Tennessee visits Mississippi State on Saturday in a key SEC basketball matchup. Look inside for a preview of the game along with a prediction of the game’s final score.
By 14Powers Hoops
Stats | RPI | Players | Scouting Report | Prediction | Time/TV
Team Statistical Comparison
| FG% | 3PT% | FT% | ORB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | |
| Tennessee | 0.432 | 0.307 | 0.751 | 191 | 717 | 301 | 115 | 122 | 279 |
| Tennessee OPP | 0.378 | 0.302 | 0.674 | 215 | 687 | 193 | 150 | 61 | 264 |
| Mississippi State | 0.462 | 0.338 | 0.740 | 265 | 773 | 268 | 121 | 101 | 282 |
| Mississippi State OPP | 0.415 | 0.310 | 0.698 | 209 | 606 | 235 | 140 | 62 | 248 |
Stats | RPI | Players | Scouting Report | Prediction | Time/TV
Statistical Leaders
Tennessee Scoring Leaders
| PLAYER | TEAM | PPG | FGM | FTM | 3PTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLAYER | TEAM | PPG | FGM | FTM | 3PTM |
| Jordan Bowden | Tennessee | 12.7 | 85 | 51 | 32 |
| John Fulkerson | Tennessee | 11.9 | 95 | 47 | 0 |
| Yves Pons | Tennessee | 11.4 | 86 | 35 | 20 |
| Josiah-Jordan James | Tennessee | 7.8 | 53 | 28 | 22 |
| Olivier Nkamhoua | Tennessee | 4.2 | 36 | 10 | 1 |
| Jalen Johnson | Tennessee | 3.1 | 19 | 11 | 13 |
| Davonte Gaines | Tennessee | 2.7 | 12 | 22 | 3 |
| Drew Pember | Tennessee | 1.7 | 6 | 10 | 3 |
Tennessee Rebounding Leaders
| PLAYER | TEAM | OR | DR | TR | RPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLAYER | TEAM | OR | DR | TR | RPG |
| John Fulkerson | Tennessee | 39 | 83.0 | 122 | 6.1 |
| Josiah-Jordan James | Tennessee | 20 | 94.0 | 114 | 5.7 |
| Yves Pons | Tennessee | 27 | 70.0 | 97 | 4.9 |
| Jordan Bowden | Tennessee | 7 | 68.0 | 75 | 3.8 |
| Olivier Nkamhoua | Tennessee | 29 | 45.0 | 74 | 3.7 |
| Jalen Johnson | Tennessee | 10 | 32.0 | 42 | 2.1 |
| Lamonte Turner | Tennessee | 7 | 32.0 | 39 | 3.5 |
| Davonte Gaines | Tennessee | 7 | 22.0 | 29 | 1.6 |
| Santiago Vescovi | Tennessee | 4 | 25.0 | 29 | 3.6 |
| Drew Pember | Tennessee | 8 | 11.0 | 19 | 1.3 |
| Uros Plavsic | Tennessee | 2 | 2.0 | 4 | 0.8 |
| Zach Kent | Tennessee | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 1.0 |
Mississippi State Scoring Leaders
| PLAYER | TEAM | PPG | FGM | FTM | 3PTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLAYER | TEAM | PPG | FGM | FTM | 3PTM |
| Reggie Perry | Mississippi State | 16.9 | 123 | 75 | 17 |
| Tyson Carter | Mississippi State | 13.6 | 86 | 62 | 37 |
| Robert Woodard II | Mississippi State | 11.8 | 90 | 32 | 23 |
| D.J. Stewart Jr. | Mississippi State | 7.8 | 59 | 23 | 14 |
| Iverson Molinar | Mississippi State | 7.3 | 51 | 31 | 12 |
| Abdul Ado | Mississippi State | 5.6 | 42 | 27 | 0 |
| KeyShawn Feazell | Mississippi State | 1.8 | 11 | 4 | 4 |
| Prince Oduro | Mississippi State | 1.6 | 7 | 11 | 0 |
Mississippi State Rebounding Leaders
| PLAYER | TEAM | OR | DR | TR | RPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLAYER | TEAM | OR | DR | TR | RPG |
| Reggie Perry | Mississippi State | 66 | 133.0 | 199 | 10.0 |
| Robert Woodard II | Mississippi State | 50 | 97.0 | 147 | 7.4 |
| Abdul Ado | Mississippi State | 70 | 67.0 | 137 | 6.9 |
| Tyson Carter | Mississippi State | 4 | 46.0 | 50 | 2.5 |
| D.J. Stewart Jr. | Mississippi State | 4 | 39.0 | 43 | 2.2 |
