Southern vs. Mississippi State Preview

Where: Humphrey Coliseum

When: 7 PM

How to watch: SEC Network +

Tonight is the first ever meeting between the Southern University Jaguars and Mississippi State.  The Jaguars compete in the SWAC, and finished third in the conference last year.  They finished last season with a record of 18-17.  Ken Pomeroy ranks Southern as the 292nd best team in the nation.  In their first game of the season, Southern lost to Arkansas 86-68 at Fayetteville in their first game of the year.

Things to Watch For

The Jaguar Guards

Adrian Rogers is a preseason first team All-SWAC player.  Against Arkansas, he shot 4 for 11 and went 2 for 2 from the free throw line.  However, he was responsible for 5 turnovers and 4 fouls.

Christopher Hyder scored 22 points, shooting 8 for 12.  He also got five rebounds, went 6 for 8 from the free throw line, and recorded 5 steals and 4 assists.  Hyder only shot 41% last year, but his stats indicate that he is a very good ball handler.

Lack of Depth

Southern only used three bench players against Arkansas.  One played 11 minutes, another played 9, and another played 2.  MSU will use their bench a lot more, and should be able to wear down the Jaguars.

Good Defense

Southern finished first in their conference in opposing field goal percentage, and second in scoring defense and blocked shots.  They have enough players coming back from last year for their defense to be better than most teams in their conference.

Malik Newman

Malik Newman should make his debut tonight.  Since this game isn't expected to be close, he probably won't play much since he was recently injured and MSU is playing Miami on Thursday.

Post Player Foul Trouble

Zuppardo received 3 fouls in 15 minutes against Eastern Washington, and Ndoye received 4 in 7 minutes.  Gavin Ware did a very good job of staying out of foul trouble after getting two in the first half.

Prediction

Mississippi State 90, Southern 64