Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball

Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State Bulldogs
	2015–16 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team
University	Mississippi State University
First season	1908
All-time record	1347–1142 (.541)
Conference	SEC
Location	Starkville, MS
Head coach	Ben Howland (1st year)
Arena	Humphrey Coliseum; (Capacity: 10,775)
Nickname	Bulldogs
Colors	Maroon and White; <templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css"></templatestyles>
Uniforms
Home	Away
NCAA Tournament Final Four
	1996
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
	1996
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen
	1963, 1995, 1996
NCAA Tournament appearances
	1963, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009
Conference tournament champions
	1923, 1996, 2002, 2009
Conference regular season champions
	1912, 1913, 1914, 1916, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963 1991, 2004

The Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball program represents Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, in men's NCAA Division I basketball. The Bulldogs play in the Southeastern Conference. On March 23, 2015, Mississippi State named former UCLA head coach, Ben Howland as its 20th head basketball coach.

History

The Bulldogs have been to the NCAA Tournament ten times, the first time in 1963 and the most recent being 2009. Three previous bids were turned down because of a state policy barring collegiate teams from playing in integrated events. The 1963 team, however, famously snuck out of the state in the dead of night to play.

Six of the ten NCAA appearances have been earned in the past 10 seasons under former MSU Head Basketball Coach, Rick Stansbury. They have won 10 conference championships, 4 as a member of the now dissolved Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1912, 1913, 1914, and 1916 in addition to 6 SEC titles in 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1991, and 2004. The Bulldogs have won 4 conference tournament championships, one as a member of the Southern Conference in 1923 and three SEC Tournament titles in 1996, 2002, 2009. Mississippi State has several notable alumni including Erick Dampier, Bailey Howell, and Jarvis Varnado. Mississippi State also has several National Basketball Association players who committed to MSU but joined the NBA instead of heading to Starkville for a college career. Some of those names include Jonathan Bender, Monta Ellis, and Travis Outlaw.

Coaches

Mississippi State's most successful coaches include Babe McCarthy, Richard Williams, and Rick Stansbury. Babe McCarthy's place in history includes taking his team to the 1963 NCAA Tournament under the cover of darkness despite the Mississippi Governor's court order restricting their participation.

Season	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Mississippi State (Southeastern Conference) (2015–present)
2015–16	Ben Howland	14–17 (.452)	7–11 (.389)	11th	—
Mississippi State:		14–17 (.452)	7–11 (.389)
Total:		14–17 (.452)
National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion

Rivals

As in all sports, Mississippi State'e primary rival is the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). In basketball, Mississippi State leads the series over Ole Miss 142–112. Former MSU Head Coach Rick Stansbury is 21–8 vs the Rebels.^[2]

Roster

2015–16 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	High school/previous college	Home town
G	1	Fred Thomas	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	206 lb (93 kg)	Sr	Jim Hill HS	Jackson, MS
F	2	Demetrius Houston	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	So	G. W. Carver HS	Montgomery, AL
F	4	Johnny Zuppardo	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	RS Sr	Jones County JC	Bay St. Louis, MS
G	14	Elijah Staley	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	RS Fr	Wheeler HS	Marietta, GA
G	15	I.J. Ready	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jr	Parkview Magnet HS	Little Rock, AR
F	20	Gavin Ware	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	260 lb (118 kg)	Sr	Starkville HS	Starkville, MS
C	22	Fallou Ndoye	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	RS So	Findlay Prep	Senegal
F	23	Travis Daniels	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	RS Sr	Shelton State CC	Russellville, AL
G	32	Craig Sword	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	Sr	G. W. Carver HS	Montgomery, AL
F		Aric Holman	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	Owensboro HS	Owensboro, KY
G		Malik Newman	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	174 lb (79 kg)	Fr	Callaway HS	Jackson, MS
G		Xavian Stapleton	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	So	Madison Central HS	Flora, MS
F		Joseph Strugg	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Fr	G. W. Carver HS	Montgomery, AL
G		Quinndary Weatherspoon	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	Fr	Velma Jackson HS	Camden, MS

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

Former players

All-Americans

Player	Position	Year(s)	Selectors
Jim Ashmore	Guard	1956–57	Converse, Associated Press, UPI, Helms Athletic Foundation
Bailey Howell (2)	Forward	1957–58, 1958–59	Helms Athletic Foundation, Associated Press, USBWA/Look Magazine, NABC, UPI, NEA
Red Stroud (2)	Guard	1961–62, 1962–63	Helms Athletic Foundation, Converse, NABC, Associated Press
Leland Mitchell	Guard	1962–63	Converse
Rickey Brown	Forward	1979–80	Citizen Saving Athletic Foundation, Associated Press
Jeff Malone	Guard	1982–83	The Sporting News, Basketball Times, NABC
Greg Carter	Forward	1990–91	Associated Press
Chuck Evans	Guard	1991–92	UPI
Eric Dampier (2)	Center	1994–95, 1995–96	Associated Press
Mario Austin	Forward	2002–03	Associated Press, Foxsports.com
Lawrence Roberts (2)	Forward	2003–04, 2004–05	Associated Press, USBWA, NABC, The Sporting News
Jamont Gordon (2)	Guard	2006–07, 2007–08	Foxsports.com, Rivals, ESPN, Associated Press
Jarvis Varnado (2)	Forward	2008–09, 2009–10	Associated Press, College Basketball Insider
Dee Bost	Guard	2008–09	CollegeHoops.net
Source:MSU Media Guide \| url=http://www.nmnathletics.com/fls/16800/pdf/mbk/mbk_1415mg.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=16800 \| title=Mississippi State All-Americas \| publisher=Mississippi State \| accessdate=2015-01-11 small>

Notable basketball players who attended and played at Mississippi State University.