| KeyShawn Feazell | Mississippi State | 10 | 31.0 | 41 | 2.4 |
| Nick Weatherspoon | Mississippi State | 5 | 28.0 | 33 | 3.3 |
| Iverson Molinar | Mississippi State | 5 | 17.0 | 22 | 1.1 |
| Prince Oduro | Mississippi State | 6 | 12.0 | 18 | 1.1 |
| Quinten Post | Mississippi State | 2 | 8.0 | 10 | 1.7 |
| Devin Butts | Mississippi State | 2 | 0.0 | 2 | 0.3 |
| Elias King | Mississippi State | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 0.3 |
| Mitchell Storm | Mississippi State | 1 | 1.0 | 2 | 0.7 |
Stats | RPI | Players | Scouting Report | Prediction | Time/TV
NCAA RPI
Tennessee: 61
Mississippi State: 43
Tennessee Roster
| No. | Name | Pos. | HT | WT | Class | City-State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Davonte Gaines | G | 6′-7″ | 178 | FR | Buffalo, NY |
| 1 | Lamonte Turner | G | 6′-2″ | 187 | SR | Florence, AL |
| 3 | Drew Pember | F | 6′-9″ | 207 | FR | Knoxville, TN |
| 4 | Jacob Fleschman | G | 6′-3″ | 176 | JR | Austin, TX |
| 5 | Josiah-Jordan James | G | 6′-6″ | 208 | FR | Charleston, SC |
| 10 | John Fulkerson | F | 6′-9″ | 212 | JR | Kingsport, TN |
| 12 | Victor Bailey Jr. | G | 6′-4″ | 186 | JR | Austin, TX |
| 13 | Jalen Johnson | G | 6′-6″ | 196 | JR | Durham, NC |
| 21 | Olivier Nkamhoua | F | 6′-8″ | 224 | FR | Cumberland, MD |
| 23 | Jordan Bowden | G | 6′-5″ | 193 | SR | Knoxville, TN |
| 30 | Brock Jancek | F | 6′-8″ | 222 | SO | Knoxville, TN |
| 33 | Zach Kent | F | 6′-11″ | 235 | SO | Magnolia, DE |
| 34 | Uros Plavsic | F | 7′-0″ | 240 | FR | Chattanooga, TN |
| 35 | Yves Pons | G | 6′-6″ | 215 | JR | Paris, FR |
Mississippi State Roster
| No. | Name | Pos. | HT | WT | Class | City-State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Nick Weatherspoon | G | 6′-2″ | 185 | JR | Canton, MS |
| 1 | Reggie Perry | F | 6′-10″ | 250 | SO | Thomasville, GA |
| 2 | Elias King | F | 6′-8″ | 205 | FR | Suwanee, GA |
| 3 | D.J. Stewart Jr. | G | 6′-6″ | 200 | FR | Grace, MS |
| 4 | Devin Butts | G | 6′-5″ | 180 | FR | Macon, GA |
| 5 | Iverson Molinar | G | 6′-3″ | 195 | FR | Marietta, GA |
| 10 | Tate Clayton | G | 6′-2″ | 170 | JR | Tupelo, MS |
| 12 | Robert Woodard II | G | 6′-7″ | 230 | SO | Columbus, MS |
| 13 | Reggie Miller | G | 6′-5″ | 185 | SR | Saltillo, MS |
| 15 | Prince Oduro | F | 6′-8″ | 250 | SO | Toronto, ON |
| 20 | Mitch Storm | F | 6′-7″ | 200 | SR | Madison, MS |
| 21 | Justin Rumph | G | 6′-5″ | 215 | JR | Birmingham, AL |
| 22 | KeyShawn Feazell | F | 6′-8″ | 225 | JR | Newhebron, MS |
| 23 | Tyson Carter | G | 6′-4″ | 175 | SR | Starkville, MS |
| 24 | Abdul Ado | F | 6′-11″ | 255 | JR | Lagos, Nigeria |
| 25 | Isaac Stansbury | G | 6′-1″ | 160 | FR | Bowling Green, KY |
| 30 | Andrew Junkin | F | 6′-11″ | 240 | FR | New Hope, MS |
| 32 | Quinten Post | F | 7′-0″ | 225 | FR | Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
| 35 | Tolu Smith | F | 6′-10″ | 240 | SO | Bay Saint Louis, MS |
| 45 | E.J. Datcher | C | 6′-10″ | 255 | SR | Harpersville, AL |
Stats | RPI | Players | Scouting Report | Prediction | Time/TV
Scouting Report
