Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball

Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State Bulldogs
	2021–22 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team
University	Mississippi State University
First season	1908
All-time record	1347–1142 (.541)
Head coach	Ben Howland (7th season)
Conference	SEC
Location	Starkville, Mississippi
Arena	Humphrey Coliseum ; (Capacity: 10,575)
Nickname	Bulldogs
Colors	Maroon and white;
Uniforms
Home	Away ;
NCAA Tournament Final Four
	1996
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
	1996
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen
	1963, 1995, 1996
NCAA Tournament Round of 32
	1995, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008
NCAA Tournament Appearances
	1963, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2019
NIT Runner-Up
	2021
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 eleven times, the first time in 1963 and the most recent being 2019. Mississippi State chose not to accept previous bids because the university viewed African-Americans as inferior and refused to play teams with African-American players. The 1963 team, however, famously snuck out of the state in the dead of night to play in what has since been dubbed the "Game of Change".

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, four as a member of the now-dissolved Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1912, 1913, 1914, and 1916 in addition to six SEC titles in 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1991, and 2004. The Bulldogs have won four conference tournament championships, one as a member of the Southern Conference in 1923 and three SEC Tournament titles in 1996, 2002, and 2009. Mississippi State has several notable alumni including Erick Dampier, Bailey Howell, and Jarvis Varnado.

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.

Statistics overview
Season	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Mississippi State (Southeastern Conference) (2015–present)
2015–16	Ben Howland	14–17 (.452)	7–11 (.389)	11th	—
2016–17	Ben Howland	16–16 (.500)	6–12 (.333)	12th	—
2017–18	Ben Howland	25–12 (.676)	9–9 (.500)	T–7th	NIT Semifinals
2018–19	Ben Howland	23–11 (.676)	10-8 (.556)	T–6th	NCAA Division I Round of 64
2019–20	Ben Howland	20–11 (.645)	11-7 (.611)	T–4th	Postseason Canceled by NCAA†
Total:		98–67 (.594)
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

†NCAA canceled all postseason activities for all college sports due to the COVID-19 virus.

Rivals[]

As in all sports, Mississippi State's rival is Ole Miss. Mississippi State leads the series over Ole Miss 142–112. Former MSU Head Coach Rick Stansbury is 21–8 vs the Rebels.^[2] Current coach Ben Howland, is 5-8 against the Rebels.

Mississippi State and Alabama are considered rivals on the court, with only 90 miles separating the two programs. The Crimson Tide lead the all-time series 120–74.^[3]

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 ^[4]

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.
Timmy Bowers, 2006 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP
Malik Newman (born 1997), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
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 11 times. Their combined record is 11–11.

The Bulldogs qualified for the 1959 tournament but university president Benjamin F. Hilbun would not permit the team to participate in the tournament where they would face African-American players.^[5]

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
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
2019	#5	Round of 64	#12 Liberty	L 76-80

NIT results[]

The Bulldogs have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) ten times. Their combined record is 13–10.

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
2018	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals	Nebraska Baylor Louisville Penn State	W 66–59 W 78–77 W 79–56 L 60–75
2021	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals	Saint Louis Richmond Louisiana Tech Memphis	W 74–68 W 68–67 W 84–61 L 64–77

Awards[]

NCAA Defensive Player of the Year[]

Player	Year
Jarvis Varnado	2010

SEC Coach of the Year[]

Coach	Year
Babe McCarthy	1961, 1962, 1963
Kermit Davis Sr	1971
Ron Greene	1978
Bob Boyd	1985
Richard Williams	1991, 1995
Rick Stansbury	2004

SEC Player of the Year[]

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

SEC Defensive Player of the Year[]

Player	Year
Jarvis Varnado	2008, 2009, 2010

Howell Trophy Award winners[]

Player	Year
Lawrence Roberts	2005
Jamont Gordon	2008
Jarvis Varnado	2009, 2010
Arnett Moultrie	2012
Quinndary Weatherspoon	2018, 2019
Reggie Perry	2020

Retired and honored jerseys[]

Mississippi State has retired one jersey number for Bailey Howell, doing so on February 7, 2009 at the Coliseum. ^[6] Mississippi State has also honored two others with honorary banners.

No.	Player	Position	Career
Mississippi State Bulldogs retired numbers
52	Bailey Howell	SF / PF	1957–1959
	Babe McCarthy	Head coach	1955–1965
	Jack Cristil	Voice of the Bulldogs	1953–2011

References[]

^ Mississippi State Athletic Identity Standards (PDF). September 14, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
^ "Ole Miss at Mississippi State Postgame Notes February 9 2012" (PDF). hailstate.com.
^ "Team media guide" (PDF). static.hailstate.com. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
^ "Mississippi State All-Americas" (PDF). Mississippi State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-11. Retrieved 2015-01-11.
^ "Mississippi State Can't Go To Tourney". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sarasota, Florida. March 1, 1959. p. 13.
^ https://www.msstate.edu/state-spotlight/2009/02/bailey-howell-gets-jersey-retired/

External links[]

Official website

[1] Mississippi State Athletic Identity Standards (PDF). September 14, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2021.

[2] "Ole Miss at Mississippi State Postgame Notes February 9 2012" (PDF). hailstate.com.

[3] "Team media guide" (PDF). static.hailstate.com. Retrieved 2020-06-10.

[4] "Mississippi State All-Americas" (PDF). Mississippi State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-11. Retrieved 2015-01-11.

[5] "Mississippi State Can't Go To Tourney". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sarasota, Florida. March 1, 1959. p. 13.

[6] ttps://www.msstate.edu/state-spotlight/2009/02/bailey-howell-gets-jersey-retired/

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v t Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball
Venues	"Tin Gym" (1929–1950) McCarthy Gymnasium (1950–1975) Humphrey Coliseum (1975–present)
Culture & lore	History Bully "Hail State" Game of Change Howell Trophy
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
	1909–10 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1915–16 1943–44 1962–63 1990–91 1994–95 1995–96 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
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

v t 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
Future teams	Oklahoma Sooners Texas Longhorns (both joining in 2025)
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	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