Sam Purcell, Mississippi State women's basketball set to host Tennessee Lady Vols
By Ethan Lee
Thursday afternoon, Sam Purcell and the Mississippi State women's basketball team will get the distinct pleasure of facing off against the Tennessee Lady Vols in The Hump.
The Bulldogs enter this game having won their previous two SEC matchups and boasting a 15-4 overall record. MSU is 2-2 in SEC play. Meanwhile, the Lady Vols are just 10-6 on the season, but Tennessee is 3-1 against SEC competition so far.
While this matchup was originally slated to take place tonight at 6 p.m., tip-off was moved to 4 p.m. over concerns about weather in the area. So, get to the game, watch the Bulldogs, support Mississippi State basketball, stay warm, get home, drive safe.
That shouldn't be too hard, right?
Mississippi State women's basketball: Bulldogs set to face Tennessee Lady Vols
Jerkaila Jordan is set to lead the Bulldogs as MSU faces Tennessee and so far she's leading the team with 17.3 points per game. Alongside her is Jessika Carter, who just grabbed SEC co-player of the week honors after recent dominant performances against the Arkansas Razorbacks and Texas A&M Aggies.
In just two games, Carter put up 45 points and pulled down 24 rebounds, averaging 64.5 percent shooting from the field in the process.
That's a pretty solid statline to boast about.
But Tennessee has one of the better offenses in the Southeastern Conference. The Lady Vols score 77.7 points per game and make 7.3 field goals per game, slightly better stats than the Bulldogs produce in either of those spots.
That said, Mississippi State's defense is considerably better and the Bulldogs are holding foes to 59.4 points per game while Tennessee gives up over 70 points per game. There's a good chance that, if Tennessee's offense gets rolling, this one could be a high scoring affair. But MSU should be able to go score for score with the Lady Vols in this contest.
As Tennessee tries to beat the Bulldogs, Mississippi State gets to face a familiar face: former Mississippi State Bulldog Rickea Jackson, who is leading Tennessee with over 19 points per game.
It'll be interesting to see which of these teams is able to come out on top. Mississippi State, on paper, appears to have the more well-rounded roster and the Bulldogs have shown they can win tough contests, but Tennessee's offense is efficient and that could prove to be a problem for the Bulldogs.