Streaking Bulldogs Back At Home To Battle Aggies

Saturday, January 14

Starkville

12:00 PM

Mississippi State

Texas A&M

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Saturday's game against Texas A&M is a Black Out.

Streaking Bulldogs Back At Home To Battle Aggies

January 13, 2017 | Men's Basketball

MSU Game Notes Texas A&M Game Notes CBS Stream

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Two road games. Two wins. Now it's back at Humphrey Coliseum for another key SEC showdown with Texas A&M.

After back-to-to-back wins at LSU and Arkansas, Mississippi State turns its attention toward the Aggies in a nationally-televised CBS tilt set for 12:08 p.m. Andrew Catalon and Clark Kellog will have the call. The game can also be heard on the MSU radio network with veterans Jim Ellis and Richard Williams on the call.

It's a Black Out game and all fans are encouraged to wear black. In addition, the Student Lounge, located across from Section E on the west side of the coliseum, will make its men's basketball debut.

MSU stands at 11-4 on the year with a 2-1 start in SEC play. In the Bulldogs' 84-78 win at Arkansas on Tuesday, sophomore guard Quinndary Weatherspoon paced his team with a game-high 25 points, while Lamar Peters added 14.

Texas A&M enters the contest 9-6, 1-3 following its 92-62 win against LSU on Wednesday.

THE SERIES
Alabama leads the all-time series 6-3 and has won four in a row by an average of just 6.75 points.

COACHES
Ben Howland is in his second year at MSU and 21^st overall. As a head coach in four different stops, he is 426-227 with a 25-21 mark with the Bulldogs.

Billy Kennedy is in his sixth year at Texas A&M and is 108-76. Overall in 19 years, he's 319-255.

QUOTABLE
"We've got to take good care of the ball and continue to grow offensively. I think the biggest key to why we have had success the last couple of games is our understanding of being a little better offensively in terms of being patient, making the extra pass and really having a good feel for the offensive end."— Ben Howland on Saturday's game.

NEXT 2
Jan. 7 on the road at LSU, followed by a visit to Arkansas on Jan. 10.

BULLDOG BITES

Mississippi State is looking for its first 12-4 start since opening the 2011-12 season 13-3. The Bulldogs haven't begun SEC play 3-1 since 2010.
MSU is looking to snap a four-game losing streak against Texas A&M. Three of those games have been by four points or less, while all four setbacks have been by just 6.75 points.
With wins at LSU and Arkansas, the Bulldogs have now won back-to-back SEC road games for the first time since 2011 (Tennessee and Arkansas).
MSU has now scored 80 or more points in back-to-back SEC games for the first since 2014 (82 at Auburn and 81 at LSU, both losses).
Sophomore guard Quinndary Weatherspoon is fourth in the SEC with his 18.2 scoring clip. MSU hasn't had a player average 18-plus since Darryl Wilson in 1996 (18.0).
Quinndary Weatherspoon has now totaled 20-plus points six times this season, all MSU wins.
I.J. Ready is second in the SEC with his 2.6 assist/turnover ratio, 51st nationally. He's now 176 points shy of becoming the 37th player at MSU to score 1,000 for a career. At Arkansas, he had 4 assists to give him 350 for his career, now the 9th most in school history. In addition, he is 3 steals shy of tying Darryl Wilson for the 10th most in school history with 140.
KenPom.com has Mississippi State as the least experienced team of all 351 DI programs.
When is Mississippi State successful? When outrebounding foes (9-0), shooting 45 percent or better (10-0) and winning or being tied at the half (10-0).
Of current SEC players, I.J. Ready is 11th with 824 points, third with 137 steals and second with 350 assists.
Through 15 games, sophomore forward Aric Holman leads MSU with 34 blocked shots. Since Jarvis Varnado had 170 in 2010 as a senior, the most in a single season has been Colin Borchert with 36 in 2013. Last season, Gavin Ware finished with a team-high 32.
MSU is on CBS for the first time since Jan. 29, 2011, when it beat Florida, 71-64.
Mississippi State has now used six different starting lineups through the first 15 games.

MARKETING/PROMOTIONS

Bully's Kidz Kourt, 10:30 a.m.-11:45 p.m.
Egg Bowl trophies
"STARKVEGAS BLACK OUT": FREE black poms for lower bowl (5,000) & StarkVegas tees for the 1^st 300 students
Student Lounge debut at Gate E

MSU SOCIAL MEDIA