MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY 2007-08 MEN’S Mississippi State University Athletic Media Relations • PO Box 5308 • MSU, MS 39762 Men’s Basketball SID: David Rosinski • 662-325-3595 • [email protected] Game #2 - Mississippi State (1-0) vs. Clemson (1-0) Thursday, November 15, 2007 • 7 p.m. • Starkville, Mississippi Humphrey Coliseum (10,500) • FSN South/SUN Sports

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS (1-0) 2007-08 MSU RESULTS (1-0) Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG DATE OPPONENT (TV) SCORE/TIME F 23 Charles Rhodes 6-8 245 Sr. Jackson, MS 17.0 7.0 2.0 bpg Nov. 10 LOUISIANA TECH W 75-45 Nov. 15 CLEMSON (FSN/SUN) 7 p.m. C 32 6-9 210 So. Brownsville, TN 4.0 5.0 6.0 bpg Nov. 17 TENNESSEE-MARTIN 7 p.m. G 11 Ben Hansbrough 6-3 205 So. Poplar Bluff, MO 11.0 3.0 3.0 Nov. 22 #UC Irvine (ESPNU) 1 p.m.

UBSTITUTES G 22 Barry Stewart 6-2 170 So. Shelbyville, TN 13.0 11.0 3.0 Nov. 23 #SIU/Chattanooga (ESPNU/2) 2/4:30p.m. S G 44 6-4 230 Jr. Nashville, TN 21.0 5.0 3.0 Nov. 25 #TBD (ESPNU/2) TBD Dec. 1 MURRAY STATE Noon OP F/C 21 Brian Johnson 6-9 245 Jr. Laurinburg, NC 4.0 2.0 0.0 Dec. 8 SOUTHEASTERN LA. (CSS) 2 p.m. Dec. 13 MIAMI, FLA. (FSN/SUN) 7 p.m. G 25 Phil Turner 6-3 170 Fr. Grenada, MS 0.0 4.0 2.0 Dec. 15 *at South Alabama (CSS) 7 p.m. & T Dec. 19 at Loyola Marymount 9 p.m. (1-0) Dec. 21 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (CSS) 7 p.m. Dec. 29 MISSOURI (FSN/SUN) 4 p.m. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPG APG Jan. 5 ^Lafayette College 2 p.m. F 1 K.C. Rivers 6-5 215 Jr. Charlotte, NC 11.0 8.0 4.0 Jan. 9 at LSU 7 p.m.

TARTERS F 40 James Mays 6-9 230 Sr. Garner, NC 17.0 6.0 3.0 Jan. 12 GEORGIA (LF) 1 p.m. S C 35 6-7 240 So. Whitmire, SC 8.0 6.0 5.0 bpg Jan. 15 KENTUCKY (ESPN) 8 p.m. Jan. 19 at Alabama (LF) 2 p.m. G 2 Demontez Stitt 6-2 170 Fr. Matthews, NC 12.0 1.0 1.0 Jan. 26 MISSISSIPPI (FSN/SUN) 4 p.m. G 25 Cliff Hammonds 6-3 200 Sr. Cairo, GA 14.0 2.0 5.0 Jan. 30 at Arkansas (LF) 7 p.m. Feb. 2 TENNESSEE (FSN/SUN) 6 p.m. G 22 Terrence Oglesby 6-2 185 Fr. Cleveland, TN 8.0 3.0 2.0 Feb. 6 ALABAMA 7 p.m. ROBABLE

P C/F 12 Raymond Sykes 6-9 220 Jr. Jacksonville, FL 6.0 4.0 2.0 bpg Feb. 9 at Auburn (FSN/SUN) 6 p.m. Feb. 16 ARKANSAS (ESPN) 3 p.m. Officials: TBA Feb. 20 at Mississippi 7 p.m. Feb. 23 at (LF) 3 p.m. BULLDOGS HOST CLEMSON TIGERS IN EARLY-SEASON HOOPS MATCH-UP Feb. 27 AUBURN 7 p.m. In a key mid-November, non-conference battle between two reigning MasterCard NIT semifinal- Mar. 1 at Florida (CBS) 3 p.m. ists, the Bulldogs of Mississippi State (1-0) continue their season-opening, three-game homestand by Mar. 5 at Vanderbilt 7 p.m. playing host to the Clemson Tigers (1-0) Thursday evening on the MSU campus. Tip-off for the Mar. 8 LSU TBA MSU-CU contest is set for 7 p.m. CT at Humphrey Coliseum and the game will be televised region- M. 13-16 +at SEC Tournament (LF/CBS) TBA ally by FSN South/Sunshine Sports. Picked in the preseason to finish second in the SEC’s Western Division race, coach Rick # - Anaheim Classic (Anaheim, CA) Stansbury’s Bulldogs opened their 2007-08 campaign with a 75-45 home victory over Louisiana Tech * - Coors Classic (Mobile, AL) this past Saturday. MSU earlier posted exhibition victories over NAIA members Oklahoma City ^ - at Jackson, MS (Mississippi Coliseum) (100-69) and the University of the Cumberlands (71-60). In Saturday’s season opener, MState tied an all-time, single-game school mark by committing just four turnovers against Louisiana Tech, while + - at Atlanta, GA (Georgia Dome) limiting the visitors to just 27-percent field-goal shooting for the game and being credited with 10 blocks. Sophomore Barry Stewart notched his first collegiate double-double with 13 points and a MSU-CLEMSON GAME FACTS career-high 11 rebounds. Preseason all-America candidate Jamont Gordon paced four State double- digit scorers with 21 points, while all-SEC forward Charles Rhodes followed with 17 points. Gordon MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS enters the Clemson contest five points shy of becoming the 28th member of MSU’s 1,000- club. Upon finishing the 2006-07 campaign with a school-record 25 wins and a runner-up finish in the Coach: MasterCard NIT, the Clemson Tigers are picked to finish fourth in the preseason Atlantic Coast Alma Mater: (Campbellsville, 1982) Conference poll. Guided by fifth-year head coach Oliver Purnell, Clemson opened its current cam- MSU Record: 186-104 (10th year) paign with an easy 91-46 home victory over Furman. In that contest, the Tigers were credited with Career Record: 186-104 (10th year) 25 steals, while