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FACTS & STATS: Site: Humphrey Coliseum (10,500) -- Starkville, Mississippi. Television: ESPN. Home Record: Kentucky 5-1, MSU 7-0. Away Record: Kentucky 0-0, MSU 5-0. Neutral Record: Kentucky 5-0, MSU 1-0. Conference Record: Kentucky 1-0, MSU 2-0. Series Record: Kentucky leads, 80-17.
GAME NOTES: Continuing the best start in school history won't be easy for the 20th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs tonight, as they welcome the fifth- ranked Kentucky Wildcats to Humphrey Coliseum for a pivotal early SEC clash. Tubby Smith's Wildcats come into the contest, their first true road game of the season, as winners of three straight, including a 75-63 triumph over previously unbeaten and 20th-ranked Vanderbilt in their SEC opener at home on Saturday. The 75-point effort marked the first time since a 101-72 win over Eastern Kentucky back on December 23rd that UK scored more than 61 points in a game. Kentucky has now won 16 of its last 17 SEC openers and 22 of its last 23 against the Commodores. As for Mississippi State, coach Rick Stansbury has his team firing on all cylinders as it has jumped out to a school-record 13-0 mark to open the season. The Bulldogs are coming off an 80-62 win over visiting Arkansas on Saturday, giving the team a 2-0 mark in SEC play and a perfect 7-0 ledger at home. The team has actually won 14 straight home games, dating back to last season, and is an astounding 32-3 at "The Hump" over the last three years. Mississippi State's 2-0 start to conference play is its first since the 1995-96 season, when it won the SEC West and its first-ever SEC Tournament championship. The Bulldogs also reached the Final Four that year. Kentucky has dominated the all-time series between these two teams, winning 80 of the 97 previous meetings, including seven of the last nine, one of which was the championship game of last year's SEC Tournament.
Kentucky had four players reach double figures in its 12-point win over Vanderbilt on Saturday, with Gerald Fitch, Kelenna Azubuike and Erik Daniels all scoring 16 points. Cliff Hawkins added 12 points, as the Wildcats shot a solid 54.0 percent from the field, including a 5-of-11 showing from beyond the arc. Fitch, who leads UK in scoring this season at 17.6 ppg, dropped 3-of-4 three-pointers and dished out a game-high six assists. Azubuike hauled down a game-high 11 rebounds, as Kentucky, which committed an uncharacteristic 23 turnovers, easily won the battle on the boards, 42-23. The team's defensive stance was top-notch, as Vandy was held to just 41.0 percent shooting from the floor and only 21.7 percent from long range. The Commodores were also guilty of 16 turnovers and were outscored at the foul line, 16-8. In addition to Fitch's stellar season so far, Daniels (14.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg), Chuck Hayes (11.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg), Hawkins (10.7 ppg, 5.7 apg) and Azubuike (10.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg) have all performed up to expectations, helping the Wildcats get off to an impressive 10-1 start. As a team, Kentucky is shooting 47.4 percent from the field, including a 35.8 percent mark from downtown, in putting up 75.2 ppg. By contrast, the team's foes are permitted just 61.4 ppg on typical shooting efforts of only .392 overall, and .300 from three-point land.
Not to be overshadowed by their opponent in this game, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have plenty of reason to be proud of their sensational start to the season. Putting together any kind of lengthy winning streak is hard to do, but to go 13-0 to start a season is something worth noting. In MSU's recent win over Arkansas, it was the Lawrence Roberts show, as the former Baylor star finished with game-highs in both scoring (29 points) and rebounds (11). Roberts had stated before the game that he was shooting for a 20-20 performance, meaning he was going to give it his all at both ends of the court in an effort to keep his team perfect on the year. The 6-9 Roberts hit 11- of-18 field goal attempts and all seven of his free throws, helping the Bulldogs shoot 47.7 percent from the floor and 76.2 percent from the charity stripe. Shane Power came off the bench to net 14 points as the only other Bulldog to reach double figures, while Marcus Campbell grabbed 10 of the team's 45 rebounds in the game. Timmy Bowers, who had led the team in scoring for much of the season, finished with just seven points as he missed 11 of his 13 shots from the field. Through 13 games, Roberts is MSU's current scoring leader (16.8 ppg) as well as its top rebounder (10.8 rpg), while Bowers comes in at 15.8 ppg and Winsome Frazier adds 12.6 ppg. Overall, the Bulldogs are finding the mark on 47.2 percent of their total shots, but just 31.6 percent of their three-pointers. By comparison, the team's foes are shooting a mere 39.7 percent overall, and 32.8 percent from downtown. As a result, MSU owns a +13.2 scoring margin and is outworking the opposition on the glass by more than six rpg.
Both teams are off to tremendous starts and a win here by either team will go a long way toward solidifying their place among the truly elite. The Bulldogs have been unbeatable at home this season, and the latter half of last year as well, but the Wildcats present a serious challenge. Expect Roberts, Bowers and company to battle hard, but in the end, suffer their first defeat of the season. Whether or not it sends the team into a tailspin as tough games against LSU and Florida await, remains to be seen.
