Kugel leads No. 17 Mississippi State against South Carolina after 22-point game

Published Jan. 3, 2025 3:43 a.m. ET

Associated Press

South Carolina Gamecocks (10-3) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (12-1)

Starkville, Mississippi; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 17 Mississippi State hosts South Carolina after Riley Kugel scored 22 points in Mississippi State's 87-73 victory against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.

The Bulldogs have gone 6-0 in home games. Mississippi State is 1-0 in one-possession games.

The Gamecocks have gone 1-1 away from home. South Carolina scores 75.6 points and has outscored opponents by 10.0 points per game.

Mississippi State makes 46.9% of its shots from the field this season, which is 5.8 percentage points higher than South Carolina has allowed to its opponents (41.1%). South Carolina averages 7.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.1 fewer makes per game than Mississippi State allows.

The Bulldogs and Gamecocks match up Saturday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Josh Hubbard averages 3.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Bulldogs, scoring 17.5 points while shooting 38.0% from beyond the arc.

Jamarii Thomas is averaging 12.6 points and 3.3 assists for the Gamecocks.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bulldogs: 9-1, averaging 81.5 points, 38.2 rebounds, 16.9 assists, 9.4 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.9 points per game.

Gamecocks: 8-2, averaging 74.6 points, 31.3 rebounds, 13.8 assists, 4.6 steals and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.1 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.