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STARKVILLE, Miss. – Coming off a disappointing setback at home on Saturday to Georgia, Mississippi State now turns its attention toward LSU in hopes of getting back on track.
Tip at Pete Maravich Assembly Center is set for 8 p.m., and the game will be televised by ESPNU with Dari Nowkhah and Dino Gaudio handling the broadcast.
And based on the past several years, a road trip to LSU could be the perfect cure as MSU has won its last two games at the PMAC. It hasn’t won three in a row since claiming five straight from 1994-98.
With a victory, Mississippi State (19-6, 6-4) will record 20 wins for the 17th time in school history. To date, coach Rick Stansbury has accounted for eight of them.
“LSU has already shown they are very difficult to beat at home,” Stansbury said. “Right now, they are playing the best they’ve played all year. They are one of the most improved teams in the league. It’s never easy when you go on the road.”
Tuesday marks the second meeting between the two this season. Back in January, the Bulldogs rallied to claim a 76-71 win at Humphrey Coliseum behind the play of Arnett Moultrie, who had 28 points and 12 rebounds.
The junior from Memphis leads MSU in scoring at 16.8 points a clip an outing, while his rebounds (10.8) and 13 double-doubles are tops in the SEC.
Also key in the first outing was the play of sophomore guard Jalen Steele, who was 3 of 4 from long-range and finished with a season-high 15 points. In his last six games, he’s 21 of 39 beyond the arc.
“You feel like when he shoots, it’s going in,” Stansbury said.
LSU enters the contest 14-10 overall and 4-6 in SEC play following its win against Alabama on Saturday night.
The Tigers are led in scoring by junior forward Justin Hamilton and sophomore guard Andre Stringer at 13.7 and 10.2 points, respectively. Earlier this year at the Hump, Stringer accounted for 17 points, while Hamilton poured in 11.
After Tuesday, the Bulldogs conclude their two-game road swing with a 7 p.m. tilt at Auburn on Saturday.
February 13, 2012
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