Kent St. @ Mississippi State preview

Mississippi State gets one last tune-up for the SEC season Monday as it hosts Kent State in its final nonconference matchup before conference play begins. The Bulldogs are looking to put together their third straight 20-win campaign, but they will need a better effort than they produced last time out when they came up short at home (58-52) against New Mexico State to halt their four-game winning streak.

Mississippi State had won 33 of 34 games when holding an opponent to 60 points or less under head coach Ben Howland before that loss last week. But turnovers plagued the Bulldogs as they lost the ball 17 times, more than they had in any of the five previous games, and the team was down 14 points with 11 minutes to play. "(New Mexico State) really took it at us with their defense," Howland told reporters afterward. "Their pressuring brought 17 turnovers on us, which is too many turnovers to beat a good team." Kent State comes in on a two-game winning streak after posting a 103-64 victory over Hampton last week and the Golden Flashes rolled up 10 victories before Christmas for the first time in school history.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network+

ABOUT KENT STATE (10-2): The Flashes come off their highest-scoring effort of the season (103 points) as five players finished in double figures against Hampton and the team as a whole hit a season-high 57.4 percent of their shots (35-of-61) and nailed 13 3-pointers. Junior Danny Pippen spearheaded the charge just as he's done most of the year with a season- and team-high 21 points as he shot 7-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-6 from 3-point range to lift his average to a team-best 14.7 points per game. Sophomore Anthony Roberts scored 19 points thanks to hitting a career-best 5-of-6 3-pointers, while Kent State held Hampton to just 5-of-17 long-distance shots (29.4 percent) and enjoyed by far its best rebounding advantage (42-23) after losing the board battle in each of the prior three games.

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (8-3): It all begins with preseason All-SEC first-team forward Reggie Perry, who has scored in double digits in 10 games this season, with at least 14 points in eight of his last nine contests, including 17 in the loss to New Mexico State. Perry also pulled down 10 rebounds to earn his fifth double-double of the season, while Tyson Carter chipped in with 11 points as the only other Bulldog in double figures in the loss, although Robert Woodard II tied a career high with four steals to help the team notch 10 for the second time this season. The Bulldogs finished with a season-low 33 rebounds against New Mexico State, but for the season, Mississippi State sits first in the SEC and 25th in the nation in rebounding margin (+7.5) and 27th in the country and third in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (13.2).

TIP-INS

1. This is the first meeting between these teams.

2. Perry has 14 career double-doubles, which ranks first among active SEC players.

3. The Bulldogs have held opponents to 60.3 points per game in their eight wins while limiting them to 38.5 field goal percentage.

PREDICTION: Mississippi State 68, Kent State 58