Mississippi State @ Missouri preview
Mizzou Arena
Last Meeting ( Feb 18, 2022 ) Missouri 49, Mississippi State 68
Mississippi State's quest for a late-season Southeastern Conference turnaround continues Sunday at Missouri.
The Bulldogs (15-11, 6-7 SEC) throttled the Tigers 68-49 Friday in Starkville to snap a four-game losing streak. They hope to carry momentum from that blowout in their rematch in Columbia, Mo.
"Big win and we've been fighting so hard to get a win," Bulldogs forward D.J. Jeffries said. "We want to start a streak, and it will be another tough one at their place on Sunday. We just need to make minor adjustments, fix some things and build on this win."
The Tigers (10-16, 4-9) had a difficult time reaching Starkville due to a winter storm. They didn't arrive until 3:30 p.m. Friday, prompting the SEC to move back the start time by 2 1/2 hours.
Compounding that tough travel was the absence of guard Anton Brookshire (wrist) and centers Yaya Keita (knee) and Jordan Wilmore (back) due to injuries. Missouri had just eight available players for the game, and it will be short-handed again for the rematch.
"I think with rest and just watching a little film, we'll be fine," Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said. "I'm looking forward to it."
Mississippi State fell off the NCAA Tournament bubble while losing six of eight games. After facing Missouri, the Bulldogs play at South Carolina, at home against Vanderbilt and No. 2 Auburn, then at Texas A&M before the SEC Tournament.
They will need a big finish to get the attention of the tournament selection committee.
"The veterans had a meeting and we sat down to try to fix things," Jeffries said. "We all want to make it to the (NCAA) tournament. We have to keep fighting and see what happens."
Bulldogs coach Ben Howland saw major progress at both ends of the court Friday. Mississippi State had four scorers in double figures, led by Tolu Smith's 16 points, and Andersson Garcia had three steals coming off the bench.
"We did one of our best defensive jobs in a long time and we only had nine turnovers and had 16 assists," Howland said.
The Tigers must regroup after suffering consecutive 19-point losses. Martin tried to prod his team by benching struggling guard Jarron "Boogie" Coleman to start Friday's game, but the move didn't work.
Coleman missed 6 of 7 shots and committed two turnovers in 31 minutes coming off the bench.
"I wanted to see Boogie be better," Martin said. "And not so much as far as the shot is falling, but to play harder, to compete at a level we need him to compete at."
--Field Level Media