Tolu Smith picked up a pair of awards on Monday afternoon.

The Mississippi State big man was named to the All-SEC First team and was the winner of the C Spire Bailey Howell Trophy, given to the top men's college basketball player in Mississippi.

"I want to thank Coach (Chris) Jans. I had no clue what to expect from him but I've loved every second, every minute of it," Smith said.

Alabama's Brandon Miller, Florida's Colin Castleton, Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe, Missouri's Kobe Brown, Tennessee's Santiago Vescovi, Texas A&M's Wade Taylor IV and Vanderbilt's Liam Robbins join Smith on the All-SEC First Team. Smith beat out Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell and Southern Miss guard Austin Crowley for the Howell Trophy.

The 6'11" senior led the Bulldogs with 15.4 points per game and 8.3 rebounds. His 58.3% field goal percentage led the SEC and he finished third in the conference in rebounding behind Tshiebwe and Auburn's Johni Broome.

Smith posted ten double-doubles this season and scored over 20 points in eight games. He tied his career-high with 27 points as the Bulldogs defeated #11 TCU in January, and he matched that total in Saturday's loss to Vanderbilt.

Mississippi State has won the Howell Trophy in back-to-back years as guard Iverson Molinar took it home last season. The Howell Trophy has made its way to Starkville in five of the last six seasons, with Quinndary Weatherspoon winning twice in 2018 and 2019 and Reggie Perry winning in 2020. Ole Miss guard Devontae Shuler won it in 2020.

The Bay Saint Louis, MS native still has one more goal this season, and that's to punch Mississippi State a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs will face Florida at noon on Thursday, and a win would seemingly lock in a bid.

"We’re very excited. We know what we have to do, and we want to take this opportunity," Smith said after last Tuesday's win over South Carolina. "I try not to get into the Bracketology too much, we just know we have to win. We have to keep winning, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing. We’re going to keep practicing hard and getting these wins.”