Little Rock @ Mississippi State preview
Humphrey Coliseum
Mississippi State aims for its first 10-1 start in six years when it hosts Little Rock on Wednesday. The Bulldogs are 9-0 at home, while the Trojans are 0-6 on the road.
The Bulldogs rebounded from their first loss of the season at Cincinnati to hammer Tennessee-Martin 92-61 on Saturday. Mississippi State shot better than 50 percent for the fifth time this season after a season-low 30.2 percent performance against the Bearcats. The Trojans are playing their fifth game in 11 days and will have covered nearly 3,200 miles in the process. Little Rock routed NCAA Division III opponent University of the Ozarks 94-49 on Monday, snapping its four-game skid.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network Plus
ABOUT LITTLE ROCK (3-9): The Trojans rank among the worst offensive teams in the nation, averaging 63.7 points and shooting just 41.7 percent overall and a paltry 28.1 percent from 3-point range. Andre Jones (12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds) has been the team’s top scorer for most of the season, but fellow sophomore guard Ryan Pippins scored 14 points in his season debut on Monday. Anthony Black also has played well of late, scoring in double digits in four of his last five games - including a season-high 19 points last time out.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (9-1): The Bulldogs are 20th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 62.1 points per game, and they hold opponents to 37.7 percent shooting, which ranks 16th. Guard Quinndary Weatherspoon (13.9 points, six rebounds, 4.7 assists) is the team’s go-to guy, but 6-10 forward Aric Holman (12.7 points, eight rebounds) has recorded back-to-back double-doubles and is a remarkable 16-for-25 from 3-point range. Guards Tyson Carter (12.2 points) and Nick Weatherspoon (11) also average double digits in points.
TIP-INS
1. Quinndary Weatherspoon needs 12 points to become the 37th player in Mississippi State history to reach 1,000.
2. The Bulldogs have limited three opponents to six or fewer free-throw attempts.
3. Little Rock coach Wes Flanigan was an assistant at Mississippi State from 2013-15.
PREDICTION: Mississippi State 81, Little Rock 59