Mississippi State Basketball: Dogs and Hogs ready for bout in Fayetteville

Mississippi State Basketball: Men’s Hoops at Arkansas Preview

Ben Howland and Mississippi State (10-8, 4-5 SEC) are back on the road after cruising past Iowa State at home on Saturday, traveling to Bud Walton Arena to battle Arkansas (13-5, 5-4 SEC) on Tuesday night. Tip-off between the Bulldogs and Razorbacks is set for 8 PM CT and will be on the SEC Network.

Mississippi State swept the series last year, winning at home by a score of 77-70. Abdul Ado’s tip-in with 0.6 seconds left lifted MSU to a 78-77 win at Bud Walton.

Scouting Arkansas

Head coach, Eric Musselman‘s new-look squad won its first nine games of the season before dropping back-to-back games to then-No. 12 Missouri and No. 9 Tennessee. The Razorbacks then picked up a 30-point win over Georgia before a couple of double-digit losses at LSU and Alabama.

However, the Razorbacks got back on track with three consecutive wins over Auburn, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss. A tough 81-77 loss at Oklahoma State on Saturday has Arkansas eager to get back to its winning ways. ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi has the Razorbacks grabbing an 11 seed in his latest projection.

Freshman Moses Moody has been phenomenal in his first season, averaging 16.6 points and 5.6 boards per game. He has shot well from outside, averaging 35.7% from three. Jacksonville transfer JD Notae is scoring just under 14 points a game after sitting out last season.

Experienced point guard Desi Sills adds 11.2 points per game in his junior campaign, with former Northern Kentucky guard Jalen Tate averaging 10.9 points and 4.4 assists. Freshman Davonte Davis chips in 6.5 points per game off the bench for the Razorbacks.

7’3” rim protector Connor Vanover and forward Justin Smith anchor the Arkansas frontcourt. Vanover scores 7.2 points and grabs 5.6 boards per game. Smith, an Indiana transfer, is the more skilled offensively, averaging 11.4 points and 6.4 rebounds.

Arkansas has had no problem scoring the basketball this season, leading the SEC in scoring at 83.9 points per game. The Razorbacks are shooting 34.5% from three, which is good enough for fourth in the conference.

Keys to a Bulldog Win

Mississippi State needs to take and make the three on Tuesday. The Bulldogs rank second in the league at 36.4% from three but rank tenth in three-point attempts. If State can hit some outside shots, they will keep up with the high-scoring Razorbacks.

The Bulldogs need to win the battle on the boards if they want to beat Arkansas. The Razorbacks grab a league-best 41.1 rebounds per game, with MSU not far behind at 39.7. If Vanover and Smith can get second-chance points, Mississippi State will be in trouble.

Prediction

Mississippi State goes on the road and earns a tough win over Arkansas. The offense finds its way for a second straight game and gets MSU back to .500 in SEC play.