The Ole Miss men’s basketball team seeks to repeat their triumph over Mississippi State earlier this season when they travel south to face the Bulldogs again on Wednesday, February 21 at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE
Since 1914, Ole Miss and Mississippi State have met on the basketball floor 270 times, matching them with Kansas vs. Missouri and Cal vs. USC for the 12th-most played series in collegiate basketball history. The Bulldogs lead the rivalry 149-120 overall and 97-26 in Starkville.
LAST MEETING: JANUARY 20, 2024 (W, 86-82, OXFORD, MISS.)
A crowd of 10,630 watched the Rebels defeat the Bulldogs by four points, breaking the program’s attendance record by more than 1,000.
– Jaylen Murray put on a display with 21 points and 11 assists, which ties him for the 10th most assists in a game in school history. Matthew Murrell added 20 points, and TJ Caldwell came off the bench to score 18.
– Josh Hubbard led the Bulldogs with 21 points, and Cameron Matthews had a double-double (16 points and 12 rebounds).
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Mississippi State is presently ranked seventh in the SEC standings, with a record of 17-8 overall and 6-6 in conference. They have defeated No. 5 Tennessee, Vanderbilt, No. 8 Auburn, Georgia, Missouri, and Arkansas. Earlier in the season, the Bulldogs won important non-conference games over Arizona State, Washington State, Northwestern, and Tulane.
Tolu Smith, a fifth-year forward, has led the team in scoring after returning from a late-preseason injury, averaging 16.1 points per game. The Bay St. Louis, Mississippi native is also the team’s top rebounder, averaging 8.2 boards per game. Josh Hubbard, a freshman, is the team’s second leading scorer, averaging 15.0 points per game. Hubbard is among the best in the SEC and NCAA in three-point attempts (196; No. 37 NCAA, No. 2 SEC), three-pointers made per game (2.76; No. 48 NCAA, No. 1 SEC), and three-point percentage (35.2 percent; No. 79 NCAA, No. 3 SEC).
Mississippi State has hung their hat on strong defensive play this season, especially on deep shots, owning the eighth-best three-point defensive percentage in college basketball at 28.5 percent. Their opponent’s field goal percentage of 40.6 ranks third in the SEC and 33rd in college basketball. Highlighted by Hubbard’s performances earlier this year, the team also ranks 27th in the nation in bench points per game, averaging 28.0.
In his eighth season as a collegiate head coach and second year with the program, Chris Jans leads the Bulldog program and has accumulated a career win-percentage of 73.6. In his previous seven seasons across Mississippi State, New Mexico State and Bowling Green, Jans has six 20-win seasons and a 30-win year in 2018-19.
PARTY IN THE ‘SIP
After setting a record for student attendance on January 24th against Arkansas, the Ole Miss faithful showed out on January 30th for the basketball iteration of the Egg Bowl. Taking on in-state rival Mississippi State, the Rebels picked up an 86-82 victory in front of a record crowd of 10,630 fans. The attendance number topped the record by over 1,000 for the largest crowd at a basketball game in Ole Miss history, and is the fifth-largest crowd ever at an on-campus college basketball game in the state of Mississippi. In their next game against Auburn, the Rebel fans came out in droves once again, as they filled the SJB Pavilion beyond capacity with the second-largest crowd at 9,631.
