Bulldogs Begin Key Two-Game Homestand By Hosting Arch-Rival Rebels
May 25, 2016 | Men's Basketball
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| Leading the team in scoring and rebounding, sophomore Mario Austin has helped lead the Bulldogs to their first 20-win season since the 1998-99 campaign. |
Having secured their first 20-win season since 1998-99 - the ninth in the school's 90 years of basketball competition - coach Rick Stansbury's 20-7 Bulldogs are now above the .500 mark at 7-6 in league play and just one game behind second-place Mississippi in the SEC Western Division standings after claiming a convincing 66-43 road triumph over Vanderbilt this past Wednesday in Nashville. The 23-point road win earlier in the week over the Commodores - MSU's largest road victory margin ever over a Vandy ballclub - came on the heels of the team's biggest win ever over Auburn (89-53) last Saturday in Starkville. Having defeated their last two league opponents by a composite total of 59 points, the Bulldogs' recent back-to-back wins over the Commodores and Tigers mark the largest composite two-game victory margin total achieved during consecutive SEC contests in Mississippi State's basketball history.
Eyeing their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the team's memorable run to the 1995-96 NCAA Final Four six years ago, the Bulldogs are ranked 19th nationally according to CollegeRPI.com with a No. 29 national strength of schedule rating. As a team, MSU continues to pace the SEC and rank among the national leaders in field-goal percentage (49.2%) and rebounding margin (+7.4). In the team's recent wins over Vanderbilt and Auburn, State has shot 54 percent (60-of-111) from the field collectively as well as having maintained a commanding 89-44 two-game rebounding advantage on the boards.
| MSU's vocal student group -- Rick's Rowdies -- has been instrumental in helping lead this year's MSU basketball team to an 11-1 home record at Humphrey Coliseum. |
Looking to make their sixth straight postseason tournament appearance, the Rebels of Mississippi are 19-7 overall on the season and in second place in the SEC West with an 8-5 league mark. Guided by fourth-year head coach and former Ole Miss standout guard Rod Barnes, Mississippi is led in scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg) by sophomore forward Justin Reed.
With Mississippi State holding a 122-101 all-time series advantage over Mississippi through the years, the Bulldogs have prevailed in 16 of the last 18 Starkville meetings dating back to the 1983-84 basketball campaign. UM's lone road wins over MSU during that span came during the 1997-98 and 1992-93 seasons. Dating back to the 1997-98 season, the last nine State-Ole Miss encounters have been decided by an average margin of only 6.6 points per game.
