STARKVILLE — Mississippi State basketball’s postseason begins this week.

The Bulldogs (20-11) are the No. 10 seed in the SEC tournament and will play No. 15 LSU (14-17) in the first round on Wednesday (6 p.m. CT, SEC Network). All games are played at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

MSU has won at least one game in seven straight SEC tournaments, and last season reached the semifinals.

Here’s what to know about the matchup.

Mississippi State beat LSU two weeks ago

LSU and Mississippi State played each other once in the regular season, which MSU won 81-69 in Starkville on March 1. Josh Hubbard, who won the Howell Trophy for the second consecutive season as the best men’s college basketball player in the state of Mississippi, scored 30 points.

LSU is in the midst of a five-game losing streak (to Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky and Texas A&M, along with the Bulldogs). Its three conference wins are against South Carolina, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Slowing down former Bulldogs player Cam Carter was key last time

LSU senior guard Cam Carter played with a vengeance against Mississippi State. It was his first game back at MSU after he transferred to Kansas State in 2022, then LSU in 2024. He scored 18 points in the first half, with four 3-pointers. 

But in the second half, he had just five points as the Bulldogs turned a two-point halftime deficit into a rout.

Carter is LSU’s leading scorer with 16.5 points per game. 

Will Mississippi State’s defense travel?

The Bulldogs have not played great defense in their last three games away from Humphrey Coliseum, averaging 99 points allowed in those three games. Oklahoma and Arkansas both scored 93 points and Alabama scored 111 points. 

Those three teams combined to shoot 42 of 92 from 3-point range (45.7%).

“At the end of the day, it’s my responsibility,” Jans said. “lt’s my job to figure it out, if you will. And equally important is to get them to play with the type of energy and motor that’s required to play the way we want to play, and to play this particular defense. It hasn’t been good enough.

“We can point fingers and talk about a lot of different factors on why, but at the end of the day, it’s a bottom-line deal. I am trying my best to shore up as much as I can in a short time period before we play in Nashville, and then hopefully when we play in the NCAA tournament, so we can be better on the court.”

LSU went just 9-for-36 from 3 against MSU and shoots the second-lowest percentage in the SEC (30.9%). The Tigers haven’t reached 70 points during their five-game losing streak.

Mississippi State vs LSU odds

BetMGM has not yet posted betting lines for this game.

Mississippi State vs LSU injury updates

Mississippi State guard Kanye Clary is out for the season with a lower-leg injury. 

How to watch Mississippi State vs LSU: Time, TV channel, live stream

Mississippi State vs LSU will air on SEC Network. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. Streaming is available via Fubo, which offers a free trial.

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Mississippi State vs LSU predictions, picks

Mississippi State 78, LSU 71: Neither team is playing well entering the postseason, including the Bulldogs, who lost four of their past five games. They still should win as long as the defense holds up and they get some secondary scoring. 

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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