Mississippi State basketball had another rough road performance. The #14 Bulldogs lost 68-56 to #6 Tennessee in Knoxville on Tuesday night. An ugly start got State down big. The Bulldogs would fight back to get within seven in the second half, but they couldn't keep that run going, as the Volunteers would push the lead back out and control things the rest of the way. State is now 15-4 (3-3 SEC) on the year.
Mississippi State basketball got off to another horrific start on the road
State has seen a handful of slow starts to games this season, mostly away from home. In the non-conference, they were able to overcome getting down early. That's not the case in the SEC. For the second-straight road game, the Bulldogs allowed their opponent to open the game on a significant run.
In this case, Tennessee led 8-0 after just 2:45 of game time. State didn't respond at all to the sluggish start in the first half. They trailed 34-16 at the break, and though they made a run in the second half, the deficit still proved too much to overcome. They will not be able to win road games in the SEC, especially against high-level teams, playing that poorly to start.
The Bulldogs had a putrid night offensively against Tennessee
State's offense looked a lot like the Chris Jans' offenses of old. The Bulldogs shot just 34% from the floor and 30% from three, percentages boosted significantly from the second-half in which they merely looked average on the offensive end.
Three starters combined for just 11 points. Josh Hubbard looked slightly better than he has of late, but he still shot just 31% from the floor. Riley Kugel finished with 12 but wasn't efficient shooting. The Bulldogs simply looked lost on many offensive possessions. Some of that is credit to an elite Tennessee defense, but poor shot-making contributed heavily.
Three-point defense continues to be a problem for Mississippi State basketball
While the offense looked like a classic Chris Jans' team, the same cannot be said for how the Bulldogs are defending the three. For the fourth-straight game, State allowed their opponent to shoot at least 35% from three and with 10+ makes, as Tennessee went 10-28 from distance.
The Vols didn't have a spectacular night offensively, but they made their threes, which was more than enough. This is largely because State allowed Tennessee's leading scorer, Chaz Lanier, plenty of space to operate, as he knocked down five threes on the way to scoring 23. State has played three-point roulette on the defensive end this season, and it's costing them.