The No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers (11-2, 1-0 SEC) welcome the No. 21 Mississippi State Bulldogs (11-2, 0-1 SEC) Tuesday in a game that may see lower point totals.
Mississippi State lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide 78-67 at Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday. With 11 points and 15 rebounds, D.J. Jeffries led the way in defeat.
Tennessee got the win on Wednesday at The Pavilion at Ole Miss, beating the Ole Miss Rebels 63-59. Santiago Vescovi had 22 points to lead the team.
The teams are meeting for the only time this season. They last met in the Southeastern Conference Tourney quarterfinals when the Volunteers eliminated the Bulldogs with a 72-59 victory at Amalie Arena in March 2022, their third straight head-to-head win.
Tennessee came out on top in the only regular season matchup between the teams last season 72-59 at Amalie Arena in March 2022. Josiah-Jordan James led the Volunteers with 16 points. Shakeel Moore had 15 points and six rebounds in defeat.
Tolu Smith is averaging 14.8 points per game to lead the Bulldogs in scoring this season. Smith also has grabbed 8.5 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Cameron Matthews is dishing 2.3 assists.
Olivier Nkamhoua (11.5 ppg), Vescovi (10.8), and Zakai Zeigler (10.7) have been the primary providers for the Volunteers on offense. Zeigler also has recorded 3.3 assists per game.
Meanwhile, Julian Phillips has collected 5.6 rebounds per game.The Volunteers and the Bulldogs are two of the top defenses in the country, ranking first and fifth in defensive efficiency, respectively.
In the last 10 games, Mississippi State is 8-2 with an average margin of +10.6 (67.0-56.4). Tennessee has a 9-1 record over the last 10, scoring 73.7 points per game on average while allowing 52.1 (+21.6 margin).
BULLDOGS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Dashawn Davis: 13.6 | 10.2 | +3.4
Rebounds per game:
D.J. Jeffries: 8.4 | 6.3 | +2.1
Tolu Smith: 6.0 | 8.5 | -2.5
Assists per game:
D.J. Jeffries: 3.2 | 2.2 | +1.0
VOLUNTEERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Julian Phillips: 7.4 | 10.1 | -2.7
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Tennessee -9.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
