2018–19 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team

2018–19 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record23–11 (10–8 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaHumphrey Coliseum
Seasons
2018–19 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 15 LSU 16 – 2   .889 28 – 7   .800
No. 10 Tennessee 15 – 3   .833 31 – 6   .838
No. 7 Kentucky 15 – 3   .833 30 – 7   .811
No. 5 Auburn† 11 – 7   .611 30 – 10   .750
South Carolina 11 – 7   .611 16 – 16   .500
Mississippi State 10 – 8   .556 23 – 11   .676
Ole Miss 10 – 8   .556 20 – 13   .606
Florida 9 – 9   .500 20 – 16   .556
Alabama 8 – 10   .444 18 – 16   .529
Arkansas 8 – 10   .444 18 – 16   .529
Texas A&M 6 – 12   .333 14 – 18   .438
Missouri 5 – 13   .278 15 – 17   .469
Georgia 2 – 16   .111 11 – 21   .344
Vanderbilt 0 – 18   .000 9 – 23   .281
† 2019 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018–19 Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball team represented Mississippi State University in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs, led by fourth-year head coach Ben Howland, played their home games at the Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi as members of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 23-11, to finish a tie for 6th place. In the SEC Tournament, They defeated Texas A&M in the second round before losing to Tennessee in the quarterfinals. They received a at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they were upset by 12th seed Liberty in the first round.

Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2017–18 season 25–12, 9–9 in SEC play to finish in a tie for seventh place. They defeated LSU in the second round of the SEC tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Tennessee. They were received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Nebraska, Baylor, and Louisville to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Penn State.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Xavian Stapleton 3 G 6'6" 210 RS Junior Flora, MS Transferred to Florida Atlantic
Drew Davis 12 G 5'10" 165 Senior Atlanta, GA Graduated
Nick Singleton 13 G 6'5" 195 Junior Decatur, GA Left team
Eli Wright 32 G 6'4" 190 Sophomore Owesnboro, KY Transferred to St. John's
Schnider Herard 34 C 6'10" 260 Sophomore Plano, TX Transferred to Maryland

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Prince Oduro 15 F 6'8" 253 Sophomore Toronto, ON Siena
Jethro Tshisumpa 42 F 6'10" 260 Junior Lubumbashi, Congo San Jacinto College

2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Reggie Perry
#8 PF 		Thomasville, Georgia Thomasville High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 239 lb (108 kg) Jul 17, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Robert Woodard II
#10 SF 		Columbus, Mississippi Columbus High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 222 lb (101 kg) Nov 14, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
D. J. Stewart Jr.
SF 		Grace, Mississippi Riverside High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jul 24, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Mississippi State 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  • "2018 Mississippi State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 17, 2018.

