STARKVILLE, Miss. - The SEC West-leading Bulldogs of Mississippi State (16-7, 7-2) look to lengthen their divisional lead by playing host to the second-place Arkansas Razorbacks (17-6, 6-3) Saturday afternoon on the MSU campus. Tip-off time for Saturday’s battle of the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division front-runners is set for 3 p.m. CT at MSU’s Humphrey Coliseum.
The contest will be televised nationally on ESPN with Brad Nessler and Jimmy Dykes slated to provide the play-by-play and color analysis, respectively. The 45th all-time series renewal between the Dogs and Hogs can also be heard on XM Satellite Radio Channels 231 and 200.
Winners of 11 of their last 13 contests, coach Rick Stansbury’s 16-7 Bulldogs enter the weekend with a one-game lead over Arkansas atop the SEC West standings. Looking to reach double figures in home wins for the 10th consecutive season under Stansbury’s guidance, MState is 9-3 this year in the friendly confines of Humphrey Coliseum, including a 4-1 SEC home mark. Most recently, MSU claimed a convincing 83-64 road win over the Auburn Tigers last Saturday on the Plains.
The Bulldogs are ranked among the SEC’s top three teams in eight statistical categories for conference games only, including league-leading marks in scoring defense (62.2 ppg), field-goal percentage (.472), field-goal percentage defense (.344) and blocked shots (9.44 bpg). Individually, MState is fueled by the veteran all-star tandem of junior Jamont Gordon and senior Charles Rhodes. Coming off back-to-back, double-double efforts, Gordon ranks fifth in the league in both scoring (18.1 ppg) and assists (4.70 apg). With three double-doubles in his last four outings and playing in his 100th career game Saturday against Arkansas, Rhodes stands 17th among the SEC’s top scorers (14.9 ppg), seventh in rebounding (7.7 rpg), and sixth in both field-goal percentage (.555) and blocks (1.55 bpg).
Guided by first-year head coach and former Kentucky standout John Pelphrey, the Razorbacks had a four-game winning streak snapped this past Wednesday by dropping a 93-71 decision at fourth-ranked Tennessee. Ranked among the league’s top three team leaders in five defensive categories for all games, Arkansas is led in scoring by senior forward Sonny Weems at 15.1 points per game. Sophomore guard Patrick Beverley averages 11.9 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds an outing. The tandem has also combined for 78 made 3-pointers, 118 assists and 63 steals between them on the season. Senior forward/center Darian Townes averages 11.0 points and 4.9 boards off the bench, while Jackson, Miss., native Charles Thomas adds 9.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
The Bulldogs are bidding to snap a three-game series losing skid to Arkansas on Saturday, having most recently dropped a 78-58 road decision to the Razorbacks late last month in Fayetteville. With a 14-5 all-time series advantage over Arkansas in games played in Starkville through the years, MState currently owns a seven-game home winning streak over the Hogs dating back to the 2000-01 campaign. A year ago (Feb. 14, 2007) on the MSU campus, the Bulldogs posted an 84-60 triumph over Arkansas at Humphrey Coliseum.
