Mississippi State men’s basketball looks to get back on track against Georgia State

STARKVILLE, Miss. — After suffering an 81-76 loss to visiting Minnesota on Dec. 5 and a 66-63 loss to Colorado State on Saturday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, the Mississippi State men’s basketball team will look to get back on track Tuesday against Georgia State at 7 p.m. CT inside Humphrey Coliseum. The game will air on SEC Network+.

The Bulldogs (6-3) had four players score in double figures in Saturday’s loss to Colorado State. Graduate forward Garrison Brooks led the squad with 15 points, nine of which came from 3-pointers, while sophomore guard Shakeel Moore and redshirt junior forward Javian Davis scored 13 points apiece. Junior guard Iverson Molinar finished with 11 points and five assists.

On the year, Molinar leads MSU with 16.6 points and 4.9 assists per game, while sophomore guard Shakeel Moore is putting up 10.8 points per game. Molinar is the only Southeastern Conference player to rank among the league’s top five in points (fifth) and assists (third).

The Panthers (5-3) last played on Dec. 6 when they defeated Voorhees College 80-51.

Georgia State is led by a trio of players scoring in double figures. Senior guard Justin Roberts leads the team with 16.9 points per game, while senior guards Corey Allen and Kane Williams are putting up 15.2 and 15 points per game, respectively.

The Bulldogs are 5-0 when they hold opposing teams to 64 points or fewer and 1-3 when opponents exceed 64 points. The Panthers are 5-0 when they record at least 13 offensive rebounds and 0-3 when they fall short of that total.

Tuesday’s game will mark the fourth meeting between the Bulldogs and Panthers on the hardwood. MSU won the previous three meetings by an average of 18.3 points. Georgia State has not faced an SEC opponent since the 2018-19 season, but the Panthers took down both Georgia and Alabama during that season.