Opponent Preview: BYU

Mississippi State (11-1) concludes their non-conference schedule against BYU (8-6). Mississippi State has been one of the hottest shooting teams in the country. The Bulldogs have been unstoppable from 3 ever since their matchup against McNeese State. The Bulldogs have built an impressive résumé with wins against Dayton, Clemson, Cincinnati, Wofford, and Wright State. This gives MSU a head start on conference play.

BYU doesn’t have the same situation coming into The Hump. The Cougars best game was a loss to No. 7 Nevada. BYU and Nevada were tied at half and Nevada came out with an 11-point victory. BYU’s best player is a 6’8” 225lb Junior Forward, Yoeli Childs, averaging 22.1 points per game along with 10.6 rebounds per game.

Overall, BYU is not a good outside shooting team. The team average from 3 is .308 while the Bulldogs are averaging .385. Over the past 5 games, Mississippi State is averaging 49.2% from deep. The guard play has been superb and BYU can only hope that their hot shooting ends tonight.

BYU’s defense has given up 80+ points in 3 of their last 5 games; Mississippi State has scored over 80 three times in the past 5 games. The Bulldogs defense has fed off the electric shooting, and no one has found a way to stop them. Coach Ben Howland looks to keep the positive momentum going into conference play with a win tonight, then get prepared to travel to Columbia, South Carolina.