PREVIEW: #8 WBK Hoops at #23 Tennessee

by Josh Lively, Assistant Director/Communications

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 8 Mississippi State is back on the road Thursday night for a top-25 matchup with 23rd-ranked Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena at 5:30 p.m. CT.

"This week is a challenge, because we have three games in six days and two days between each game," said head coach Vic Schaefer. "There's not a day to take off and have one day of prep. You certainly aren't going to do that against Tennessee. Then we come back and have two days to get ready for Texas A&M. It's a real challenge this week with us having a Monday game and then be on the road Thursday. It'll be a little bit of a challenge for this group, but I know they'll be excited about going and playing on Thursday. They better be, because I know Tennessee is going to be ready for us for what should be a great game. I'm excited to watch our kids play in that environment. It'll be very similar to the one we saw at South Carolina. We'll have to go in there and play really well and execute against a really tall and talented Tennessee team."

The Bulldogs (20-3, 8-1 SEC) had a quick turnaround after 67-53 win against Georgia on Monday night. The game with the Lady Vols (17-5, 7-2 SEC) is the first of three-straight against ranked opponents for State, with contests against Texas A&M and Kentucky following. MSU has won six of the last seven meetings with Tennessee and each of the last three matchups.

Rickea Jackson claimed her second SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Tuesday after averaging 23.0 points per game behind 60-percent shooting from the field in wins against Auburn and Georgia. Against UGA, she dropped a career-high 24 points, marking the fourth time during conference play she had eclipsed the 20-point margin.

Tennessee is coming off a 69-48 loss at South Carolina. Entering that matchup, the Lady Vols had won six in a row in SEC play. Junior Rennia Davis has been the best player for UT this season, averaging 18.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

Fans can watch the game on SEC Network with Courtney Lyle, Carolyn Peck and Andraya Carter on the call. The game will also be streamed on MSU Radio Network with Jason Crowder and Charlie Winfield on the call and can be streamed on HailState.com/plus and the Tune In app.

For more information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's basketball on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateWBK."

Bulldog Bites
• With Mississippi State currently 8-1 in SEC play, the Bulldogs have their sights set on a third consecutive SEC title, a feat that no program has accomplished outright since 2001-04.
• The win Monday night against Georgia gave Mississippi State its 20th win of the season, marking the seventh-straight season of 20-plus wins under Schaefer after the program had four 20-win campaigns in the 38 years prior to his arrival.
• Freshman Rickea Jackson leads all SEC freshmen in scoring (16.4 ppg) and ranks second in field goal percentage (.513) during SEC play. For the year, she leads the team in scoring (13.9 ppg) and is third in rebounding (4.3 rpg). She has scored in double figures in 16 games on the year.
• Jackson marks the first true freshman to start the season for Schaefer since 2014-15 with Victoria Vivians, who was second team All-SEC during her first season after averaging 14.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. With four 20-point games during conference play, Jackson is the first MSU freshman to post multiple 20-point games in SEC play since Vivians had three.
• Jackson is the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging averaging 23.0 points per game behind 60-percent shooting from the field in wins against Auburn and Georgia. This was the second time Jackson earned the weekly honor. Aliyah Matharu was the SEC FOW last week.
• Graduate guard Jordan Danberry leads the team steals (2.7 spg) while ranking second in assists (3.3 apg) and third in scoring (13.1 ppg). She ranks 17th among Division I players in total steals (62) and 25th in steals per game to pace a Mississippi State defense that leads the SEC in turnovers forced per game (22.0).
• With the departure of SEC Player of the Year Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State had a major void to fill in the post this season. Sophomore forward Jessika Carter has helped answer that need, averaging 13.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. As a sophomore, McCowan averaged 8.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
• Carter has been one of the nation's top rebounders this season, especially on the offensive end of the floor. She is averaging 4.5 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks eighth in the Division I. Her 213 rebounds are the 26th most in the country.

State's Offense Among Best in the Country
• Although Vic Schaefer's teams are widely known for their defense, Mississippi State has established itself as one of the best offensive teams in Division I.
• This season, State ranks seventh in the nation in scoring margin (+22.7) and 10th in scoring offense at 80.9 ppg.
• With four players shooting over 50 percent from the field, the Bulldogs rank eighth in the country and top the SEC in field goal percentage with a .475 clip.
• Another key to MSU's offensive success has been its ability to take care of the ball and make the extra passes for better shots. State ranks fourth in the SEC in assists per game (14.0 apg) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.06).
• When the Bulldogs aren't knocking down shots, State is crashing the glass to get a second opportunity at a basket. With 322 offensive rebounds on the season, Mississippi State has gotten the rebound on 41 percent of its missed baskets and turned that into 344 second-chance points.

