Mississippi State Bulldogs
2019-2020 Overall Rank: #36
Conference Rank: #7 SEC
Mississippi State ended last season with a very disappointing loss to Liberty in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Still, it was a good year for the Bulldogs and Coach Ben Howland has finally taken the program to the next level. Now the key will be to keep that momentum going forward. Mississippi State has some quality players to build around and they should get another crack at making an NCAA Tournament run.
2018-19 Record: 23-11, 10-8
2018-19 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Ben Howland
Coach Record: 78-56 at Mississippi State, 479-262 overall
Key Departed Players:
Quinndary Weatherspoon, Guard, 18.5 ppg
Lamar Peters, Guard, 11.9 ppg
Aric Holman, Forward, 9.5 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Nick Weatherspoon, Junior, Guard, 9.6 ppg
Abdul Ado, Junior, Forward, 4.7 ppg
Tyson Carter, Senior, Guard, 10.4 ppg
Reggie Perry, Sophomore, Forward, 9.7 ppg
Robert Woodward II, Sophomore, Guard, 5.5 ppg
KeyShawn Feazell, Junior, Forward, 0.6 ppg
Key New Players:
Devin Butts, Freshman, Guard
Andrew Junkin, Freshman, Forward
Elias King, Freshman, Forward
Iverson Molinar, Freshman, Guard
Prince Oduro, Sophomore, Forward, Transfer from Siena
Quinten Post, Freshman, Forward
Justin Rumph, Junior, Guard, JC Transfer
Isaac Stansbury, Freshman, Guard
D.J. Stewart, Freshman, Guard
Tolu Smith, Sophomore, Forward, Transfer from Western Kentucky, not eligible
Projection:
Nick Weatherspoon is back to lead the offense after missing the end of last season with a suspension. He is a dynamic playmaker on the offensive end of the floor and will create opportunities for his teammates and do plenty of scoring himself. If he can put his teammates in a better position to avoid turnovers, Mississippi State could have one of the most efficient offenses in the country. Tyson Carter is the team’s main outside shooting threat after knocking down 60 three-pointers last year. The backcourt also returns Robert Woodward II and brings in plenty of talented newcomers. D.J. Stewart may be the best of the bunch. He was practicing with the team as a redshirt last year and is an athletic 6-6 slasher who could very quickly become a key contributor. Reggie Perry flirted with the NBA, but opted to return for his senior season. The 6-10 forward averaged 9.7 points and 7.2 rebounds and is poised for an even bigger sophomore season. His mate in the paint is Abdul Ado. Ado averaged 4.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in just over 24 minutes per game. With Prince Oduro coming in after one decent season at Siena and freshman Andrew Junkin adding frontcourt depth, Mississippi State appears to have everything they need to take another step up the SEC ladder.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.3 (63rd in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.4 (150, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.2 (41, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.8 (178, 13)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.6 (84, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.7 (35, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.7 (140, 6)
Rebound Margin: 3.8 (59, 4)
Assists Per Game: 14.1 (113, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.3 (209, 8)
Madness 2019 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#96 Elias King
