Miss. St., Tennessee meet in SEC quarters
Mississippi State (23-9, 11-8) vs. No. 3 seed Tennessee (27-4, 15-3)
Southeastern Conference Tourney Quarterfinals, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee; Friday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: A spot in the SEC semifinals is on the line as Mississippi State and Tennessee prepare to face off. The only meeting between the teams this season came on March 5, when the Volunteers shot 42.6 percent from the field while limiting Mississippi State to just 33.3 percent en route to the 17-point victory.
BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: Tennessee's Grant Williams has averaged 19.3 points and 7.7 rebounds while Admiral Schofield has put up 16.3 points and 6.3 rebounds. For the Bulldogs, Quinndary Weatherspoon has averaged 18.3 points and 4.8 rebounds while Lamar Peters has put up 11.6 points and 5.2 assists.
SPARKING THE OFFENSE: Jordan Bone has either made or assisted on 43 percent of all Tennessee field goals over the last three games. Bone has accounted for 19 field goals and 16 assists in those games.
SCORING THRESHOLDS: Mississippi State is 16-0 when it limits opponents to 68 or fewer points, and 7-9 when opposing teams exceed 68 points. Tennessee is 24-0 when holding opponents to 81 points or fewer, and 3-4 whenever teams score more than 81 on the Volunteers.
UNDEFEATED WHEN: The Volunteers are 24-0 when they hold opposing teams to 81 points or fewer and 3-4 when opponents exceed 81 points. The Bulldogs are 16-0 when they hold opponents to 68 points or fewer and 7-9 when opponents exceed 68 points.
DID YOU KNOW: Tennessee is ranked first among SEC teams with an average of 82.3 points per game.
