Mississippi State Bulldogs
SEC (23-10, 10-8)
Mississippi State lived up to their high expectations early in the 2018-2019 season. They started the year 12-1 with wins over some good teams like Saint Mary’s, Clemson and Cincinnati. SEC play did not go quite as well though, as the Bulldogs struggled against the top teams in the conference and against some mid-level opposition away from home.
Big Wins: 12/15 Cincinnati (70-59), 12/19 Wofford (98-87), 1/26 Auburn (92-84)
Bad Losses: 11/19 vs Arizona State (67-72), 1/8 at South Carolina (82-87), 1/12 Mississippi (77-81)
Coach: Ben Howland
Why They Can Surprise:
Coach Ben Howland has a few impressive frontcourt options. Aric Holman and Abdul Ado are both big time shot blockers and no team will have an easy route to the rim with those two in the paint. Holman, a 6-10 senior, is also an interesting scoring threat who can step outside and knock down some shots. Freshman Reggie Perry is also a strong scorer who is playing his best basketball right now. Early in the year Perry was not living up to the hype, but by the end of January, the 6-10 Thomasville, Georgia product was turning into a double-double machine.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Mississippi State has a couple very good scorers on the perimeter. Quinndary Weatherspoon easily leads the team with 18.2 points per game and Lamar Peters adds 11.7 points along with a team high 5.2 assists. Those two also get quite a few steals, but the Bulldogs do occasionally struggle with their perimeter defense. The opposition often is willing to take quite a few three-pointers instead of testing the shot blockers in the paint and they often shoot very well from beyond the arc. When Mississippi State gets knocked out of the tournament, it will likely be against a team that is prolific from long range.
Probable Starters:
Lamar Peters, Junior, Guard, 11.7 ppg, 5.2 apg
Tyson Carter, Junior, Guard, 10.5 ppg, 1.6 apg
Quinndary Weatherspoon, Senior, Guard, 18.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.8 apg
Reggie Perry, Freshman, Forward, 9.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg
Abdul Ado, Sophomore, Forward, 4.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.8 bpg
Key Role Players:
Aric Holman, Senior, Forward, 9.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Robert Woodard, Freshman, Guard, 5.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Nick Weatherspoon, Sophomore, Guard, 9.6 ppg, 2.3 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.3 (66th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.2 (152, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.1 (49, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.6 (174, 12)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.5 (90, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.6 (39, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.9 (128, 6)
Rebound Margin: 3.7 (67, 5)
Assists Per Game: 14.3 (106, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.4 (218, 8)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2018 | NIT | First Round win over Nebraska |
| 2018 | NIT | Second Round win over Baylor |
| 2018 | NIT | Quarterfinal win over Louisville |
| 2018 | NIT | Semifinal loss to Penn State |
| 2012 | NIT | First Round loss to Massachusetts |
| 2010 | NIT | First Round win over Jackson State |
| 2010 | NIT | Second Round loss to North Carolina |
| 2009 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Washington |
| 2008 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Oregon |
| 2008 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Memphis |
| 2007 | NIT | First Round win over Mississippi Valley State |
| 2007 | NIT | Second Round win over Bradley |
| 2007 | NIT | Semifinal loss to West Virginia |
| 2007 | NIT | Quarterfinal win over Florida State |
| 2005 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Stanford |
| 2005 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Duke |
*all team stats through 3/10
