No. 22 Mississippi State will look to avoid a third straight loss on Saturday as it hits the road for a matchup against Georgia in a battle of Bulldogs in Athens, Ga.
Mississippi State (16-6, 4-5 SEC) has dropped five of its last six games to fall below .500 in conference play. The Bulldogs started the season 12-1 in nonconference play before winning their first two SEC matchups to open 14-1.
Since then, they have struggled against the SEC’s gauntlet of teams. All five of Mississippi State’s losses in conference play have come against ranked opponents, with four of those ranked in the top six at the time.
“In this league where there’s a very, very small margin of error, you take your foot off the gas and everybody’s going to take advantage of it,” Mississippi State coach Chris Jans said. “We’ve been able to do that to other teams, too, but we’ve just got to understand that we have a margin of error that’s small.”
MSU guard Josh Hubbard is tied for fifth in the SEC with 17.6 points per game. He has been one of the few bright spots in the last two defeats, scoring 38 points in an 88-84 loss to then-No. 4 Alabama on Jan. 29 before dropping 24 in an 88-61 loss to No. 20 Missouri last Saturday.
KeShawn Murphy and Claudell Harris Jr. are the only other Mississippi State players who average double figures in scoring. Murphy averages 11.0 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game, while Harris averages 10.4 points.
The team mascots aren’t the only similarity in the matchup. The trajectory of Georgia’s season has been nearly identical to Mississippi State’s, with those Bulldogs have also falling victim to a rugged SEC schedule after going 12-1 in nonconference play.
Things looked promising for Georgia (16-7, 4-6) after earning back-to-back ranked wins over Kentucky and Oklahoma to start 2-1 in SEC play. That didn’t last long, as coach Mike White’s group has since lost five of its last seven games.
Georgia is led by top NBA draft prospect Asa Newell, who leads the team with 15.3 points and 6.9 rebounds. Silas Demary Jr. is also a key contributor, averaging 11.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
Georgia is coming off an 81-62 win over struggling LSU led by 17 points from Newell and a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double by Blue Cain.
However, it’s been Georgia’s defense that has been the difference maker in all of its key wins this season.
“In a lot of our big wins, teams were in the 60s,” White said. “That’s easier to control than whether or not shots are falling. Guys have embraced playing with one another and they let the defense dictate who’s shooting the ball.
“You can’t just put your head down against an SEC defense, go full speed and hope it all works out. The length, the discipline, the overall ability that the defenses (present) in this league will expose you until you’re ready.”
–Field Level Media