Furman had 37 turnovers. Preseason all-America candidate James Mays led four CU twin-digit scorers in the team’s opener with 17 points, six rebounds, six steals and three assists. CLEMSON TIGERS The Bulldogs will close out their season-opening homestand by playing host to UT Martin this Coach: Oliver Purnell Saturday (7 p.m.) before heading to Anaheim, Calif., to participate in the inaugural Anaheim Classic, Alma Mater: (Old Dominion, 1975) set to be televised by ESPNU and ESPN2. MSU will open next week’s tournament on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22) by taking on UC Irvine at the Anaheim Convention prior to meeting either School Record: 71-58 (5th year) reigning NCAA Sweet 16 participant Southern Illinois or Chattanooga the following day. Career Record: 327-249 (20th year) SERIES INFORMATION Œ The Bulldogs currently sport an eight-game Œ In their respective season openers, MSU tied a Series Record: CU leads, 2-0 home winning streak dating back to this past single-game school record with only four at Starkville: First Meeting February... Including NIT home wins over turnovers against Louisiana Tech, while Clemson Mississippi Valley State, Bradley and Florida matched an all-time school mark by being credit- at Clemson: CU leads, 1-0 State in March, MSU’s average winning margin ed with 25 steals in its win over Furman. at Neutral Sites: CU leads, 1-0 during its current eight-game home win string Last Meeting: CU, 69-66 (11-21-06 @ CU) has been 20.1 points per victory. Œ Featuring 11 underclassmen (seven freshmen & four sophomores), the Bulldogs had eight players TELEVISION: FSN SOUTH/SUN SPORTS Œ Under 10th-year head coach Rick Stansbury, make their MSU playing debuts during PLAY-BY-PLAY: DAVE NEAL; COLOR: MIKE GMINSKI MState owns composite records of 111-25 (.816) Saturday’s season opener against Louisiana Tech. overall at home; 58-6 (.906) at home against non- RADIO: XM RADIO - SEC 200 conference opponents; 102-27 (.791) versus non- Œ MState’s Jamont Gordon and Brian Johnson, Available on MSU’s 29-station radio network through- SEC foes overall; and 34-9 (.791) overall during along with Clemson’s K.C. Rivers, all competed out Mississippi and via www.mstateathletics.com the month of November. previously at powerhouse Oak Hill Academy. PxP: Jack Cristil (51st year); Color: Jim Ellis (25th year) STATISTICAL COMPARISON BULLDOGS LOOK FOR FIRST SERIES WIN OVER THE CLEMSON TIGERS VS LEMSON The Bulldogs of Mississippi State will be looking for their first series win over the Clemson Tigers MSU . C on Thursday. A year ago (Nov. 21, 2006) at Clemson’s in just the second all-time MSU CU hardwood meeting between the two teams, MSU’s NCAA-best, 15-game road winning streak against Overall Record ...... 1-0 1-0 non-conference opponents came to an end by virtue of a 69-66 setback to the Tigers. State’s impres- sive non-SEC road win string had dated back to the 2000-01 season. Last season at Clemson, Cliff Conference Record ...... 0-0 0-0 Hammonds and James Mays paced the winners with 20 and 17 points, respectively, while MSU’s Scoring ...... 75.0 91.0 Charles Rhodes scored all 20 of his points in the second half following first-half trouble. Scoring Defense ...... 45.0 46.0 In the first-ever MSU-Clemson meeting during the consolation game of the University of Houston-hosted 1981 Kettle Classic played at Hofheinz Pavilion, coach ’s State squad Scoring Margin ...... +30.0 +45.0 dropped a 59-32 decision to coach Bill Foster’s Clemson club. Shooting 58 percent from the field (22- Pct ...... 38.0 54.2 38 FGs), the winners were led by Vincent Hamilton’s 12 points and seven rebounds. Without a dou- Opp. Field Goal Pct...... 27.4 34.0 ble-digit scorer in the low-scoring contest, MSU received eight points apiece from and 3-Point FG Percentage . . . . .32.0 27.8 Jeff Norwood, while Jeff Malone was held to just four points on 2-of-9 shooting. Opp. 3-Point FG Pct...... 30.0 44.4 MSTATE HAS WON TWO STRAIGHT OVER ATLANTIC COAST OPPONENTS Percentage . . . .65.0 57.1 After dropping a 69-66 decision at Clemson last November, the Bulldogs bounced back against the Atlantic Coast Conference by first claiming a 70-52 road victory over the , Dec. Opp. Free Throw Pct...... 50.0 66.7 11, at the BankUnited Center. MState won last year’s ‘rubber game’ against the ACC by registering Rebounding Average ...... 46.0 38.0 a convincing 86-71 home triumph over Florida State on March 20 to advance to the MasterCard NIT Opp. Rebounding Ave...... 52.0 35.0 Semifinals in New York. The Bulldogs own a 30-38 all-time composite record versus the 12 teams that comprise the Margin ...... -6.0 +3.0 Atlantic Coast Conference, while 10th-year MSU head coach Rick Stansbury is 3-3 all-time versus Turnovers ...... 