2014–15 Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball team

2014–15 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball

Conference	Southeastern Conference
2014–15 record	13–19 (6–12 SEC)
Head coach	Rick Ray (3rd year)
Assistant coach	George Brooks
Assistant coach	Wes Flanigan
Assistant coach	Chris Hollender
Home arena	Humphrey Coliseum

	Conf				Overall
2014–15 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
#1 Kentucky †	18	–	0	1.000	38	–	1	.974
#21 Arkansas	13	–	5	.722	27	–	9	.750
LSU	11	–	7	.611	22	–	11	.667
Georgia	11	–	7	.611	21	–	12	.636
Texas A&M	11	–	7	.611	21	–	12	.636
Ole Miss	11	–	7	.611	21	–	13	.618
Vanderbilt	9	–	9	.500	21	–	14	.600
Alabama	8	–	10	.444	19	–	15	.559
Florida	8	–	10	.444	16	–	17	.485
Tennessee	7	–	11	.389	16	–	16	.500
South Carolina	6	–	12	.333	17	–	16	.515
Mississippi State	6	–	12	.333	13	–	19	.406
Auburn	4	–	14	.222	15	–	20	.429
Missouri	3	–	15	.167	9	–	23	.281

† 2015 SEC Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

The 2014–15 Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball team represented Mississippi State University in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Rick Ray, in his third season at Mississippi State. The team played their home games at the Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 13–19, 6–12 in SEC play to finish in a tie for 11th place. They lost in the first round of the SEC Tournament to Auburn.

On March 21, head coach Rick Ray was fired.^[1] He had a three-year record of 37–60.

Before the season

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Andre Applewhite	2	G	6'5"	217	RS Freshman	Memphis, TN	Transferred to Toledo
Colin Borchert	3	F	6'8"	231	Senior	Phoenix, AZ	Graduated
Dallas Prater	10	G	6'3"	170	Freshman	Jackson, MS	Walk-on didn't return
Jacoby Davis	11	G	6'1"	191	RS Freshman	Charlotte, NC	Transferred
Tyson Cunningham	24	G	6'3"	197	RS Senior	Columbus, MS	Graduated
Kyle Dobbs	33	G	6'6"	160	Freshman	Grayson, GA	Walk-on didn't return

Incoming Transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Johnny Zuppardo	4	F	6'9"	235	Junior	Kilin, Mississippi	Junior college transfer from Jones County Junior College.

Recruits

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Demetrius Houston SF	Montgomery, AL	Carver	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jul 8, 2013
Demetrius Houston SF	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Oliver Black PF	Jackson, MS	Wingfield	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jul 2, 2013
Oliver Black PF	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Elijah Staley SF	Marietta, GA	Wheeler	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	208 lb (94 kg)	Jun 15, 2013
Elijah Staley SF	Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN:
Maurice Dunlap SG	Greenwood, MS	Amanda Elzy	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jun 27, 2012
Maurice Dunlap SG	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: Not Ranked Rivals: Not Ranked ESPN: Not Ranked
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 2014 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 3, 2014. "2014 Mississippi State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 3, 2014. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 3, 2014. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 3, 2014. "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 3, 2014.

Class Recruits of 2015

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Tookie Brown PG	Madison, GA	Morgan County	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jan 26, 2014
Tookie Brown PG	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Joseph Struggs PF	Montgomery, AL	Carver	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jun 11, 2013
Joseph Struggs PF	Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: Not Ranked Rivals: Not Ranked ESPN: Not Ranked
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 2015 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 3, 2014. "2015 Mississippi State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 3, 2014. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 3, 2014. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 3, 2014. "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 3, 2014.

Roster

2014–15 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	High School/Junior College	Home town
1.5 !G	0	Dunlap, MauriceMaurice Dunlap	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 170 lb (77 kg)	1.0 !Fr	Amanda Elzy	Greenville, MS
1.5 !G	1	Thomas, FredFred Thomas	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 77 !6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 206 lb (93 kg)	3.0 !Jr	Jim Hill HS	Jackson, MS
3.5 !F	2	Houston, DemetriusDemetrius Houston	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 205 lb (93 kg)	1.0 !Fr	G. W. Carver HS	Montgomery, AL
1.5 !G	3	Bloodman, TrivanteTrivante Bloodman	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 198 lb (90 kg)	4.0 !Sr	Olney Central College	Bronx, NY
3.5 !F	4	Zuppardo, JohnnyJohnny Zuppardo	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 81 !6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 235 lb (107 kg)	3.0 !Jr	Jones County JC	Bay St. Louis, MS
3.5 !F	12	Wilson, De'RunnyaDe'Runnya Wilson	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 77 !6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 215 lb (98 kg)	2.0 !So	Wenonah HS	Birmingham, AL
1.5 !G	13	Moore, TevinTevin Moore	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 75 !6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 185 lb (84 kg)	4.0 !Sr	Northwest Mississippi CC	Olive Branch, MS
1.5 !G	14	Staley, ElijahElijah Staley	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 78 !6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 220 lb (100 kg)	1.0 !Fr	Wheeler	Marietta, GA
1.5 !G	15	Ready, I.J.I.J. Ready	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 71 !5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 170 lb (77 kg)	2.0 !So	Parkview Magnet HS	Little Rock, AR
3.5 !F	20	Ware, GavinGavin Ware	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 81 !6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 260 lb (118 kg)	3.0 !Jr	Starkville HS	Starkville, MS
5.0 !C	22	Ndoye, FallouFallou Ndoye	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 83 !6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 220 lb (100 kg)	1.5 !RS Fr	Findlay Prep	Senegal
3.5 !F	23	Daniels, TravisTravis Daniels	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 80 !6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 215 lb (98 kg)	3.5 !RS Jr	Shelton State CC	Russellville, AL
3.5 !F	25	Johnson, RoquezRoquez Johnson	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 210 lb (95 kg)	4.0 !Sr	G. W. Carver HS	Montgomery, AL
1.5 !G	32	Sword, CraigCraig Sword	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 75 !6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 194 lb (88 kg)	3.0 !Jr	G. W. Carver HS	Montgomery, AL
3.5 !F	33	Black, OliverOliver Black	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 81 !6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; \| 215 lb (98 kg)	1.0 !Fr	Wingfield	Jackson, MS

