SEC's Oldest Rivalry Renews For The 254th Time

Tuesday, January 31

Oxford, Miss.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

Ole Miss

The Bulldogs look for a big road win in Oxford.

SEC's Oldest Rivalry Renews For The 254th Time

January 30, 2017 | Men's Basketball

MSU Game Notes Ole Miss Game Notes SEC Notes Watch ESPN

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Just 90 miles separate Mississippi State and Ole Miss, and when the two clash Tuesday in Oxford, this heated rivalry, the oldest in the SEC, will be renewed for the 254^th time.

Tip at the Pavilion is set for 6 p.m. on the SEC Network.

MSU stands at 13-7 on the season, 4-4 in league play following a hard-fought 71-62 loss at Alabama, where a late second-half surged propelled the Tide to victory. Freshman guard Lamar Peters paced the Bulldogs with 13 points, while Schnider Herard added 12.

Ole Miss enters the contest 12-9, 35, following its 78-75 setback against Baylor in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

Mike Morgan and Kyle Macy will handle SEC Network broadcast. The game can also be heard on the MSU radio network with veterans Jim Ellis and Richard Williams on the call.

THE SERIES
MSU leads the all-time series 141-112, but the Rebels lead 82-43 in Oxford with a 1-0 advantage at The Pavilion.

COACHES
Ben Howland is in his second year at MSU and 21^st overall. As a head coach in four different stops, he is 428-230 with a 27-24 mark with the Bulldogs.

Andy Kennedy is in his 11th year at Ole Miss and owns a 224-134 ledger. In 11 years overall, he's 245-148.

QUOTABLE
"It's a great rivalry, and that is what makes athletics. Having these intense rivals raises your level of play. The same is true for them. It raises your level of play." — MSU coach Ben Howland on the rivalry.

NEXT 2
Feb. 4 at home against Tennessee and at Auburn on Feb. 7.

BULLDOG BITES

Ole Miss is one of three SEC teams Mississippi State has a winning record against, with South Carolina and Missouri being the other two.
MSU's 142 wins versus Ole Miss are the most against any team in its 105-year history, along with the 43 road wins.
After the Bulldogs won three straight in Oxford, the Rebels have won the last five, including the first meeting at the Pavilion last season, 86-78.
Six of the last eight game in this series have been decided by eight points or less, including the last four.
Against Alabama, MSU lost for the first time this year in 10 games when out-rebounding its opponent.
After the Tide out-rebounded MSU in the SEC opener, 43-27, the Bulldogs won the battle of the boards on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, 40-37.
KenPom.com has MSU as the second-least experienced team of all 351 DI programs.
Aric Holman has played in a team-high, 41-consecutive games.
Tyson Carter leads all SEC freshmen in free throw shooting percentage at .893 (25-28).
I.J. Ready leads the SEC with his 2.8 assist/turnover ratio.
I.J. Ready has also made a team-best, 23-straight free throws.
MSU has used seven different lineups in 20 games.
Sophomore guard Quinndary Weatherspoon is third in the SEC with his 17.6 scoring clip. MSU hasn't had a player average 18-plus since Darryl Wilson in 1996 (18.0).
Lamar Peters' 12.1 scoring average is currently the 6th-best by an MSU freshman.
Sophomore forward Aric Holman leads the Bulldogs and is third in the SEC with 46 blocked shots, the most in a single season since Jarvis Varnado had 170 in 2010.
Mississippi State has two players with 10-plus, 30-minute games this year — Quinndary Weatherspoon (13) and Lamar Peters (11).