Mark Pope says Mississippi State is an aggressive, high turnover forcing team

Pope says the Bulldogs are the typical physical SEC team.
Dec 21, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Josh Hubbard (12) dribbles the ball against the Memphis Tigers during the second half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Josh Hubbard (12) dribbles the ball against the Memphis Tigers during the second half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images / Wesley Hale-Imagn Images
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After falling on the road to Georgia on Tuesday, the Wildcats are still on the road, this time taking on the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday. This one shouldn't be taken lightly, as Mississippi State is ranked No. 14 in the country and are looking to continue their hot 14-1 start to the season.

The Wildcats will be the Bulldogs biggest test of the season so far, and Kentucky is also looking to bounce back after the loss to unranked Georgia. Mark Pope talked to media on Thursday about what the Bulldogs will be bringing, and Kentucky fans need to prepare for another aggressive opponent that the Wildcats will need to be ready to handle, especially on the glass. Not only that, but Mississippi State is a pretty efficient team when it comes to turnovers.

"Whew, they're good. They're really good. You can just clip and paste that onto the next game, too, whatever team. This team is really, really talented. They've got an elite, elite level scorer, playmaker in their point guard (Josh Hubbard), number 12. He's a real talent. He's been doing it for a while. He's really, really dangerous. They have a really unique piece in their starting four (Cameron Matthews). Very much a Draymond Green vibe. He's a really terrific creative passer. He's got an unbelievable sense of space and time away from the ball. He can see cutters, he can pass off the bounce, he can be really aggressive to the rim. He plays like a really, really big point guard, and so he's a really unique piece for them. They're really aggressive. They're a high-turnover forcing team. They're a really aggressive team on the glass. They're a top 30 team on the offensive glass. It's kind of the bio of everybody in the SEC."

Mark Pope on Mississippi State.

Mississippi State is one of the best teams in the country, especially in all aspects of the turnover part of the game. The Bulldogs are ranked 8th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio. Coincidentally, their leading scorer, Josh Hubbard, is the best in the country in assist-to-turnovers, with a 4.90 differential. They really take care of the ball, averaging 9.6 a game, while opponents are averaging 14.6 a game, which also ranks 3rd in the SEC. The Bulldogs are 4th in assists, with 17.1 per game. It's clear they like to separate themselves in the turnovers, because they also rank 3rd in the SEC in steals and 13th nationally, averaging 10.1 per game. Forward Cameron Matthews leads the SEC and is 13th in the nation in steals with 2.5 per game. The Bulldogs have two big men in the top 12 in the SEC in rebounds. Keshawn Murphy is ranked 9th, averaging 7.7 per game, and Matthews, who gets 6.9 per outing.

With another game on the road, the Wildcats are looking for their first win of three games in hostile environments this season. You can catch the showdown between No. 6 Kentucky and No. 14 Mississippi State on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.


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Wyatt Huff
WYATT HUFF

University of Kentucky Basketball and Football beat writer.