Mississippi State faces No. 9 Tennessee after Smith's 20-point game
Mississippi State Bulldogs (18-14, 8-10 SEC) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (23-7, 14-4 SEC)
Tampa, Florida; Friday, 6 p.m. EST
LINE: Tennessee -6.5; over/under is 130.5
BOTTOM LINE: Mississippi State visits the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers after Tolu Smith scored 20 points in Mississippi State's 73-51 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks.
The Volunteers have gone 16-0 in home games. Tennessee is second in the SEC at limiting opponent scoring, allowing 63.3 points while holding opponents to 40.5% shooting.
The Bulldogs have gone 8-10 against SEC opponents. Mississippi State is fourth in the SEC scoring 34.6 points per game in the paint led by Smith averaging 10.1.
The teams meet for the second time this season. Tennessee won 72-63 in the last matchup on Feb. 10. Josiah-Jordan James led Tennessee with 18 points, and Iverson Molinar led Mississippi State with 16 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kennedy Chandler is averaging 13.7 points, 4.6 assists and 2.2 steals for the Volunteers. James is averaging 9.1 points over the last 10 games for Tennessee.
Molinar is shooting 45.5% and averaging 17.9 points for the Bulldogs. Smith is averaging 9.8 points over the last 10 games for Mississippi State.
LAST 10 GAMES: Volunteers: 9-1, averaging 74.0 points, 38.5 rebounds, 13.5 assists, 8.3 steals and 5.8 blocks per game while shooting 41.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.3 points per game.
Bulldogs: 4-6, averaging 68.3 points, 42.1 rebounds, 14.6 assists, 9.3 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 41.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.8 points.
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