Mississippi State men’s basketball set to host Jackson State

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State men’s basketball team will close out a three-game homestand Tuesday night against Jackson State at Humphrey Coliseum. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. CT and will be televised by SEC Network.

The Bulldogs (2-2) are on a two-game winning streak having defeated Texas State and North Texas in their last two contests.

In Friday’s 69-63 win against North Texas, MSU was led by redshirt sophomore guard D.J. Stewart Jr. with 16 points. Sophomore guard Iverson Molinar added 15 points in his season debut. Redshirt sophomore forward Tolu Smith and redshirt senior forward Jalen Johnson notched 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Stewart leads the squad with 17.8 points per game on 28-for-65 (43.1%) shooting. Smith is averaging 14.0 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds.

Tuesday’s game is the season opener for Jackson State. The Tigers were scheduled to play in the Justin Reed Ole Miss Classic, but positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the Ole Miss program canceled the tournament. The Tigers then had their game against North Alabama postponed.

The Tigers finished off the 2019-20 season with an overall record of 15-17. Their top returning scorer is senior guard Tristan Jarrett, who averaged 16.8 points in 32 games last year.

The Bulldogs own a 69-19 home record and have won 39 of their 43 nonconference home games under sixth-year coach Ben Howland.

Tuesday’s meeting is the sixth matchup between the two programs. Mississippi State has won the previous five meetings by an average of 15.4 points. The Bulldogs earned a 58-56 win over Jackson State in the last meeting on Nov. 27, 2013.