2020–21 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Mississippi State University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Ben Howland, and played their home games at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi as a member of the Southeastern Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the season 18–15, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in ninth place. They defeated Kentucky in the second round of the SEC tournament before losing to Alabama in the quarterfinals. They received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament as the fourth seed in the Saint Louis bracket. There they defeated Saint Louis,[1] Richmond,[2] and Louisiana Tech[3] to advance the championship game where they lost to Memphis.

2020–21 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball
NIT, Runner-Up
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record18–15 (8–10 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaHumphrey Coliseum
Seasons
2020–21 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Alabama 16 2   .889 26 7   .788
No. 10 Arkansas 13 4   .765 25 7   .781
LSU 11 6   .647 19 10   .655
Tennessee 10 7   .588 18 9   .667
Florida 9 7   .563 15 10   .600
Ole Miss 10 8   .556 16 12   .571
Missouri 8 8   .500 16 10   .615
Kentucky 8 9   .471 9 16   .360
Mississippi State 8 10   .444 18 15   .545
Georgia 7 11   .389 14 12   .538
Auburn* 7 11   .389 13 14   .481
South Carolina 4 12   .250 6 15   .286
Texas A&M 2 8   .200 8 10   .444
Vanderbilt 3 13   .188 9 16   .360
2021 SEC tournament winner
* Ineligible for postseason due to self-imposed postseason ban.

Previous season

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The Bulldogs finished the 2019–20 season 20–11, 11–7 in SEC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They were set to be the No. 4 seed in the SEC tournament with a bye to the quarterfinals. However, the SEC Tournament[4] and all other postseason tournaments were canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[5]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Nick Weatherspoon 0 G 6'2" 185 Junior Canton, MS Declared for the 2020 NBA draft
Reggie Perry 1 F 6'10" 250 Sophomore Thomasville, GA Declared for the 2020 NBA draft; selected 57th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers
Elias King 2 F 6'8" 205 Freshman Atlanta, GA Transferred to Middle Tennessee
Devin Butts 4 G 6'5" 175 Freshman Macon, GA Transferred to Louisiana
Tate Clayton 10 G 6'2" 170 Junior Tupelo, MS Walk-on; left the team
Robert Woodard II 12 G 6'7" 235 Sophomore Columbus, MS Declared for the 2020 NBA draft; selected 40th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies
Reggie Miller 13 G 6'5" 185 Senior Saltillo, MS Graduated
Prince Oduro 15 F 6'8" 250 Redshirt Sophomore Toronto, ON Transferred to South Florida
Mitchell Storm 20 F 6'7" 200 Senior Madison, MS Graduated
KeyShawn Feazell 22 F 6'8" 225 Junior New Hebron, MS Transferred to McNeese State
Tyson Carter 23 G 6'4" 175 Senior Starkville, MS Graduated
E. J. Datcher 45 C 6'10" 260 Senior Harpersville, AL Graduated

Roster

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2020–21 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G/F 0 Jalen Johnson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Sr Louisiana–Lafayette Baton Rouge, LA
G 1 Iverson Molinar 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Veritas Prep (CA) Panama City, Panama
F 2 Javian Davis 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS So Alabama Canton, MS
G 3 D. J. Stewart Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS So Riverside HS Grace, MS
G/F 4 Cameron Matthews 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Olive Branch HS Olive Branch, MS
G 5 Deivon Smith 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Fr Grayson HS Loganville, GA
G/F 11 Andersson Garcia 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Hamilton Heights Christian Academy Moca, DR
F 20 Derek Fountain 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Holly Springs HS Holly Springs, MS
G 21 Justin Rumph 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Jr Southern Union State CC Birmingham, AL
F 24 Abdul Ado 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) RS Sr Hamilton Heights Christian Academy Lagos, Nigeria
G 25 Isaac Stansbury 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So Greenwood HS Bowling Green, KY
F 30 Andrew Junkin 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS So New Hope HS New Hope, MS
F 32 Quinten Post 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Cartesius Lyceum HS Amsterdam, Netherlands
G 33 Reggie Morris 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Grandview HS Grandview, MO
F 35 Tolu Smith 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS So Western Kentucky Bay St. Louis, MS
G/F 55 Keondre Montgomery 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Forest Hill HS Jackson, MS
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster
Last update: March 30, 2021