Deep Dive into State's Specialty Stats
• When it comes to specialty stats, Mississippi State leads its opponents in all five categories this year.
• The Bulldogs have been able to score at will down low this season. MSU has posted 1060 of its points in the paint, which accounts for 57 percent of the team's total scoring. State has scored at least 50 points in the paint seven times.
• With defense being a top priority, Mississippi State has been able to turn its 504 turnovers forced into 574 points. That accounts for nearly a third of the team's scoring this year.
• MSU is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to field goal percentage, but when it does miss, State has been able to get an offensive rebound on 41 percent of its missed shots, which the Bulldogs have capitalized on and turned into 344 second-chance points.
• While MSU has three starters that are averaging double-digit scoring, Mississippi State's bench has also provided a much-needed spark in several games this season. With 640 bench points this year, State is getting an average of 27.8 points per game from the reserves. During SEC play, MSU's bench has outscored opponents in all but two games.
• When the Bulldogs get a turnover, one of the things that MSU wants to do is turn that into quick points in transition. So far, State has 349 fast break points this season.

State Going Wire to Wire
• Mississippi State has been quick to get a leader over opponents this year to get the momentum in its favor. The Bulldogs own eight wire-to-wire victories in which they never trailed.
• Three of the games have come against SEC opponents, including an 80-39 win against Ole Miss that saw MSU open the game on a 12-0 run.
• In six of the wire-to-wire wins, State scored within a minute of the tip to get the offense rolling early.

Jackson, Matharu Earn SEC Freshman of the Week Honors
• Entering the season, Mississippi State knew it would have to rely on freshmen in order to succeed and the group has lived up to the hype as the highest-rated signing class in program history. During conference play, Rickea Jackson (2x) and Aliyah Matharu (1x) have been tabbed the SEC Freshman of the Week a total of three times.
• Jackson most recently won the weekly award after averaging 23 points per game and shooting 60 percent from the field in State's wins against Auburn and Georgia.
• Jackson notched a career-high 24 points against Georgia, besting her previous career high of 22 points from the game before against Auburn.
• Matharu received the honor for averaging 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game while coming off the bench in State's wins at Vanderbilt and against Ole Miss.
• Down by two possessions entering the fourth quarter at Vanderbilt, Matharu scored 11 of MSU's 22 points to fuel the offense and recorded three steals to spearhead a zone defense by State that held the Commodores to just two points in the period. She finished with 14 points, four rebounds and a career-high four steals.
• The Washington, D.C., native followed that performance up by posting her seventh double-digit scoring effort of the year with 11 points in the win against Ole Miss.
• A freshman has been recognized for the weekly honor by the SEC 14 times under head coach Vic Schaefer. Jackson and Matharu are the first freshman duo to win the award in the same season since Victoria Vivians and Morgan William achieved the same feat during the 2014-15 campaign.

State Assistants Recognized for Coaching Efforts
• Mississippi State's two associate head coaches have each been recognized for their professionalism, hard work and promise in the coaching field.
• Johnnie Harris, who was named the WBCA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2018, has been selected to participate in this year's NEXT UP program at the Final Four. This is a competitive program that promotes up-and-coming coaches in women's basketball that are likely to become head coaches.
• Harris has been responsible for coaching some of the best post players in program history at State, including Teaira McCowan who she mentored during record-setting senior and junior campaigns in 2017-19.
• Dionnah Jackson-Durrett was honored last month at the 2019 Delux Power 100, which recognizes the top 100 professionals and influential leaders from St. Louis. She is considered one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the country.
• An All-America point guard at Oklahoma, Jackson-Durrett's presence in Starkville has been felt since she arrived in 2015. Working with the point guards, Mississippi State recorded its top three assists marks for a single season each of the last three years under her guidance and coached and mentored arguably the two best point guards ever to play for the Bulldogs in Jazzmun Holmes and Morgan William.

PREVIEW: #8 WBK Hoops at #23 Tennessee

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Players Mentioned

Jessika Carter

Jordan Danberry

Jazzmun Holmes

Rickea Jackson

Aliyah Matharu

Teaira McCowan

Victoria Vivians

Morgan William

Mississippi State University Athletics