Georgia, Mississippi State Both Look to Secure Crucial SEC Win

yThe Georgia Bulldogs (14-8) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (14-8) take the court tonight looking for a key SEC win that could keep them in the NCAA Tournament hunt.

https://twitter.com/UGABasketball/status/1755029186702413830

Mississippi State’s quiet success

Don’t be fooled by the Bulldogs 3-6 conference record, Mississippi State is a team who can do some damage.

State currently has a 3-6 record in quad one conquests, knocking off Washington State early in the season. The Bulldogs have since added wins over No. 5 Tennessee and No. 8 Auburn in SEC play.

The are a combined 11-2 in quad 2-4 games. The Bulldogs are led by their two standouts in guard Josh Hubbard and forward Cameron Matthews. Both Bulldogs have suited up in all 22 games this season. Hubbard has been turning heads all season sitting at No. 14 in PPG in the SEC despite being a true freshman. Hubbard’s efforts earned him week eight SEC Freshman of the Week.

⛹️‍♂️WK8 | SEC Men’s Basketball Weekly Awards

FRESHMAN: Josh Hubbard@HailStateMBK x #SECMBB pic.twitter.com/NXYg5ajM5Y

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) January 15, 2024

Georgia’s struggles

The Dawgs seem to have hit a rough patch, only managing one win in their last five outings. One bright spot on Georgia’s team has been senior Russel Tchewa. Tchewa has averaged nine points and 9.2 rebounds over his last five games. The center from Cameroon is in his first season with the ‘Dawgs after playing a season each at Texas Tech and University of South Florida.

NEWS: USF transfer Russel Tchewa, a 7-foot, 280-pound big man, has committed to Georgia, he tells @On3sports.

Averaged 11.1 points and 8.6 rebounds this past season.

Story: https://t.co/v0cGYAqWx3 pic.twitter.com/PQcGpsgDAR

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) May 1, 2023

Series History

The Bulldogs have faced each other 114 times since 1932 with the series sitting at a tie with both teams winning 57 games each. UGA won last year via a 58-50 home win. This year, however, the “Dawgs have to travel to Starkville where they have a 17-34 record all time.

New Uni’s for State

Mississippi State will be unveiling their new “Grey Script State” uniforms against Georgia. This will be the first time Mississippi State has worn a Grey jersey since 2020. State went 2-2 in Grey that year.

https://twitter.com/HailStateMBK/status/1754938929290346744

What’s Next

Both teams play again on Saturday, with Georgia taking on Arkansas on the road. Georgia’s matchup against the Razorbacks (11-11) looks to be a toss up with ESPN’s Analytics giving Arkansas a slight edge.

Mississippi State’s task is a bit easier taking on who many believe to be the worst team in the SEC, Missouri. State has a 64.5% chance to beat the Tigers according to ESPN Analytics.