Mississippi State @ Mississippi preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2019 ) Mississippi State 81, Mississippi 75

Mississippi State looks to continue its charge up the SEC standings when it visits rival Ole Miss on Tuesday. Following their 0-3 start in league action, the Bulldogs have won six of seven conference games, the latest an 80-70 triumph over last-place Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Sophomore forward Reggie Perry, who ranks fifth in the league in scoring (17.4) and leads all SEC players in rebounding (10.0), had 25 points and 11 boards to go along with a career high-tying six assists as Mississippi State pulled into a three-way tie for fourth place. "Coach (Ben) Howland told us to keep the ball moving and get the ball in the high post," Perry told reporters. "We wanted to stretch the defense and we made some shots to help get them out of their zone. I felt some lanes were open early in the game, too, and I tried to deliver the ball on our backcuts." The Rebels have won two in a row after opening 1-7 in the SEC, riding senior guard Breein Tyree once again in Saturday's 68-51 win over Florida. Tyree scored a career-high 38 points in Wednesday's defeat of South Carolina before he hit 4-of-6 from 3-point range against the Gators.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: ESPNU

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (15-8, 6-4 SEC): Junior guard Nick Weatherspoon produced 21 points - his best total in over two years - on 8-of-9 shooting in Saturday's win to boost his scoring average to 12.6. He sits just behind senior guard Tyson Carter (13.3) on the team rankings after Carter scored 16 off the bench versus Vanderbilt. Sophomore guard Robert Woodard II chips in 11.7 points per contest but will be looking to bounce back from a 1-of-8 shooting effort against the Commodores.

ABOUT OLE MISS (12-11, 3-7): The Rebels had five losses of 10 points or fewer during their 1-7 SEC start, but they've won the last two by an average of 15.5 and finally feel like things are coming together. "We've totally shifted our focus to February and our players have bought into that," coach Kermit Davis told reporters Saturday. "We never felt like we were not a good team, it just did not show on our record. We kept working and now we've built confidence with a couple of wins." Junior guard Devontae Shuler (11.4 points per game) and sophomore forward KJ Buffen (10.0) contributed 14 points apiece in the win over the Gators.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Shuler has multiple steals in nine of his last 11 contests and ranks fourth in the SEC with 1.8 per game.

2. Perry also tied a career high with four blocked shots Saturday.

3. The teams split the season series in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

PREDICTION: Ole Miss 72, Mississippi State 70