4.0 16.0 current ACC foes. Through the years, Mississippi State has faced each current member of the ACC Margin ...... +18.0 +21.0 at least once on the hardwood with the exception of (13-16 vs. ; 2-6 vs. Assists...... 13.0 26.0 ; 4-4 vs. Florida State; 1-3 vs. Wake Forest; 0-4 vs. North Carolina; 3-0 vs. Maryland; 2- 1 vs. Duke, Miami (Fla.) & Virginia; 0-2 vs. Clemson; and 1-0 vs. North Carolina State). Blocked Shots ...... 10.0 12.0 Three years ago, Stansbury’s 2004-05 Bulldogs split a pair of decisions versus ACC foes. After Steals ...... 6.0 25.0 claiming a 71-65 regular-season victory over Virginia Tech at the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic in New Orleans (Dec. 30, 2004), MState dropped a hard-fought 63-55 second-round decision to the second- STATISTICAL LEADERS ranked during the 2005 NCAA Austin Regional played in Charlotte, N.C. During MSU VS. CLEMSON Stansbury’s first season (1998-99) at the State helm, MSU was knocked off by ACC member Florida State, 69-58, during the 1998 Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. SCORING ALL-TIME MSU AND RICK STANSBURY MARKS VERSUS ACC FOES MSU PPG CU PPG Opponent MSU Record Stansbury Opponent MSU Record Stansbury Gordon ...... 21.0 Mays...... 17.0 Boston College ...... 0-0 ...... 0-0 Miami (Fla.) ...... 2-1 ...... 1-0 Rhodes ...... 17.0 Hammonds ...... 14.0 Clemson ...... 0-2 ...... 0-1 North Carolina ...... 0-4 ...... 0-0 Stewart ...... 13.0 Stitt ...... 12.0 Duke ...... 2-1 ...... 0-1 North Carolina State ...... 1-0 ...... 0-0 Florida State ...... 4-4 ...... 1-1 Virginia ...... 2-1 ...... 0-0 REBOUNDING Georgia Tech ...... 13-16 ...... 0-0 Virginia Tech ...... 2-6 ...... 1-0 MSU RPG CU RPG Maryland ...... 3-0 ...... 0-0 Wake Forest ...... 1-3 ...... 0-0 Stewart ...... 11.0 Rivers ...... 8.0 TOTALS ...... 30-38 ...... 3-3 Rhodes ...... 7.0 Mays...... 6.0 Gordon/Varnado .5.0 Booker ...... 6.0 MSU AIMS TO CONTINUE NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS UNDER STANSBURY Coming off last year’s 12-5 mark against non-conference opposition as well as Saturday’s 75-45 ASSISTS season-opening home victory over Louisiana Tech, the Bulldogs of Mississippi State have compiled MSU APG CU APG an impressive 102-27 (.791) composite record against non-conference opponents during the Rick Stansbury era (since 1998-99), including a 94-20 (.825) regular-season mark versus non-league foes. Gordon ...... 3.0 Hammonds ...... 5.0 Having now won 72 of its last 83 regular-season contests against non-conference opponents (66- Hansbrough . . . .3.0 Rivers ...... 4.0 11 combined record dating back to the start of the 2001-02 campaign), Mississippi State’s 23-game, Stewart ...... 3.0 Booker/Potter...... 4.0 regular-season winning streak against non-SEC opposition came to an end three years ago with the team’s 71-58 setback to then-fifth ranked Syracuse in the semifinals of the 2004 Coaches vs. Cancer BLOCKS Classic played at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden. MSU BPG CU BPG Varnado ...... 6.0 Booker ...... 5.0 STANSBURY’S DOGS BID TO MAINTAIN NOVEMBER AND HOME EXCELLENCE Including last year’s 3-2 November record and Saturday’s season-opening 75-45 home win over Rhodes ...... 2.0 Sykes...... 2.0 Louisiana Tech, the Bulldogs have now compiled a 34-9 (.791) mark in November contests played Stewart/H’brough 1.0 Grant ...... 2.0 during the Rick Stansbury era. Overall dating back to the 1986-87 hoops campaign (Richard Williams’ first season at the MSU helm), Mississippi State now sports a 57-12 (.826) composite record STEALS during the month of November. MSU SPG CU SPG In the midst of a three-game homestand, the Bulldogs have now compiled a composite 10-year Gordon ...... 2.0 Mays...... 6.0 record of 111-25 (.816) at Humphrey Coliseum under Stansbury’s direction, including a 53-19 (.736) Turner ...... 2.0 Hammonds ...... 5.0 SEC mark and 58-6 (.906) home record versus non-SEC competition. Dating back to the start of the 2001-02 campaign, MState is collectively 76-15 (.835) at Humphrey Coliseum, which includes a 37-11 Rhodes/H’brough 1.0 Booker ...... 4.0 (.771) home mark versus SEC opponents and a 39-4 (.907) home record against non-SEC foes. Entering the Clemson contest sporting an eight-game home winning streak, including NIT victo- FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE ries over Mississippi Valley State, Bradley and Florida State this past March, MState’s lone non-con- MSU FG% CU FG% ference home loss a year ago came against NCAA Tournament entry Winthrop (74-63) on Nov. 18. Gordon ...... 