Mississippi State Basketball: Bulldogs and Rebels Square Off in Starkville

Mississippi State Basketball: Men’s Hoops vs Ole Miss Preview

Mississippi State (9-5, 4-2 SEC) secured a big home win Saturday afternoon over the Florida Gators and will have yet another opportunity Tuesday night when in-state rival Ole Miss (6-6, 1-4 SEC) visits The Hump. The game will tip at 8 PM CT and will be on the SEC Network.

The two teams split last year’s meetings, with each team winning convincingly on its respective home floors. Ole Miss blew out MSU, 83-58, in Oxford, and Mississippi State returned the favor a month later in Starkville to the tune of a 69-44 win.

Scouting Ole Miss

Ole Miss, led by third-year head coach Kermit Davis, comes into Tuesday’s tilt with a 6-6 record on the season, with its only conference win coming against Auburn by a score of 72-61. The Rebels have lost five out of their last six and fell at home to Georgia, 78-74, on Saturday.

Breein Tyree is gone, and this year’s Ole Miss team has struggled to find someone to step up and fill his shoes. Senior guard Devontae Shuler has been the closest Rebel to replicating Tyree’s production, as he leads the team in scoring this year at 14.1 per game.

Several new faces have made instant impacts in their first seasons in Oxford. Arizona State transfer Romello White is averaging just over 11 points and 6 rebounds a game. Former Cal State-Bakersfield guard and Oxford native Jarkel Joiner averages just under 10 a game for the Rebels.

Other newcomers, including highly-touted freshman Matthew Murrell and Samford transfer Robert Allen, have made their way into Davis’s rotation. Big man Khadim Sy has seen his minutes drop with the addition of White but still provides size down low for the Rebels.

Athletic swingman KJ Buffen‘s numbers are basically identical to last year’s, with his point average down just a bit to 9.8 from 10.1 a year ago. Guards Austin Crowley and Luis Rodriguez have also contributed for the Rebels this season. Rodriguez has been solid so far, averaging 8.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Ole Miss comes in averaging 71.8 points per game while shooting 44.4% from the field. The three-ball has not been kind to the Rebels this year, as they rank 12th in the conference at 29.8%.

Keys to a Bulldog Win

Attacking Ole Miss’s 1-3-1 zone will be key for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs had several easy baskets after pushing the ball up the floor against Florida’s full-court pressure, and they will need to do the same on Tuesday. If State can successfully break Ole Miss’s 1-3-1, the Bulldogs should come away with a win.

Tolu Smith absolutely dominated against Florida and will have a chance to produce impressive numbers again on Tuesday. The size of MSU down low should give Ole Miss problems, and Smith will have plenty of opportunities to score around the basket. Another double-double from Smith should be enough for State to get the win.

Prediction

I expect a battle between the two heated rivals, with the game being close in the first half. However, Mississippi State comes out hot in the second half and knocks off Ole Miss by a dozen.