Tennessee vs. Mississippi State: Game preview, TV schedule, prediction

A lot is on the line in Starkville on Tuesday night as the Mississippi State Bulldogs look to pull off the upset against the 16th ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

TV Schedule: Tuesday, February 27, 7:00 p.m. SEC Network

Arena: Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi

A strong week last week from the Tennessee Volunteers has propelled them into a #3 seed, according to ESPN’s bracketologist Joe Lunardi. With the SEC not being the strongest conference, a road win against the 21-8 Mississippi State Bulldogs would do them quite a favor as they look to hold on to that ranking.

The Volunteers defeated Ole Miss on the road on Saturday in Oxford, and look to keep rolling, as they have won 11 of their last 13 games. Their most impressive conference victory still looks like it is their road win over then ranked Kentucky, but a win on Tuesday against a hungry Bulldogs team would leave that up for debate.

Mississippi State has everything to play for on Tuesday. They currently sit in Lunardi’s “First Four Out”, and are solidly on the bubble according to all bracketologists. With this being their final game of the season in Starkville, the Bulldogs have an opportunity against a ranked opponent to make a statement and put them relatively comfortably in the field of 68.

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Not only is this matchup a major opportunity for them, it is in some ways a must win. The Bulldogs play their final regular season game in LSU on Saturday against a Tigers team that is currently ninth in the SEC. Winning that game won’t do a whole lot for the Bulldogs’ tournament resume, and relying on the SEC conference tournament is dangerous.

With all of this in mind, capitalizing on the game in which the Bulldogs get to host the SEC’s top team and 16th ranked team in the country is ideal. They have some momentum going, as they’ve won two straight after a bad road loss at the hands of Vanderbilt.

Though Tennessee appears to be the better team on paper, Mississippi State has the most to play for. It is clear that their tournament hopes are hanging in the balance with this game, as it could dramatically swing their resume in one direction over the other. With this in mind, and a raucous Starkville crowd providing Mississippi State with a huge advantage, the Bulldogs will pull this one off in the end.

Next: Patriot League 2018 Conference Tournament preview

Prediction: Mississippi State 84, Tennessee 82

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