Bulldogs Get First Road Test At No. 25 Cincinnati

Tuesday, December 12

Highland Heights, Ky. (BB&T Arena)

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

#25 Cincinnati

Mississippi State travels to No. 17 Cincinnati on Tuesday.

Bulldogs Get First Road Test At No. 25 Cincinnati

December 11, 2017 | Men's Basketball

MSU Game Notes Cincinnati Game Notes SEC Notes Watch Online

STARKVILLE, Miss. – After opening the 2017-18 with an eight-game homestand, Mississippi State takes to the road for the first time when it travels to No. 25 Cincinnati on Tuesday.

Tip is set for 6 p.m. CT, with the game televised on ESPN2. Kevin Brown and John Thompson will handle the broadcast, while Neil Price and Richard Williams will have the call on the MSU radio network.

LAST TIME OUT
Mississippi State led from start to finish in a dominating 95-62 win against North Georgia. Quinndary Weatherspoon paced MSU with his 22-point effort.

The Bearcats dropped a 66-60 decision to No. 5 Florida.

RECORDS
Mississippi State, 8-0; Cincinnati, 7-2

THE SERIES
Tied, 2-2

KEY LINKS
Live Stats: http://hailst.at/2ArPXPx
Watch Online: http://hailst.at/2ArlIIp

COACHES
Ben Howland enters his third year at MSU and 22^nd overall. As head coach in four different stops, he is 439-239 with 38-33 mark with the Bulldogs.

Mick Cronin is in his 12th year with North Georgia and is 244-137. In 15 years as a head coach, he is 313-161.

QUOTABLE
"It's going to be a very difficult game when you look at how they play in switching and pressing for 40 minutes every time they score. We'll be tested." — MSU coach Ben Howland on Cincinnati.

Game Notes
Mississippi State
Cincinnati
SEC

BULLDOG BITES

The last time Mississippi State and Cincinnati met was in the 2008 SEC/Big East Challenge, while its last win against the Bearcats in March of 1996 punched a ticket to the Final Four.
The Bulldogs are looking for their first 9-0 start since opening the 2003-04 campaign 13-0.
MSU has played 10 of the 12 teams from the American Athletic Conference and is 78-65 against those squads. The last AAC team the Bulldogs played was Central Florida a year ago, an 88-61 loss in Charleston, S.C. MSU hasn't played Temple and SMU.
The Bulldogs are the only undefeated SEC team and one of seven teams nationally.
Mississippi State is one of only three schools nationally whose men's and women's basketball teams are undefeated — Villanova and Florida State.
Freshman guard Nick Weatherspoon has accounted for seven of MSU's nine charges taken.
After collecting 9 blocked shots against North Georgia, MSU moved atop the SEC standings and is now sixth nationally at 6.6.
For the first time in his career, MSU coach Ben Howland is 200 games above .500.
Quinndary Weatherspoon is now 55 points shy of becoming the 37th player in school history to reach 1,000 for a career following his season-high 22-point performance against North Georgia.
Aric Holman is now tied with Derrick Zimmerman for the ninth most blocks in school history with 89 after collecting two against North Georgia.
The Bulldogs lead the SEC and are 21st nationally in fewest points allowed at 61.9.
The only players to start all games are Nick Weatherspoon and Quinndary Weatherspoon.
MSU has shot 45 percent or better from the floor in all eight games, with four games .500 or better. The Dogs' .496 percentage is third in the SEC and 33rd nationally.
Defensively, Mississippi State has held seven of its eight opponents below 39 percent shooting (Dayton, .457) and is second in the SEC in field goal percentage defense and 17th nationally at .375.
The Bulldogs are looking to snap a 17-game losing skid to ranked teams.