Roster

2018–19 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Nick Weatherspoon 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Velma Jackson HS Camden, MS
F 1 Reggie Perry 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Fr Thomasville HS Thomasville, GA
G 2 Lamar Peters 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Landry-Walker HS New Orleans, LA
G 3 D. J. Stewart Jr. Current redshirt 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Riverside HS Grace, MS
G 4 T. J. Gray (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Columbus HS Columbus, MS
F 5 Mitchell Storm (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 202 lb (92 kg) Jr Madison Central HS
East Mississippi CC 		Madison, MS
G 10 Tate Clayton (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Tupelo HS Tupelo, MS
G 11 Quinndary Weatherspoon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Velma Jackson HS Camden, MS
G 12 Robert Woodard II 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Columbus HS Columbus, MS
F 15 Prince Oduro Current redshirt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 255 lb (116 kg) So First Love Christian Academy
Siena 		Toronto, ON
F 22 KeyShawn Feazell 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Lawrence County HS New Hebron, MS
G 23 Tyson Carter 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Starkville HS Starkville, MS
F 24 Abdul Ado 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS So Hamilton Heights HS Chattanooga, TN
F 30 Andrew Junkin (W) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr New Hope HS New Hope, MS
F 35 Aric Holman 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Owensboro HS Owensboro, KY
F 42 Jethro Tshisumpa 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Jr Mountain Mission
San Jacinto College 		Lubumbashi, Congo
C 45 E. J. Datcher 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr Vincent HS Vincent, AL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 4, 2018*
2:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 18 Georgia Southwestern State W 88–57 
 17 – Peters   12 – Perry   5 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (2,621)
Starkville, MS
Non-conference regular season
November 9, 2018*
6:30 pm, SECN+ 		No. 18 Austin Peay W 95–67  1–0
  21 – Q. Weatherspoon   10 – Holman   7 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (5,977)
Starkville, MS
November 11, 2018*
4:00 pm, SECN 		No. 18 Hartford
MGM Resorts Main Event campus-site game 		W 77–59  2–0
  22 – Q. Weatherspoon   10 – Ado   4 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (5,953)
Starkville, MS
November 16, 2018*
8:00 pm, SECN 		No. 17 Long Beach State
MGM Resorts Main Event campus-site game 		W 79–51  3–0
  21 – Q. Weatherspoon   14 – Perry   4 – Tied  Humphrey Coliseum (8,106)
Starkville, MS
November 19, 2018*
10:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 15 vs. Arizona State
MGM Resorts Main Event Heavyweight semifinals 		L 67–72  3–1
  22 – Holman   10 – Holman   6 – Peters  T-Mobile Arena (2,507)
Paradise, NV
November 20, 2018*
7:30 pm 		No. 15 vs. Saint Mary's
MGM Resorts Main Event Heavyweight 		W 61–57  4–1
  12 – Tied   11 – Holman   5 – Peters  T-Mobile Arena (3,157)
Paradise, NV
November 26, 2018*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 25 Alcorn State W 88–65  5–1
  17 – Tied   11 – Perry   7 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (6,537)
Starkville, MS
November 30, 2018*
6:00 pm, CBSSN 		No. 25 at Dayton W 65–58  6–1
  21 – Q. Weatherspoon   12 – Q. Weatherspoon   8 – Peters  UD Arena (13,455)
Dayton, OH
December 4, 2018*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 22 McNeese State W 90–77  7–1
  27 – Peters   11 – Holman   5 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (6,437)
Starkville, MS
December 8, 2018*
3:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 22 vs. Clemson
Never Forget Tribute Classic 		W 82–71  8–1
  28 – Peters   7 – Q. Weatherspoon   6 – N. Weatherspoon  Prudential Center (7,142)
Newark, NJ
December 15, 2018*
7:30 pm, SECN 		No. 18 Cincinnati W 70–59  9–1
  14 – Tied   10 – Holman   9 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (9,120)
Starkville, MS
December 19, 2018*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 17 Wofford W 98–87  10–1
  19 – Tied   8 – Holman   8 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (6,443)
Starkville, MS
December 22, 2018*