Tennessee (12-8, 4-3 SEC) fell to Texas A&M 63-58 on Saturday in Knoxville. Tennessee led most of the first part of the opening half. However, the Aggies were able to tie the in the final 30 seconds of the half on free throws by Jonathan Aku. In the second half the Vols retook the lead quickly and then built a 39-32 lead with 14:28 left to play. The two teams were tied or swapped leads several times late in the second half. Back-to-back threes by A&M inside the final 1:30 of the game tied and then suddenly put the Aggies up 56-53. The Aggies then made their free throws down the stretch to pick up the road win. Wendell Mitchell led the Aggies with 23 points. John Fulkerson’s 15 points led the Vols. Tennessee out-shot A&M from the field 46.7%-30.4% but the Aggies were 22/29 from the free throw line compared to Tennessee 10/15. The 12 more free throws made by A&M were the difference in this game.
Jordan Bowden leads the Vols in scoring at 12.7 points per contest. John Fulkerson is the Vols’ second leading scorer for the season averaging 11.9 points per game. Josiah-Jordan James is the Vols leading rebounder pulling down 5.7 boards a game. Tennessee is currently No. 1 in the SEC in scoring defense (50.0 ppg). A big reason for that is that the Vols are very stingy at allowing opponents to make field goals (37.8%, No. 1 SEC). For the season, the Vols are hitting 43% of their field goals, 30.7% of 3-point shots and 75.3% of free throws.
Mississippi State (13-7, 4-3 SEC) defeated Florida 78-71 and Saturday in Gainesville. Mississippi State led this game early very briefly. However, Florida controlled this game for the remainder of the first half. The Gators led by as much as 16 points before heading to halftime up 45-35. In the second half the Bulldogs gradually chipped away at the Florida lead before taking a 59-58 lead with 8:58 to play on a Noah Locke jump shot. Florida would never lead again. Down the stretch the State players made their free throws and defended Florida well to escape with a big time resume building road win. MSU won this game with superior shooting hitting almost 54% from the field compared to Florida’s 45%. The Bulldogs also hit 88% of free throws, which is impressive in a road venue. Reggie Perry led the Bulldogs in scoring with 27 points. Scottie Lewis topped the Gators with 17 points.
Forward Reggie Perry leads in Bulldogs in both scoring (16.9 ppg) and rebounding (10.0 rpg). Two other players, Tyson Carter (13.6 ppg) and Robert Woodard II (11.8 ppg) also average in double figures. Guard Nick Weatherspoon earlier in the season returned to the team after a long suspension and is averaging 12.3 points in the ten games he’s played in so far this season. Mississippi State is second in the SEC in 3-point shooting accuracy (33.8%) but the Dogs have only made 334 attempts. That number is among the fewest in the conference. The Bulldogs are first in the SEC in rebounding margin (+8.4). MSU is also fourth in the SEC in blocks shots (5.1 bpg).
Mississippi State is another team that seems to have improved some. Tennessee might steal one but playing in Starkville makes State the more likely pick to win.
Tennessee-Mississippi State Prediction
Mississippi State 73, Tennessee 70
Saturday‘s game tips off at 2:00 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT). TV: ESPNU.
Stats | RPI | Players | Scouting Report | Prediction | Time/TV
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