No. 25 Mississippi State will try to win its third preseason tournament in three years under head coach Chris Jans when its faces Butler in the championship game of the Arizona Tip-off on Friday night in Tempe, Ariz.
Mississippi State, which won the Fort Myers Tipoff in 2022 and the Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament in 2023, improved to 6-0 for the third straight season by cruising to a 80-58 victory over UNLV in the semifinals on Thursday.
The Bulldogs, despite falling behind 8-2 out of the gate, rebounded to take an 18-point lead (39-21) in the first half and went up by as many as 28 points (76-48) in the second.
KeShawn Murphy, a 6-foot-10 forward, led the way for the Bulldogs with a double-double (14 points, 13 rebounds) while guard Josh Hubbard added 11 points, including three 3-pointers, and three assists. All 14 players who dressed for Mississippi State scored in the contest as the team finished with a 48-13 advantage in bench points.
The Bulldogs also dominated the Runnin’ Rebels on the glass, finishing with a 46-29 edge in rebounding including 19-4 on the offensive boards. That resulted in an eye-popping 30-3 edge in second-chance points.
“It was a big emphasis of ours going into the game,” Jans said. “(UNLV) gave up 21 offensive rebounds in their last outing. So, we wanted our guys to be excited about crashing with authority. We knew that we could get some second-chance opportunities. We’ve been emphasizing rebounding for longer than just this game.
“We struggled the first three games, and we’ve been better ever since. So, it was nice to see that and control the game in that way.”
Murphy, who struggled with a foot injury last season and briefly left the team for nearly a month over lack of playing time, needed just 22 minutes to register his double-double and also had four assists, a steal and a blocked shot.
“He’s working,” Jans said. “He’s after it and wants more. He’s so awesome to coach right now, not that he wasn’t before. But he’s healthy mentally and physically. He feels really good about the dividends he’s receiving and guys are happy for him.”
Butler’s path to the title game was a lot more nerve-wracking. The Bulldogs (5-1), who led by as many as 15 points in the first half, had to sweat out two shots that rolled round the rim at the buzzer to hold on for a 71-69 victory over Northwestern.
Forward Jahmyl Telfort scored 23 points to go with five assists and four rebounds and Andre Screen, a 7-foot-1 transfer from Bucknell, added 15 points and nine rebounds to lead Butler.
Northwestern had two good chances to force overtime at the wire but Brooks Barnhizer, who scored a game-high 24 points, failed to convert on a drive to the basket and Nick Martinelli’s tip-in try also rolled around the rim and came out.
Butler assistant coach Alex Barton sent out the following message afterward on X: “Thankful for the kind rim here at Mullett Arena! Happy Thanksgiving. Go Dawgs!”
Butler won despite committing 15 turnovers, compared to five for the opponent, that resulted in a 14-8 advantage in points off turnovers for the Wildcats. The Bulldogs outshot Northwestern from the floor, 46.8 to 36.1 percent, and connected on 6-of-16 3-pointers.
