It will be a battle between Southeastern opponents when the Mississippi State Bulldogs (10-14) welcome the Vanderbilt Commodores (15-10) to Humphrey Coliseum. The game begins at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 16 and will air on SEC and ES3.
The Bulldogs are hoping for a better outcome after their 66-57 loss to Georgia on Saturday. Quinndary Weatherspoon finished with 17 points to lead the team. The Commodores, meanwhile, are coming off an 86-57 win against Auburn on Saturday. Damian Jones led the game in scoring with 17 points on 8-for-12 shooting.
The Bulldogs have gone 10-14 Straight Up (SU) and 12-10 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bulldogs are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .735 from the free throw line. Over their past 10 games, the Mississippi State defense has been playing lights out, only allowing 67.4 points per game, well under their season average of 73.5.
In the other locker room, the Commodores head into the game with records of 11-12 ATS and 15-10 SU. Vanderbilt is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, making .388 of their shots from three-point range. The Commodores average 66.6 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 74.6 points per game during that span. Vanderbilt’s three-point defense is one of the top in the country, with opponents making only 5.0 shots from the three-point line per game. Blocking shots is an area where Vanderbilt has excelled. The Commodores average 5.6 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Commodores victory, bumping their SU record over their most recent meetings to 6-4. The Bulldogs lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-1-3. Vanderbilt topped the Bulldogs in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last five matchups. Mississippi State has never had the edge in all three categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – Vandy, ATS Winner – Vandy
Notes
The Mississippi State Bulldogs average 75.9 points per game, ranking 98th in the nation. The Vanderbilt Commodores rank 50th in points allowed with 66.6.
Mississippi State scores just 77.9 points per home game (ranked 121st). Vanderbilt ranks 91st in points allowed on the road, giving up 72.2 points.
The Vanderbilt Commodores have a defensive rating of 95.4 (ranked 25th), while the Mississippi State Bulldogs have an offensive rating of 108.0 (ranked 122nd).
The Mississippi State Bulldogs average 70.3 possessions per game and 1.080 points per possession, while the Vanderbilt Commodores earn fewer possessions (70.2) but more points per possession (1.096).
The Mississippi State Bulldogs average an effective field goal percentage of 51.6% this season. The Vanderbilt Commodores have a losing record of 1-3 when opponents have an eFG% of 51.6% or greater.
On average, the Mississippi State Bulldogs attempt 21.0 three point field goals per game and the Vanderbilt Commodores attempt 21.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Mississippi State has a poor record of 5-11, while Vanderbilt is 8-7.
Vanderbilt ranks 84th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.21. Mississippi State is ranked lower at 137th with an A/TO of 1.11.
Vanderbilt, the 59th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 38.9 rebounds per game. Mississippi State does worse, ranked 247th with 35.0.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs make an average of 6.3 steals per game. The Vanderbilt Commodores are 6-8 when they allow 6 or more steals.
