STARKVILLE — Mississippi State basketball suffered its first loss of the season on Friday and has another challenging opponent ahead.

The Bulldogs (6-1) are hosting Pittsburgh (7-1) at Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday (8:15 p.m. CT, SEC Network) in the SEC/ACC Challenge. They are coming off an 87-77 loss to Butler in the Arizona Tipoff. It was the most points MSU has surrendered this season.

“We were awful at the point of attack,” coach Chris Jans said on Monday. “It wasn’t one person. There was a bunch of guys that, for whatever reason, were not on it defensively and I can’t tell you why. If I knew during the game, I certainly would’ve fixed it.”

The Panthers, who are ranked No. 19 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, have wins against Ohio State, West Virginia and LSU. This also will be a rematch of the 2023 NCAA tournament First Four game, which Pittsburgh won 60-59.

Follow along here for live score updates.

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Mississippi State vs Pittsburgh score updates

This section will be updated when the game begins.

What channel is Mississippi State vs Pittsburgh on today?

• TV channel: SEC Network
• Streaming: ESPN+ (subscribe here)
• Radio: Mississippi State radio network 96.1 FM

Mississippi State vs Pittsburgh live stream options

Mississippi State basketball vs. Pitt will be broadcast on SEC Network. Steaming is available via ESPN+.

Mississippi State vs Pittsburgh predictions

Mississippi State 72, Pitt 65: The first NET rankings were released by the NCAA on Monday, and they have the Panthers at No. 5 and Mississippi State at No. 28. However, MSU seems to match up well with Pitt because the Panthers aren’t as strong in the paint. Guards Ishmael Leggett and Jaland Lowe are the players to watch for Pitt, but Mississippi State wins off an improved defensive performance.

Mississippi State vs Pittsburgh betting odds

Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Wednesday:

• Spread: Mississippi State -5.5
• Over/under: 149.5
• Moneyline: Mississippi State -250/Pitt +200

Mississippi State vs Pittsburgh injury updates

There are no reported injuries for Mississippi State. Pitt remains without guard Damian Dunn, who underwent thumb surgery in November. He’s made sevens tarts this season and averages 11.1 points per game.

MORE: Chris Parson enters transfer portal. How it affects Mississippi State football depth chart

Mississippi State basketball schedule

Record: 6-1

Next five games on the Mississippi State schedule:

• Dec. 4: vs. Pittsburgh
• Dec. 8: vs. Prairie View A&M
• Dec. 14: vs. McNeese (in Tupelo)
• Dec. 17: vs. Central Michigan (in Jackson)
• Dec. 21: at Memphis

Buy Mississippi State basketball tickets this season via Stubub

Pittsburgh basketball schedule

Record: 7-1

Next five games on the Panthers schedule:

• Dec. 4: at Mississippi State
• Dec. 7: at Virginia Tech
• Dec. 11: vs. Eastern Kentucky
• Dec. 21: vs. Sam Houston State
• Jan. 1: vs. Cal

Mississippi State basketball news

• Mississippi State is ranked No. 28 in the first NET rankings of the season.
• Josh Hubbard committed his first turnover of the season against Butler. He has 24 assists in 208 minutes.
• The Bulldogs lead the SEC and are seventh in the country with 11.0 steals per game as of Monday.

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

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On Wednesday night, No. 18 Pitt will have another Quad-1 opportunity as it will take on Mississippi State on the road.

Let’s dive in to the game preview.

PITT’S OUTLOOK

The Panthers are looking for win No. 8 on the year after a massive victory at Value City Arena on Black Friday over the Ohio State Buckeyes. Pitt won on a game-winning three from Zack Austin in the final seconds of the intense, overtime matchup. Check out that buzzer-beating three pointer here.

Now, Pitt faces another tough test. The Panthers arrived in Starkville on Tuesday night, and are now preparing to play against a strong Mississippi State team, who has pleasantly surprised many around the SEC so far, aside from one blunder on its resume.

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS (6-1)

HEAD COACH

Chris Jans (3rd Season)

MISSISSIPPI STATE PREVIEW

The Bulldogs have made the NCAA Tournament in each of Jans’ first two years at the helm. Remember that first Tournament appearance? Pitt knocked out the Bulldogs in 2022-23, as Jamarius Burton hit a game-winning shot in Dayton in the First Four.

Pittsburgh Panthers guard Jamarius Burton (11) February 21, 2023 David Hague/PSN

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Now, Mississippi State has a bit of a different look.

The Bulldogs have a super star guard in Josh Hubbard. Hubbard is averaging 19 points per game, shooting 45% from three-point range on 58 attempts, and only has one turnover through the team’s first seven games. Alongside Hubbard, eight different players have started a game this year for the team.

6-foot-10, 230-pound forward KeShawn Murphy is averaging 11 points and nine rebounds per game for the Bulldogs, and should be a tough matchup inside for Pitt bigs Cam Corhen and Papa Amadou Kante. Cameron Matthews, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound forward, has started six games, and should add to the Bulldogs’ toughness inside.

Claudell Harris, formerly at Boston College, is the only other Bulldog who has made more than ten three pointers. He is shooting 31% from three this year. In addition, transfers Riley Kugel, Kanye Clary, RJ Melendez, and Mike Nwoko bolster the team’s depth all around.

The Bulldogs recently lost their first game of the year, falling to Butler. In that game, they shot just 7 for 27 from three and grabbed a season-low 33 rebounds. Butler was 12 for 22 from three-point range, and despite 14 turnovers, won the game.

METRICS

Pitt is ranked No. 5 in the NET rankings, while Mississippi State is ranked No. 26.

GAME TIME

Pitt Vs. Mississippi State will start at 9:15 p.m. est. on SEC Network.

SPREAD

Mississippi State is a 6-point favorite, per DraftKings. The Panthers moneyline is +200, while Mississippi State is -245 to win straight up. The over/under is hovering around 149.5 points.

TV

You can find Wednesday night’s game on SEC Network.

RADIO

Pitt Vs. Mississippi State will be live on 93.7 The Fan as well.

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