# 2020–21 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Mississippi State University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Ben Howland, and played their home games at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi as a member of the Southeastern Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the 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, Richmond, and Louisiana Tech to advance the championship game where they lost to Memphis.

## Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2019–20 season 20–11, 11–7 in SEC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They were set to be the No. 4 seed in the SEC tournament with a bye to the quarterfinals. However, the SEC Tournament and all other postseason tournaments were canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Nick Weatherspoon | 0 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Junior | Canton, MS | Declared for the 2020 NBA draft |
| Reggie Perry | 1 | F | 6'10" | 250 | Sophomore | Thomasville, GA | Declared for the 2020 NBA draft; selected 57th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers |
| Elias King | 2 | F | 6'8" | 205 | Freshman | Atlanta, GA | Transferred to Middle Tennessee |
| Devin Butts | 4 | G | 6'5" | 175 | Freshman | Macon, GA | Transferred to Louisiana |
| Tate Clayton | 10 | G | 6'2" | 170 | Junior | Tupelo, MS | Walk-on; left the team |
| Robert Woodard II | 12 | G | 6'7" | 235 | Sophomore | Columbus, MS | Declared for the 2020 NBA draft; selected 40th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies |
| Reggie Miller | 13 | G | 6'5" | 185 | Senior | Saltillo, MS | Graduated |
| Prince Oduro | 15 | F | 6'8" | 250 | Redshirt Sophomore | Toronto, ON | Transferred to South Florida |
| Mitchell Storm | 20 | F | 6'7" | 200 | Senior | Madison, MS | Graduated |
| KeyShawn Feazell | 22 | F | 6'8" | 225 | Junior | New Hebron, MS | Transferred to McNeese State |
| Tyson Carter | 23 | G | 6'4" | 175 | Senior | Starkville, MS | Graduated |
| E. J. Datcher | 45 | C | 6'10" | 260 | Senior | Harpersville, AL | Graduated |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 25, 2020* 7:30 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. Clemson Space Coast Challenge | L 42–53 | 0–1 | 12 – Tied | 10 – T. Smith | 2 – Stewart Jr. | Titan Field House (0) Melbourne, FL |
| November 26, 2020* 5:00 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. Liberty Space Coast Challenge | L 73–84 | 0–2 | 20 – Tied | 7 – T. Smith | 5 – D. Smith | Titan Field House (0) Melbourne, FL |
| November 30, 2020* 7:00 p.m., SECN | | Texas State | W 68–51 | 1–2 | 23 – Stewart Jr. | 8 – Davis | 5 – Matthews | Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, MS |
| December 4, 2020* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | | North Texas | W 69–63 | 2–2 | 16 – Stewart Jr. | 9 – Ado | 3 – Matthews | Humphrey Coliseum (1,877) Starkville, MS |
| December 8, 2020* 8:00 p.m., SECN | | Jackson State | W 82–59 | 3–2 | 21 – Molinar | 12 – T. Smith | 4 – Molinar | Humphrey Coliseum (1,889) Starkville, MS |
| December 12, 2020* 2:00 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Dayton Holiday Hoopsgiving | L 82–85 $^{2OT}$ | 3–3 | 32 – Stewart Jr. | 7 – Tied | 7 – Molinar | State Farm Arena (0) Atlanta, GA |
| December 16, 2020* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | | Central Arkansas | W 81–65 | 4–3 | 17 – Stewart Jr. | 10 – T. Smith | 5 – Stewart Jr. | Humphrey Coliseum (1,000) Starkville, MS |
| December 21, 2020* 8:00 p.m., SECN | | Mississippi Valley State | W 87–48 | 5–3 | 18 – Molinar | 12 – T. Smith | 5 – Molinar | Humphrey Coliseum (1,000) Starkville, MS |
| SEC regular season |||||||||
| December 30, 2020 6:00 p.m., SECN | | at Georgia | W 83–73 | 6–3 (1–0) | 24 – Molinar | 8 – Ado | 8 – 3 Tied | Stegeman Coliseum (1,638) Athens, GA |
| January 2, 2021 5:00 p.m., SECN | | Kentucky | L 73–78 $^{2OT}$ | 6–4 (1–1) | 19 – Stewart Jr. | 12 – T. Smith | 5 – Molinar | Humphrey Coliseum (1,000) Starkville, MS |
| January 5, 2021 8:00 p.m., SECN | | No. 13 Missouri | W 78–63 | 7–4 (2–1) | 24 – Stewart Jr. | 9 – T. Smith | 4 – Stewart Jr. | Humphrey Coliseum (1,000) Starkville, MS |
| January 9, 2021 12:00 p.m., SECN | | at Vanderbilt | W 84–81 | 8–4 (3–1) | 24 – Molinar | 8 – Tied | 4 – Stewart Jr. | Memorial Gymnasium (101) Nashville, TN |