50.0 Petrukonis...... 100.0 Stewart ...... 50.0 Hammonds ...... 75.0 MISCELLANEOUS WIN-LOSS RECORDS DURING STANSBURY ERA Rhodes ...... 47.1 Booker ...... 75.0 Non-SEC Non-SEC Home Overall Home November Season W-L Pct. W-L Pct. W-L Pct. W-L Pct. THREE-POINT FG PERCENTAGE 1998-99 10-4 .714 6-0 1.000 12-2 .857 5-0 1.000 MSU 3FG% CU 3FG% 1999-00 9-4 .692 6-0 1.000 10-4 .714 3-2 .600 Hansbrough . . .50.0 Potter...... 66.7 2000-01 11-3 .786 7-2 .778 13-4 .765 3-1 .750 Gordon ...... 42.9 Hammonds ...... 50.0 2001-02 14-2 .875 6-0 1.000 13-1 .929 5-0 1.000 Benock ...... 33.3 Rivers ...... 33.3 2002-03 10-2 .833 5-1 .833 12-2 .857 2-1 .667 2003-04 12-1 .923 6-0 1.000 12-2 .857 3-0 1.000 FREE THROW PERCENTAGE 2004-05 13-3 .813 5-0 1.000 11-2 .846 5-1 .833 MSU FT% CU FT% 2005-06 10-3 .769 6-2 .750 11-5 .688 4-2 .667 Gordon ...... 100.0 Booker ...... 100.0 2006-07 12-5 .706 10-1 .909 16-3 .842 3-2 .600 Hansbrough . .100.0 Oglesby ...... 100.0 2007-08 1-0 1.000 1-0 1.000 1-0 1.000 1-0 1.000 Varnado . . . . .100.0 Three players .....50.0 10 Years 102-27 .791 58-6 .906 111-25 .816 34-9 .791 MSU-CLEMSON NOTES MSU CAREER LEADERS THE LAST MEETING... Œ MSU preseason all-America candidate Jamont POINTS SCORED LEMSON Gordon enters the Clemson game needing just Name Seasons G Pts Avg C 69, MSU 66 five points to become the 28th member of 1. Jeff Malone 1980-83 110 2142 19.5 NOV. 21, 2006 • CLEMSON, SC Mississippi State’s 1,000-point club... Now with 2. Bailey Howell 1957-59 75 2030 27.1 Mississippi State’s NCAA-best, 15-game road 930 career points, senior all-SEC forward Charles 3. Jim Ashmore 1954-57 93 1918 20.6 winning streak against non-conference oppo- Rhodes will soon join the elite club. 4. Rickey Brown 1977-80 107 1838 17.2 nents came to an end by virtue of a 69-66 setback 5. Ray White 1976-79 100 1652 16.5 Œ MSU junior Jamont Gordon and Clemson jun- a season ago at Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum. 6. Darryl Wilson 1994-96 93 1619 17.4 ior K.C. Rivers were teammates on Oak Hill The Bulldogs’ impressive non-SEC road win 7. Jerry Jenkins 1973-75 78 1503 19.3 Academy’s 34-2 club in 2004-05 that ended the string had dated back to the 2000-01 campaign. 8. Tony Watts 1989-92 113 1491 13.2 year as USA Today’s No. 1-ranked high school With the exception of two first-half ties, the 9. Cameron Burns 1989-91 87 1460 16.8 team... Also on that talent-laden team were last Tigers (6-0) held the advantage throughout the 10. Tang Hamilton 1998-01 123 1307 10.6 year’s NCAA Player of the Year opening 20 minutes of play. Down by as many as 11. Rich Knarr 1973-76 97 1305 13.5 and current NCAA Division I standouts Ty eight points (22-14) with 8:50 left in the opening 12. Timmy Bowers 2001-04 116 1300 11.2 Lawson of North Carolina, Syracuse’s Eric half, MSU (2-2) managed to cut the deficit to just 13. Jack Bouldin 1970-72 75 1257 16.8 Devendorf and Bamba Fall of SMU... The year two points (35-33) by the intermission when 14. Jerry Graves 1959-61 74 1245 16.8 prior, current MState forward and former Jamont Gordon converted all three free throw 15. Erick Dampier 1994-96 93 1231 13.2 Louisville transfer Brian Johnson teamed with attempts after getting fouled on a three-point 16. Dave Williams 1966-68 76 1219 16.0 Rivers, former Kentucky guard and attempt with just two ticks remaining in the half. Leland Mitchell 1961-63 78 1219 15.6 current standout Josh Smith to After halftime, the Bulldogs took a brief three- 18. Mario Austin 2001-03 91 1199 13.2 help lead coach Steve Smith’s 2003-04 Oak Hill point lead (45-42) on a Gordon jumper with 14:44 19. Marckell Patterson 1999-02 122 1168 9.6 Academy Warriors to a perfect 38-0 record and remaining in the second stanza. The two teams 20. Gary Hooker 1976-78 80 1144 14.3 the nation’s top ranking in the USA Today poll. then proceeded to battle to six deadlocks over the 21. Wiley Peck 1976-79 107 1136 10.6 next eight minutes, before Clemson opened up a Œ The unique playing style of preseason all- 22. Greg Carter 1988-91 114 1123 9.9 five-point lead (62-57) on a Vernon Hamilton America candidate Jamont Gordon is demon- 23. Tyrone Washington 1996-99 123 1119 9.1 triple at the 5:26 mark. strated in some the accolades accorded to the 6- 24. W.D. “Red” Stroud 1961-63 74 1116 15.1 Following a 3-pointer by CU’s Cliff foot-4, 230-pound guard/forward in the college 25. Larry Fry 1973-75 78 1079 13.8 Hammonds with 3:47 left, neither team scored basketball preseason publications and online 26. Lawrence Roberts 2004-05 62 1048 16.9 from the field over the next three minutes until player ratings... A