Gameday: Five Things to Know About No. 22 MSU-No. 16 Auburn

Saturday, January 26

Starkville

7:30 PM

Mississippi State

#16 Auburn

Gameday: Five Things to Know About No. 22 MSU-No. 16 Auburn

January 25, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Watch on SEC Network Listen Live Game Notes (PDF)Live Stats

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – After not playing in a ranked versus ranked matchup since the 2011-12 season, No. 22 Mississippi State will play in its second top 25 matchup in a span of five days when No. 16 Auburn visits Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday.

Tip time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT televised by SEC Network and available online through the WatchESPN platform. Dave Neal and Daymeon Fishback will serve as the announcing team.

The Bulldogs have won 14 of the last 16 meetings between the two teams at the Hump. However, Auburn secured a 76-68 victory in last season's meeting in Starkville. Saturday's meetings marks just the second time in the all-time series that both teams will be ranked, the previous occasion came on Jan. 3, 1959.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Matchup: No. 22 Mississippi State (14-4, 2-3 SEC) vs. No. 16 Auburn (13-5, 2-3 SEC)
Where: Starkville, Mississippi – Humphrey Coliseum
When: Saturday, Jan. 26, 7:30 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Dave Neal, Daymeon Fishback
Online: https://hailst.at/AUvsMSU0126
Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield
Talent: Neil Price, Richard Williams
Affiliates: WKBB-FM 100.9 Starkville/West Point (Full List: https://hailst.at/MBKAffiliates)
Free Online Audio: Hail State Plus (https://hailst.at/MBKListen); Tune-In Radio App (https://hailst.at/MBKTuneIn)
Sirius/XM: Ch. 94 (Sirius), Ch. 192 (XM), Ch. 963 (Internet)

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Mississippi State has posted a 12-17 record and will look to end a five-game losing streak that dates back to the 2003-04 season as a ranked team facing a ranked opponent. MSU secured a 79-75 overtime triumph at South Carolina on Feb. 11, 2004. The Bulldogs also have dropped their last three decisions in ranked versus ranked games at Humphrey Coliseum. MSU's last win in that scenario came during a 71-67 victory over No. 21 Alabama on March 4, 1995 under Richard Williams.

2. Quinndary Weatherspoon has worked his way to double figures in nine of his last 10 and in 16 of 18 games on the season. He heads into Saturday's action with 1,685 career points which ranks tops among SEC active players and fifth on the program's all-time scoring list. The Bulldogs are 20-2 and have won 12 straight games over the last two seasons when Weatherspoon supplies 20-plus points. Weatherspoon is one of five SEC players to have six games of 20 or more points in 2018-19.

3. Lamar Peters is one of nine major conference players to pile up over 200 points and 100 assists on the 2018-19 campaign according to Stat Pass. Four of the nine players reside in the SEC which includes Auburn's Jared Harper. Peters has handed out 355 career assists in 82 career games with the Maroon and White. He enters Saturday's game three dimes shy of passing Jack Bouldin (1970-71-72) for eighth place in program history. Peters has buried 38 of his team-leading 52 three-pointers in his last 11 outings.

4. Aric Holman and Nick Weatherspoon have secured 11.7 and 10.2 points per game, respectively. Weatherspoon has tucked away seven of his 10 games in double figures at home, and the Bulldogs have garnered a 25-9 mark when he provides 10-plus points during his career. Holman is rated among SEC active players in the top 10 in points (921 – 10th), rebounds (620- 4th) and blocks (184 – 2nd).

5. MSU's legacy bench of Tyson Carter, Reggie Perry and Robert Woodard II has notched 20.8 points per game … All three players are sons of former Mississippi State standouts … Carter is ranked sixth among SEC bench players with 9.6 points per game … He has reached double figures in 12 of 18 games on the season, and the Bulldogs are 22-3 over the last two season when Carter pumps in double figures … Perry has racked up 11.6 points per game on 29-of-47 from the floor during his last seven home outings whereas Woodard II hauled down 13 rebounds at No. 8 Kentucky, the most by a MSU player in 2018-19 … Abdul Ado moved into the program's top 10 in blocks during the Kentucky game last time out … He has racked up 16 of his 27 blocks over his last six appearances.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Auburn is one of the nation's most efficient offensive squads averaging 117.6 points per 100 possessions which ranks 10th according to KenPom. The Tigers also are among the nation's top 5 in turnover percentage (26.6 – 1st), block shot percentage (19.1 – 1st) and steal percentage (12.9 – 5th) according to KenPom's metrics.

The Tigers are fueled by its talented backcourt which features Bryce Brown (16.9 PPG) and Jared Harper (15.3 PPG, 6.6 APG). The duo has knocked down a combined 113 of the team's 195 treys on the season and registered 11 games of 20-plus points between them. Brown and Harper also have upped their scoring averages to a combined 37.4 points per game during SEC play.

Austin Wiley (10.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.9 BPG) and Chuma Okeke (10.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 1.2 BPG) have done the heavy lifting for the Tigers on the interior. Wiley has missed AU's last two games due to injury, while Okeke has reached double figures in five of his last seven outings.

Samir Doughty (8.3 PPG, 1.3 SPG), Malik Dunbar (8.2 PPG, 1.2 SPG) and Anfernee McLemore (6.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.7 BPG) have been solid contributors to the Auburn lineup. Dunbar has made all 18 appearances off the bench and collected 10-plus points in four of his last six appearances whereas Doughty has drained 10 of his 21 three-point attempts in SEC action. McLemore has started for the Tigers in back-to-back games taking Wiley's spot.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs wrap the January portion of their schedule with the first of its two matchups against Alabama over a two-week span on Tuesday. Tip time is on-tap for 7:30 p.m. CT from Coleman Coliseum. The game will be televised by SEC Network and available online through the WatchESPN platform.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.