Dogs Face No. 16 South Carolina At The Hump

Saturday, February 11

Starkville

7:00 PM

Mississippi State

#19 South Carolina

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Mississippi State battles No. 16 South Carolina at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Hump.

Dogs Face No. 16 South Carolina At The Hump

February 10, 2017 | Men's Basketball

MSU Notes South Carolina Game Notes SEC Notes Watch ESPN

STARKVILLE, Miss. — For just the second time this year, Mississippi State faces a ranked team when No. 16 South Carolina invades Humphrey Coliseum.

Tip is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2, with Beth Mowins and Dalen Cuff handling the broadcast. The game can also be heard on the MSU radio network with veterans Jim Ellis and Richard Williams on the call.

Back in January, MSU lost to No. 5 Kentucky in a heartbreaker, 87-81.

Mississippi State stands at 14-9 on the season, 5-6 in league play after dropping a 98-92 decision at Auburn on Tuesday. All-SEC standout Quinndary Weatherspoon paced the Bulldogs with his 25 points and 9 rebounds, while Lamar Peters added 23 points.

The Gamecocks enter Saturday's showdown 19-5, 9-2, after dropping a four-overtime affair to Alabama in Columbia, 90-86. They also sit atop the SEC standings tied with Kentucky and Florida.

THE SERIES
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 19-12 with a 10-3 advantage at home. MSU has won four of the last five at the Hump.

COACHES
Ben Howland is in his second year at MSU and 21^st overall. As a head coach in four different stops, he is 429-232 with a 28-26 mark with the Bulldogs.

Frank Martin is in his fifth year at South Carolina and owns a 89-68 ledger. In 10 years overall, he's 206-122.

QUOTABLE
"I think he's playing like a senior, like a guy who's had three years of experience in front of him. I thought he was really good last year when we played them. I was really impressed with his feel for the game, knowledge and how hard he played. He's a heck of a player." — MSU coach Ben Howland on South Carolina's Sindarius Thornwell.

NEXT 2
At Georgia on Feb. 14 and home against No. 17 Florida on Feb. 18.

SPECIAL AWARENESS
MSU coaches and staff will be wearing green ties for Coaching For Literacy. Mississippi State is one of 20 NCAA programs partnering with Fight for Literacy, which funds schools throughout the country.

This year, MSU is assisting the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District, and fans can do their part by visiting www.coachingforliteracy.org/msuexperience.

Everyone is encouraged to follow this program on Twitter at @cochingforlit and using the hashtag #Bulldogs4Literacy.

BULLDOG BITES

South Carolina is one of three SEC teams MSU has a winning record against, with Missouri and Ole Miss being the other two teams.
The Bulldogs have won six out of the last 10 in this series, while the Gamecocks having won four out of the last six.
Mississippi State is looking to snap a 15-game losing streak to ranked teams. The Bulldogs' last win against a ranked foe was Arizona on Nov. 18, 2011.
Against Auburn, MSU lost for the first time in eight games when Quinndary Weatherspoon scores 20-plus points. He had 25.
Mario Kegler is 7-9 from 3-point range his last two games.
Also against Auburn, the Bulldogs lost for just the second time in 13 games this year when shooting 45 percent or better from the floor (Kentucky).
The 92 points at Auburn were the most in a loss since losing 101-96 to UMass in 2012.
MSU seeks its 15th win this season, the most since having 21 in 2012.
KenPom.com has MSU as the least experienced team of all 351 DI programs.
The Bulldogs' 64 second-half points at Auburn were the most in any frame this year.
Tyson Carter leads all SEC freshmen in free throw shooting percentage with at least 25 attempts at .893 (25-28).
Sophomore guard Quinndary Weatherspoon is fourth in the SEC with his 17.3 scoring clip. MSU hasn't had a player average 18-plus since Darryl Wilson in 1996 (18.0).
Five times this season, MSU has rallied from deficits of 10-plus points to win.
Mississippi State has two players with 10-plus, 30-minute games this year — Quinndary Weatherspoon (16) and I.J. Ready (11).
Lamar Peters is averaging 12.4 points, the sixth-best average by a freshman in school history.
Aric Holman's 51 blocked shots are the third-most in the SEC and the most by an MSU player since Jarvis Varnado had 170 in 2010.

MARKETING & PROMOTIONS

Bully's Kidz Kourt, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Virtual Reality Experience Booth
Student Lounge opens at 4:30 p.m.
Space Jam Night, with free water battles to first 1,000 fans and Space Jam character appearances

MSU SOCIAL MEDIA