2021–22 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Mississippi State University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by seventh-year head coach Ben Howland, and played their home games at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 18–16, 8–10 in SEC play to finish 10th place. They defeated South Carolina in the second round of the SEC tournament before losing to Tennessee in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Virginia.

2021–22 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball
NIT, First Round
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	18–16 (8–10 SEC)
Head coach	Ben Howland (7th season)
Assistant coaches	George Brooks Korey McCray Ernie Zeigler
Home arena	Humphrey Coliseum
Seasons ← 2020–21 2022–23 →

2021–22 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 14 Auburn	15	–	3		.833			28	–	6		.824
No. 16 Kentucky	14	–	4		.778			26	–	8		.765
No. 15 Tennessee †	14	–	4		.778			27	–	8		.771
No. 8 Arkansas	13	–	5		.722			28	–	9		.757
LSU	9	–	9		.500			22	–	12		.647
Alabama	9	–	9		.500			19	–	14		.576
South Carolina	9	–	9		.500			18	–	13		.581
Texas A&M	9	–	9		.500			27	–	13		.675
Florida	9	–	9		.500			20	–	14		.588
Mississippi State	8	–	10		.444			18	–	16		.529
Vanderbilt	7	–	11		.389			19	–	17		.528
Missouri	5	–	13		.278			12	–	21		.364
Ole Miss	4	–	14		.222			13	–	19		.406
Georgia	1	–	17		.056			6	–	26		.188
† 2022 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Following the season, the school fired head coach Howland.^[1] On March 20, 2022, the school named New Mexico State head coach Chris Jans the team's new head coach.

Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Bulldogs finished the 2020–21 season 18–15, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in ninth place. They defeated Kentucky in the second round of the SEC tournament before losing to Alabama in the quarterfinals. They received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament as the fourth seed in the Saint Louis bracket. There they defeated Saint Louis,^[2] Richmond,^[3] and Louisiana Tech^[4] to advance the championship game where they lost to Memphis.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Jalen Johnson	0	G/F	6'6"	210	RS Senior	Baton Rouge, LA	Transferred to Texas A&M
D. J. Stewart Jr.	3	G	6'6"	205	RS Sophomore	Grace, MS	Declare for 2021 NBA draft
Deivon Smith	5	G	6'1"	165	Freshman	Loganville, GA	Transferred to Georgia Tech
Abdul Ado	24	F	6'11"	255	RS Senior	Lagos, Nigeria	Graduate transferred to Cincinnati
Andrew Juskin	30	F	6'11"	240	RS Sophomore	New Hope, MS	Walk-on; transferred to Elon
Quinten Post	32	F	7'0"	240	Sophomore	Amsterdam, Netherlands	Transferred to Boston College
Reggie Morris	33	G	6'1"	160	Freshman	Grandview, MO	Walk-on; transferred to Central Missouri
Keondre Montgomery	55	G/F	6'7"	200	Freshman	Jackson, MS	Transferred to Alcorn State

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Rocket Watts	0	G	6'2"	185	Junior	Detroit, MI	Michigan State
Shakeel Moore	3	G	6'1"	185	Sophomore	Greensboro, NC	NC State
Garrison Brooks	10	F	6'9"	230	Graduate Student	Lafayette, AL	North Carolina
D. J. Jeffries	13	F	6'7"	215	Junior	Olive Branch, MS	Memphis

2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
KeShawn Murphy #18 PF	Birmingham, AL	Ramsay High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Aug 28, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 83
Alden Applewhite #28 SG	Memphis, TN	AZ Compass Prep	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Feb 26, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 82
Cam Carter SG	Donaldsonville, LA	Oak Hill Academy	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Feb 26, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: 0
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Mississippi State 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021. "2021 Mississippi State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021.

2022 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Riley Kugel SG	Orlando, FL	Dr. Phillips High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Sep 26, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: 0
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Mississippi State 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021. "2022 Mississippi State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 9, 2021.

