How to Watch Ole Miss Basketball vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs in SEC Showdown

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Ole Miss men's basketball team looks to ride their momentum following a ranked conference road win, as they gear up for a Saturday night game with in-state rival Mississippi State on January 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Humphery Coliseum on the SEC Network.

TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 10-7, 2-2 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 3rd Season at Ole Miss (54-31) • 291-129 career record (14th Season)

Mississippi State Bulldogs (Record: 10-7, 2-2 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Jans • 4th Season at Mississippi State (73-47) • 216-91 career record (10th Season)

ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Matt Schumacker
Analyst: Rodney Terry

OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Gary Darby
Analyst: Murphy Holloway

SERIES HISTORY VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE
The 12th-most played rivalry in the history of college basketball, this will be the 273rd time Ole Miss and Mississippi State have faced each other. The Bulldogs lead 152-120 in the series that dates back to 1914, holding a 99-26 advantage when playing in Starkville.

LAST MEETING: February 15, 2025 (L, 71-81, Oxford, Miss.)
• A ranked matchup for the first time last season, this was the second iteration of the rivalry game in 2024-25, with the No. 22 Bulldogs claiming an early lead before winning by 10 over No. 19 Ole Miss.
• Jaylen Murray (Ole Miss): 14 points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal.
• RJ Melendez (Miss. St.): 17 points, five rebounds, one steal.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Entering with an identical record to Ole Miss, Mississippi State is 10-7 on the season with a 2-2 record in conference action.

Picking up wins over Georgia Tech, Utah, and Memphis in 2025, they've defeated Texas in overtime and Oklahoma to start SEC action before dropping back-to-back games with Kentucky and No. 18 Alabama. The Bulldogs currently sit in 78th in the latest KenPom rankings and 92nd in the NET Rankings.

State has been paced by their two guards so far this season, led by one of the best scorers in the nation in Josh Hubbard (22.8 points per game) and Jayden Epps (15.6 points per game). One of the stronger rebounding teams in the country, they are led on the boards by Wichita State transfer Quincy Ballard at 7.5 per game and Kansas State transfer Achor Achor at 7.0 per outing.

A strong presence in the frontcourt paired with their high-scoring guards has been the identity for Mississippi State this season, as they ranked 24th in the country in defensive rebounds per game (28.2) and 28th in total rebounds per game (40.7).

Their bigs have also had an impact down low on defense, averaging 4.6 blocks per game to rank 43rd in the nation, as Ballard and Jamarion Davis-Fleming each have over 20 blocks on the season.

Currently in his fourth year with the program, head coach Chris Jans has won just over 70 games during his time in Starkville. He's won 21 games in each of his first three seasons with State, and joined the program from New Mexico State, where he accumulated 122 wins to just 32 losses over five seasons. He got his first Division I head coaching position at Bowling Green during the 2014-15 season, after years of success at the junior college level.

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