Battle of the Bulldogs: Georgia vs Mississippi State Preview

Both Bulldogs REALLY need this.

Mississippi State REALLY needed the win over Missouri, too, and wasn't even close. And it REALLY needed a win over Alabama, and didn't pull it off. Those were two home games that were supposed to turn the season around, and they did - but in the wrong way.

Now the Bulldogs have to go to Athens in a must-win moment with Florida and at Ole Miss coming up next.

Those other Bulldogs have won two of their last three, but those were against South Carolina and LSU. Get this, and all of sudden Georgia will push ahead of MSU in the SEC pack.

Mississippi State vs Georgia: College Basketball Game Preview

Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025
Game Time: 1:00 pm ET
How To Watch: SEC Network
Venue: Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, GA
Teams: Mississippi State (16-6), Georgia (16-7)
Fiu Bluesky

Why Mississippi State Will Win

So what is Mississippi State doing right through this rough patch in the SEC?

Nothing went well in the loss to Missouri, but on a painfully inconsistent offense, the threes have been relatively regular at about a 30% clip. This is hardly a great three-point shooting team, but it'll get a few more than Georgia in this.

Georgia turns it over way too much. Mississippi State has to get on the move more in this than it did against Missouri, attacking more defensively and cranking up the fast break points, Georgia can play that game, but that's not really what it likes to do.

For the most part, MSU should be able to hold up on the inside against Georgia star Asa Newell and company, but ...

Why Georgia Will Win

Georgia should own the offensive boards.

Overall, Mississippi State has been a strong rebounding team throughout the year, but it's been badly outrebounded in the last four games with the problems on the defensive glass continuing to be a key issue. It's a momentum thing with this team - it's hard to get any when you're allowing too many second-chance points.

MSU allowed 17 offensive rebounds against Alabama and 18 against South Carolina. It's doing a good job on its own offensive glass, but that's not enough. Between Newell's inside defensive presence, and the team's ability to attack the boards, Mississippi State can't bog down in a half-court game for long stretches.

Mississippi State vs Georgia: Who Will Win?

Georgia's problems tend do come on the road.

The offensive pop stops, the defense has been iffy, and playing Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee didn't help. The Dawgs are 13-1 in Stegeman, and that one loss was by two to Auburn.

It'll be a lower-scoring game than Mississippi State would like. It's a winnable game for the Starkville Bulldogs, but the rebounds and free throws will go to the Athens side.

Mississippi State vs Georgia Prediction

Georgia 72, Mississippi State 69