Islanders Begin 2022-23 Journey at Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Picked to win the Southland Conference in the preseason poll, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball program will open the 2022-23 season at Mississippi State on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.
 
The last time the Islanders were on the court was the 2022 NCAA Tournament. They earned the league's automatic bid after winning three games in three days at the Southland Conference Tournament.
 
Steve Lutz enters his second season at the helm after more-than quadrupling the program's win total last season from the year before. Lutz was named a finalist for the 2022 Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year Award, which is presented annually to the top first-year coach in Division I college basketball.
 
The Islanders will have a lot of familiar faces taking the court Monday as it brought back 85 percent of its scoring and 88 percent of its rebounding. A&M-Corpus Christi is one of three teams in the nation to bring back all five starters and its top-five leading scorers from last season along with Dayton and TCU.
 
Among the returners are four Preseason All-Conference selections. Seniors Terrion Murdix, Isaac Mushila and Trevian Tennyson were tabbed to the Preseason All-Conference First-Team, and senior Simeon Fryer to the All-Conference Second-Team. Mushila and Tennyson were 2021-22 All-Conference honorees and Murdix was the 2022 SLC Tournament MVP.
 
Mushila, the 2021-22 SLC Newcomer of the Year, broke the school's single-season records last year for rebounding average (9.4), total rebounds (330) and offensive rebounds (125). The previous records were 9.2 rebounds per game by Michael Hicks in 1999-00, 305 total rebounds by Rashawn Thomas in 2016-17 and 115 offensive rebounds by Demond Watt in 2010-11. Mushila was the team's leading scorer with 13.2 points per game.
 
Tennyson averaged 12.0 points per game. He hit a three-pointer in every regular season game and shot .368 (74-201) from long-range. Tennyson made at least a trio of three-pointers 13 times. His 74 threes on the season tied for the second-most in school history.
 
Mississippi State was projected to finish ninth in the SEC Preseason Poll. The Bulldogs are under new leadership and will play its first game under new head coach Chris Jans who compiled a 122-32 record in five seasons at New Mexico State.
 
Jans inherited a team that finished 18-16 (8-10 SEC) last season and advanced to the NIT. The Bulldogs returned two starters including 6-11 forward Tolu Smith who averaged 14.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. They brought in eight newcomers.
 
Monday will be the first-ever meeting between the Islanders and the Bulldogs. The Islanders, who begin just their 24th season of basketball, are 20-3 all-time in season-openers and have won in back-to-back years. Though, it's their first opener against a Power 5 school since 2011-12 when they fell at Oklahoma State 71-39.
 
The Islanders will play their home opener Friday, Nov. 11 when they host UTSA at 7 p.m. in the Dugan Wellness Center. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at goislanders.com/tickets or by phone at 361-825-BALL (2255). The ticket office can also be reached via email at tickets@tamucc.edu.
 
NOTES
- The Islanders have two wins over SEC programs in school history. They beat Texas A&M 82-80 in 2003-04 and Georgia 80-79 (OT) in 2008-09. A&M-Corpus Christi's last win against any Power 5 institution was 2009-10 against Oregon State 67-43.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi was one of nine Division I schools in the country to not have a scholarship student-athlete enter the transfer portal during or after 2021-22.
 
- Lutz was the only first-year mid-major coach in America to make the 2022 NCAA Tournament. He was one of just two coaches (along with Tommy Lloyd, Arizona) in the country to advance to the NCAA Tournament in his first-ever season as a head coach when changing schools.
 
- The Islanders are coming off their sixth 20-win season in program history and first since 2016-17.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi was 17-0 last season when holding the opposition to 70 points or less. The Islanders held all three opponents to under 70 in the SLC Tournament.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi ranked fifth in the nation in free throws made (572), sixth in free throw attempts (776), 12th in steals (298), 14th in turnovers forced per game (16.51), 15th in offensive rebounds per game (12.77) and 18th in total rebounds (1,341).
 
- Fryer was the only student-athlete on the roster to start in every game last year. He caught fire in the conference tournament where he was 10-of-19 from three-point range. Fryer shot .371 from long range which was a significant improvement from his .224 from last year. Fryer averaged 8.5 points per game.
 
- Lutz was announced the head coach in April 2021 after spending the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at Purdue. During that span, the Boilermakers reached every NCAA Tournament including an Elite Eight in 2018-19 and a Sweet 16 in 2017-18.
 
- The men's basketball program is only in its 24th season and began in 1999-00. Prior to 2006-07, the Islanders competed as an NCAA Division I Independent.
 
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