Preview: No. 5 Kentucky vs. Mississippi State

Two of the hottest teams in the SEC are going head-to-head Tuesday night when No. 5 Kentucky travels to Starkville to face Mississippi State in Humphrey Coliseum.

Despite the youth on both teams, the Wildcats and the Bulldogs are two of the most impressive teams in the Southeastern Conference. Kentucky is 15-2 overall and sits atop the SEC with a 5-0 record after a 92-72 home victory over Auburn on Saturday.

Head coach John Calipari is in his eighth year at Kentucky and owns a 232-49 ledger.

Streaking Bulldogs

Mississippi state has been on a roll. The Bulldogs have been cohesive, winning six of their last seven games. They are 3-1 in league play and earned an important eight-point win over Texas A&M on Saturday. Ben Howland’s team enters the competition riding a three-game winning streak.

Howland: "These guys are well aware of how good Kentucky is … I think our guys are going to be excited for that opportunity."

— Bob Carskadon (@bobcarskadon) January 16, 2017

Sophomore guard Quinndary Weatherspoon is fourth in the SEC and leads Mississippi State with an average of 17.9 points per game. Weatherspoon has been influential from behind the arc, shooting 47 percent. In Saturday’s competition against Texas A&M, he scored all 13 of his points in the second half to aid the Bulldogs in their 67-59 come-from-behind win.

Lot of praise for Isaiah Briscoe today, but he's not satisfied. "I know I have a lot more to give." pic.twitter.com/3ZCGQ0RRfN

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 16, 2017

In The Blue Corner

Kentucky is led by sophomore guard Isaiah Briscoe who averages 15.4 points per game. Malik Monk joins Briscoe in the starting lineup scoring 21.8 points per game and De’Aaron Fox adds 16.5 points.

This will be the 104th all-time meeting between the Cats and the Bulldogs. Kentucky leads the all-time series 93-20 and has won nine straight.

Tip off is set for 6 p.m.