Mississippi State returns to action Saturday, playing host to in-state rival Ole Miss. While the Bulldogs (14-6, 4-1) had the week off, Ole Miss (11-9, 2-4) was busy hosting SEC East leader No. 24 Kentucky Tuesday in Oxford.
Ole Miss snapped a three-game skid by upsetting the Wildcats 85-80.
Despite a combined 165 points scored, the Rebels had a good showing defensively. Ole Miss held Kentucky to 38.5 percent from the field, well below the Wildcats’ average of 46 percent.
Conference scoring leader Jodie Meeks, who has averaged more than 29 points per game since SEC play began, was held to 21 points and didn’t hit a field goal in the first half.
Freshman Terrico White and junior David Huertas led the Rebels with 21 points each. Sophomore Malcolm White followed with 20 points.
Huertas averages 19.6 points per game, which is good for the team lead and third place in the conference. Huertas is also the only Rebel to have started each game this season.
MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said his Bulldogs have used the off week to improve as a team in addition to getting much-needed rest.
“There are some mental parts of the game where you like to get some mental rest as well as the physical rest,” Stansbury said. “You’re preparing constantly for a game every three or four days, particularly on a young team, it takes a toll.”
Statistically, State and Ole Miss are similar. According to WarrenNolan.com, the teams are 12 places apart in the RPI; Ole Miss is No. 63 while MSU is No. 75. Ole Miss benefits from having the 15th hardest schedule of any team in the country, according to the site.
In points scored, the two teams are virtually identical. MSU averages 74.3 points per game and 70 points in conference, while UM scores 73.2 per game and 70.3 per SEC game.
Ole Miss is the better rebounding club, pulling down more than eight more boards per SEC game than the Bulldogs.
Defensively, MSU holds a decided advantage, holding opponents to 65.4 points overall; UM allows 72.6 points per game.
State also boasts the nation’s leading shot blocker in junior Jarvis Varnado, leading to the SEC’s second-best field goal percentage defense.
Varnado also leads State offensively, averaging 13 points per game. Sophomore Ravern Johnson follows with 12.5 points per game, with nearly 60 percent of his points coming from beyond the arc.
The Rebels started the season with high hopes after a successful National Invitation Tournament run in 2008, but have been hit hard by injury. The Rebels lost starting guards Chris Warren and Eniel Polynice early in the season. Both were regular starters on last season’s NIT semifinal team.
Mississippi State and Ole Miss last found themselves in the same arena Dec. 18, when UM played Louisville and MSU played Cincinnati in the SEC/Big East Challenge at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.
MSU and Ole Miss lost by eight and nine points, respectively, but the trip proved even more damaging for the Rebels. That trip saw not only the injury of Warren, but saw UM head coach Andy Kennedy allegedly assault a cab driver after shouting racial slurs.
The alleged incident resulted in multiple lawsuits in addition to the assault claim, including a suit filed by Kennedy’s wife claiming loss of consortium.
MSU freshman point guard Dee Bost is set to make his debut in the rivalry, but he said veterans Varnado and Barry Stewart have filled him in about the intense competition.
“I’ve heard a lot. It’s a big rivalry and the place will be sold out; everybody will be real loud,” Bost said. “It’s real competitive between both teams.”
The game is scheduled for noon Saturday at Humphrey Coliseum.