preseason candidate for the 27. Greg Lockhart 1986-89 100 1042 10.4 Gordon’s with 34 seconds left cut the John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and -- Jamont Gordon 2006-08 66 995 15.1 deficit to a basket (66-64). After K.C. Rivers’ pair Bob Cousy Award, Gordon was tabbed the -- Charles Rhodes 2005-08 80 930 11.6 of charity tosses, Charles Rhodes’ bucket with 12 nation’s No. 1 point guard by Rivals.com, while seconds remaining made it a two-point affair (68- being named the nation’s No. 2 66) once again. Clemson’s Hamilton was fouled by Lindy’s and No. 3 slasher by Athlon Sports. ASSISTS with six seconds left and went to the line with a Œ Now in his 10th season at the MSU basketball Name Seasons G Ast Avg chance to seal the win. Following a miss of the helm - the third-longest tenured head hoops 1. Derrick Zimmerman 2000-03 127 514 4.0 second free throw attempt, Gordon’s long 3- coach currently in the SEC behind Florida’s Billy 2. Al Perry 1975-78 102 510 5.0 pointer fell just short of the basket to give Donovan (12th year) and of LSU 3. Chuck Evans 1992-93 57 454 8.0 Clemson the narrow 69-66 win. (11th year) - Rick Stansbury (186-104 career 4. Doug Hartsfield 1988-91 114 413 3.6 Hammonds and Mays paced the winners record) is now six victories away from surpassing 5. Jack Bouldin 1970-72 75 357 4.8 with 20 and 17 points, respectively, while Rhodes his former mentor Richard Williams in becoming 6. Detrick White 1998-99 63 351 5.6 bounced back from a scoreless first half to regis- the school’s all-time winningest basketball coach. 7. Butch Pierre 1981-84 105 342 3.3 ter 20 second-half points (8-10 FGs) to rank as 8. Rich Knarr 1973-76 97 326 3.4 MSU’s lone double-digit scorer on the night. Œ In their season-opening 75-45 home win over 9. Jamont Gordon 2006-07 66 319 4.8 MISSISSIPPI STATE (2-2) Louisiana Tech this past Saturday, the Bulldogs 10. Ray White 1976-79 100 314 3.1 Player FG 3FG FT RB PF PT A MIN matched a modern-day, single-game school stan- Delk, Ri. 2-4 1-2 0-0 0 2 5 4 24 dard by being credited with only four turnovers Stelmach 2-3 0-1 0-0 3 2 4 1 20 (one in the first half)... That mark tied the mod- Rhodes 8-10 0-0 4-8 6 3 20 1 24 BLOCKED SHOTS ern-day MSU record of four miscues set by the Delk, Re. 2-8 2-5 1-2 3 3 7 1 27 Name Seasons G BS Avg 1978-79 State squad in its 63-61 home triumph Gordon 3-13 0-2 3-3 11 4 9 5 35 over the on Jan. 15, 1979. 1. Erick Dampier 1994-96 93 249 2.7 Stewart 2-5 2-4 2-2 2 1 8 1 25 2. Tyrone Washington 1996-99 123 198 1.6 Hansbrough 1-3 1-1 0-0 1 4 3 4 25 Œ Upon claiming their first-ever SEC team 3. Kalpatrick Wells 1980-83 110 183 1.7 Rimmer 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 blocked shots title with a school record-shatter- 4. Rickey Brown 1977-80 107 163 1.5 Varnado 4-5 0-0 1-2 3 1 9 0 12 ing 222 blocks a year ago, this year’s State squad 5. Wiley Peck 1976-79 107 117 1.1 Goodridge 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 1 1 0 5 opened the 2007-08 campaign with 10 rejects 6. Charles Rhodes 2005-07 80 103 1.3 Team 4 against Louisiana Tech... With Jarvis Varnado 7. Derrick Zimmerman 2000-03 127 89 0.7 TOTALS 24-51 6-15 12-19 33 21 66 17 200 (1.91 bpg) and Charles Rhodes (1.88 bpg) ranked 8. Marcus Campbell 2002-05 122 87 0.7 fifth and sixth, respectively, among SEC leaders 9. Jarvis Varnado 2007-08 36 73 2.0 CLEMSON (6-0) Player FG 3FG FT RB PF PT A MIN in blocks last season, the 2006-07 MSU team 10. Marcus Grant 1992-95 105 72 0.7 Perry 2-5 0-0 2-2 2 3 6 0 21 reached double digits in the swats category five Mays 7-16 0-1 3-4 12 3 17 2 32 times, including a school-record 15 rejects against Booker 2-3 0-0 2-3 4 4 6 2 31 New Orleans in a game played in Jackson, Miss. Hamilton 3-9 1-4 2-4 1 1 9 3 34 Œ This preseason, the Mississippi State Athletic Hammonds 6-10 2-5 6-8 5 1 20 1 29 Department announced that all season tickets for Rivers 4-8 1-4 2-2 4 1 11 0 30 the 2007-08 men’s basketball season have been Tyler 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 sold... This marks the second straight year all Sykes 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 4 0 0 5 Potter 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 7 tickets have been sold out prior to the start of the Powell 0-3 0-2 0-0 1 0 0 0 9 men’s basketball campaign. Team 4 TOTALS 24-55 4-16 17-23 35 17 69 8 200 Halftime: CU 35, MSU 33. FG%: MSU 47.1%, CU 43.6%. 3FG%: MSU 40.0%, CU 25.0%. FT%: MSU 63.2%, CU 73.9%. Turnovers: MSU 16 (Gordon 6), CU 13 (Mays 5). Blocked Shots: MSU 3 (Gordon 3), CU 6 (Booker 4). Steals: MSU 5 (Hansbrough 2), CU 10 (Perry 3). Officials: Jamie Luckie, Doug Sirmons, Joe Lindsay. Technicals: None. Attendance: 6,357. EXHIBITION #1 RECAP EXHIBITION #2 RECAP GAME #1 RECAP

