Bulldogs Travel To LSU Looking To Get Back To .500 Mark In SEC Play
Tim Brando is slated to call the play-by-play action for Lincoln Financial Sports, while Larry Conley is set to provide the color commentary for Saturday's MSU-LSU contest. The 191st hardwood series renewal between the Bulldogs and Tigers can also be heard on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 158.
Riding a season-first, two-game winning streak in SEC play following Wednesday's convincing 84-60 home triumph over Arkansas, coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs are now 14-10 overall and 5-6 in league action. With a5-2 mark against SEC Western Division teams on the year, MSU will be facing its sixth consecutive SEC West opponent Saturday at LSU. In their most recent road action, the Bulldogs snapped their 12-game SEC road losing skid with last Saturday's 91-83 win at Auburn. Having averaged 84.8 points over their last four contests, the Bulldogs are currently leading the SEC in scoring offense (77.3 ppg) for conference games only. Including all games, MState paces the conference in blocked shots (6.79 bpg) and field-goal percentage defense (.393).
Individually, the Bulldogs' offensive attack continues to be powered by the preseason all-SEC tandem of sophomore guard/forward Jamont Gordon (16.1 ppg,7.2 rpg & 4.8 apg) and junior forward Charles Rhodes (12.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg &1.5 bpg). Ranked among the league's top 15 leaders in eight statistical categories for conference games only, Gordon has averaged 18.7 points over his last seven outings, while also having totaled 32 assists and only 14 turnovers during that same span. A second-team all-SEC selection last season, Rhodes has paced the Bulldogs in scoring each of the last two games, including team-high totals of 19 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's home triumph over Arkansas. The Jackson native matched his season high with25 points at Auburn last Saturday.
Guided by 10th-year head coach and former MSU assistant John Brady, the LSU Tigers are 14-11 overall and 3-8 in the conference after dropping a heart-breaking, last-second 71-70 decision at Ole Miss on Wednesday evening.The Tigers have lost seven of their last eight contests (beat Arkansas at home last week), with their last five setbacks having been decided by a collective total of only 17 points. Reigning SEC Player of the Year Glen Davis ranks as the SEC's second-leading scorer (18.2 ppg) and tops the league in rebounding (10.7 rpg). Sophomore forward Tasmin Mitchell is second on the club in both scoring (14.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 rpg), while former Texas Tech transfer Terry Martin averages 10.5 points per outing and is connecting on 45 percent of his three-point shots.
Including their 85-78 home win over LSU earlier this month, the Bulldogs will be looking to complete their first season series sweep of LSU since their 2003-04 SEC championship season. The Bulldogs have claimed 20 of the last 29 MSU-LSU hardwood meetings dating back to the 1993-94 campaign, including 11 straight wins over the Tigers from 1994 through 1999.