Men's Basketball: TCU Draws Mississippi State in Big 12-SEC Challenge
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TCU will close out the non-conference schedule by visiting Mississippi State on Saturday as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
The Horned Frogs (16-4 overall, 5-3 Big 12) and Bulldogs (12-8 Overall, 1-7 SEC) last met in November 2014 during the final game of the Coastal Classic Championship. TCU won that game and took a 3-1 series lead. The teams first met during the 1988-89 season.
No. 11 TCU enters this matchup on a two-game winning streak, featuring blowouts of then-No. 2 Kansas (83-60) and Oklahoma (79-52).
Turnovers and the ensuing fast break points helped spark this latest surge. In two games, the Horned Frogs forced 32 turnovers and scored 36 points off those turnovers.
As expected guard Mike Miles Jr. was the Horned Frogs leading scorer in both wins, including a game-high 23 points against the Sooners. Miles has reached double-digit scoring in 22-straight games.
Not everything has gone perfectly during this stretch, though. Center Eddie Lampkin, the Big 12's best offensive rebounder, suffered an ankle injury at Kansas. He tried playing through it, but showed signs of discomfort. Lampkin was held out of the Oklahoma game.
If Lampkin misses Saturday’s contest, forward Xavier Cork will likely retain a starting role. Cork provided a strong inside presence versus Oklahoma. He scored four points and recorded six rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Controlling the paint will be a difficult task against Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith, a preseason All-SEC First-Team honoree.
Smith is the only Bulldog averaging double-digit scoring (13.8 points) on 55.7% shooting. He also grabs a team-high 8 rebounds per game.
Mississippi State nearly pulled off an upset earlier this week at No. 2 Alabama. The Bulldogs ultimately dropped a 66-63 decision.
Smith scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. Guard Dashawn Davis added 14 points and four steals.
Shooting 57% from the field in the first half and outscoring the Crimson Tide 40-26 inside the key helped keep the game close. A defensive stop with 17 seconds remaining gave Mississippi State a chance to tie the game, but two shot attempts fell short.
Despite a poor conference record, Mississippi State remains a top defensive team in the nation. The Bulldogs allow 38.9% shooting from the field and rank No. 6 nationally in scoring defense (58.7).
It’s the offensive side of the ball that has caused problems. Mississippi State’s 64.9 points per game is 320th out of 352 teams and 28.2% shooting from three-point range ranks No. 343.
D.J. Jeffries, the top three-point shooter, averages 1.15 makes on 27.1% shooting.
The Bulldogs are a top-10 offensive rebounding team (13 rebounds per game). Shutting down second-chance scoring opportunities should fuel TCU’s top-ranked fast break attack (21.3 points per game).
The game will tip off at 3pm central time and be televised on ESPN 2.
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