With both teams coming off a weekend loss, Mississippi State and Tennessee are set to collide on Tuesday night in a rematch from earlier this month, when the Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs, 87-53, back on January 3 in Knoxville. The Bulldogs have also lost eight of the last nine meetings with Tennessee, with Mississippi State’s lone win coming during the 2019-20 season in Starkville.
Mississippi State comes into this game with a 12-5 overall record, but have struggled during SEC play so far, owning a 1-4 mark against conference opponents. This comes after the Bulldogs began the year undefeated at 11-0, with Mississippi State at the moment having dropped five of their last six games.
The nation’s No. 5 scoring defense allowing only 57.5 PPG, Mississippi State averages 65.6 PPG themselves, and are led by one of the conference’s top players in forward Tolu Smith, averaging season totals of 14 PPG and 7.8 RPG. Mississippi State is also a Top 10 team nationally in both offensive rebounds and steals, and has four others averaging 6+ PPG in D.J. Jeffries, Dashawn Davis, Shakeel Moore, and Cameron Matthews.
Tennessee, who is ranked as the No. 5 team in the country according to the latest AP Poll, sits at 14-3 overall, as well as 4-1 in SEC play. The Volunteers, as mentioned previously, are coming off a 63-56 defeat to Kentucky on Saturday, one that snapped what was a five-game winning streak for Tennessee.
The Volunteers rank No. 2 nationally in scoring defense at 54 PPG, while also ranking Top 10 in the country with 18 APG. Offensively, Tennessee averages 74.4 PPG, and have five players averaging at-least 8+ PPG in Santiago Vescovi, Olivier Nkamhoua, Julian Phillips, Zakai Zeigler, and Josiah-Jordan James.
Mississippi State vs Tennessee SEC Basketball Prediction
A head-to-head matchup that Tennessee has owned in recent years, the pick to win goes to the Volunteers, even despite them being on the road in what could be a close, low-scoring contest. Prediction: Mississippi State 61, Tennessee 67
What Channel is the Mississippi State vs Tennessee Game On?
Mississippi State will host No. 5 Tennessee on Tuesday, January 17 from Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, MS, with tipoff set for 7:00 PM ET on ESPN2.
Mississippi State vs Tennessee Live Stream
The SEC basketball showdown between Mississippi State and Tennessee can be found on fuboTV here.