MSU 71, U. OF THE CUMBERLANDS 60 MSU 100, OKLAHOMA CITY 69 MSU 75, LOUISIANA TECH 45 NOV. 3, 2007 • STARKVILLE, MS NOV. 6, 2007 • STARKVILLE, MS NOV. 10, 2007 • STARKVILLE, MS The Bulldogs opened their 2007-08 preseason The Bulldogs closed out their preseason slate The Bulldogs tipped off their 96th season of hoops slate by claiming a 71-60 exhibition tri- with an impressive 100-69 exhibition victory over collegiate basketball competition by cruising to a umph over the University of the Cumberlands at reigning NAIA champion Oklahoma City 75-45 home triumph over Louisiana Tech at MSU’s Humphrey Coliseum. University at MSU’s Humphrey Coliseum. MSU’s Humphrey Coliseum. During a sluggish first half of play in which The 31-point triumph extended MState’s exhi- With MSU (1-0) trailing by four points (10-6) both teams struggled from the field, MState held bition winning streak to 11 consecutive games eight minutes into the contest, Charles Rhodes’ a slight 32-29 halftime advantage primarily on and improved Rick Stansbury’s career preseason back-to-back dunks helped spark the Bulldogs on the strength of outscoring the visiting Patriots, coaching record to 17-2. a 24-4 run over the final nine minutes of the 12-3, on the free throw line (25-6 advantage on Following three early ties and a couple of lead opening half to give the home team a comfortable attempts). changes over the first three minutes, MSU 30-14 halftime advantage. The sluggish first half The Bulldogs came out of the locker room to opened up an eight-point lead (17-9) by the 13:31 of play saw MState shoot just 32 percent from the score seven unanswered points in the first two mark. The visiting Stars managed to cut the field, while Louisiana Tech (0-1) struggled at 22 minutes to take a 39-29 lead by the 18:20 mark of deficit to a single point on three occasions late in percent field-goal shooting. the second stanza. UC kept the contest to within the opening half, but a 10-1 Bulldog run over the The homestanding Bulldogs continued to single digits until State’s Riley Benock knocked final 2:32 gave the home team a 45-34 halftime remain in control during the second stanza, down a pair of charity tosses at the 13:10 mark to advantage. building a 20-point lead (37-17) by the 16:31 push the lead back up to 10 points (51-41). The Bulldogs maintained the momentum mark. With the visitors getting no close than 18 However, last year’s top-ranked, three-point after the break, going on a 9-2 run to open the points (49-31 with 12:21 left) the rest of the way, shooting team in NAIA went on an 11-2 run, second stanza. The MSU lead ballooned to 25 the cushion increased to 30 points (61-31) by the including three triples, over a four-minute stretch points (67-42) by the 13:52 mark, and the visitors 7:26 mark and ballooned to as many as 36 points to cut the deficit to just a single point (53-52) with never got any closer than 21 points the rest of the (75-39) before MSU settled for the 30-point tri- nine minutes remaining in the contest. way. The Bulldogs eclipsed the century mark umph. Five years ago in the last meeting After MSU’s starting unit re-entered the con- when walk-on Brandon Bolen scored on a jumper between the two teams, MState pounded out an test, the Bulldogs began to re-establish control of with nine seconds remaining. equally convincing 78-38 home victory over LTU. the game. Jamont Gordon’s back-to-back driving Preseason all-America candidate Jamont While moving to 9-1 in season home openers and Jarvis Varnado’s consecutive dunks Gordon paced a quartet of MSU double-digit during the Rick Stansbury era, the Bulldogs helped ignite the home team on an 18-8 run over scorers with 20 points and seven assists in 26 extended their home winning streak to eight con- the final nine minutes to secure the 11-point win. minutes of action. Sophomores Jarvis Varnado secutive games dating back to this past February. The victory marked the Bulldogs’ 10th (8-8 FGs) and Ben Hansbrough (6-9 FGs & 4-6 During that stretch, MSU’s average margin of vic- straight win in exhibition competition and raised treys) added 16 points apiece on combined 14-of- tory has been 20.1 points per home triumph. Rick Stansbury’s career exhibition record to 16-2. 