The Chris Jans era at Mississippi State remains undefeated after a 79-42 route of South Dakota improved their record to 4-0.
The defense was present right from the jump as the Bulldogs held the Coyotes to just 15 first-half points on 15.4% shooting with 11 turnovers. It was the third time Mississippi State held its opponent to under 50 points, and they did so while creating 16 turnovers.
Cameron Matthews got things going with Mississippi State's first three baskets of the day, and the junior had his best offensive game of the season with 14 points. Tolu Smith dominated the low post, scoring 16, and D.J. Jeffries tacked on 12.
It was an overall clean game for Chris Jans' squad, as they committed only five turnovers and won the rebounding battle 47-32.
1) Offensive rebounding dominates
Mississippi State had a season-best day on the glass as they snagged 20 offensive rebounds.
The Bulldogs struggled to find their stroke from the outside, going 7-29 from three-point range, but they were able to cash in on some extra opportunities thanks to the offensive rebounding.
Tolu Smith was a mismatch on the inside, and he muscled his way to five offensive rebounds. Cameron Matthews and D.J. Jeffries both added three as they were relentless on both ends of the floor all night. Freshman Kimani Hamilton also had three, and he used his long wingspan to outjump the South Dakota players for five total rebounds, including a tip-in.
"We wouldn't have so many if we made more shots," Jans said. "There wouldn't have been as many available to us if we can make some more shots, especially from the three-point line and the free throw line. It's something we emphasize. It's something we talk about each and every timeout. We keep track of who's crashing and who's not, and we use that to try to motivate them that if they want to stay on the court, they better get active on the backboard. We track it every day in practice, and that's one of the qualities that we have right now is we got some length and some guys that can move and beat some checks, and hopefully, they'll continue to be hungry on the backboards."
2) Jeffries brings the energy
Junior D.J. Jeffries played his most complete game of the season as he impacted the game on both ends of the floor.
The 6'7" forward scored 12 points and had all of his points from deep as he went 4-7 from beyond the arc. It was his best shooting day of the season, as he entered last night's game at only 28% from deep.
Jeffries' prowess on the defensive end was most impressive, and he led the Bulldogs with nine rebounds. He had just one steal, but he was all over the place on defense, altering shots and contesting on the outside as he was part of a Mississippi State defense that forced multiple shot clock violations.
With point guard Dashawn Davis sidelined with an ankle injury Jeffries handled some ball-handling duties in the 2nd half, and he dished out two assists and did not commit a turnover.
3) Matthews improving offensively
Cameron Matthews is known as someone who is a defensive stopper but his offensive game has made big strides since last season, and he's improved his scoring from 2.9 points to 8.3 points per game.
Matthews has always shown the ability to finish around the room but his increased confidence as a ball handler has given him more opportunities to create his own shot and drive to the hoop.
The junior forward scored 14 points last night, and he did so on 6-6 shooting. He got out in transition for some easy bucket, and he used his strength to maneuver his way to the cup on some drives from the wing. He also had two and-1s and went 2-4 from the free throw line.
