Bulldogs Clash In Opening Round Of SEC Tournament

? 2009 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament Central
? 2009 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket

STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Mississippi State travels to Tampa, Fla., on Thursday for a 2:15 p.m. CT outing with Georgia in the opening round of the SEC Tournament, with the winner advancing to Friday’s quarterfinals against South Carolina.

The showdown at the St. Pete Times Forum will be televised by Raycom, with Tom Hammond handling the play-by-play duties and Larry Conley serving as the analyst.

Earlier this year in Athens on ESPN2, MSU took down the Bulldogs 67-61 to collect its second of four SEC road wins.

Thursday also features a rematch of last year’s semifinals in Atlanta, when Georgia staked a 64-60 stunner to continue its miraculous run toward the title.

The Bulldogs make the trek to the Sunshine State sporting a 21-46 ledger in this annual event and are 10-9 with Rick Stansbury at the helm. Thursday also marks the 11th meeting between MSU and the Bulldogs in the SEC Tournament, with Georgia holding an 8-2 advantage.

Mississippi State (19-12, 9-7) enters postseason play led in scoring (13.0) and rebounding (9.0) by the two-time defending SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Jarvis Varnado. Dee Bost, who was named to the SEC’s All-Freshman team earlier this week, leads MSU with 135 assists and is averaging 11.5 points.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Bulldogs Clash In Opening Round Of SEC Tournament