Missouri and Mississippi St. Fight to Keep Win Streaks Alive

Missouri and Mississippi State head into a matchup on Saturday with both teams looking to maintain their winning ways. Missouri, currently 17-5 (5-4 in SEC play), enter on a three-game win streak after taking down LSU. Mississippi State, sitting at 14-8 (2-7 in SEC play), enter on a two game win streak. Located bottom of the barrel in the 11 spot of the SEC, the Bullies will look to stay hot and move up in the rankings at home in Starkville.

Home Court Factor

Thankfully for Mississippi State, they host Saturday’s game. At home, Missouri boasts an impressive 13-2 record, the most wins at home for an SEC team this season. However, their strong play in Columbia does not translate on the road as they hold a meager 2-3 record on the road.

Mississippi State has shown similar trends this season. While they have a 2-4 road record, they hold a solid 8-3 record at home. Home court advantage will be a key factor for the Bullies in taking down the Tigers who are battling to get out of the middle of the pack in SEC standings.

We need our 6th Man back at The Hump on Saturday!
5 o'clock. Pack The Hump.

🎟️ » https://t.co/kJZ6aeLdwX#HailState🐶 | #PackTheHump pic.twitter.com/AGhaWzzFxq

— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) February 2, 2023

Missouri Offense

This matchup features teams that are very strong on opposite sides of the ball.

Missouri, ranked ninth in the nation in scoring offense, put up 83.3 points per game. That is second in the SEC only to Alabama.

The Tigers high scoring offense is represented by five upperclassmen  each scoring in double digits. Senior guard Kobe Brown leads the squad, averaging 16.5 points per game. D’Moi Hodge, also a senior guard, backs up Brown averaging a solid 14.3 points per game. Deandre Gholston averages 10.4 points per game while Isiaih Mosely and junior forward Noah Carter average 10 a piece.

Mississippi State Defense

While Mizzou excels offensively, Mississippi State thrives on the defensive end.

Only giving up 59 points per game to their opponents, the Bulldogs rank eighth in the nation, and second in the SEC behind Tennessee.

Senior forward Tolu Smith leads the team in points (14.5), rebounds (8.2) and blocks (0.8) per game. Junior guard Shakeel Moore leads the team in steals per game with 2.2.

The Tigers and Bulldogs will face off in Starkville on Saturday at 6 p.m.