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Mississippi State basketball: No. 4 Bulldogs vs No. 7 Oregon Ducks preview

By Ethan Lee

EUGENE, OR - JANUARY 13: 'Puddles', the Oregon Ducks mascot walks on the court during the pre-game ceremonies before the first game between the USC Trojans and the Oregon Ducks basketball teams at Matt Court on January 13, 2011 in Eugene, Oregon. The arena is named co-founder and Chairman of Nike, Inc., Phil Knight's son, Matthew, who died at the age of 34 in a scuba diving accident. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
EUGENE, OR - JANUARY 13: 'Puddles', the Oregon Ducks mascot walks on the court during the pre-game ceremonies before the first game between the USC Trojans and the Oregon Ducks basketball teams at Matt Court on January 13, 2011 in Eugene, Oregon. The arena is named co-founder and Chairman of Nike, Inc., Phil Knight's son, Matthew, who died at the age of 34 in a scuba diving accident. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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The No. 4 Mississippi State basketball team will take on the No. 7 Oregon Ducks in the Bulldogs’ toughest test so far this season.

Vic Schaefer’s undefeated No. 4 Mississippi State basketball team is out west for a road test in Eugene, Oregon this evening. The Bulldogs are facing off against the No. 7 Oregon Ducks in what is arguably MSU’s toughest challenge of the season so far.

Oregon enters into the game with an 8-1 record this season. So far entering into tonight, Oregon has only lost a game to Michigan State, a contest that was on the road. Oregon fell in East Lansing, Michigan by a score of 88-82. Michigan State is currently the No. 22 team in the AP poll.

Outside of that one loss, the Oregon Ducks have been remarkable all season. They’re averaging 92.4 points per game while holding their opponents to 62.6 points per game. Oregon is making 52.4 percent of their shots and 41.4 percent of their shots from deep this year while their foes are making just 40.5 percent of their shots and a meager 28.8 percent of their three point attempts.

But it’s not like the Mississippi State basketball team is a pushover here.

The Bulldogs have been great all season as well. This year, Mississippi State is averaging 92.3 points per game while the Bulldogs’ opponents are scoring just 50.3 points. The Bulldogs are making 51.2 percent of their shots and 37.7 of their three point attempts. MSU’s opponents are making 34 percent of their shots and 30.7 percent of their shots from downtown.

Both of these teams thrive off of their opponents’ mistakes. Oregon forces 16.1 turnovers per game and scores 21.2 points off of turnovers per game. Meanwhile, Mississippi State forces 22.2 turnovers per game and gets 29.1 points from turnovers per game.

One area in which the Mississippi State Bulldogs have a definitive advantage over the Oregon Ducks in this game would be rebounding. Oregon is only getting 37 rebounds per game while State is averaging 46.8 rebounds per contest.

All things considered, this will be Mississippi State’s toughest challenge up to this point this season. The Bulldogs haven’t made a road trip as difficult as this one will be this evening. The closest  that MSU could compare this game to would be the trip to Austin, Texas where the Bulldogs won by 18 points over UT, but the Longhorns are hardly as good as Oregon is right now.

Mississippi State’s game against Marquette could serve as a pretty good measuring stick at the moment, but the Bulldogs got to face the Golden Eagles at home.

Oregon is a dangerous foe and the Bulldogs have to win in Eugene this evening. It’s not impossible for Vic Schaefer and the Mississippi State basketball team to come out on top, but there is a pretty good chance that this game could be closer than many Mississippi State fans want it to be.

Score prediction: Mississippi State 78, Oregon 75.

Next. Three Oregon players to watch. dark

Expect the Bulldogs to be challenged in this game. But, that’s a good thing. MSU could really use an early test right now. Catch the Bulldogs battling the Ducks on ESPN2 at 9:00 p.m. Central Time.

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