Mississippi State basketball: Bulldogs seeking first road win as they face Florida Gators
By Ethan Lee
Chris Jans and the Mississippi State men's basketball team is back on the road looking for their first road win of the season. That seems odd to say at this point in the year, but in road games, Mississippi State is 0-3 on the season. Wednesday evening, the Mississippi State Bulldogs will have the chance to do that, and get back-to-back SEC victories, as they head to Gainesville.
As Mississippi State rolls into Gainesville to face the Florida Gators, the Bulldogs boast a 13-5 overall record while sitting at 2-3 in conference play so far. MSU has seen its share of ups and downs on the season so far, but the Bulldogs do have plenty of potential.
It's just time to start living up to that potential consistently. And so far against teams on the road, MSU has struggled, losing to Georgia Tech, South Carolina, and Kentucky.
That's not to say Mississippi State can't win away from the friendly confines of Humphrey Coliseum. So far this Mississippi State basketball season, the Bulldogs are 6-0 in neutral site games. That just hasn't translated over to a road contest just yet.
Mississippi State basketball: Chris Jans, Bulldogs on the road to face Florida Gators.
While Wednesday's game against the Gators offers a pretty good sort of chance to overcome that issue, the Gators present a potentially tricky matchup, entering at 12-6 overall and 2-3 in SEC action. Florida has managed to go 7-1 on their home court in Gainesville so far this season.
That one home loss? That's a two point loss to the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky is good. And it's safe to say that though the Gators are inconsistent, they're also pretty good.
Florida is averaging 84.8 points per game and they're going to try to score a ton all throughout this contest. Mississippi State's offense doesn't boast that kind of firepower, but the Bulldogs do have a really solid defense that can limit opponents.
But can MSU account for the fact that Florida has five players averaging double digits scoring per game? We'll see. MSU will have to foce tough shots and routinely secure rebounds to limit the Gators' impressive offensive production.
If Mississippi State can manage to slow Florida's offense while finding points of their own, the Bulldogs have a very real chance to exit Gainesville with a win.