No. 22 Mississippi State will look to avoid a third straight loss on Saturday when it hits the way for a matchup against Georgia in a battle at Bulldogs in Athens, GA.
Mississippi State (16-6, 4-5 SEK) has lost five of his last six matches to fall below .500 in conference games. The Bulldogs started the 12-1 season in the Nonconference game before winning their first two Sec matchups to open 14-1.
Since then, they have fought against SEC’s law. All five of the Mississippi State losses in conference games have come against ranked opponents, with four of the ranked in the top six at that time.
“In this league where there is a very, very small margin of error, take the foot of the gas and everyone will take advantage of it,” said Mississippi State coach Chris Jans. “We have also been able to do it against other teams, but we just have to understand that we have a margin of error that is small.”
MSU guard Josh Hubbard is bound for fifth in Sec with 17.6 points per match. He has been one of the few light spots in the last two defeat and received 38 points in a loss of 88-84 until no. 4 Alabama on January 29 before releasing 24 in a loss of 88-61 to No. 20 Missouri last Saturday.
Keshawn Murphy and Claudell Harris Jr. are the only other Mississippi -state players as on average double numbers in points. Murphy is an average of 11.0 points and a team high 7.2 returns per match, while Harris average 10.4 points.
The teammates are not the only similarity in the matchup. The track in Georgia’s season has been almost identical to the Mississippi State, with these Bulldogs has also fallen victim to a robust Sec schedule after going 12-1 in non-conference games.
Things looked promising for Georgia (16-7, 4-6) after deserving back-to-back ranked victories over Kentucky and Oklahoma to start 2-1 in the SEC game. It didn’t last long, as coach Mike White’s group has since lost five of their last seven matches.
Georgia is led by the Top NBA draft to Prospect Asa Newell, which leads the team with 15.3 points and 6.9 returns. Silas Demary Jr. Is also an important contributor, an average of 11.0 points, 4.0 returns and 3.0 assists per match.
Georgia comes from an 81-62 victory over struggling LSU under the direction of 17 points from Newell and a 10-point, 10-Rebound double double by Blue Cain.
However, it has been Georgia’s defense that has been the difference manufacturer in all his key winning this season.
“In many of our big winnings, teams were in the 60s,” White said. “It’s easier to check than if shots fall or not. Guys have embraced to play with each other and they let the defense dictate who shoots the ball.
“You can’t just put your head down against a Sec defense, go at full speed and hope that everything works. The length, discipline, the overall ability that the defense (present) in this league will reveal you until you are ready.”
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