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 25, 2020*
7:30 p.m., CBSSN
vs. Clemson
Space Coast Challenge
L 42–53  0–1
 12  Tied   10  T. Smith   2  Stewart Jr.  Titan Field House (0)
Melbourne, FL
November 26, 2020*
5:00 p.m., CBSSN
vs. Liberty
Space Coast Challenge
L 73–84  0–2
 20  Tied   7  T. Smith   5  D. Smith  Titan Field House (0)
Melbourne, FL
November 30, 2020*
7:00 p.m., SECN
Texas State W 68–51  1–2
 23  Stewart Jr.   8  Davis   5  Matthews  Humphrey Coliseum 
Starkville, MS
December 4, 2020*
7:00 p.m., SECN+
North Texas W 69–63  2–2
 16  Stewart Jr.   9  Ado   3  Matthews  Humphrey Coliseum (1,877)
Starkville, MS
December 8, 2020*
8:00 p.m., SECN
Jackson State W 82–59  3–2
 21  Molinar   12  T. Smith   4  Molinar  Humphrey Coliseum (1,889)
Starkville, MS
December 12, 2020*
2:00 p.m., ESPNU
vs. Dayton
Holiday Hoopsgiving
L 82–85 2OT 3–3
 32  Stewart Jr.   7  Tied   7  Molinar  State Farm Arena (0)
Atlanta, GA
December 16, 2020*
7:00 p.m., SECN+
Central Arkansas W 81–65  4–3
 17  Stewart Jr.   10  T. Smith   5  Stewart Jr.  Humphrey Coliseum (1,000)
Starkville, MS
December 21, 2020*
8:00 p.m., SECN
Mississippi Valley State W 87–48  5–3
 18  Molinar   12  T. Smith   5  Molinar  Humphrey Coliseum (1,000)
Starkville, MS
SEC regular season
December 30, 2020
6:00 p.m., SECN
at Georgia W 83–73  6–3
(1–0)
 24  Molinar   8  Ado   8  3 Tied  Stegeman Coliseum (1,638)
Athens, GA
January 2, 2021
5:00 p.m., SECN
Kentucky L 73–78 2OT 6–4
(1–1)
 19  Stewart Jr.   12  T. Smith   5  Molinar  Humphrey Coliseum (1,000)
Starkville, MS
January 5, 2021
8:00 p.m., SECN
No. 13 Missouri W 78–63  7–4
(2–1)
 24  Stewart Jr.   9  T. Smith   4  Stewart Jr.  Humphrey Coliseum (1,000)
Starkville, MS
January 9, 2021
12:00 p.m., SECN
at Vanderbilt W 84–81  8–4
(3–1)
 24  Molinar   8  Tied   4  Stewart Jr.  Memorial Gymnasium (101)
Nashville, TN
January 13, 2021
8:00 p.m., SECN
Texas A&M L 55–56  8–5
(3–2)
 16  Molinar   6  Smith   4  Tied  Humphrey Coliseum (1,000)
Starkville, MS
January 16, 2021
3:00 p.m., ESPN2
Florida W 72–69  9–5
(4–2)
 27  T. Smith   14  T. Smith   4  D. Smith  Humphrey Coliseum (1,000)
Starkville, MS
January 19, 2021
8:00 p.m., SECN
Ole Miss L 46–64  9–6
(4–3)
 18  Stewart Jr.   9  Ado   3  Tied  Humphrey Coliseum (1,000)
Starkville, MS
January 23, 2021
5:00 p.m., SECN
at No. 18 Alabama L 73–81  9–7
(4–4)
 27  Stewart Jr.   9  T. Smith   2  Tied  Coleman Coliseum (2,055)
Tuscaloosa, AL
January 26, 2021
6:00 p.m., SECN
at No. 18 Tennessee L 53–56  9–8
(4–5)
 16  Molinar   12  Ado   5  Smith  Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191)
Knoxville, TN
January 30, 2021*
5:00 p.m., ESPN2
Iowa State
Big 12/SEC Challenge
W 95–56  10–8
 20  Molinar   7  Tied   9  Smith  Humphrey Coliseum (1,000)
Starkville, MS
February 2, 2021
8:00 p.m., SECN
at Arkansas L 45–61  10–9
(4–6)
 10  T. Smith   5  T. Smith   3  Tied  Bud Walton Arena (4,400)
Fayetteville, AR
February 6, 2021
2:30 p.m., SECN
at South Carolina W 75–59  11–9
(5–6)
 29  Stewart Jr.   8  T. Smith   5  D. Smith  Colonial Life Arena (3,208)
Columbia, SC
