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Missouri State

Paradise Jam

Men's Basketball Gears Up for Paradise Jam

November 15, 2023

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Games 3-5 - Missouri State Bears (1-1) at  US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam
Dates and Times Friday, Nov. 17, 2023 to Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 | Various Times
Location UVI Blake Sports & Fitness Center (2,500) | St. Thomas Virgin Islands
Tourney Central US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam
Game 1 Friday, Nov. 17 - vs. Florida Gulf Coast | 7 p.m. (Central) - WON 70-61
Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Game 2 Sunday, Nov. 19 - vs. Kent State | 7 p.m. (Central) - WON 56-52
Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Game 3 Monday, Nov. 20 - vs. Abilene Christian | 7 p.m. (Central)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | 
The Varsity App
Television ESPN+ (Brad Wells, Kevi Lehman) | Watch
Series vs. 
The Field		 vs. Florida Gulf Coast - First Meeting
vs. Hampton - Missouri State leads 2-0 (Last Meeting: MSU 88, HU 75, 12/8/17)
vs. Kent State - Kent State leads 2-0 (Last Meeting:  KSU 64, MSU 63, 11/30/03)
vs. Abilene Christian - Missouri State leads 2-1 (Last Meeting: ACU 63, MSU 58, 1965-66)
vs. Fordham - Missouri State leads 2-0 (Last Meeting: MSU 65, FU 46, 12/21/93)
vs. Norfolk State - Missouri State leads 2-0 (Last Meeting: MSU 75, NSU 66, 12/20/08)
vs. San Jose State - First Meeting
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | MVC Weekly Release | MSU Media Guide
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Bears Mobile App App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next MSU returns to Great Southern Bank Arena on Saturday, Nov. 25
  vs. South Carolina State (1 p.m.) | Danny Moore Jersey Retirement & 1999 Team Reunion
  TICKETS | Kids Free Day | $5 Ticket Special

