The Mississippi State Bulldogs and the LSU Tigers will do battle in just a few hours at the Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge. If you are not watching in person, you can watch the game at 8 on ESPNU.
The Bulldogs won the last matchup between these two teams in Starkville on January 25 by the score of 76-71. Mississippi State controlled most of that match up, but LSU stayed alive thanks to some three-point shooting by Anthony Hickey down the stretch. If you were in the Jackson area, you may not know that because the game cut off to go to CSI.
Mississippi State had a few issues against Georgia's McDonald's All American, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and they will get to face another one tonight in Johnny O'Bryan, the 6-9 forward out of East Side High in Cleveland, Miss. In the last meeting, the freshman was coming off an injury, and he only managed six points. On the season, he averages 8.3 points and 6.6 rebounds, good for second on the team, per contest.
LSU's leading scorer is their 7-foot center Justin Hamilton. The big man averages just under 14 points per game, and he also leads the Tigers in rebounding with 7.5 boards a game. Andre Stringer, who led the Tigers in the last matchup with 17 points, may only stand at 5-9, but he is second on the LSU squad with 10.2 points per game.
In the last contest, Arnett Moultrie had a field day for the Bulldogs, scoring 28 points and pulling down 12 rebounds against the Tigers. Jalen Steele chipped in 15 points, and freshman Rodney Hood scored 13. Dee Bost flirted with a triple-double scoring nine points, dropping ten dimes and pulling down seven rebounds.
The Bulldogs built a second half lead of 12 points, but they saw that lead disappear in a frighteningly familiar trend, and at one point, LSU trailed by only one point at 72-71 with 15 seconds left in the game.
Mississippi State dominated the glass in the last matchup, outrebounding LSU 46-26.
The Tigers (14-10, 4-6) enter the contest off of a victory at home against Alabama Saturday. Mississippi State (19-6, 6-4) comes in after a home loss to Georgia.