SEC Basketball Notebook

john1981cr · Joined: 16 Aug 2006 Posts: 111

By Randy Rosetta
Inspin.com/WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Mississippi State didn’t get a three-game road trip off to a good start Saturday and heads into tonight’s game at Missouri in need of momentum with SEC play looming in a few days.

The Bulldogs lost at George Mason 63-59 on Saturday to snap a seven-game winning streak, the last six by double digits.

Now MSU switches its attention to a difficult stretch of 11 days when the Bulldogs will play on the road at Mizzou, Tennessee (Sunday) and Kentucky (Jan. 13).

State is 9-3 and getting major contributions from its underclass core. The Bulldogs’ five sophomores and four freshmen account for 85 percent of minutes played, 84 percent of the team’s scoring, 81 percent of rebounding and 92 percent of the assists.

The ringleader is sophomore swing man Jamont Gordon, who ranks among the SEC’s top-10 individuals in scoring (15.3 points per game), rebounding (7.8 per game) and assists (4.8 per game).

The MSU youngsters haven’t struggled to figure out defense at the Division I level. The Bulldogs lead the league in field-goal defense (35.7 percent), 3-point field-goal defense (22.7 percent) and blocked shots (7.5 per game). Freshman forward Jarvis Varnado is producing 2.9 rejections a game, third in the SEC.

Mississippi State and Missouri have met just once – a 102-78 Tiger victory in 1974. Despite road losses this season at Clemson and George Mason, the Bulldogs have won 16 of their last 18 non-conference road games. But Missouri counters with a similar streak, with 16 home wins in a row against non-league opponents, 10 straight this year. Included in the Tigers’ run this season is an impressive 86-64 triumph over Arkansas.

Mizzou is a 2.5-point favorite on WagerWeb.com.

ARKANSAS: The Razorbacks tune up for a tough start to SEC play by hosting Tulsa tonight. Arkansas opens league play against the SEC’s two highest-ranked teams – Alabama and Florida – so any serious test would be welcome. And the Golden Hurricane could be the answer to that challenge. Tulsa brought back four starters this season and stands 9-2. In fact, the Hurricane are the sixth opponent Arkansas has faced this season that returns either four or five starters. The Hogs, with three new starters this season, are 4-1 in games against such veteran teams so far this year. Arkansas, a 10-point favorite on WagerWeb.com, has dominated the series in Fayetteville, going 23-8, and has won the last two meetings and nine of the last 10. Razorback newcomers Patrick Beverly and Sonny Weems lead the team, averaging 14.2 and 11.5 points, respectively.

AUBURN: The Tigers stay close to home to finalize their non-conference slate when they travel to Southern Mississippi tonight to take on the Golden Eagles for the 14th time in 17 years. Auburn rolled past Charleston Southern 69-53 on Dec. 30 and is 10-4 with each loss against a ranked foe. Southern Miss isn’t in that class, but has put together a solid early season under third-year coach Larry Eustachy. The Eagles are 9-2 with a competitive loss to Alabama and have won 10 games in a row in Hattiesburg. The Tigers are getting big years from sophomores Vot Barber and Rasheem Barrett. Barber is scoring 13.9 points and grabbing 7.2 rebounds a game and leads the SEC in field-goal shooting at 66.1 percent. Point guard Quantez Robertson gives AU another league leader, with 5.5 assists a game. Barrett is scoring 12.9 points a contest and has reached double figures 11 times. Junior Quan Powell, a transfer from Furman, has been solid since gaining his eligibility with 15 points a game, including 39 in the last two.

FLORIDA: The Gators survived a major scare on Saturday, rallying from 11 points down to edge UAB 75-70. Corey Brewer (19 points) and Taurean Green (18 points) sparked the comeback. Brewer hit 6-of-13 shots from the floor, while Green was 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and hit a key foul shot with 1:32 left that put the Gators on top for good. Green has connected on 25 straight free throws and his hitting 82.2 from the stripe for the year. Florida has crept back up No. 3 in the country with five wins a row since losing to Kansas and Florida State in an eight-day stretch. The Gators continue to lead the nation in shooting, hitting 54.3 percent from the floor as a team, paced by junior center Al Horford (64.6 percent). Florida is also the league’s top 3-point shooting team at 42.2 percent. UF is playing stout defense as well, limiting foes to an SEC-low 57.1 points a game. The Gators wrap up non-league play by hosting Liberty tonight.

TENNESSEE: The Volunteers got a scare before charging back to beat East Tennessee State 93-88 Saturday, Tennessee’s eighth straight victory. UT nearly blew an 18-point lead midway through the second half before Chris Lofton took over and continued to cement his early bid for SEC Player of the Year consideration. Lofton logged 28 points and JaJuan Smith matched his career-best with 23. Lofton, the league’s leading scorer (23.3 points a game) and 3-point shooter (54 makes, 19 more than the next player), was a perfect 13-of-13 from the free-throw line as the Vols went 30-of-35 to hold off ETSU. Tennessee begins SEC play against Mississippi State on Sunday and then hits the road for a rugged three-game stretch – games at Vanderbilt, Ohio State and Auburn.

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