SEC Preview: Mississippi State vs. Texas A&M and Georgia vs. Missouri

Two Southeastern Conference games are scheduled for tip off tonight. The Mississippi State Bulldogs open SEC play under Ben Howland against the Texas A&M Aggies inside Humphrey Coliseum.

The Aggies (11-2, 1-0 SEC) are entering the game ranked No. 21 by the Associated Press. Texas A&M did not play at the Humphrey Coliseum last year, but the Bulldogs won 81-72 in 2013-2014. During their matchup last year at Reed Arena, the Aggies edged the bulldogs 74-70.

In their 11 wins this season, Texas A&M has won by an average of 24 points. The Aggies will be the first ranked team the Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-5, 0-0 SEC) have played this season. Led by first-year head coach Ben Howland, the Bulldogs have won three straight contests and are 45-37 all-time in SEC opening contests.

Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy says the Bulldogs will be tough competition.

Gavin Ware paces MSU with 17.7 points per game and ranks second in the SEC with a 70.4 field goal percentage. Aggies guard Jalen Jones leads the team with 16.3 scoring points. Jones is the reigning SEC player of the week after scoring 28 points against Arkansas.

In other SEC play, the Georgia Bulldogs will host the Missouri Tigers tonight at the Stegeman Coliseum for a 6:30 p.m. game. The Tigers (7-6, 0-0 SEC) rank well defensively, allowing only 21.6 made field goals per game, and permitting opponents to shoot only 41.9 percent on two-point field goals.

Georgia Head Coach Mark Fox says Missouri is a well-rounded team with many strengths.

The Georgia Bulldogs (7-4, 0-1 SEC) are coming off of a loss to the Florida Gators in their SEC opener that ended a four game winning streak. Georgia is averaging 70.7 points per game and are shooting a stout 44.4 percent from the field. Sophomore forward Yante Maten leads the Bulldogs averaging 16.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

During their matchup with the Tigers last year, the Bulldogs won 68-44 at home.