STARKVILLE — With Mississippi State guard Kanye Clary still out indefinitely with a lower leg injury, the Bulldogs have needed to dip a little bit deeper into their backcourt to fill his minutes and make life easier for star sophomore Josh Hubbard.

Bigger guards like Claudell Harris and Shawn Jones have taken over the majority of those minutes, but MSU (10-1) has also needed contributions from redshirt sophomore Martavious Russell, who did not play at all last year, and true freshman Dellquan Warren.

“Dellquan is someone we’ve been impressed with since he’s arrived,” head coach Chris Jans said Thursday. “He’s about what we’re about. He gets after it every day, he’s thirsting for knowledge, he loves to be coached, he really defends, he’s getting better on the offensive end. It’s a transition. He’s been the best player on his teams more often than not growing up, and a lot of kids have to go through that.”

Warren was a three-star prospect who played at three different high schools and chose the Bulldogs over Alabama as well as four Big Ten and two ACC programs. He saw first-half playing time in recent games against Pittsburgh and McNeese, and in six minutes of second-half action Tuesday night against Central Michigan, he knocked down his first 3-pointer of the year. His season-high is 13 minutes in a win last month over Georgia State when Clary was still healthy.

Russell made 10 appearances off the bench in 2022-23, but he had played in just four games this year prior to Tuesday in Jackson. He checked in for the first time with more than 15 minutes left in the second half and MSU ahead by a comfortable margin, but less than two minutes later, he made a transition layup off an assist from Cameron Matthews, then blocked a shot on the other end. He connected on a 3-pointer in the final two minutes to give him five points.

“He’s like a lot of players. He wants to play,” Jans said. “We talk in our locker room about that all the time. More often than not around here, you get opportunities, and you just have to be prepared for them, and then when it happens, make the most of it and put yourself in position to get more minutes. That’s what (Russell) has done. He’s been practicing well. We felt like he needed a shot.”

The Bulldogs’ guard depth has helped them win games even on Hubbard’s off days. Hubbard was held to 12 points in MSU’s blowout win over a Pittsburgh team that was ranked at the time, and the Bulldogs beat Central Michigan by 24 despite Hubbard finishing 3-for-12 from behind the arc as Harris had the hot hand.

“That definitely was a part of our process to try to get more guys who could score the ball,” Jans said. “I can’t speak for Josh, but he’s not going to be Superman every night, as much as we and our fans want him to be. He’s human. Sometimes the ball doesn’t go in the hole. But more importantly, the other side note to that is his defense has gotten so much better.”

Scouting Memphis

Despite the relatively short distance between the schools, MSU has not played the Tigers in the regular season since 1984. The programs’ last two meetings have come in the postseason — a second-round game in the 2008 NCAA Tournament and the championship game of the 2021 NIT, both Memphis victories.

This year’s Tigers (9-2) have played one of the toughest schedules in the country and have wins over Connecticut, Michigan State, Clemson and Virginia, plus a four-point loss to an Auburn team that is playing as well as anyone in the country. Memphis’ only bad loss came on Dec. 8, a 13-point home defeat against Arkansas State.

“What a great opportunity. It’ll be a Quad 1 game all year long,” Jans said. “We’re playing against a storied program on the road, CBS, early tip. It’s awesome. That’s why you play this game. I’m not worried about our kids, having to motivate them to be ready to play. They’re going to be ready to play.”

NBA legend and former Tigers standout Penny Hardaway is in his seventh season as Memphis’ head coach and has taken his alma mater to the NCAA Tournament twice. His team this season is made up almost entirely of transfers, with PJ Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter and Colby Rogers pacing the offense. The No. 21 Tigers are third nationally in 3-point percentage, hitting nearly 42 percent of their shots from distance, and Hunter is 34-of-70 for the season.

Illinois transfer Dain Dainja and Ole Miss transfer Moussa Cisse split time in the post for Memphis and are both strong interior defenders. Memphis was an uncharacteristic 5-for-23 from deep in Wednesday night’s win at Virginia, but the Tigers’ defense carried the day in a 64-62 win.

“They’ve got really, really good players. It starts with Haggerty out front. He’s having an All-American kind of year,” Jans said. “They obviously have come together. They’ve had some huge wins. To be able to beat that kind of opponent on their home floor, that says a lot about where they’re at this year.”