2017–18 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball team represented Mississippi State University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs, led by third-year head coach Ben Howland, played their home games at the Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi as members of the Southeastern Conference.^[1] They finished the 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.

2017–18 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball
NIT, Semifinals
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	25–12 (9–9 SEC)
Head coach	Ben Howland (3rd season)
Assistant coaches	George Brooks Korey McCray Ernie Zeigler
Home arena	Humphrey Coliseum
Seasons ← 2016–17 2018–19 →

2017–18 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 19 Auburn	13	–	5		.722			26	–	8		.765
No. 13 Tennessee	13	–	5		.722			26	–	9		.743
No. 23 Florida	11	–	7		.611			21	–	13		.618
No. 18 Kentucky †	10	–	8		.556			26	–	11		.703
Missouri	10	–	8		.556			20	–	13		.606
Arkansas	10	–	8		.556			23	–	12		.657
Mississippi State	9	–	9		.500			25	–	12		.676
Texas A&M	9	–	9		.500			22	–	13		.629
Alabama	8	–	10		.444			20	–	16		.556
LSU	8	–	10		.444			18	–	15		.545
Georgia	7	–	11		.389			18	–	15		.545
South Carolina	7	–	11		.389			17	–	16		.515
Vanderbilt	6	–	12		.333			12	–	20		.375
Ole Miss	5	–	13		.278			12	–	20		.375
† 2018 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2016–17 season 16–16, 6–12 in SEC play to finish in 12th place. They defeated LSU in the SEC tournament before losing in the second round to Alabama.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Mario Kegler	4	F	6'7"	230	Freshman	Jackson, MS	Transferred to Baylor
Joe Strugg	5	F	6'9"	196	RS Freshman	Montgomery, AL	Walk-on; left the team
I. J. Ready	15	G	5'11"	170	Senior	Little Rock, AR	Graduated
Miles Washington	20	C	6'7"	195	Freshman	New Albany, MS	Walk-on; left the team

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Mitch Storm	5	F	6'6"	195	Sophomore	Madison, MS	Junior college transferred from East Mississippi CC

2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Nick Weatherspoon #10 PG	Camden, MS	Velma Jackson Magnet High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Sep 11, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
KeyShawn Feazell #45 PF	Monticello, MS	Lawrence County High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Oct 13, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 16   Rivals: 25  247Sports: 23  ESPN: 19
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 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016. "2017 Mississippi State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016.

2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Reggie Perry PF	Thomasville, Georgia	Thomasville High School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jul 17, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
D. J. Stewart SF	Benoit, Mississippi	Riverside High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jul 24, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Robert Woodard II SF	Columbus, Mississippi	Columbus High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Nov 14, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jethro Tshisumpa C	Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo	San Jacinto College	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	Feb 18, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:
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 August 31, 2016. "2017 Mississippi State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016.

