SEC Basketball Notebook

SEC Basketball Notebook

By Randy Rosetta
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Mississippi State didn’t get a three-game road trip off to a good start Saturday and heads into tonight’s game at Missouri in need of momentum with SEC play looming in a few days.

The Bulldogs lost at George Mason 63-59 on Saturday to snap a seven-game winning streak, the last six by double digits.

Now MSU switches its attention to a difficult stretch of 11 days when the Bulldogs will play on the road at Mizzou, Tennessee (Sunday) and Kentucky (Jan. 13).

State is 9-3 and getting major contributions from its underclass core. The Bulldogs’ five sophomores and four freshmen account for 85 percent of minutes played, 84 percent of the team’s scoring, 81 percent of rebounding and 92 percent of the assists.

The ringleader is sophomore swing man Jamont Gordon, who ranks among the SEC’s top-10 individuals in scoring (15.3 points per game), rebounding (7.8 per game) and assists (4.8 per game).

The MSU youngsters haven’t struggled to figure out defense at the Division I level. The Bulldogs lead the league in field-goal defense (35.7 percent), 3-point field-goal defense (22.7 percent) and blocked shots (7.5 per game). Freshman forward Jarvis Varnado is producing 2.9 rejections a game, third in the SEC.

Mississippi State and Missouri have met just once – a 102-78 Tiger victory in 1974. Despite road losses this season at Clemson and George Mason, the Bulldogs have won 16 of their last 18 non-conference road games. But Missouri counters with a similar streak, with 16 home wins in a row against non-league opponents, 10 straight this year. Included in the Tigers’ run this season is an impressive 86-64 triumph over Arkansas.

Mizzou is a 2.5-point favorite on http://www.nfl-sports-betting.net