Tennessee will look to bounce back as they host Mississippi State on Tuesday night
The Tennessee Basketball Volunteers will look to bounce back Tuesday night when they play host to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Mississippi State is ranked 14th in the country and, like Tennessee, enters this matchup with a 3-2 conference record. Tennessee lost five conference games last year, and two of them were to Chris Jans’ Bulldogs, which means Rick Barnes, Zakai Ziegler, Jahmai Mashack, and anyone else who put on the orange last year will be seeking some revenge.
Mississippi State under Jans normally hangs its hat on defense, but this season the defense for the Bulldogs hasn’t lived up to that standard. State ranks 13th in the SEC in opponent field goal percentage and 15th in opponent 3-point field goal percentage. KenPom has the Bulldogs at 45th in defensive efficiency as well. However, Mississippi State has taken a big step forward in their offensive output this season. KenPom has the Bulldogs ranked 17th in offensive efficiency, and a big part of that ranking is due to Josh Hubbard. Hubbard leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 16.6 points per game and can go thermonuclear from 3 at any moment. Mississippi State also features one of the best benches in the country when it comes to scoring with 32 bench points per game. Riley Kugel and Keshawn Murphy combined for 39 points off the bench in the Bulldog’s win over Ole Miss on Saturday. Needless to say, Tennessee will have to rebound and not give State any second chances on offense which is what plagued the Vols in Nashville during their loss to Vanderbilt.
You hate to say any game in January is a must-win, but for Tennessee, this game is crucial. It would be incredibly deflating to drop a home game after the brutal loss to Vanderbilt. Furthermore, it would put the Vols at 3-3 in the SEC with 3 top-10 teams on the schedule in 3 straight games. Tennessee must go out and defend their home court on Tuesday night, and if they don't, things could get bleak quickly for a decent seed in March.
I do think the Vols show up tomorrow night. It’s rare for a Rick Barnes team to look bad two games in a row, and I would expect a much better defensive effort for the Vols after giving up a season-high 76 points to Vanderbilt. Furthermore, Mississippi State gives up so many good looks from beyond the arc. This could be a game Tennessee wins by 20+ if the shots are falling from three. It could also be a game where Chaz Lanier redeems himself and gets back to being one of the best shooters in the country. Oh and one last thing. Please for the love of all things sacred QUIT FOULING 3-POINT SHOOTERS. Give me the Vols to win comfortably at home and gain momentum heading into the toughest 3-game stretch they’ll face all season.
Prediction
Tennessee - 78
Mississippi State - 61