It is time for a battle of the Bulldogs. Saturday night, Georgia basketball (16-7, 4-6 SEC) face off against No. 22 Mississippi State Bulldogs (16-6, 4-5 SEC) in another critical conference matchup that will give the winner a fifth win in the deep and demanding SEC.
Georgia steps back onto the hardwood after a dominating 81-62 win over LSU Wednesday night in Athens, GA. Mike White and the Bulldogs displayed a level of poise and dominance rarely seen from them this season, especially on the defensive end. For Mississippi State, they are playing for the first time since their worst defeat of the season in an 88-61 home thrashing at the hands of Missouri.
Georgia and Mississippi State share a lot more than just mascot names. It would be difficult to find a more evenly-matched contest this late in the season. Overall record, conference record, rebounding, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and three-point percentage are all relatively even.
But before the game begins, here is all the information you need to be prepared for this late-season SEC dogfight.
When?
Saturday, February 8th, 6:00 PM, EST
Where?
Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, GA
How to Watch
This game will air on the SEC Network with Dave Neal and Jon Sundvold doing the play-by-play.
Top Performers
Georgia has three players that average double-digit points per game for the season, but the lead Bulldog is freshman forward Asa Newell who is averaging 15.3 points per game to go along with 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.
Mississippi State has a 3-headed monster of their own, as they too have three players that average double-digit points per game. Leading the way is sophomore guard Josh Hubbard, who averages 17.6 points and three assists per game.
Current Predictions
ESPN’s Matchup Predictor currently gives the Georgia Bulldogs a 58.8% chance of winning.
Series History
The all-time series record between Georgia and Mississippi State is deadlocked at 59 wins each, with Mississippi State winning the most recent contest 75-62 on February 7, 2024.
The Skinny
In 23 games so far this season, Georgia comes into this contest averaging 76.0 points per game while Mississippi State averages 79.9 in 22 games.
Georgia is 46.5% from the field this season, which is 3.5 percentage points higher than Mississippi State has allowed to its opponents (43.0%). Mississippi State comes into this matchup ranked 12th in the SEC in FG%, shooting 45.6% from the field this season which 5.9 percentage points greater than the 39.7% shooting opponents of Georgia have averaged.
Georgia and Mississippi State are relatively equal when it comes to rebounding. Mississippi State has the slight edge of 38.3 rebounds per game versus Georgia who averages 37.8.
The biggest disparity between these otherwise evenly-matched teams is a statistic that Georgia fans are all too familiar with, turnovers. Mississippi State averages 10.4 turnovers per game, which is good for 5th in the SEC, while Georgia ranks next to last in the conference with 13.3 per game.