Southeastern foes will battle when the Mississippi State Bulldogs (9-13) square off against the Arkansas Razorbacks (12-11) at Humphrey Coliseum. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 9 and will air on SEC and ES3.
The Bulldogs fell to LSU 88-77 on Saturday. Quinndary Weatherspoon played well, putting up 12 points, eight rebounds, and two assists for Mississippi State. The Razorbacks are coming off an 85-67 win over Tennessee on Saturday. Moses Kingsley led the team in scoring with 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Razorbacks winning the first matchup 82-68. Dusty Hannahs was a standout player in the game, producing 26 points, two rebounds, one assist, three steals, and eight three-pointers.
The Bulldogs look to improve upon their records of 9-13 Straight Up (SU) and 11-9 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-2 ATS over their last 10 games. Mississippi State has been steady from the free throw line, shooting an impressive .737.
Across the court, the Razorbacks head into the game with records of 12-7 ATS and 12-11 SU. The Razorbacks rank 20th in the country in scoring, averaging 81.8 points per game. The Razorbacks convert their three-pointers at a high percentage, ranking second in the nation at .426. Defenses have a tough time accounting for every player when up against the Razorbacks, who are known for distributing the ball with 17.3 assists per game. Shifting to the other side of the court, they average 5.5 blocks per game, good for 19th in the nation. Arkansas has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 11.4 per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Arkansas beat Mississippi State, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 7-3. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Arkansas held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once, while Mississippi State was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ark, ATS Winner – Ark
Notes
Mississippi State averages 76.6 points per game (ranked 84th). Arkansas, on the other hand, allows 75.6 points per game (ranked 204th).
Mississippi State scores 79.5 points per home game (ranked 95th). Arkansas ranks a poor 209th in points allowed on the road, allowing 79.7 points.
Arkansas won its last game by an 18-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Mississippi State is 4-2. Arkansas is 7-1 in blowouts this season.
Arkansas beats Mississippi State in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Razorbacks average 72.8 possessions and 1.123 points per possession, while the Bulldogs average 70.4 possessions with 1.088 points per possession.
Mississippi State has an average effective field goal percentage of 52.2%. Arkansas is an abysmal 2-6 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Mississippi State attempts an average of 22.0 three pointers per game and Arkansas attempts 16.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have a poor 5-10 record while the Arkansas Razorbacks have a 3-2 record.
The 16th-ranked team in the category, Arkansas has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.52 this season. Mississippi State ranks lower at 134th with an A/TO of 1.12.
The Arkansas Razorbacks average 7.4 steals per game. When giving up 7 or more steals, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have a subpar record (3-7) this season.