6:00 pm, SECN 		No. 17 vs. Wright State
Jackson Showcase 		W 67–63  11–1
  14 – Q. Weatherspoon   9 – Holman   6 – Peters  Mississippi Coliseum (3,021)
Jackson, MS
December 29, 2018*
11:00 am, ESPNU 		No. 19 BYU W 103–81  12–1
  28 – Holman   8 – Tied   6 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (10,202)
Starkville, MS
SEC regular season
January 8, 2019
8:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 14 at South Carolina L 82–87 OT 12–2
(0–1) 		 20 – Holman   10 – Holman   7 – Peters  Colonial Life Arena (8,776)
Columbia, SC
January 12, 2019
12:00 pm, CBS 		No. 14 Ole Miss L 77–81  12–3
(0–2) 		 18 – Q. Weatherspoon   11 – Ado   4 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (10,021)
Starkville, MS
January 15, 2019
6:00 pm, SECN 		No. 24 Florida W 71–68  13–3
(1–2) 		 16 – Peters   5 – Tied   6 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (7,501)
Starkville, MS
January 19, 2019
7:30 pm, SECN 		No. 24 at Vanderbilt W 71–55  14–3
(2–2) 		 17 – Q. Weatherspoon   9 – Holman   4 – Q. Weatherspoon  Memorial Gymnasium (9,570)
Nashville, TN
January 22, 2019
6:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 22 at No. 8 Kentucky L 55–76  14–4
(2–3) 		 19 – Q. Weatherspoon   13 – Woodard II   3 – Peters  Rupp Arena (21,449)
Lexington, KY
January 26, 2019
7:00 pm, SECN 		No. 22 No. 16 Auburn W 92–84  15–4
(3–3) 		 27 – Q. Weatherspoon   11 – Perry   10 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (10,063)
Starkville, MS
January 29, 2019
7:30 pm, SECN 		No. 22 at Alabama L 79–83  15–5
(3–4) 		 18 – Perry   8 – Holman   4 – Peters  Coleman Coliseum (11,632)
Tuscaloosa, AL
February 2, 2019
2:30 pm, SECN 		No. 22 at Ole Miss W 81–75  16–5
(4–4) 		 27 – Q. Weatherspoon   11 – Perry   6 – Peters  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
Oxford, MS
February 6, 2019
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 21 LSU L 88–92 OT 16–6
(4–5) 		 27 – Q. Weatherspoon   10 – Perry   6 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (7,456)
Starkville, MS
February 9, 2019
12:00 pm, CBS 		No. 5 Kentucky L 67–71  16–7
(4–6) 		 16 – Peters   5 – Woodard II   3 – Q. Weatherspoon  Humphrey Coliseum (9,019)
Starkville, MS
February 12, 2019
8:00 pm, SECN 		Alabama W 81–62  17–7
(5–6) 		 22 – Peters   10 – Perry   6 – Q. Weatherspoon  Humphrey Coliseum (8,022)
Starkville, MS
February 16, 2019
7:30 pm, SECN 		at Arkansas W 77–67  18–7
(6–6) 		 22 – Q. Weatherspoon   10 – Perry   4 – Carter  Bud Walton Arena (17,022)
Fayetteville, AR
February 20, 2019
5:30 pm, SECN 		at Georgia W 68–67  19–7
(7–6) 		 31 – Q. Weatherspoon   6 – Tied   4 – Carter  Stegeman Coliseum (7,153)
Athens, GA
February 23, 2019
5:00 pm, SECN 		South Carolina W 76–61  20–7
(8–6) 		 21 – Perry   6 – Perry   9 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (8,655)
Starkville, MS
February 26, 2019
6:00 pm, SECN 		Missouri W 68–49  21–7
(9–6) 		 24 – Carter   9 – Perry   5 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (7,058)
Starkville, MS
March 2, 2019
3:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Auburn L 75–80  21–8
(9–7) 		 25 – Q. Weatherspoon   14 – Perry   6 – Q. Weatherspoon  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
March 5, 2019
8:00 pm, SECN 		at No. 5 Tennessee L 54–71  21–9
(9–8) 		 14 – Carter   12 – Perry   3 – Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (20,555)
Knoxville, TN
March 9, 2019
1:00 pm, ESPN2 		Texas A&M W 92–81  22–9
(10–8) 		 21 – Peters   9 – Holman   8 – Peters  Humphrey Coliseum (8,732)
Starkville, MS
SEC tournament
March 14, 2019
8:00 pm, SECN 		(6) vs. (11) Texas A&M
Second Round 		W 80–54  23–9
  15 – Peters   8 – Woodard   9 – Q. Weatherspoon  Bridgestone Arena (14,813)
Nashville, TN
March 15, 2019
8:00 pm, SECN 		(6) vs. (3) No. 8 Tennessee
Quarterfinals 		L 76–83  23–10
  20 – Holman   12 – Perry   5 – Peters  Bridgestone Arena (19,575)
Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 22, 2019*
6:27 pm, truTV 		(5 E) vs. (12 E) Liberty
First Round 		L 76–80  23–11
  27 – Q. Weatherspoon   10 – Perry   5 – Peters  SAP Center (12,824)
San Jose, CA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

[1]

Rankings

See also: 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP18171525221817191714242222RV—RVNot released
Coaches1919^152522171617161423222122—RVRV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

References

  1. ^ Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball schedule