Bulldogs Travel To Arkansas For Key SEC Showdown
January 08, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Saturday's 2:30 p.m. tip at Bud Walton Arena will air on SEC Network, with Matt Stewart and John Pelphrey providing the broadcast commentary. Fans can also tune in to the MSU Radio Network to hear Jim Ellis and Richard Williams call the action.
The Bulldogs (7-6, 0-1) are in search of their first win at Arkansas since an 88-78 victory in 2011. The Razorbacks (7-7, 0-1) knocked off Vanderbilt 90-85 in an overtime thriller in their last outing.
MSU dropped Wednesday's upset bid against No. 17 Texas A&M after the Aggies broke a tie with 20 seconds remaining and escaped Starkville with a 61-60 win. Gavin Ware posted his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and matched a season-high 13 rebounds. Malik Newman also turned in a double-digit effort with 14 points. His 13.3 average ranks second on the team and 6th-best all-time by a freshman.
The Razorbacks' Anthlon Bell and Moses Kingsley paced Arkansas with 26 and 25 points, respectively, in the win against Vanderbilt. Defensively, Arkansas forced a season-high 26 turnovers and 15 steals, including a pickpocket with five seconds remaining to seal the win. The stingy defense also limited Vanderbilt to only six offensive rebounds.
Arkansas holds a 32-25 series advantage MSU, including a 20-5 ledger in Fayetteville.
“The tough part about Arkansas is trying to simulate what they do,” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “We don't have the ability to simulate what they do defensively. We are going to have to take care of the basketball. When they trap you, you have to attack the basket. It'll be a real challenge for us. It's a great venue, and it'll be a big test for our team.”
Mississippi State will remain on the road and visit No. 8 Kentucky on Tuesday following the showdown with Arkansas.
