Not a subscriber? Subscribe for free for 30 days w/code HAWGS30
NEW USERS | RETURNING USERS
For just the third time this season, Arkansas enters a game coming off a loss.
The Razorbacks lost their highly anticipated matchup with Kentucky over the weekend to drop to 14-3 overall and 3-2 in SEC play.
Now they hit the road again to face a Mississippi State team playing as well as it has all year, having won its last two games against Missouri and Georgia by 59 combined points to improve to 11-6 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
The Bulldogs are led by one-time Arkansas commit Reggie Perry. At 16.4 points and 10.1 rebounds, he's the only player in the SEC averaging a double-double.
Starkville, Miss., has traditionally been a tough place to play for the Razorbacks. They've lost 14 of their last 16 games there and are just 6-19 at Mississippi State since joining the SEC.
Last season, the Bulldogs came to Fayetteville and won by 10 despite a 30-point game by Mason Jones. Perry notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds for Mississippi State.
Here's everything you need to know about the first of two matchups between the two teams this year...
How to Watch/Listen
Where: Starkville, Miss. (Humphrey Coliseum - capacity 10,575)
Tip off: 6 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network (Mike Morgan and Jon Sunvold) - ONLINE
Radio: Learfield IMG College Razorbacks Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman) - ONLINE
XM/Online: 384/374
Mississippi State Players to Know
#0 - G Nick Weatherspoon - Jr., 6-2, 185
Stats: 27.7 min., 13.3 pts. (42.9 FG%, 76.5 FT%), 2.9 reb., 3.6 ast., 1.3 stl.
#1 - F Reggie Perry - So., 6-10, 250
Stats: 29.3 min., 16.4 pts. (51.5 FG%), 10.1 reb., 2.5 ast., 1.1 blk., 1.2 stl.
#12 - G Robert Woodard II - So., 6-7, 235
Stats: 32.9 min., 11.6 pts. (50.3 FG%, 51.3 3PT%), 7.6 reb., 1.4 ast., 1.1 blk., 1.5 stl.
#23 - G Tyson Carter - Sr., 6-4, 175
Stats: 30.7 min., 13.8 pts. (36.5 FG%, 31.1 3PT%, 84.6 FT%), 2.5 reb., 3.8 ast., 1.4 stl.
#24 - F Abdul Ado - R-Jr., 6-11, 255
Stats: 27.4 min., 5.8 pts. (60.0 FG%), 6.9 reb., 1.9 blk.
What They're Saying
"I think when you look at Mississippi State’s record, throw it out. Because No. 0, Weatherspoon, wasn’t there for a lot of the season. He can score the ball. He has not been shooting the three well, but we know historically in his career, he’s been able to make threes. He’s a really good dribble driver." - Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman, on Mississippi State guard Nick Weatherspoon
"It’s a big-time challenge, because Mississippi State is playing with a great deal of confidence. They’re extremely well coached. They’re tough. Their strength is our weakness. It’s a road game. And quite honestly, we’ve got to get over ourselves — me included." - Musselman, on his team needing to bounce back after the Kentucky loss
"They do a great job of helping defensively, and they really pressure. They're going to get out, get into the ball and create havoc, but they don't gamble. It's very solid. They're using their hands, but they're still keeping their body in front of the ball. When you drive, they're collapsing. They do a great job. They'll play ball screens multiple ways – they'll switch it, they'll hard-hedge it and they'll plug it. They're going to have different changeups in how they're going to play different people. So, you have to be prepared for all of it, and I expect them to be very aggressive defensively." - Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland, on what Arkansas does defensively
"Isaiah Joe is just incredible, in terms of his ability to shoot the three and shoot it with quickness. His release and his lift – he takes 11 threes per game, he's second in the country in three-pointers made. He is really a special player, and he has range. I watched him last night against Texas A&M, and he literally made a 29-foot jump shot. So, his range is way beyond the NBA three. Obviously, that's why these NBA guys are all frothing at the mouth looking at him." - Howland, on Arkansas guard Isaiah Joe
"They're really fast paced. They throw in a lot of different defensive sets, so we really are just trying to control the pace of the game and not let them control us." - Mississippi State guard D.J. Stewart Jr., on what he's seen from Arkansas on film
Projections
Vegas: MSU -4, O/U 136 ... Mississippi State 70, Arkansas 66
Sagarin: MSU -2.03, O/U 131.03... Mississippi State 66.53, Arkansas 64.5
ESPN BPI: MSU -4.1, Mississippi State with 65.2% chance to win
Headlines
Column: Muss Bus still running ahead of schedule
Hogs have opted for consistency in starting lineup
Scouting Mississippi State: Bulldogs' roster, rankings, stat comparison
