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In their last game, despite trailing for the majority of the contest, Mississippi State found themselves in a position to win but fell just short thanks to a Ty Greene jumper with six seconds to go. The Bulldogs (5-5) look to shake off that loss and end their five game losing streak against Jacksonville (4-9) at the Hump Tuesday night.
Despite the disappointing results of the last few ballgames, Mississippi State fans have to be proud of the effort that senior Roquez Johnson has put forth recently. Relegated to the bench following the Tulane loss, Johnson has stepped up to become a leader on the court. He came off the bench and scored a team high 20 points against Arkansas State and was able to follow hat performance with a game high 15 points against USC Upstate. Johnson now leads the entire SEC in field goal percentage at 60% for the season and shows no signs of slowing down.
State's opponent, Jacksonville, relies heavily on the three point shot, so the Bulldogs better prepare to guard a bombardment of three pointers. The Dolphins actually shoot a better percentage from behind the arc than Mississippi State, 34% to 24%, but that hasn't helped them on the road, where they are currently 0 for 7.
If the Bulldogs are looking for a cure to their losing streak, the Dolphins may provide the perfect medicine. Not only are the Dolphins considered one of the worst teams on the Bulldog's schedule but they are also regarded as one of the worst teams in America. Kenpom.com currently ranks Jacksonville at 341st in the country out of 351 teams…. (not good).
This will be the third meeting all time between Jacksonville and Mississippi State, with the Bulldogs holding a perfect record against the Dolphins and I don't expect that to change Tuesday night. Mississippi State is just too big and I expect Roquez Johnson will be too much for Jacksonville to handle. However, the Bulldogs have had trouble getting off to fast starts in recent weeks, so it is hard to pick the Bulldogs in a blowout.
You can catch the game on ESPN3 or the SEC Network+ at 7 PM CST.
Pick: Mississippi State 70-58
Making History: If Jacksonville pulled the upset against Mississippi State, it would be the first six game non conference losing streak in school history.