Roster

2021–22 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Rocket Watts 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Michigan State Detroit, MI G 1 Iverson Molinar 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Veritas Prep (CA) Panama City, Panama F 2 Javian Davis 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Jr Alabama Canton, MS G 3 Shakeel Moore 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So NC State Greensboro, NC G/F 4 Cameron Matthews 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Olive Branch HS Olive Branch, MS G 5 Cam Carter 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Oak Hill Academy Donaldsonville, LA F 10 Garrison Brooks 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) GS North Carolina Lafayette, AL G/F 11 Andersson Garcia 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Hamilton Heights Christian Academy Moca, DR F 12 KeShawn Murphy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Fr Ramsey Birmingham, AL F 13 D. J. Jeffries 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Memphis Olive Branch, MS F 20 Derek Fountain 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Holly Springs HS Holly Springs, MS G 21 Justin Rumph (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Sr Southern Union State CC Birmingham, AL G 24 Tyler Brumfield (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Montverde Academy Los Angeles, CA G 25 Isaac Stansbury (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Greenwood HS Bowling Green, KY F 35 Tolu Smith 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Jr Western Kentucky Bay St. Louis, MS F 44 Alden Applewhite 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr AZ Compass Prep Memphis, TN	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

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 10, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+		North Alabama	W 75–49	1–0	18 – Brooks	14 – Matthews	4 – Matthews	Humphrey Coliseum (6,671) Starkville, MS
November 13, 2021* 6:00 p.m., SECN+		Montana	W 86–49	2–0	16 – Molinar	11 – Brooks	7 – Carter	Humphrey Coliseum (6,289) Starkville, MS
November 17, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+		Detroit Mercy Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship campus game	W 77–64	3–0	19 – Molinar	7 – Brooks	6 – Molinar	Humphrey Coliseum (6,497) Starkville, MS
November 21, 2021* 2:00 p.m., SECN+		Morehead State	W 66–46	4–0	15 – Molinar	10 – Jeffries	6 – Molinar	Humphrey Coliseum (6,108) Starkville, MS
November 25, 2021* 9:30 p.m., CBSSN		vs. Louisville Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship semifinal	L 58–72	4–1	17 – Molinar	7 – Matthews	2 – Molinar	Baha Mar Convention Center  Nassau, Bahamas
November 27, 2021* 12:30 p.m., FloHoops		vs. Richmond Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas consolation	W 82–71 ^OT	5–1	22 – Smith	11 – Smith	7 – Molinar	Baha Mar Convention Center (1,175) Nassau, Bahamas
December 2, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+		Lamar	W 75–60	6–1	17 – Molinar	11 – Smith	5 – Jeffries	Humphrey Coliseum (5,981) Starkville, MS
December 5, 2021* 1:00 p.m., SECN		Minnesota	L 76–81	6–2	26 – Molinar	10 – Brooks	6 – Molinar	Humphrey Coliseum (6,965) Starkville, MS
December 11, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ESPNU		vs. Colorado State Basketball Hall of Fame Classic	L 63–66	6–3	15 – Brooks	6 – Moore	5 – Molinar	Dickies Arena  Fort Worth, TX
December 14, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+		Georgia State	W 79–50	7–3	18 – Molinar	9 – Fountain	4 – Molinar	Humphrey Coliseum (5,953) Starkville, MS
December 17, 2021* 6:00 p.m., SECN		Furman	W 69–66	8–3	18 – Brooks	6 – Moore	4 – Moore	Humphrey Coliseum (5,797) Starkville, MS
December 21, 2021* 6:00 p.m.		vs. Winthrop	W 84–63	9–3	22 – Molinar	6 – Matthews	4 – Carter	Mississippi Coliseum (1,474) Jackson, MS
December 29, 2021 4:00 p.m., SECN		Arkansas	W 81–68	10–3 (1–0)	18 – Smith	10 – Brooks	5 – Tied	Humphrey Coliseum (6,629) Starkville, MS
January 5, 2022 8:00 p.m., SECN		at Missouri	Postponed to February 20					Mizzou Arena  Columbia, MO
