TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 25 Mississippi State men’s basketball team will play for the program’s outright multi-team tournament title in as many seasons under the direction of its head coach Chris Jans while the Bulldogs face Butler of the BIG EAST Conference on Friday.

State’s Bulldogs (6-0) were on a roll with eight players scoring at least five points in an 80-58 win over UNLV, while Butler’s Bulldogs (5-1) cruised to a 71-69 win over Northwestern. It is the first time in program history that State has started at least 6-0 three times in a row.

KeShawn Murphy posted his second double-double of the season with 14 points, 13 rebounds and four assists and finished the contest with an impressive plus/minus rating of +28. Josh Hubbard scored 11 points, reaching 15 straight double-digit games, dating back to the Ole Miss game on February 24, 2024.

With three steals in last night’s contest, Cameron Matthews has moved into sole possession of second place in program history and is 11 away from State’s all-time mark.

Previously under Coach Jans, the Maroon-Whites won the 2022 Fort Myers Tipoff with wins over Marquette (58-55) and Utah (52-49) before securing the 2023 Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament with wins over Washington State (76- 64) and Northwestern secured (66-57).

The last time State won three consecutive multi-team events was in 1994–95 and 1995–96 under NCAA Final Four coach Richard Williams. The Bulldogs won the 1994-95 Missoulian/Coca-Cola Classic and the Cowboy Shootout, followed by the Far West Classic in 1995-96.

State has secured back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, fueled by two 21-win campaigns with Coach Jans at the helm. The last time the Bulldogs received consecutive NCAA Tournament bids was in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. State will look to secure three straight NCAA Tournament appearances this season for the third time in program history.

The Bulldogs made it into the Associated Press Top 25 poll this week at No. 25. In each of Coach Jans’ first three seasons, State was ranked in the AP Top 25 at some point. The last time the Maroon and White achieved this feat was in 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05 under Rick Stansbury.

State has won 29 of 33 games against non-SEC opponents and held 21 of those opponents to 60 points or fewer during Coach Jans’ era.

State has posted a 10-3 mark against other non-conference Power 6 basketball schools (ACC • BIG EAST • Big Ten • Big 12 • Pac-12) under Coach Jans.
Nine of the 10 wins came on road/neutral courts, with the Bulldogs averaging a margin of victory of 8.9 points in those road/neutral contests.

HISTORY OF THE SERIES

State and Butler have met on the hardwood once before, a 47-46 decision in Butler’s favor, during the Round of 64 of the 2003 NCAA Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama.

Overall, the Maroons and Whites have a combined 10-8 record against Connecticut, Creighton, DePaul, Marquette, Providence, Villanova and Xavier, also members of the BIG EAST Conference.

The matchup: Mississippi State (6-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Butler (5-1, 0-0 BIG EAST)
Where: Tempe, Arizona – Mullett Arena
When: Friday, November 29, 8:30 p.m. CT
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: CBS Sports Network (Ch. 221 – DirecTV; Ch. 158 Dish; Ch. 1025 MaxxSouth; Ch. 1643 C-Spire)

Electricity: CBS Sports Online (Subscription required)

Direct link: https://hailst.at/3ZeoL0o

talent: Jack Benjamin, Matt McCall

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield

Talent: Bart Gregory, Richard Williams

Partner: WZLA-FM 96.1 Starkville/West Point

Free Online Audio: Hail State and The Varsity Network Apps

Direct link: https://hailst.at/4eHmgYK



NEXT
State returns to the friendly confines of Humphrey Coliseum, where the Bulldogs will welcome PITT to Wednesday’s SEC/ACC Challenge matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. CT, televised by SEC Network and available online via the ESPN app.


After seven sold-out contests and the program’s fifth-highest attendance average during the 2023-24 season, Humphrey Coliseum is averaging 8,865 fans, marking the program’s highest through the team’s first three games from the 2007-08 season.


Fans can purchase single-game tickets for the program’s remaining non-conference home games through the Mississippi State Athletic Ticket Office at www.HailState.com/tickets or by calling (662) 325-2600 / (888) 463-2947 (GO DAWGS).


Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men’s basketball program. Fans can also follow the program on its official social media accounts by searching “HailStateMBK” on Facebook, X and Instagram.