Roster

2017–18 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) Fr Velma Jackson HS Camden, MS G 1 Lamar Peters 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Landry-Walker HS New Orleans, LA G 3 Xavian Stapleton 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr Madison Central HS Louisiana Tech Flora, MS F 5 Mitch Storm 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 202 lb (92 kg) So Madison Central HS East Mississippi CC Madison, MS G 10 Tate Clayton (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Tupelo HS Tupelo, MS G 11 Quinndary Weatherspoon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Velma Jackson HS Camden, MS G 12 Drew Davis (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Sr Fort Walton Beach HS Atlanta, GA G 13 Nick Singleton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Columbia HS Kennesaw State Decatur, GA G 15 T. J. Ready (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Columbus HS Columbus, MS F 22 KeyShawn Feazell 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Lawrence County HS New Hebron, MS G 23 Tyson Carter 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Starkville HS Starkville, MS F 24 Abdul Ado 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS Fr Hamilton Heights HS Chattanooga, TN G 32 Eli Wright 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So IMG Academy Owensboro, KY C 34 Schnider Hérard 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 260 lb (118 kg) So Prestonwood Christian HS Plano, TX F 35 Aric Holman 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Owensboro HS Owensboro, KY C 45 E. J. Datcher 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So 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	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Oct. 22, 2017* 1:00 pm		Nebraska Hurricane Irma charity game	L 72–76		Humphrey Coliseum  Starkville, MS
Nov 2, 2017* 7:00 pm		West Florida	W 87–62		Humphrey Coliseum (1,711) Starkville, MS
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017* 5:30 pm		Alabama State	W 96–68	1–0	Humphrey Coliseum (6,811) Starkville, MS
Nov 18, 2017* 1:00 pm		Florida A&M Hoops in the Heartland	W 79–48	2–0	Humphrey Coliseum (6,132) Starkville, MS
Nov 20, 2017* 7:00 pm		Green Bay Hoops in the Heartland	W 77–68	3-0	Humphrey Coliseum (6,359) Starkville, MS
Nov 22, 2017* 7:00 pm		Stephen F. Austin Hoops in the Heartland	W 80–75	4–0	Humphrey Coliseum (7,687) Starkville, MS
Nov 26, 2017* 4:00 pm		Jacksonville State	W 59–56	5–0	Humphrey Coliseum (6,034) Starkville, MS
Nov 30, 2017* 6:00 pm, SECN		North Dakota State Hoops in the Heartland	W 83–59	6–0	Humphrey Coliseum (5,831) Starkville, MS
Dec 3, 2017* 7:00 pm, SECN		Dayton	W 61–59	7–0	Humphrey Coliseum (7,539) Starkville, MS
Dec 9, 2017* 4:00 pm		North Georgia	W 95–62	8–0	Humphrey Coliseum (6,613) Starkville, MS
Dec 12, 2017* 6:00 pm, ESPN2		at No. 25 Cincinnati	L 50–65	8–1	BB&T Arena (8,128) Highland Heights, KY
Dec 16, 2017* 7:00 pm		UT Martin	W 92–61	9–1	Humphrey Coliseum (6,709) Starkville, MS
Dec 20, 2017* 7:00 pm		Little Rock	W 64–48	10–1	Humphrey Coliseum (7,156) Starkville, MS
Dec 23, 2017* 7:00 pm		vs. Southern Miss Jackson Showcase	W 70–64	11–1	Mississippi Coliseum (4,028) Jackson, MS
Dec 30, 2017* 3:00 pm, SECN+		North Florida	W 109–81	12–1	Humphrey Coliseum (7,764) Starkville, MS
SEC regular season
Jan 2, 2018 8:00 pm, SECN		No. 22 Arkansas	W 78–75	13–1 (1–0)	Humphrey Coliseum (6,324) Starkville, MS
Jan 6, 2018 3:30 pm, SECN		at Ole Miss	L 58–64	13–2 (1–1)	The Pavilion at Ole Miss (8,664) Oxford, MS
Jan 10, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN		at Florida	L 54–71	13–3 (1–2)	O'Connell Center (9,917) Gainesville, FL
Jan 13, 2018 2:30 pm, SECN		No. 22 Auburn	L 68–76	13–4 (1–3)	Humphrey Coliseum (8,443) Starkville, MS
Jan 16, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN		Vanderbilt	W 80–62	14–4 (2–3)	Humphrey Coliseum (6,633) Starkville, MS
Jan 20, 2018 7:30 pm, SECN		at Alabama	L 62–68	14–5 (2–4)	Coleman Coliseum (15,383) Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan 23, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN		at Kentucky	L 65–78	14–6 (2–5)	Rupp Arena (20,609) Lexington, KY
Jan 27, 2018 7:30 pm, SECN		Missouri	W 74–62	15–6 (3–5)	Humphrey Coliseum (7,169) Starkville, MS
Jan 31, 2018 7:30 pm, SECN		at South Carolina	W 81–76	16–6 (4–5)	Colonial Life Arena (11,042) Columbia, SC
Feb 3, 2018 5:00 pm, ESPNU		Georgia	W 72–57	17–6 (5–5)	Humphrey Coliseum (7,775) Starkville, MS
Feb 6, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN		Alabama	W 67–63	18–6 (6–5)	Humphrey Coliseum (7,095) Starkville, MS
Feb 10, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN2		at Missouri	L 85–89 OT	18–7 (6–6)	Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO
Feb 14, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN		at Vanderbilt	L 80–81	18–8 (6–7)	Memorial Gymnasium (8,592) Nashville, TN
Feb 17, 2018 7:30 pm, SECN		Ole Miss	W 79–62	19–8 (7–7)	Humphrey Coliseum (9,002) Starkville, MS
Feb 20, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN		at Texas A&M	W 93–81	20–8 (8–7)	Reed Arena (8,614) College Station, TX
Feb 24, 2018 2:30 pm, SECN		South Carolina	W 72–68 OT	21–8 (9–7)	Humphrey Coliseum (8,162) Starkville, MS
Feb 27, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN		No. 16 Tennessee	L 54–76	21–9 (9–8)	Humphrey Coliseum (7,548) Starkville, MS
Mar 3, 2018 12:00 pm, SECN		at LSU	L 57–78	21–10 (9–9)	Maravich Center (9,067) Baton Rouge, LA
SEC tournament
Mar 8, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN	(7)	vs. (10) LSU Second Round	W 80–77	22–10	Scottrade Center (11,752) St. Louis, MO
Mar 9, 2018 6:00 pm, SECN	(7)	vs. (2) No. 13 Tennessee Quarterfinals	L 59–62	22–11	Scottrade Center (14,596) St. Louis, MO
NIT
Mar 14, 2018* 8:00 pm, ESPN2	(4)	(5) Nebraska First Round – Baylor Bracket	W 66–59	23–11	Humphrey Coliseum (3,485) Starkville, MS
Mar 18, 2018* 11:00 am, ESPN	(4)	at (1) Baylor Second Round – Baylor Bracket	W 78–77	24–11	Ferrell Center (2,246) Waco, TX
Mar 20, 2018* 8:00 pm, ESPN	(4)	at (2) Louisville Quarterfinals – Baylor Bracket	W 79–56	25–11	KFC Yum! Center (10,718) Louisville, KY
Mar 27, 2018* 6:00 pm, ESPN	(4)	vs. (4) Penn State Semifinals	L 60–75	25–12	Madison Square Garden (7,865) New York City, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

References

1. Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball schedule