Coming off a heartbreaking one-point loss on the road to the Vanderbilt Commodores over the weekend, the men’s Tennessee Basketball returns home to face another top 25 opponent. In the process, the Vols continue their streak of every SEC game being either against a ranked team or a team on the road with a winning record.
Rick Barnes’ team, which remained No. 6 in the AP Poll but dropped to No. 7 in the Coaches Poll after splitting last week’s games, will welcome the Mississippi State Bulldogs to Knoxville. UT comes into the game with a 16-2 overall record and 3-2 SEC record.
Mississippi State, ranked No. 14 in both polls, is coming into this game with a 15-3 overall record but also a 3-2 SEC record. They held off the Ole Miss Rebels at home 84-81 Saturday in a top 25 matchup. Here is all the information you need for Tuesday night’s matchup.
Mississippi State Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers
When: Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
TV: ESPN2
Live stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Vol Network (Click here for affiliates); Mississippi State radio network (Click here for affiliates)
Listen online: UTSports; HailState
Under third-year head coach Chris Jans, Mississippi State is led by sophomore Josh Hubbard, who leads them in scoring for a second straight season. He is averaging 16.6 points per game. Senior forward Cameron Matthews is another returning starter and is averaging over seven rebounds and two and a half steals per game.
Complementing those two are a series of elite transfers, including Claudell Harris Jr. from the Boston College Eagles and Riley Kugel from the Florida Gators. Both are averaging double figures. Georgia Bulldogs transfer R.L. Melendez is averaging just under 10 a game, and Miami Hurricanes transfer center Michael Nwoko mans the interior.
Junior forward Keshawn Murphy is another returning MSU player who has taken a huge leap forward after recovering from a foot injury last year and is averaging 10.3 points and over seven and a half rebounds a game. Shawn Jones Jr. is a returning guard who is also part of the rotation as a junior.
With this unit, Jans has been able to build off last year’s NCAA Tournament Round of 64 team. He is likely to lead MSU to its third straight Big Dance, but now they could be built to make a deep run. A win in Knoxville would more than prove their worth on that front.
Tennessee, for its part, has seen its non-conference red-hot shooting cool off a bit, but its half-court defense in the paint was atrocious at Vandy. The Vols are in danger of slipping from No. 1 to out of the top 10 this week given their schedule if they aren’t careful.
After this game, Tennessee will visit the No. 1 ranked Auburn Tigers on Saturday. MSU, meanwhile, will visit the very dangerous South Carolina Gamecocks, so there continue to be no nights off for any team when it comes to SEC play. Things are only going to get more brutal.
