mountain West Conference during Thursday’s second semifinal which tips at approximately 8:30 p.m. CT, while Butler (4-1) and Northwestern (5-1) begin the four-team event.
 
All four games will be televised by CBS Sports Network which also includes Friday’s championship round at 6:00/8:30 p.m. CT from Mullett Arena on the Arizona State campus.
 
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.
 
The Bulldogs vaulted their way into this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll at the No. 25 spot. At some point, State has been ranked inside the AP Top 25 in each of Coach Jans’ first three seasons. The last time the Maroon and White achieved that feat was back in 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05 under Rick Stansbury.
 
The Bulldogs have started every season with at least a 5-0 mark under Coach Jans, a program first for a State coach during his first three seasons in Starkville.
 
State is ranked among the SEC’s top 5 in six categories: assist/turnover ratio (2.21 – 1st), steals per game (11.60 – 2nd), turnover margin (+7.80 – 2nd), assists per game (19.00 – 2nd), offensive rebounds (13.20 – 4th) and points per game (87.60 – 5th).
   
After selling out seven contests and boasting the program’s fifth highest attendance average for season in 2023-24, Humphrey Coliseum has averaged 8,865 fans which is the program’s highest mark through the team’s opening three games dating back to the 2007-08 season.
 
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 UNLV will meet for the third time on the hardwood during Thursday’s matchup. The Runnin’ Rebels captured the two previous meetings in 1980-81 and in 2013-14 which were both played in Las Vegas. 
 
Overall, the Maroon and White have combined for a 6-7 mark against Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Jose State and Utah State who also are members of the Mountain West Conference.
 
The Matchup: Mississippi State (5-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. UNLV (4-1, 0-0 Mountain West)
Where: Tempe, Arizona – Mullett Arena
When: Thursday, November 28, 8:30 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: CBS Sports Network (Ch. 221 – DirecTV; Ch. 158 Dish; Ch. 1025 MaxxSouth; Ch. 1643 C-Spire)

Stream: CBS Sports Online (Subscription Required)

Direct Link: https://hailst.at/3ZeoL0o

Talent: Jack Benjamin, Matt McCall

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield

Talent: Bart Gregory, 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/4902eY9

 

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 (190-71) in his 9th season as a NCAA Division I head coach. He is sixth among NCAA active coaches with a .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 47 victories, which is tops 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.

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.   

 

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 699 points through 40 games is third in program history for freshmen and sophomores trailing only Rickey Brown and Rich Knarr from the 1970s. He has racked up double figures in 35 of 40 outings fueled by 16 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 34 of 40 career games and has hit at least one three-pointer in 18 consecutive games. In total, he has already buried 128 treys which is already 16th on State’s list.

 

The Madison native picked up where he left off from a season ago and has poured in 20.2 points per game this season which is tied for 2nd 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 22.8 points per game sparked by 58 triples over his last 14 outings. He has led the team in scoring during 16 of his 21 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 11 of the team’s last 18 outings since the Georgia game on 02/07/2024. He posted a non-conference career-best of nine points against Southeastern Louisiana (11/12).

 

Jones Jr.’s career-high is 11 points against South Carolina (02/28/2023). He has made eight of his 11 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 750 points, 675 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 +558 plus/minus cumulative mark when on the floor. He has been a positive plus/minus performer in 56 of 74 games, racked up 28 outings with at least +10 mark and secured at least a +20 rating on 11 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 20-7 lifetime when Matthews collects 10 or more points. He dialed up a season’s best 12 points fueled by a 5-of-6 mark at the foul line down the stretch to salt away the 78-73 victory over Utah (11/17).

 

Matthews has posted 26 career outings with at least five rebounds, multiple assists and multiple steals. He has garnered at least one steal in 78 of his 107 outings over the last four seasons. His 204 career steals are 3rd on State’s all-time list and 5th among NCAA active Power 5 players (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12 SEC).

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 45 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 11.6 points and 7.6 rebounds this season.

 

The Alabama native has pumped home two of his top three scoring efforts in 2024-25 ignited by his first career double-double of a career-high tying 18 points and a career-best 14 rebounds versus Utah (11/17).

 

Murphy has been a stats sheet stuffer with three games of multiple blocks followed by two outings of multiple assists and multiple steals this season. His 7.6 rebounds per contest are 7th, while his 1.4 blocks are 12th in the SEC rankings.

 

An ESPN top 100 recruit for the Class of 2021, his other 18-point scoring effort came against North Texas (12/17/2023) in Tupelo. State has won eight of nine 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 60 games where he garnered 536 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 7.8 points, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals over his last four outings 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). For the season, Clary’s 3.75 assist-to-turnover ratio is fourth on the SEC leaderboard.

 

Foumena has seen action in 31 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 1,371 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 a season’s best 20 points fueled by six trifectas in State’s opening night win over West Georgia (11/04). 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 74 outings in double figures fueled by 18 performances of 20+ points. His teams are a combined 13-5 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 664 points between State and Florida.

 

Kugel has managed 32 games in double figures headed by eight outings of 20-plus points and three of his last four outings with the Bulldogs. 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 provided a season’s best 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 95 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 tallied 11 of his season’s best 15 points during the second half at SMU (11/22).

 

Nwoko made 34 appearances at State and Miami where two of his top four scoring efforts have come against top 15 opponents. 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) while at Miami.

 

Nwoko’s top scoring performance with the Bulldogs was eight points versus Georgia State (11/08) followed by career-bests of 11 rebounds, three blocks and two assists against Utah (11/17).

 

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 seven assists to go along with five steals through five games.

 

Chol has made 20 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.  

 

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 28 of 32 games versus non-SEC opponents and have held 20 of those opponents to 60 points or less during the Coach Jans era.

 

State has posted a 10-3 mark against fellow non-conference Power 6 basketball schools (ACC • BIG EAST • Big Ten • Big 12 • Pac-12) under Coach Jans.

 

Nine of the 10 wins have come on road/neutral floors with the Bulldogs posting an average 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.