February 10, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPNU
LSU L 80–94  11–10
(5–7)
 24  T. Smith   10  T. Smith   4  Tied  Humphrey Coliseum (1,000)
Starkville, MS
February 13, 2021
12:00 p.m., SECN
Vanderbilt L 51–72  11–11
(5–8)
 19  Molinar   6  Tied   6  D. Smith  Humphrey Coliseum (0)
Starkville, MS
February 18, 2021
4:00 p.m., ESPNU
at Auburn Postponed due to weather concerns. Auburn Arena 
Auburn, AL
February 20, 2021
5:00 p.m., SECN
at Ole Miss W 66–56  12–11
(6–8)
 17  Molinar   7  Ado   6  Stewart Jr.  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (895)
Oxford, MS
February 24, 2021
6:00 p.m., SECN
South Carolina W 69–48  13–11
(7–8)
 15  Stewart Jr.   13  Smith   5  Stewart Jr.  Humphrey Coliseum (1,000)
Starkville, MS
February 27, 2021
5:00 p.m., SECN
No. 6 Alabama L 59–64  13–12
(7–9)
 15  Stewart Jr.   13  Smith   4  Tied  Humphrey Coliseum (1,000)
Starkville, MS
March 3, 2021
7:30 p.m., SECN
at Texas A&M W 63–57  14–12
(8–9)
 18  Molinar   8  D. Smith   6  D. Smith  Reed Arena (901)
College Station, TX
March 6, 2021
12:00 p.m., SECN
at Auburn L 71–78  14–13
(8–10)
 20  Smith   9  Smith   2  Tied  Auburn Arena (1,824)
Auburn, AL
SEC Tournament
March 11, 2021
11:00 a.m., SECN
(9) vs. (8) Kentucky
Second Round
W 74–73  15–13
 21  Molinar   11  T. Smith   10  Stewart Jr.  Bridgestone Arena (1,733)
Nashville, TN
March 12, 2021
11:00 a.m., ESPN
(9) vs. (1) No. 6 Alabama
Quarterfinals
L 48–85  15–14
 18  Molinar   11  Ado   2  Tied  Bridgestone Arena (2,186)
Nashville, TN
NIT
March 20, 2021
4:00 pm, ESPN
(4) vs. (1) Saint Louis
First Round – Saint Louis Bracket
W 74–68  16–14
 20  Stewart Jr.   7  Ado   6  Stewart Jr.  Comerica Center (751)
Frisco, TX
March 25, 2021
5:00 pm, ESPN2
(4) vs. (2) Richmond
Quarterfinals – Saint Louis Bracket
W 68–67  17–14
 22  Stewart Jr.   11  Ado   5  Stewart Jr.  UNT Coliseum (935)
Denton, TX
March 27, 2021
2:00 pm, ESPN
(4) vs. (4) Louisiana Tech
Semifinals
W 84–62  18–14
 25  Molinar   7  Tied   4  Stewart Jr.  Comerica Center 
Frisco, TX
March 28, 2021
11:00 am, ESPN
(4) vs. (1) Memphis
Championship
L 64–77  18–15
 19  Matthews   11  Ado   3  Tied  Comerica Center 
Frisco, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[6][7]

References

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  1. ^ "Mississippi State vs. Saint Louis - Game Recap - March 20, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  2. ^ "Mississippi State vs. Richmond - Game Recap - March 25, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  3. ^ "Louisiana Tech vs. Mississippi State - Game Summary - March 27, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  4. ^ "2020 SEC Tournament canceled Thursday amid coronavirus pandemic concerns". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  5. ^ "2020 NCAA Tournament canceled due to growing threat of coronavirus pandemic". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  6. ^ "2020-21 Mississippi State Bulldogs Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  7. ^ "2020-21 Men's Basketball Schedule". Mississippi State. Retrieved November 21, 2020.