Feb 11, 2017; Knoxville, TN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Yante Maten (1) shoots the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

SEC Preview: Georgia vs Mississippi State

Preview

Valentine’s Day will feature the battle of the Bulldogs, as Georgia will host Mississippi State. The two teams are neck and neck in the SEC, both with 5-7 records. The Georgia Dawgs are coming off a close win against Tennessee 76-75. The Mississippi State Bulldogs are coming off of a 77-73 loss to South Carolina.

Feb 11, 2017; Knoxville, TN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Juwan Parker (3) shoots the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Bulldogs won 76-75. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Similarities

Other than records, both teams statistically are very similar. However, Mississippi State seems to edge out UGA in most

Feb 7, 2017; Auburn, AL, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Quinndary Weatherspoon (11) has his shot blocked by Auburn Tigers forward Anfernee McLemore (24) during the first half at Auburn Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

season averages. In points per game, Mississippi State scores on average 74.5 PPG and UGA scores on average 72.1. One of the closest stats between the two teams is their field goal percentage; Mississippi State makes 45.4% of their field goal attempts while UGA makes 44.5%.

Stand Out Players

Yante Maten of UGA needs to have a big game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs for his team to be successful. Maten only recorded 7 points in UGA’s win over Tennessee before getting getting into foul trouble. Maten averages 19.2 points per game this season, the most for any Dawg player.  On the other hand, Georgia’s J.J. Frazier had a great game against Tennessee. In the second half he scored 20 of the team’s 29 points.

For Mississippi State, Quinndary Weatherspoon is looking to bounce back after only scoring 5 points in his team’s loss to South Carolina. Weatherspoon is scoring a team-high of 16.8 points per game.

Game Time

The SEC showdown is set to tip off Tuesday at 7 on ESPNU.

About Sarah Carlie Morton

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