17 field-goal shooting. Willie Irick led Oklahoma Jamont Gordon paced four double-figure Varnado paced a quartet of double-digit City with a game-high 21 points. State scorers with a game-high 21 points. Charles MState scorers with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting, As a team, MState shot 52 percent from the Rhodes followed with 17 points, while Barry while nearing triple-double status with a game- field, including 11-of-25 from beyond the three- Stewart notched his first career double-double high 11 rebounds and eight blocks. Charles point arc, while blocking a dozen OCU shots and with 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Rhodes followed with a dozen points for the win- forcing 23 turnovers for the contest. Kyle Gibson topped the visitors with his own ners, while Gordon and Barry Stewart added 11 double-double of 15 points and 15 boards. OKLAHOMA CITY points apiece. As a team, MSU outscored the vis- Player FG 3FG FT RB PF PT A Min LOUISIANA TECH (0-1) itors, 20-3, from the charity stripe. Chad Byron Irick 8-21 2-8 3-3 3 1 21 0 32 Player FG 3FG FT RB PF PT A Min paced UC with a game-high 17 points. Kentle 4-6 0-0 1-3 11 2 9 0 21 Rogers 1-4 0-0 0-0 9 3 2 1 21 UNIVERSITY OF THE CUMBERLANDS Bailey 4-13 0-0 2-4 5 3 10 0 21 Smith 3-11 0-0 0-0 7 1 6 0 29 Player FG 3FG FT RB PF PT A Min Worthy 1-2 0-1 0-0 3 4 2 1 26 Washington 2-6 1-3 0-0 3 1 5 1 31 Gibson 3-13 2-9 2-2 8 2 10 2 37 Taylor 3-6 0-0 1-2 1 3 7 5 24 Clark 2-4 2-3 0-0 3 0 6 2 14 Fitzgerald 5-11 0-0 0-0 7 4 10 0 23 Arbet 2-8 0-0 1-2 4 4 5 1 17 Gibson 4-14 2-7 5-10 15 2 15 2 36 Byron 8-21 1-8 0-0 4 2 17 3 36 Roby 3-6 1-4 2-2 1 2 9 0 19 Loe 2-7 0-1 0-0 2 2 4 1 24 Cross 3-10 2-6 0-0 1 4 8 2 24 Guymon 2-4 1-2 1-2 2 1 6 1 29 Mims 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 3 0 0 9 Delk 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 2 0 1 10 Dunbar 0-2 0-0 0-0 3 0 0 1 11 Lathan 1-10 1-5 0-0 3 3 3 0 20 Chaney 2-4 0-1 0-0 3 1 4 0 11 Team 5 Tims 2-6 0-1 0-0 4 3 4 0 16 Smith 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 TOTALS 27-68 4-15 11-18 38 20 69 9 200 Team 5 TOTALS 17-62 6-20 5-10 52 18 45 7 200 Brown 1-1 0-0 0-1 4 5 2 0 9 MISSISSIPPI STATE Fothergill 3-9 2-6 1-3 4 4 9 3 30 Player FG 3FG FT RB PF PT A Min MISSISSIPPI STATE (1-0) Daniel 0-4 0-1 0-0 4 1 0 0 18 Rhodes 1-6 0-0 3-4 4 4 5 1 20 Player FG 3FG FT RB PF PT A Min Team 9 Varnado 8-8 0-0 0-2 6 5 16 2 19 Rhodes 8-17 0-0 1-4 7 2 17 2 27 TOTALS 25-73 7-31 3-6 45 25 60 11 200 Hansbrough 6-9 4-6 0-0 5 1 16 2 26 Varnado 1-5 0-0 2-2 5 1 4 0 26 MISSISSIPPI STATE Stewart 5-10 1-5 2-3 6 3 13 5 26 Hansbrough 3-8 3-6 2-2 3 1 11 3 27 Player FG 3FG FT RB PF PT A Min Gordon 7-13 1-4 5-6 4 2 20 7 26 Stewart 5-10 1-5 2-3 11 2 13 3 26 Rhodes 4-6 0-0 4-10 6 2 12 1 25 R. Johnson 1-7 0-4 0-1 1 0 2 0 10 Gordon 7-14 3-7 4-4 5 1 21 3 29 Varnado 6-7 0-0 1-4 11 0 13 1 25 Begley 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 R. Johnson 0-2 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 0 4 Hansbrough 1-3 0-2 5-6 6 3 7 3 25 Iupe 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 Begley 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 Stewart 5-11 0-4 1-2 2 0 11 0 28 Bryant 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 2 Iupe 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 Gordon 4-12 1-3 2-3 7 2 11 3 25 Benock 3-3 3-3 0-0 4 0 9 1 12 Bryant 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 R. Johnson 1-2 1-2 1-2 4 1 4 0 12 B. Johnson 3-4 0-0 0-1 5 0 6 1 16 Benock 1-3 1-3 0-0 1 1 3 0 11 Benock 0-1 0-1 2-2 0 0 2 0 15 Augustus 1-6 1-1 0-1 2 3 3 1 10 B. Johnson 1-3 0-1 2-3 2 2 4 0 11 B. Johnson 0-1 0-0 2-2 5 2 2 0 13 Turner 1-4 1-2 0-0 3 1 3 1 16 Augustus 0-2 0-2 0-0 2 1 0 0 9 Augustus 2-7 0-2 0-0 2 0 4 0 13 Bolen 1-1 0-0 1-2 0 0 3 0 1 Turner 0-3 0-1 0-0 4 1 0 2 18 Turner 1-4 1-2 2-5 3 0 5 2 15 Bailey 2-4 0-0 0-0 4 2 4 0 14 Bolen 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 1 Bailey 0-2 0-0 0-2 0 1 0 0 4 Team 2 Bailey 1-3 0-0 0-2 1 0 2 0 8 Team 0 TOTALS 39-75 11-25 11-20 46 21 100 22 200 Team 3 TOTALS 27-71 8-25 13-20 46 13 75 13 200 TOTALS 24-56 3-16 20-38 46 11 71 10 200 Halftime: MSU 45, OCU 34. FG%: MSU 52.0%, OCU Halftime: MSU 32, UC 29. FG%: MSU 42.9%, UC 34.2%. 39.7%. 3FG%: MSU 44.0%, OCU 26.7%. FT%: MSU Halftime: MSU 30, LTU 14. FG%: MSU 38.0%, LTU 27.4%. 3FG%: MSU 18.8%, UC 22.6%. FT%: MSU 52.6%, UC 55.0%, OCU 61.1%. Turnovers: MSU 19 (Gordon 5), OCU 3FG%: MSU 32.0%, LTU 30.0%. FT%: MSU 65.0%, LTU 50.0%. Turnovers: MSU 17 (Gordon 5), UC 22 (Byron 8). 23 (Taylor 6). Blocked Shots: MSU 12 (Varnado 5), OCU 1 50.0%. Turnovers: MSU 4 (Gordon 2), LTU 22 (Clark 4). Blocked Shots: MSU 10 (Varnado 8), UC 0. Steals: MSU 12 (Guymon 1). Steals: MSU 11 (Three with 3), OCU 8 (Taylor Blocked Shots: MSU 10 (Varnado 6), LTU 3 (Gibson 2). (Stewart 5), UC 7 (Byron, Daniel 2). Officials: Tony Greene, 3). Officials: Tom Eades, J.B. Caldwell, Lee Cassell. Steals: MSU 6 (Gordon, Turner 2), LTU 3 (Rogers 2). Attendance: 4,038. Officials: Ted Valentine, Rick Crawford, Eugene Jr. Gary Maxwell, Brian Shey. Attendance: 3,562. Crawford. Attendance: 10,153. 