Arnett Moultrie, 1st round, 2012 NBA draft.
Jarvis Varnado, 2nd round, 2010 NBA draft. NCAA career record holder with 564 blocked shots. One of only two college players to have at least 1000 points, 1000 rebounds, and 500 blocked shots, the other being David Robinson.
Lawrence Roberts, 2nd round, 2005 NBA draft.
Derrick Zimmerman, 2nd round, 2003 NBA draft.
Tyrone Washington, 2nd round, 1999 NBA draft.
Dontae' Jones, 1st round, 1996 NBA draft.
Erick Dampier, 1st round, 1996 NBA draft.
Jeff Malone, 1st round, 1983 NBA draft. Two time NBA All-Star.
Rickey Brown, 1st round, 1980 NBA draft.
Wiley Peck, 1st round, 1979 NBA draft.
Bailey Howell, 1st round, 1959 NBA draft. Six time NBA All-Star. Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.

SEC West Division titles

The years the Bulldogs won were as follows: 1995, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Bulldogs have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 10 times. Their combined record is 11–10.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Results
1963		Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game	Loyola–Chicago Bowling Green	L 51–61 W 65–60
1991	#5	Round of 64	#12 Eastern Michigan	L 56–76
1995	#5	Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen	#12 Santa Clara #4 Utah #1 UCLA	W 75–67 W 78–64 L 67–86
1996	#5	Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four	#12 VCU #13 Princeton #1 Connecticut #2 Cincinnati #4 Syracuse	W 58–51 W 63–41 W 60–55 W 73–63 L 69–77
2002	#3	Round of 64 Round of 32	#14 McNeese State #6 Texas	W 70–58 L 64–68
2003	#5	Round of 64	#12 Butler	L 46–47
2004	#2	Round of 64 Round of 32	#15 Monmouth #7 Xavier	W 85–52 L 74–89
2005	#9	Round of 64 Round of 32	#8 Stanford #1 Duke	W 93–70 L 55–63
2008	#8	Round of 64 Round of 32	#9 Oregon #1 Memphis	W 76–69 L 74–77
2009	#13	Round of 64	#4 Washington	L 58–71

NIT results

The Bulldogs have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) eight times. Their combined record is 7–8.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1979	First Round	Alcorn State	L 78–80
1990	First Round Second Round	Baylor New Orleans	W 84–75 L 60–65
1994	First Round	Kansas State	L 69–78
1999	First Round	Colorado State	L 56–69
2001	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Southern Miss Pittsburgh Tulsa	W 75–68 W 66–61 L 75–77
2007	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals	Mississippi Valley State Bradley Florida State West Virginia	W 82–63 W 101–72 W 86–71 L 62–63
2010	First Round Second Round	Jackson State North Carolina	W 81–67 L 74–76
2012	First Round	Massachusetts	L 96–101 ^2OT

Awards

NCAA Defensive Player of the Year

Player	Year(s)
Jarvis Varnado	2010

SEC Coach of the Year

Player	Year(s)
Babe McCarthy	1961
Babe McCarthy	1962
Babe McCarthy	1963
Kermit Davis Sr	1971
Ron Greene	1978
Bob Boyd	1985
Richard Williams	1991
Richard Williams	1995
Rick Stansbury	2004

SEC Player of the Year

Player	Year(s)
Jim Ashmore	1957
Bailey Howell	1958
Bailey Howell	1959
W.D. "Red" Stroud	1962
Jeff Malone	1983
Lawrence Roberts	2004

SEC Defensive Player of the Year

Player	Year(s)
Jarvis Varnado	2008
Jarvis Varnado	2009
Jarvis Varnado	2010

Howell Trophy Award Winners

Player	Year(s)
Lawrence Roberts	2005
Jamont Gordon	2008
Jarvis Varnado	2009
Jarvis Varnado	2010
Arnett Moultrie	2012

Retired jerseys

Retired Jerseys
No.	Player	Years
52	Bailey Howell	1957–1959

Honorary Humphrey Coliseum banners

Honorary Banners
Legends	Years Active	Position
Bailey Howell	1957–1959	Player
Babe McCarthy	1955–1965	Head Coach
Jack Cristil	1953–2011	Voice of the Bulldogs

References

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↑ Ole Miss at Mississippi State Postgame Notes February 9 2012

External links

Official website

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[2] Ole Miss at Mississippi State Postgame Notes February 9 2012

[1]

[2]

v t e Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball
Venues	"Tin Gym" (1929–1950) McCarthy Gymnasium (1950–1975) Humphrey Coliseum (1975–present)
Culture & lore	Bully "Hail State" Game of Change Howell Trophy
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

v t e Southeastern Conference men's basketball
Teams	Alabama Crimson Tide Arkansas Razorbacks Auburn Tigers Florida Gators Georgia Bulldogs Kentucky Wildcats LSU Tigers Mississippi State Bulldogs Missouri Tigers Ole Miss Rebels South Carolina Gamecocks Tennessee Volunteers Texas A&M Aggies Vanderbilt Commodores
Championships & awards	List of champions SEC Men's Basketball Tournament Player of the Year Rookie of the Year Big 12/SEC Challenge SEC–Big East Challenge
Seasons	2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball

Contents

History

Coaches

Rivals

Roster

Former players

All-Americans

SEC West Division titles

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

NIT results

Awards

NCAA Defensive Player of the Year

SEC Coach of the Year

SEC Player of the Year

SEC Defensive Player of the Year

Howell Trophy Award Winners

Retired jerseys

Honorary Humphrey Coliseum banners

References

External links

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