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State will depart the continental U.S. for the second straight season when it travels to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas. The Bears will play three games over four days, Friday through Monday, at the Blake Sports & Fitness Center on the campus of the University of the Virgin Islands, opening with a Friday matchup with Florida Gulf Coast at 7 p.m. (Central).
  • MoState has made 4 previous trips to MTE competitions outside the states, playing in the Baha Mar Nassau (Bahamas) Invitational (2022-23); Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan (2015-16); Hoops for Hope Classic in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (2012-13); and the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic in San Juan (1996-97). 
  • Coming off a career-high 28 points in Monday's win over Oral Roberts, Alston Mason (Jr., Overland Park, Kan.) has vaulted to the top of the national rankings. As of Nov. 14, Mason ranks 13th nationally in 3-pointers per game (4.0), 21st in 3-point FG percentage (8/12, .667) and 40th in scoring average (21.5). He also snagged a game-high and career-high 9 rebounds in the win over ORU. The Belgian-born guard ranks second in the MVC in scoring and is averaging 15.6 points per game over his last 14 contests.
  • MSU point guard Matthew Lee (Sr., San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 9 assists in Monday's home opener against Oral Roberts, giving him 16 dimes on the young season. He ranks 9th nationally and tops in the MVC in assists per game and his 3.20 assist-to-turnover ration is 3rd in The Valley.
  • Missouri State began the week ranked 15th nationally in blocked shots per game (7.0) after logging 8 rejections against ORU on Monday. Eight different Bears have contributed to the club's 14 rejections so far this season with N.J. Benson (So., Mt. Vernon, Ill.) and Chance Moore (Jr., Brookhaven, Ga.) leading the way with 3 apiece. KenPom ranks MSU 36th nationally in defensive block percentage (15.7).
  • Senior Donovan Clay (G/F, Alton, Ill.) is a Preseason All-MVC first-team selection. The fifth-year standout is 6 assists away from 300 for his career (129 games) and is 27 points away from 1,300. He ranks 39th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (7.50) and is coming off a 17-point outing against ORU on Monday.
  • Under coach Dana Ford, the Bears are 42-5 when they shoot 50 percent or better from the field; 80-13 when they shoot at a higher percentage than their opponents; and 84-40 when holding opponents under 50 percent shooting. Likewise, MoState is 81-8 under Ford when leading with 5 minutes remaining.
  • ESPN ranks Missouri State's Tyler Bey (G, Newark, N.J.) as one of the top 15 Mid-Major Newcomers to Watch for 2023-24. Bey racked up a game-high 19 points and 8 rebounds in MSU's exhibition win over Westminster on Nov. 2 and is averaging 5.0 rebounds per game in his first two DI games.
  • The Bears rank 21st nationally in fewest turnovers per game (8.5) which leads the Missouri Valley, while ranking 29th in assist-to-turnover (1.89). According to KenPom, the Bears rank 26th in offensive turnover percentage (11.8).
  • The last Missouri State championship in an MTE was in 2009-10 when the Bears went 3-0 in the Hispanic College Fund Challenge, hosted at Great Southern Bank Arena. The Bears beat Eastern Michigan, 75-61, in the championship.
  • Coach Dana Ford is 3 wins shy of 150 for his career (147-132), including four seasons at Tennessee State..
The Series
  • West Virginia leads the all-time series, 1-0, after a 70-68 overtime win over the Bears in Las Vegas on Dec. 22, 2011 | Box Score
Coach Dana Ford
  • Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 90-67 (.573) in his sixth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 54-20 (.730) ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena, 28-35 record in away games, and 8-12 mark at neutral sites. He is now 147-132 (.527) in his tenth season as a head coach, including four seasons at Tennessee State. Ford is also 56-36 (.609) in Valley games (30-16 at home, 26-20 away).  
  • Ford is 0-2 vs. Hampton, but has never coached against the rest of the Paradise Jam field..
  • Coach Ford is 4-5 at  Arch Madness with four losses by 3 points or less and one of those coming in OT (vs. Drake in 2022). During his time at Tennessee State, Ford was 0-3 in OVC Tournament games (all by 3 points or less) with two in overtime.
  • He picked up his 100th career victory on Feb. 7, 2021 with a Bears' win at Illinois State (72-62) and coached his 100th game at Missouri State on Dec. 15, 2021 vs. South Dakota State. His win over Oakland on Nov. 27 in The Bahamas was his 75th victory at MSU, while his OT victory at Drake (1/18/23) was his 50th MVC win.
  • In 2022-23, the new-look Bears featured 14 new faces and ultimately turned the squad into Valley contenders. The Bears landed an All-MVC selection in second-teamer Donovan Clay and All-Bench Team honoree Chance Moore. Clay, who was also on the MVC All-Defensive Team, led the Bears in scoring (11.9 ppg) and assists (108) while becoming the first Bear since 2018-19 to reach the century mark in assists. Moore averaged 10.6 points per game and racked up 17 double-figure scoring games.
  • Ford's fifth season in Springfield concluded with a 12-8 conference record, making him the first sideline boss in program history to collect a dozen or more conference wins in three straight seasons. The Bears allowed just 63.2 points per game on the year, which ranked 24th nationally and was the club's best scoring defense in more than a decade. MSU also eclipsed its season record for blocked shots (140) -- a mark that had held for nearly a quarter century -- and ranked second in The Valley in rejections.
  • He was introduced as Missouri State's 18th men's basketball coach on March 22, 2018 after coaching the previous four seasons at Tennessee State. The native of Tamms, Illinois was 57-65 (.467) at Tennessee State, including a 52-39 ledger in his last three seasons in Nashville. He coached five All-OVC players and two OVC All-Newcomer Team selections during his tenure at TSU. Under his leadership, TSU doubled its home attendance average and twice earned votes in the AP Top 25 poll in 2016-17. 
  • Ford, 39, earned the Ben Jobe Award in 2016 as the nation's top Division I minority coach, a distinction he has been nominated for three times. That same year, he was named Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year and NABC District 19 Coach of the Year after engineering one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA history, from a 5-26 record in his first season to a 20-11 mark in 2015-16.
  • He has served as an assistant at Tennessee State, Wichita State and Illinois State and was responsible for recruiting future NBA talents such as Robert Covington (Clippers) and Fred Van Vleet (Rockets).
  • Ford was recognized by 417 Magazine as one of its top 100 most-influential professionals in 2022 and 2023. He also serves on the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee.
Rebound Foundation
  • Bears' head coach Dana Ford and his wife, Christina, are founders of the Rebound Foundation. The not-for-profit raises funds and awareness to help renew and restore women who have experienced a life of domestic abuse. The foundation provides a stable home and fresh start to abuse victims and their children. The Rebound Foundation currently provides homes in Springfield, Mo., and Chicago, Ill.
  • Pledge to assist the Rebound Challenge today! Pledge Link
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