2018–19 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team

2018–19 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball
2018–19 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	23–11 (10–8 SEC)
Head coach	Ben Howland (4th season);
Assistant coaches	George Brooks; Korey McCray; Ernie Zeigler;
Home arena	Humphrey Coliseum
	Seasons ← 2017–18 2019–20 →

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.

2018–19 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	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

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

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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
Reggie Perry #8 PF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Robert Woodard II #10 SF	Columbus, Mississippi	Columbus High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	222 lb (101 kg)	Nov 14, 2017
Robert Woodard II #10 SF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
D. J. Stewart Jr. SF	Grace, Mississippi	Riverside High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jul 24, 2017
D. J. Stewart Jr. SF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: 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.	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	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

Ben Howland (Weber State)

Assistant coach(es)

George Brooks (Mississippi State)
Korey McCray (Mercer)
Ernie Zeigler (Cleary)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

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

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	18	17	15	25	22	18	17	19	17	14	24	22	22	RV	—	RV				Not released
Coaches	19	19^	15	25	22	17	16	17	16	14	23	22	21	22	—	RV				RV

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

References

^ Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball schedule

[1] Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball schedule

[1]