Bulldogs look for road win against Razorbacks

The past doesn't necessarily always foretell the future. But when Mississippi State tips off at Arkansas on Tuesday night, the Bulldogs sure hope recent history can keep repeating itself.

MSU returns to Southeastern Conference action by heading northwestward to battle the Razorbacks on their home floor. The Bulldogs do so having topped Arkansas in each of the two schools' last six meetings. Three of those State wins have come under head coach Ben Howland inside the Razorbacks' Bud Walton Arena.

"It's a little shocking because it is such a hard place to play," Howland said. "We've been very fortunate. We've had a lot of good breaks."

The Bulldogs will hope for more good fortune on Tuesday, but even then, it won't be easy. Arkansas has won each of its last three SEC games. The Razorbacks have taken the last two affairs by 15 points or more.

Arkansas is led by five different players who average 10 points or more per game. Moses Moody leads the group with 16.6 points per game. He's followed by J.D. Notae, who averages 13.9 per contest. Justin Smith averages 11.4, Desi Sills sits at 11.2 and Jalen Tate tallies 10.9 an outing.

"Arkansas is very good," Howland said. "They have very good, young talent and combine that with some graduate transfers.

"They've got very good pieces and really play hard and do a lot of good things defensively to disrupt you and are very good offensively in their motion."

See below for all the information on how you can follow along with Tuesday night's game, along with selected comments from Howland's pre-Arkansas press conference. To watch Howland's full media session, see the video above.

What: Mississippi State (10-8, 4-5) at Arkansas (13-5, 5-4)
Where: Bud Walton Arena – Fayetteville, Arkansas
When: 8 p.m. central on Tuesday, February 2, 2021
TV/Video: SEC Network, Online via ESPN.com/ESPN App
Radio/Audio: Mississippi State Sports Radio Network (click here for full list of affiliates), online at Hailstate.com and the TuneIn radio app

Howland on initial impressions of Arkansas: “Arkansas is very good. They had a really good transfer that was out for probably a month, this kid [Justin] Smith, that transferred from Indiana. He makes a huge difference for them at the power forward position. He’s a very good player. He’s been back now for a few games.”

“They have very good, young talent. They combine that with some graduate transfers. They have a point guard, [Jalen] Tate, that was at Northern Kentucky a year ago that’s a very good player. [JD] Notae, number one, that comes off the bench for them is probably their best offensive player at perimeter play. The kid, [Moses] Moody, is going to be a pro. It sounds like he’s going to be drafted at the end of this year based on all of the stuff that you read.”

“So, they’ve got a lot of talent. [Desi] Sills is incredibly tough. They have very good talent. The big kid inside, [Connor Vanover], is 7’3. The first time I watched him play this year was early in the season. They played North Texas, and he blocked like eight shots in that game. I was like, ‘Wow! This guy is really formidable.’ [Connor] Vanover is a good player. He shoots three’s. He’s skilled. So, they’ve got very good pieces and really play hard and do a lot of good things defensively to disrupt you. They’re very good offensively in their motion.”

Howland on what he's seen from Deivon Smith: “Well, I thought in the last game in particular, he did a great job jump-stopping. He was really tight with the ball. He only had one turnover and nine assists. That’s the key. The reason we lost both at Alabama and Tennessee ultimately, we talked about the last week, was the turnovers. The turnovers that led to easy baskets. That’s something that is key about tomorrow is handling their double teams and handling their run-and-jump [pressure] and hurting them when they do that. Deivon is a key to helping solve that riddle because of his ability to penetrate and kick and make plays. He scored at the rim five times as well in the last game.”

Howland on his team at the halfway point of SEC play: “Well, I think the last three games we’ve really improved defensively. I think we’ve played the best three games in a row defensively that we’ve done all year. Any time you play good defense, you give yourself a chance to win. All is true, especially on the road. Defense is what travels, so we’re going to have to do a really good job in transition. We’re going to have to do a really good job in the half court.”

“Arkansas runs a lot of motion. They probably do as good of a job as anybody in our league at cutting without the ball. That’s something that we’re really trying to emphasize here today in our practice is a lot of the cuts that they make and not losing vision in your man. A lot of times, people stare at the ball. As soon as you lose vision of your man against the Hogs, they’re going to back cut you and burn you. They really do a good job of that.”

Howland on the play of D.J. Stewart and Iverson Molinar: “They’re both having really good years, and both are real good players. I’ve been pleased with their performance and consistency for the whole season. They’ve been very consistent. I’m excited about how both D.J [Stewart Jr.]., who’s our best perimeter defender, and Iverson [Molinar], who is shooting the highest percentage both at the foul line and from three and from the field on our team, are doing.”

Howland on recent MSU success at Arkansas: “It’s a little shocking because it is such a hard place to play. We’ve been very fortunate. We’ve had a lot of good breaks. Last year, we won at the buzzer on a tip-in by Abdul [Ado] that was just awesome. They were obviously very good a year ago with those two, Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe, carrying the load offensively. So, that was a very fortuitous tip, and it was his [Ado’s] only basket of the game.”

Howland on Cameron Matthews' offensive development: “He’s got to keep growing in that area as a shooter. When you look at his percentages from the foul line and from three, they’re both much lower than you would like to have. So, that’s really the area for him moving forward that he’s got to improve, but that’s really in the offseason. I think he’s actually improved. He shot it great the day before we played our last game. Then, his first shot [in the game] he shoots an airball. He’s shooting it a little quick, but he does so many things well that he contributes to winning in so many ways that we need him out there.”

Howland on the performance of MSU freshmen last game: “I think Derek Fountain is right on the cusp of breaking into the top nine, which is what we’re playing [rotation wise]. He’s right there, and he plays two positions. He can play some four, and he can play some three. He was the first one to come in the other day from the other guys that aren’t playing that much. He’s probably deserving of more minutes with the way he’s been practicing, so I’m really excited about Derek in particular in terms of his future. He has a good feel offensively. He came in here at 200 pounds. He’s 219 pounds now, so he’s gotten a lot stronger. He’s very young. He just turned 18 in the middle of the summer. He has a very, very bright future when you look at his potential.”

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