Big Wins: Arizona, Alabama,Vanderbilt, West Virginia

The Mississippi State Bulldogs are led by the point guard play of Dee Bost. They also have Renardo Sidney and Arnett Moultrie in the post. Offensively, the Bulldogs like to try to feed their big men, Sidney and Moultrie. Sidney has started to take a bigger scoring role the past few games—being more aggressive. The Bulldogs also have Rodney Hood and Jalen Steele, who shoot it well from three-point range. Defensively, the Bulldogs struggle, but they showed signs of life, protecting the paint well, behind three blocks from Sidney, against Georgia.

Projected Line-Ups

LSU

C: Justin Hamilton 13.7 ppg. 7.5 rpg. 1.4 bpg.

PF: Johnny O’Bryant 8.3 ppg. 6.6 rpg.

SF: Ralston Turner 8.8 ppg. 2.8 rpg.

SG: Andre Stringer 10.2 ppg. 1.2 spg.

PG: Anthony Hickey 9.7 ppg. 3.9 apg. 2.1 spg.

Key Reserves: Storm Warren 8.0 ppg. 4.7 rpg.; Malcolm White 3.3 ppg 2.1 rpg.; John Isaac 15.0 mpg. 2.8 ppg.

Team Leaders

Points: Hamilton 13.7

Rebounds: Hamilton 7.5

Blocks: Hamilton 1.4

Steals: Hickey 2.1

Assist: Hickey 3.9

MSU

C: Renardo Sidney 10.3 ppg. 5.3 rpg. 0.8 blks.

PF: Arnett Moultrie 16.8 ppg. 10.8 rpg.

SF: Rodney Hood 11.1 ppg. 5.0 rpg. 38.8% 3pp.

SG: Brian Bryant 6.5 ppg. 4.5 rpg.

PG: Dee Bost 16.0 ppg. 3.4 rpg. 5.0 apg.

Key Reserves: Jalen Steele 8.2 ppg. 1.8 rpg.; Wendell Lewis 4.0 ppg. 4.0 rpg. 1.0 bpg.; Deville Smith 5.4 ppg. 2.4 apg.

Team Leaders

Points: Moultrie 16.8

Rebounds: Moultrie 10.8

Blocks: Lewis 1.0

Steals: Bost 2.1

Assist: Bost 5.0

Players To Watch

LSU

Johnny O’Bryant: O’Bryant impressed me the last time that he faced off with Mississippi State. I’m interested to see how he performs, Tuesday night, against the Bulldogs

MSU

Renardo Sidney: Sidney has started to turn it on, the past three games. I’m intrigued to see if keeps trending upward. He could be the X-Factor for the Bulldogs down the stretch.

3 Keys To Victory

LSU

1. Get Out And Run: The Bulldogs have a stronger half-court game than the Tigers. The Tigers’ best chance is to play up-tempo basketball.

 2. Go At Sidney: Sidney has stayed out of foul trouble lately, but if the Tigers can knock him out early, they have a serious advantage down low.

 3. Take High-Percentage Shots: The Tigers only shoot around 40 percent from the field; they must shoot north of that if they hope to beat the Bulldogs.

MSU

 1. Pressure LSU’s Guards: LSU has smaller guards than Mississippi State. The Bulldogs’ guards must pressure the Tigers and try to force turnovers.

 2. Control The Pace: Bost must control the pace and keep the game from becoming too up-tempo.

 3. Selectively Attack The Paint: The Tigers match up well with the Bulldogs up-front, but they get significantly smaller when Storm Warren enters the game. The Bulldogs must attack the post when Warren is in the game.

Final Analysis: The LSU Tigers should present a tough challenge for the Bulldogs. I think LSU won’t be able to handle the multiplicity of the Bulldog scoring attack.

My Prediction: 70-63 Mississippi State

Follow Jeremiah Short on Twitter: @JeremiahShort26