FACTS & STATS: Site: Humphrey Coliseum (10,500) -- Starkville, Mississippi. Television: ESPN. Home Record: Kentucky 5-1, MSU 7-0. Away Record: Kentucky 0-0, MSU 5-0. Neutral Record: Kentucky 5-0, MSU 1-0. Conference Record: Kentucky 1-0, MSU 2-0. Series Record: Kentucky leads, 80-17.
GAME NOTES: Continuing the best start in school history won't be easy for the 20th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs tonight, as they welcome the fifth- ranked Kentucky Wildcats to Humphrey Coliseum for a pivotal early SEC clash. Tubby Smith's Wildcats come into the contest, their first true road game of the season, as winners of three straight, including a 75-63 triumph over previously unbeaten and 20th-ranked Vanderbilt in their SEC opener at home on Saturday. The 75-point effort marked the first time since a 101-72 win over Eastern Kentucky back on December 23rd that UK scored more than 61 points in a game. Kentucky has now won 16 of its last 17 SEC openers and 22 of its last 23 against the Commodores. As for Mississippi State, coach Rick Stansbury has his team firing on all cylinders as it has jumped out to a school-record 13-0 mark to open the season. The Bulldogs are coming off an 80-62 win over visiting Arkansas on Saturday, giving the team a 2-0 mark in SEC play and a perfect 7-0 ledger at home. The team has actually won 14 straight home games, dating back to last season, and is an astounding 32-3 at "The Hump" over the last three years. Mississippi State's 2-0 start to conference play is its first since the 1995-96 season, when it won the SEC West and its first-ever SEC Tournament championship. The Bulldogs also reached the Final Four that year. Kentucky has dominated the all-time series between these two teams, winning 80 of the 97 previous meetings, including seven of the last nine, one of which was the championship game of last year's SEC Tournament.
Kentucky had four players reach double figures in its 12-point win over Vanderbilt on Saturday, with Gerald Fitch, Kelenna Azubuike and Erik Daniels all scoring 16 points. Cliff Hawkins added 12 points, as the Wildcats shot a solid 54.0 percent from the field, including a 5-of-11 showing from beyond the arc. Fitch, who leads UK in scoring this season at 17.6 ppg, dropped 3-of-4 three-pointers and dished out a game-high six assists. Azubuike hauled down a game-high 11 rebounds, as Kentucky, which committed an uncharacteristic 23 turnovers, easily won the battle on the boards, 42-23. The team's defensive stance was top-notch, as Vandy was held to just 41.0 percent shooting from the floor and only 21.7 percent from long range. The Commodores were also guilty of 16 turnovers and were outscored at the foul line, 16-8. In addition to Fitch's stellar season so far, Daniels (14.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg), Chuck Hayes (11.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg), Hawkins (10.7 ppg, 5.7 apg) and Azubuike (10.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg) have all performed up to expectations, helping the Wildcats get off to an impressive 10-1 start. As a team, Kentucky is shooting 47.4 percent from the field, including a 35.8 percent mark from downtown, in putting up 75.2 ppg. By contrast, the team's foes are permitted just 61.4 ppg on typical shooting efforts of only .392 overall, and .300 from three-point land.
Not to be overshadowed by their opponent in this game, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have plenty of reason to be proud of their sensational start to the season. Putting together any kind of lengthy winning streak is hard to do, but to go 13-0 to start a season is something worth noting. In MSU's recent win over Arkansas, it was the Lawrence Roberts show, as the former Baylor star finished with game-highs in both scoring (29 points) and rebounds (11). Roberts had stated before the game that he was shooting for a 20-20 performance, meaning he was going to give it his all at both ends of the court in an effort to keep his team perfect on the year. The 6-9 Roberts hit 11- of-18 field goal attempts and all seven of his free throws, helping the Bulldogs shoot 47.7 percent from the floor and 76.2 percent from the charity stripe. Shane Power came off the bench to net 14 points as the only other Bulldog to reach double figures, while Marcus Campbell grabbed 10 of the team's 45 rebounds in the game. Timmy Bowers, who had led the team in scoring for much of the season, finished with just seven points as he missed 11 of his 13 shots from the field. Through 13 games, Roberts is MSU's current scoring leader (16.8 ppg) as well as its top rebounder (10.8 rpg), while Bowers comes in at 15.8 ppg and Winsome Frazier adds 12.6 ppg. Overall, the Bulldogs are finding the mark on 47.2 percent of their total shots, but just 31.6 percent of their three-pointers. By comparison, the team's foes are shooting a mere 39.7 percent overall, and 32.8 percent from downtown. As a result, MSU owns a +13.2 scoring margin and is outworking the opposition on the glass by more than six rpg.
Both teams are off to tremendous starts and a win here by either team will go a long way toward solidifying their place among the truly elite. The Bulldogs have been unbeatable at home this season, and the latter half of last year as well, but the Wildcats present a serious challenge. Expect Roberts, Bowers and company to battle hard, but in the end, suffer their first defeat of the season. Whether or not it sends the team into a tailspin as tough games against LSU and Florida await, remains to be seen.