Head coach

Rick Ray (Grand View)

Assistant coach(es)

George Brooks (Mississippi State)
Wes Flanigan (Auburn)
Chris Hollender (Evansville)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

^[2]

Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Site (Attendance)
Exhibition
11/06/2014*	Delta State	W 72–51	–	Humphrey Coliseum
Non-Conference games
11/14/2014*	Western Carolina	W 66–56	1–0	Humphrey Coliseum (6,261)
11/17/2014*	Mississippi Valley State	W 89–68	2–0	Humphrey Coliseum (6,065)
11/22/2014*	Utah State	W 71–63	3–0	Humphrey Coliseum (7,240)
11/24/2014*	Clayton State	W 59–46	4–0	Humphrey Coliseum (6,030)
11/28/2014*	vs. Saint Louis (Corpus Christi Coastal Classic Semifinals)	W 75–50	5–0	American Bank Center (2,867)
11/29/2014*	vs. TCU (Corpus Christi Coastal Classic Championship)	L 52–61	5–1	American Bank Center (2,867)
12/06/2014*	at Tulane	L 54–59	5–2	Devlin Fieldhouse (1,483)
12/13/2014*	at Oregon State	L 49–59	5–3	Gill Coliseum (4,211)
12/17/2014*	Arkansas State	L 55–69	5–4	Humphrey Coliseum (5,390)
12/20/2014*	vs. USC Upstate (Jackson Showcase)	L 51–53	5–5	Mississippi Coliseum (1,102)
12/23/2014*	Jacksonville	W 70–47	6–5	Humphrey Coliseum (5,366)
12/30/2014*	McNeese State	L 47–66	6–6	Humphrey Coliseum (5,155)
01/02/2015*	Florida State	W 62–55	7–6	Humphrey Coliseum (5,756)
Conference games
01/07/2015	Tennessee	L 47–61	7–7 (0–1)	Humphrey Coliseum (5,704)
01/10/2015	at Florida	L 47–72	7–8 (0–2)	O'Connell Center (11,966)
01/13/2015	at Texas A&M	L 70–74	7–9 (0–3)	Reed Arena (4,804)
01/17/2015	Vanderbilt	W 57–54	8–9 (1–3)	Humphrey Coliseum (6,568)
01/21/2015	at Auburn	W 78–71	9–9 (2–3)	Auburn Arena (8,083)
01/24/2015	Georgia	L 66–72	9–10 (2–4)	Humphrey Coliseum (7,549)
01/28/2015	at Ole Miss	L 73–79	9–11 (2–5)	Tad Smith Coliseum (8,959)
01/31/2015	LSU	W 73–67	10–11 (3–5)	Humphrey Coliseum (6,657)
02/03/2015	at Tennessee	W 71–66	11–11 (4–5)	Thompson–Boling Arena (13,268)
02/07/2015	at Arkansas	L 41–61	11–12 (4–6)	Bud Walton Arena (17,404)
02/10/2015	Alabama	L 51–55	11–13 (4–7)	Humphrey Coliseum (6,386)
02/14/2015	at Missouri	W 77–74	12–13 (5–7)	Mizzou Arena (8,278)
02/19/2015	Ole Miss	L 65–71	12–14 (5–8)	Humphrey Coliseum (7,873)
02/21/2015	#18 Arkansas	L 61–65	12–15 (5–9)	Humphrey Coliseum (6,254)
02/25/2015	#1 Kentucky	L 56–74	12–16 (5–10)	Humphrey Coliseum (6,795)
02/28/2015	at South Carolina	L 68–81	12–17 (5–11)	Colonial Life Arena (14,022)
03/04/2015	at Vanderbilt	L 56–66	12–18 (5–12)	Memorial Gymnasium (8,685)
03/07/2015	Missouri	W 52–43	13–18 (6–12)	Humphrey Coliseum (5,897)
SEC Tournament
03/11/2015	vs. Auburn (First round)	L 68–74	13–19	Bridgestone Arena (10,039)
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. ( ) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

References

Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball

Venues	McCarthy Gymnasium (1950–1975) Humphrey Coliseum (1975–present)

Culture & lore	History Bully "Hail State"

People	Head coaches Statistical leaders

Seasons	1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15

NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

2014–15 Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball team

Before the season

Departures

Incoming Transfers

Recruits

Class Recruits of 2015

Roster

Schedule and results

See also

References