LSU Hosts Mississippi State in High-Stakes SEC Matchup

The LSU Tigers and Mississippi State Bulldogs are set to play in Baton Rouge Saturday night. After losing last year’s matchup, the Tigers are looking to maintain their dominance when meeting with the Bulldogs.

Tigers At the Buzzer

The Tigers (14-12) upset the No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats on a buzzer-beater shot by Tyrell Ward on Feb. 21. With 13 seconds on the clock, Kentucky took the lead, but LSU sped down the court to win by one.

Fans rushed the court alongside women’s basketball star Angel Reese, resulting in a $100,000 fine for the university.

Ward led the Tigers with 17 points, and guard Trae Hannibal finished the game with eight rebounds and seven assists.

https://twitter.com/LSUBasketball/status/1760518936624541877

Bulldogs On a Run

Mississippi State (18-8) is going into Saturday’s matchup on a four-game win streak.

Led by Tolu Smith’s 24 points, the Bulldogs took down rival Ole Miss 83-71 at home their last time out. Three other Mississippi State players also scored in double digits.

https://twitter.com/HailStateMBK/status/1760520714061566377

SEC Standings

The Bulldogs are now 7-6 in SEC play, while the Tigers sit at 6-7. Both teams are looking to raise their positions in the rankings to help their chances in the postseason.

The SEC Tournament tips of Mar. 13 in Nashville. Mississippi State is currently ranked No. 7, and LSU is 10th of the 14 teams in the conference.

LSU went two games deep into the SEC Tournament last year as the No. 14 seed. Mississippi State also lost its second game of the tournament after defeating Florida in overtime during Round 1.

March Madness Hopes

LSU is seeking its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since being upset by Iowa State in the first round of the 2022 bracket.

The 2023 Bulldogs made it to March Madness for the first time since 2019. As an 11th-seeded team, Mississippi State lost to Pittsburgh by one point in the first round.

Great win for our Dawgs, and our @HailStateMBK and @HailStateWBK teams are pushing towards a run in March! Help us keep the momentum going by raising another $1 million to close out the month!https://t.co/L1L2JBSHLe pic.twitter.com/3IamErpATu

— The Bulldog Initiative (@BulldogNIL) February 22, 2024

Long Standing History

Leading 114-103 in the all-time series, the LSU Tigers are hoping to bounce back after falling to the Bulldogs 53-64 on Feb. 8, 2023.

The matchup begins at 8:30 p.m. EST on Saturday and will air on the SEC Network.