Bulldogs Play Host To Rebels As Part Of SEC Throwback Weekend
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STARKVILLE, Miss. - As part of the SEC Throwback Week festivities, theBulldogs of Mississippi State (12-12, 2-9 SEC) return home for the firsttime in two weeks to play host to the Mississippi Rebels (14-10, 4-7)Saturday afternoon on the MSU campus. Tip-off at State's Humphrey Coliseumis set for 2:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised nationally by ESPNClassic. The 233rd all-time series meeting between these two in-staterivals can also be heard on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (Channel 117) via MSU'sradio broadcast.
Both State and Ole Miss, as will all of the conference members, will besporting retro-style uniforms from previous eras this weekend, next week aswell as during this year's SEC Tournament, March 9-12, in Nashville.
Saddled with their first losing conference season since 2000-01 followingWednesday's 72-59 road loss to the 25th-ranked and SEC West-leading LSUTigers, coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs are now at 12-12 overall on the yearand 2-9 in SEC play. Since claiming a 69-67 home win over Arkansas in theteam's league opener back on Jan. 7, State has dropped nine of its last 10decisions. With an 8-5 home record on the season (2-3 in SEC play), theBulldogs will be playing at home for the first time since claiming a 71-53home win over Auburn two weeks ago on Feb. 4. Saturday's game with Ole Missalso marks MSU's sixth of six consecutive televised games for the Bulldogsover the past three weeks. This weekend's first and only appearance on theESPN family of networks this regular season for MSU also marks State'sfirst-ever appearance on ESPN Classic.
Individually, Mississippi State continues to be powered by all-SECcandidates Jamont Gordon and Charles Rhodes. A three-time SEC Freshman ofthe Week recipient this season, Gordon ranks 12th in the league in scoring(13.5 ppg), 11th in rebounding (6.5 rpg) and ninth in assists (4.0 apg).The former prep school all-American at Virginia's Oak Hill Academy entersthe weekend ranked 11th nationally among the leading freshmen scorers, 14thin rebounding and 20th in assists. Averaging 13.1 points (T-13th in theSEC) and 7.3 rebounds (8th) for all games on the season, Rhodes has boostedthose numbers by averaging 17.1 points (6th in the SEC) and 9.0 boards(T-2nd) per contest against conference competition. Senior guard JamallEdmondson and junior swingman Dietric Slater are contributing 12.9 and 9.5points per game, respectively, on the year.
Guided by eighth-year head coach and former Ole Miss standout guard RodBarnes, the Mississippi Rebels are 14-10 overall and 4-7 in league actionafter snapping their seven-game losing streak with Wednesday's 73-70 hometriumph over Arkansas. Prior to this week, UM hadn't won since claiming a75-65 home win over Mississippi State in Oxford back on Jan. 14. Sophomorecenter and former Auburn transfer Dwayne Curtis paces Ole Miss in scoring(13.6 ppg), rebounding (7.5 rpg), field-goal percentage (58.0%), blockedshots (18) and steals (33).
With the Bulldogs owning a 130-102 all-time series lead over Mississippi ina hardwood rivalry that dates back to the 1913-14 season, the State-Ole Missseries is the most-played hoops rivalry in the history of the SoutheasternConference. Having claimed 20 of the last 22 Starkville meetings betweenthese two in-state rivals, the Bulldogs are undefeated (7-0) at home againstthe Rebels during the Stansbury era.