# 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.
Following the season, the school fired head coach Howland. 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, Richmond, and Louisiana Tech 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. |||||||

## 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 | Postponed to February 20 | Postponed to February 20 | Postponed to February 20 | 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. |||||||||
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