Tennessee
Mississippi State basketball vs. Tennessee: Score prediction, scouting report in SEC game
STARKVILLE — While it’s just his second season coaching in the conference, Mississippi State basketball coach Chris Jans knows the recipe for flushing a loss such as the one his team suffered at South Carolina on Saturday: Move on to the next game.
Jans, while meeting with reporters Monday, compared the SEC to a marathon in which one can’t focus on what already has occurred.
“There’s just not a lot of time to feel sorry for yourself,” he said.
Mississippi State’s schedule makes that evident, starting Wednesday (6 p.m., SEC Network) when No. 5 Tennessee (11-3, 1-0 SEC) comes to Humphrey Coliseum.
The Vols are a top-five KenPom team with marquee nonconference wins against Illinois, Wisconsin, Syracuse and NC State. Tennessee opened its conference slate with a 90-64 thumping of a then-undefeated Ole Miss team.
For all of the woes the Bulldogs (11-3, 0-1) had against South Carolina — from lackluster stretches on offense to poor rebounding — they don’t have much time to look back.
“You’ve got to turn the page quickly, try to learn, get some growth and then get back to it,” Jans said. “That’s what we’ve done.”
Is Tennessee vs. Mississippi State set for an under?
KenPom projects a 71-68 win for Rick Barnes’ Vols, which is fitting in a matchup of two coaches with defensive mindsets. Tennessee has scored fewer than 72 points just three times this season — against Purdue, Kansas and Tarleton State. In those games, though, UT allowed just 62.0 points per game.
Tennessee has the nation’s No. 2-ranked adjusted defensive efficiency. Mississippi State ranks 10th, setting up for a grueling SEC battle.
The teams met twice last season, starting with a resounding 87-53 win for the Vols at home. Although they won the return game in Starkville, it was a tighter contest with a final score of 70-59.
Jans praised Tennessee’s defense, though he noted it’s not only size that makes the Vols good on that end. Much of their success starts with 5-foot-9 guard Zakai Zeigler.
“He sets the tone,” Jans said. “He’s as good an on-ball defender as you’re going to see in college basketball. He’s relentless. He’s in big-time shape. He can do for 35, 40 minutes if need be.”
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Score prediction
Tennessee 70, MSU 65: If the Bulldogs’ rebounding can return to form, they are a team built to compete in a scrappy game against the Vols. However, with All-SEC forward Tolu Smith still getting adjusted after missing most of the nonconference games with an injury, it’s unclear if Mississippi State can beat an opponent of this caliber yet.
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.