The Mississippi State Bulldogs (10-1) travel to face off against the Memphis Tigers (9-2) on Saturday, December 21st. This game will be played at FedExForum in Memphis and televised on CBS. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 12:30 ET.

Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Memphis Tigers

The Bulldogs Are Coming Off A Win

Mississippi State improved to 10-1 on the season with an 83-59 home win over Central Michigan on Tuesday, December 17th. The Bulldogs entered the game as -20.5 point favorites and covered the spread, while the total points of 142 fell short of the 148.5 O/U line.

Leading 32-25 at halftime, Mississippi State pulled away in the 2nd half, outscoring the Chippewas 51-34.

The Tigers Are Coming Off A Win

Memphis moved to 9-2 on the season after a 64-62 win over Virginia on Wednesday. The Tigers were -3.5 favorites going into the game, but while they picked up the win, they didn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game were 126, just under the O/U line of 130.5.

Memphis had to rally after trailing 30-21 at halftime. They turned things around in the 2nd half, scoring 43 points while holding Virginia to 32.

Bulldogs Offense Breakdown

Mississippi State put up 83 points in their last game, shooting 49.3% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 56.3%. They hit 57.1% of their two-point attempts and connected on 37.9% from beyond the arc, making 11 threes. Their free-throw shooting was a struggle, hitting just 2 of 7 attempts for a 28.6% rate.

The Bulldogs dished out 24 assists, with 15 offensive rebounds helping their effort. Claudell Harris Jr. led the way with 19 points, hitting 5 of 8 threes. Michael Nwoko added 18 points in just 18 minutes, shooting 66.7% from the field.

Tigers Offense Breakdown

Memphis struggled offensively in their last game, shooting just 37.5% from the field and 21.7% from beyond the arc, hitting only 5 of 23 three-point attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was 42.9%, but they did manage to convert 81% of their free throws, going 17 for 21 from the line.

PJ Haggerty led the way with 27 points and 5 assists, shooting 53.3% from the field. Elijah Saunders contributed 15 points, hitting 3 of 4 from deep, while Dain Dainja grabbed 11 rebounds to go along with his 12 points.

Bulldogs Team Defense

Even though Mississippi State gave up 59 points, they allowed their opponent to shoot 49% from the field, including 57% on two-point attempts. The Bulldogs also struggled to contain the three-point line, where their opponent hit 11 of 29 shots for 37%.

Mississippi State sent their opponent to the free-throw line 7 times, where they made just 2 free throws, shooting 28%. The Bulldogs also gave up 15 offensive rebounds in the game.

Tigers Team Defense

Even though Mississippi State gave up 59 points, they allowed their opponent to shoot 49% from the field, with 35 made baskets on 71 attempts. Inside the arc, the Bulldogs’ defense couldn’t contain the two-point shooting, as their opponent hit 57% of their shots, going 24/42.

From three-point range, Mississippi State’s defense allowed 11 threes on 29 attempts, a 37% shooting performance. They did manage to limit damage at the free-throw line, where their opponent shot just 28%, making only 2 of 7 attempts. The Bulldogs also gave up 15 offensive rebounds.

Bulldogs vs Tigers Trends

• When looking at their past five road matchups, Mississippi State has an ATS record of 4-1 while averaging 73 per game. The team went 4-1 overall in these games.
• When looking at their past ten home matchups, Memphis has an ATS record of 6-4 while averaging 79 per game. The team went 7-3 overall in these games.
• As the betting underdog, the Bulldogs have an ATS mark of just 3-7 in their last ten games. Mississippi State posted a straight up mark of 2-8 in these matchups.
• Although the Tigers have a strong straight up record in their last five games as the betting favorite, they have not done as well vs the spread going 2-3.

Bulldogs vs Tigers Prediction

We’re putting our money on the Tigers to win, and have the projected score sitting at 81-66. We also like them to cover the spread, so our recommendation is to bet on the Tigers at -1.

As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 152.5 and our model has the Bulldogs and Tigers finishing with a combined 147 points. Our pick is to take the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.