January 8, 2022 7:30 p.m., SECN		at Ole Miss	L 72–82	10–4 (1–1)	16 – Tied	9 – Matthews	4 – Matthews	SJB Pavilion (6,988) Oxford, MS
January 12, 2022 6:00 p.m., SECN		Georgia	W 88–72	11–4 (2–1)	28 – Molinar	6 – Davis	7 – Molinar	Humphrey Coliseum (5,973) Starkville, MS
January 15, 2022 5:00 p.m., SECN		No. 24 Alabama	W 78–76	12–4 (3–1)	24 – Molinar	10 – Brooks	4 – Molinar	Humphrey Coliseum (8,090) Starkville, MS
January 19, 2022 6:30 p.m., SECN		at Florida	L 72–80	12–5 (3–2)	18 – Moore	6 – Smith	5 – Molinar	O'Connell Center (10,008) Gainesville, FL
January 22, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPNU		Ole Miss	W 78–60	13–5 (4–2)	20 – Molinar	6 – Matthews	7 – Moore	Humphrey Coliseum (9,739) Starkville, MS
January 25, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN		at No. 12 Kentucky	L 74–82 ^OT	13–6 (4–3)	30 – Molinar	8 – Matthews	4 – Moore	Rupp Arena (18,144) Lexington, KY
January 29, 2022* 5:00 p.m., ESPN2		at No. 13 Texas Tech Big 12/SEC Challenge	L 50–76	13–7	12 – Molinar	5 – Garcia	2 – Molinar	United Supermarkets Arena (15,098) Lubbock, TX
February 1, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPNU		South Carolina	W 78–64	14–7 (5–3)	20 – Molinar	9 – Brooks	5 – Jeffries	Humphrey Coliseum (6,678) Starkville, MS
February 5, 2022 7:30 p.m., SECN		at Arkansas	L 55–63	14–8 (5–4)	19 – Molinar	11 – Brooks	3 – Tied	Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR
February 9, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN2		No. 19 Tennessee	L 63–72	14–9 (5–5)	16 – Molinar	8 – Brooks	5 – Molinar	Humphrey Coliseum (7,014) Starkville, MS
February 12, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2		at LSU	L 65–69	14–10 (5–6)	26 – Molinar	11 – Brooks	5 – Brooks	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (10,975) Baton Rouge, LA
February 16, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2		at No. 25 Alabama	L 75–80	14–11 (5–7)	22 – Molinar	7 – Matthews	4 – Molinar	Coleman Coliseum (9,192) Tuscaloosa, AL
February 18, 2022 8:30 p.m., SECN		Missouri	W 68–49	15–11 (6–7)	16 – Smith	7 – Brooks	5 – Jefferies	Humphrey Coliseum (6,813) Starkville, MS
February 20, 2022 7:00 p.m., SECN		at Missouri	W 58–56	16–11 (7–7)	16 – Molinar	8 – Smith	2 – Garcia	Mizzou Arena (7,009) Columbia, MO
February 23, 2022 5:30 p.m., SECN		at South Carolina	L 56–66	16–12 (7–8)	21 – Smith	8 – Brooks	3 – Jeffries	Colonial Life Arena (10,129) Columbia, SC
February 26, 2022 12:00 p.m., SECN		Vanderbilt	W 74–69	17–12 (8–8)	22 – Smith	8 – Smith	3 – Brooks	Humphrey Coliseum (6,829) Starkville, MS
March 2, 2022 8:00 p.m., SECN		No. 5 Auburn	L 68–81 ^OT	17–13 (8–9)	22 – Smith	13 – Garcia	4 – Moore	Humphrey Coliseum (9,637) Starkville, MS
March 5, 2022 7:30 p.m., SECN		at Texas A&M	L 64–67	17–14 (8–10)	18 – Smith	6 – Tied	4 – Molinar	Reed Arena (9,955) College Station, TX
SEC tournament
March 10, 2022 5:00 pm, SECN	(10)	vs. (7) South Carolina Second round	W 73–51	18–14	20 – Smith	14 – Garcia	5 – Moore	Amalie Arena (12,121) Tampa, FL
March 11, 2022 5:00 pm, SECN	(10)	vs. (2) No. 9 Tennessee Quarterfinals	L 59–72	18–15	15 – Moore	6 – Tied	3 – Tied	Amalie Arena (17,132) Tampa, FL
NIT tournament
March 16, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN2	(3)	at Virginia First Round – Oklahoma Bracket	L 57–60	18–16	16 – Smith	11 – Smith	4 – Molinar	John Paul Jones Arena (5,278) Charlottesville, VA
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Source^[5]

See also

• 2021–22 Mississippi State Bulldogs women's basketball team

References

1. "Howland out at Mississippi State after 7 seasons". ESPN.com. March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
2. "Mississippi State vs. Saint Louis - Game Recap - March 20, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
3. "Mississippi State vs. Richmond - Game Recap - March 25, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
4. "Louisiana Tech vs. Mississippi State - Game Summary - March 27, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
5. "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". Mississippi State. Retrieved October 9, 2021.