2007-08 2007-08 MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS PRESEASON SEC MEDIA POLL NO NAME POS HT WT CL EXP HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS SCHOOL) 2 Ravern Johnson G/F 6-7 175 Fr. HS Lyon, MS (Coahoma County HS) EASTERN DIVISION 1. Tennessee* (30)...... 180 3 Billy Begley G 6-1 190 Sr. 3L Henderson, KY (Notre Dame Prep [MA]) 2. Kentucky ...... 142 10 Joseph Iupe G 6-1 160 So. 1L Madison, MS (Madison Central HS) 3. Florida...... 103 11 Ben Hansbrough G 6-3 205 So. 1L Poplar Bluff, MO (Poplar Bluff HS) 4. Vanderbilt...... 98 14 Rod Bryant G 6-1 165 Fr. HS Birmingham, AL (G.W. Carver HS) 5. Georgia ...... 69 15 Riley Benock G 6-4 180 Fr. HS Battletown, KY (Meade County HS) 6. South Carolina...... 38 21 Brian Johnson F/C 6-9 245 Jr. TR Laurinburg, NC (Univ. of Louisville) WESTERN DIVISION 22 Barry Stewart G 6-2 170 So. 1L Shelbyville, TN (Shelbyville Central HS) 1. Arkansas (18)...... 168 23 Charles Rhodes F/C 6-8 245 Sr. 3L Jackson, MS (Lanier HS) 2. Mississippi State (10) ...... 148 24 Kodi Augustus F 6-8 220 Fr. PS Baton Rouge, LA (Maine Central Inst.) 3. Alabama (1)...... 111 25 Phil Turner G 6-3 170 Fr. RS Grenada, MS (Grenada HS) 4. Auburn (1)...... 94 32 Jarvis Varnado F/C 6-9 210 So. 1L Brownsville, TN (Haywood HS) 5. LSU...... 63 33 Brandon Bolen G 6-3 195 Fr. HS Madison, MS (Madison-Ridgeland Acad.) 6. Mississippi...... 46 44 Jamont Gordon G/F 6-4 230 Jr. 2L Nashville, TN (Oak Hill Academy [VA]) First-place votes are listed in parentheses; 45 Elgin Bailey F/C 6-8 265 Fr. HS New Orleans, LA (Belaire HS) * - Unanimous selection SEC Champion: Tennessee (28); Miss. State (2) Head Coach: Rick Stansbury (Campbellsville, 1982 - 10th year) PRONUNCIATION GUIDE FIRST TEAM PRESEASON ALL-SEC Asst. Coach: Robert Kirby (Pan American, 1983 - 10th year) Riley Benock: BEE-knock Ben Hansbrough: HANDS-bro , Alabama Asst. Coach: Phil Cunningham (Campbellsville, 1990 - 8th year) Patrick Beverley, Arkansas Joseph Iupe: Eye-YOOP Asst. Coach: Marcus Grant (Mississippi State, 1995 - 4th year) Jamont Gordon, Mississippi State (2) Ravern Johnson: Ray-VERN Coord. of BB Ops: Talvis Franklin (Miss. State, 2007 - 1st year) Jarvis Varnado: Vur-NAR-doe Chris Lofton, Tennessee (27) , Vanderbilt SECOND TEAM PRESEASON ALL-SEC MISSISSIPPI STATE BASKETBALL ROSTER BREAKDOWN Steven Hill, Arkansas By Class: By State/Country: Charles Rhodes, Mississippi State Seniors Juniors Sophomores Freshmen Mississippi (5): Bolen, Iupe, R. Johnson, Rhodes, Turner , LSU Begley Gordon Hansbrough Augustus Tennessee (3): Gordon, Stewart, Varnado Dwayne Curtis, Mississippi Rhodes B. Johnson Iupe Bailey Kentucky (2): Begley, Benock Tyler Smith, Tennessee (1) Stewart Benock Louisiana (2): Augustus, Bailey Varnado Bolen Alabama (1): Bryant Player of the Year votes are listed in parentheses. Bryant Missouri (1): Hansbrough R. Johnson North Carolina (1): B. Johnson 2007-08 Turner PRESEASON COACHES ALL-SEC

FIRST TEAM PRESEASON ALL-SEC 2007-08 PRESEASON MISSISSIPPI STATE BASKETBALL HONORS Richard Hendrix, Alabama# JAMONT GORDON CHARLES RHODES Patrick Beverley, Arkansas John R. Wooden Award Candidate Honorable Mention All-American (Athlon Sports) Ramel Bradley, Kentucky Naismith Trophy Candidate Nation’s No. 8 Post Man (Athlon Sports) Tasmin Mitchell, LSU# Bob Cousy Award Candidate Nation’s No. 15 Center (Collegehoops.net) Jamont Gordon, Mississippi State# First-team All-American (Rivals.com) Nation’s No. 22 Center (Lindy’s) Charles Rhodes, Mississippi State All-America Team (CollegeInsider.com) First-team All-SEC (Coaches poll) Third-team All-American (Athlon Sports) Second-team All-SEC (Media poll) Chris Lofton, Tennessee# Third-team All-American (Collegehoops.net) Shan Foster, Vanderbilt# Nation’s No. 1 Point Guard (Rivals.com) SECOND TEAM PRESEASON ALL-SEC Nation’s Top Penetrator (Rivals.com) MISSISSIPPI STATE TEAM , Alabama Nation’s No. 2 Shooting Guard (Lindy’s) No. 17 (Rivals.com) Steven Hill, Arkansas Nation’s No. 3 Slasher (Athlon Sports) No. 23 (Collegehoops.net) Charles Thomas, Arkansas Consensus First-team All-SEC No. 25 (ESPN.com/Dick Vitale) , Arkansas SEC’s Best Athlete (Sporting News Yearbook) No. 30 (CBS Sportsline College Preview) SEC’s Best Penetrator (Sporting News Yearbook) , Florida SEC’s Most Versatile Player (Lindy’s) Sundiata Gaines, Georgia Joe Crawford, Kentucky Dwayne Curtis, Mississippi JaJuan Smith, Tennessee Tyler Smith, Tennessee # - Unanimous Selection; Ties are not broken