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After a tough loss in Stillwater, the Razorbacks are back in Bud Walton Arena for a matchup with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. This will be the 65th meeting between the two schools as Arkansas holds a slight lead in the all-time series 33-31. The Bulldogs have won six straight in the series, but when games are played in Fayetteville, Arkansas has a 21-8 advantage.
Arkansas is coming off of a heartbreaking 81-77 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday and is now sitting at 13-5 overall.
Mississippi State, on the other hand, won their Big12/SEC matchup with a whopping 95-56 win over Iowa State. Before cruising past the Cyclones, the Bulldogs had lost 3 straight SEC games which puts them at 4-5 in the SEC.
Here is everything you need to know for the matchup with the Bulldogs:
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Important Times
Doors Open: 7 p.m.
Tip-Off: 8 p.m.
TV/Radio
SEC Network: (Dave Neal, Daymeon Fishback)
Razorback Sports Network: (Chuck Barrett, Matt Zimmerman)
Satellite Radio: XM: 190, Sirius: N/A, Online Channel: 973
Bulldogs to Know
G Iverson Molinar: The sophomore all the way from Panama City, Panama, is tied for the lead on the team in points per game (17.6 ppg) and assists (2.9 apg) but is leading the team in steals (1.3 spg).
G D.J. Stewart Jr.: The sophomore from Grace, Mississippi, is getting big minutes for this young Bulldog squad. Stewart leads the team in minutes (34.9 mpg) and is also tied for the lead in points with (17.6 ppg).
F Tolu Smith: The sophomore from Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, is the big man presence for the Bulldogs. He leads the team in rebounds (8.6 rpg) and is also tied for second in blocks (0.9 bpg).
Stat Comp. (Arkansas | Mississippi State)
Scoring Offense: 8 (83.9 ppg) | 173 (72.0 ppg)
Scoring Defense: 190 (70.7 ppg) | 69 (65.8 ppg)
FG%: 101 (45.54%) | 100 (45.54%)
3pt%: 129 (34.55%) | 71 (36.40%)
3pt DEF: 64 (30.50%) | 207 (33.80%)
Musselman's Keys to the Game
"They’ve held their last two opponents to 56 points. They control tempo first of all, which helps their defense. And they help and the keep the lane compact. They do a good job defensive rebounding, so they try to eliminate your second shots.
“(On Molinar and Stewart) They’re both really talented and Coach Howland uses them really well. Both of them can make threes. You know Molinar is shooting 51% percent from there and Stewart is shooting 37 percent from 3. They both can dribble-drive, they’re both excellent transition scorers. We’ve got to find them in transition. You’re going to have to contest the three and also play them for the dribble drive. Stewart especially is a high-volume free throw attempt player and so is Molinar, so you know, both guys are really, really tough covers for sure.”
“Having said that, we would like to get up and down the floor as much as possible. We can play a grind-it-out game.”
Latest Headlines
LAST TIME OUT: Cunningham lifts OSU over Hogs in SEC/Big12 challenge
PREVIEW: Hogs re-enter SEC play on quick turnaround
Williams' status up in the air for Miss St. matchup
Vegas Line
Arkansas -7.5, O/U 144
ESPN BPI gives Arkansas a 71.3% chance to win
