Southeastern foes will lock horns when the No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats (12-3) play the Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-7) at Rupp Arena. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 12 and can be seen on ESP and ES3.
The Wildcats enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Alabama 77-61 on Saturday. Alex Poythress was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points on 8-for-10 shooting. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 82-68 loss against Arkansas on Saturday. Craig Sword had a team-high 21 points.
Tyler Ulis has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Wildcats. During that stretch, he has averaged 16.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers.
Kentucky could dominate the offensive glass in this matchup, as it’s ranked seventh in the nation in OR% at 40.6%. Alternatively, Mississippi State ranks 321st in the nation on the defensive backboards with a DR% of 65.7%.
Notes
Ranked 52nd, the Kentucky Wildcats have an offensive rating of 112.9. The Mississippi State Bulldogs rank 249th with a defensive rating of just 105.7.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs average 69.5 possessions per game and 1.099 points per possession. The Kentucky Wildcats earn fewer possessions with 68.7, but they score more points with 1.129.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs average an effective field goal percentage of 52.7% this season. The Kentucky Wildcats are a winless 0-2 when opponents have an eFG% of 52.7% or greater.
On average, the Kentucky Wildcats attempt 17.0 three point field goals per game and the Mississippi State Bulldogs attempt 22.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 three pointers, Kentucky has a solid record of 4-2, while Mississippi State has an underachieving record of 3-7.
Kentucky, the 59th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 39.5 rebounds per game. Mississippi State does worse, ranked 271st with 34.6.
Mississippi State makes an average of 6.0 steals per game. Kentucky has a winning 5-2 record when it allows at least 6 steals.