| January 13, 2021 8:00 p.m., SECN | | Texas A&M | L 55–56 | 8–5 (3–2) | 16 – Molinar | 6 – Smith | 4 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (1,000) Starkville, MS |
| January 16, 2021 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Florida | W 72–69 | 9–5 (4–2) | 27 – T. Smith | 14 – T. Smith | 4 – D. Smith | Humphrey Coliseum (1,000) Starkville, MS |
| January 19, 2021 8:00 p.m., SECN | | Ole Miss | L 46–64 | 9–6 (4–3) | 18 – Stewart Jr. | 9 – Ado | 3 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (1,000) Starkville, MS |
| January 23, 2021 5:00 p.m., SECN | | at No. 18 Alabama | L 73–81 | 9–7 (4–4) | 27 – Stewart Jr. | 9 – T. Smith | 2 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (2,055) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| January 26, 2021 6:00 p.m., SECN | | at No. 18 Tennessee | L 53–56 | 9–8 (4–5) | 16 – Molinar | 12 – Ado | 5 – Smith | Thompson–Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN |
| January 30, 2021* 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Iowa State Big 12/SEC Challenge | W 95–56 | 10–8 | 20 – Molinar | 7 – Tied | 9 – Smith | Humphrey Coliseum (1,000) Starkville, MS |
| February 2, 2021 8:00 p.m., SECN | | at Arkansas | L 45–61 | 10–9 (4–6) | 10 – T. Smith | 5 – T. Smith | 3 – Tied | Bud Walton Arena (4,400) Fayetteville, AR |
| February 6, 2021 2:30 p.m., SECN | | at South Carolina | W 75–59 | 11–9 (5–6) | 29 – Stewart Jr. | 8 – T. Smith | 5 – D. Smith | Colonial Life Arena (3,208) Columbia, SC |
| February 10, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | LSU | L 80–94 | 11–10 (5–7) | 24 – T. Smith | 10 – T. Smith | 4 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (1,000) Starkville, MS |
| February 13, 2021 12:00 p.m., SECN | | Vanderbilt | L 51–72 | 11–11 (5–8) | 19 – Molinar | 6 – Tied | 6 – D. Smith | Humphrey Coliseum (0) Starkville, MS |
| February 18, 2021 4:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Auburn | Postponed due to weather concerns. | Postponed due to weather concerns. | Postponed due to weather concerns. | Postponed due to weather concerns. | Postponed due to weather concerns. | Auburn Arena Auburn, AL |
| February 20, 2021 5:00 p.m., SECN | | at Ole Miss | W 66–56 | 12–11 (6–8) | 17 – Molinar | 7 – Ado | 6 – Stewart Jr. | The Pavilion at Ole Miss (895) Oxford, MS |
| February 24, 2021 6:00 p.m., SECN | | South Carolina | W 69–48 | 13–11 (7–8) | 15 – Stewart Jr. | 13 – Smith | 5 – Stewart Jr. | Humphrey Coliseum (1,000) Starkville, MS |
| February 27, 2021 5:00 p.m., SECN | | No. 6 Alabama | L 59–64 | 13–12 (7–9) | 15 – Stewart Jr. | 13 – Smith | 4 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (1,000) Starkville, MS |
| March 3, 2021 7:30 p.m., SECN | | at Texas A&M | W 63–57 | 14–12 (8–9) | 18 – Molinar | 8 – D. Smith | 6 – D. Smith | Reed Arena (901) College Station, TX |
| March 6, 2021 12:00 p.m., SECN | | at Auburn | L 71–78 | 14–13 (8–10) | 20 – Smith | 9 – Smith | 2 – Tied | Auburn Arena (1,824) Auburn, AL |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2021 11:00 a.m., SECN | (9) | vs. (8) Kentucky Second Round | W 74–73 | 15–13 | 21 – Molinar | 11 – T. Smith | 10 – Stewart Jr. | Bridgestone Arena (1,733) Nashville, TN |
| March 12, 2021 11:00 a.m., ESPN | (9) | vs. (1) No. 6 Alabama Quarterfinals | L 48–85 | 15–14 | 18 – Molinar | 11 – Ado | 2 – Tied | Bridgestone Arena (2,186) Nashville, TN |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 20, 2021 4:00 pm, ESPN | (4) | vs. (1) Saint Louis First Round – Saint Louis Bracket | W 74–68 | 16–14 | 20 – Stewart Jr. | 7 – Ado | 6 – Stewart Jr. | Comerica Center (751) Frisco, TX |
| March 25, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | (4) | vs. (2) Richmond Quarterfinals – Saint Louis Bracket | W 68–67 | 17–14 | 22 – Stewart Jr. | 11 – Ado | 5 – Stewart Jr. | UNT Coliseum (935) Denton, TX |
| March 27, 2021 2:00 pm, ESPN | (4) | vs. (4) Louisiana Tech Semifinals | W 84–62 | 18–14 | 25 – Molinar | 7 – Tied | 4 – Stewart Jr. | Comerica Center Frisco, TX |
| March 28, 2021 11:00 am, ESPN | (4) | vs. (1) Memphis Championship | L 64–77 | 18–15 | 19 – Matthews | 11 – Ado | 3 – Tied | Comerica Center Frisco, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
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