Tennessee vs Mississippi State Preview, Keys, Prediction: Vols Face Reeling Bulldogs

Tennessee vs Mississippi State in Starkville is a game between two teams who desperately need a win. The Vols and the Bulldogs are looking to get on track.

It’s a game between two teams with first-year head coaches who have had great success at other schools, are looking for a fresh start, but have struggled to get things off the ground their first year.

And both teams could easily have five more wins right now.

Mississippi State, 7-8 (0-3), and Tennessee, 1-3 (8-8) are both looking to get things back on track under the leadership of Ben Howland and Rick Barnes respectively.

The game would appear to be a clash of styles. Ben Howland’s history as a coach is based on a strong inside presence and great guard play in a half-court system along with tough defense, while Rick Barnes is clearly all about tempo and controlled chaos.

But Howland used an up-tempo style his last year at UCLA, and despite the presence of Gavin Ware, he has been undersized this year and had to do the same thing.

So expect this game to be filled with chaos from start to finish.

The Bulldogs and Vols are clearly good enough to make an NCAA Tournament run, but they’ve got to start pulling out these close games they’re losing. We know that Tennessee has played good teams tough. Well, Mississippi State played Kentucky down to the wire earlier this week and only lost to Texas A&M by one point.

Both teams will desperately be looking to get back on track with a win in Starkville Saturday.

Here are the keys for Tennessee winning the game.

1. Good Perimeter Shooting

Mississippi State has a tendency to get caught in a zone and allowing too many three-point shots to fall. Tennessee, meanwhile, has a tendency to shoot atrocious from beyond the arc despite plenty of good scorers.

Howland will be aware of the Vols’ shooting woes and will try to take advantage of it, and sacrificing rebound position doesn’t mean much against such an undersized team like the Vols. So the only chance they have is to knock down perimeter shots when they are open. There will be plenty of chances for that to happen. They have to take advantage.

Mississippi State is the best team in the SEC in defending inside the paint, but they are the worst at defending the three. This is Tennessee’s chance.

2. Defend the Three

This got the best of the Vols the other night, as Georgia’s sharpshooting from the perimeter was the only difference in the game. Mississippi State is not a great three-point shooting team, but Malik Newman can be deadly from beyond the arc if he gets red hot.

Tennessee, meanwhile, is just as prone to letting guys get red hot from three as they are to clanking everything they put up from three.

Three-point shooting is the only difference between 1-3 and 3-1 in the SEC for the Vols. If they can defend the three, they have a great chance in this game.

3.  Consistency from Admiral Schofield 

It is hard to find somebody who has developed more as a freshman in the SEC than Admiral Schofield, and the 6’5″ forward has become a huge weapon for the Vols to keep them in games.

But coming off being named SEC Freshman of the Week, he was completely out of synch against the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday. That was a huge reason they lost by nine after beating the Florida Gators and playing the Texas A&M Aggies to the wire the week before.

Schofield has to consistently get into the 10-to-15 point range for Tennessee to win SEC games. We know that Kevin Punter provides a huge boost, and we also know that Robert Hubbs III needs to play better. But Schofield is becoming the X-Factor. The Vols need him back in rhythm Saturday.

Prediction

This will be a chaotic game up and down the court, but the law of averages says the Vols will hit their three-pointers in this game against Mississippi State’s zone. That will be enough for them to get their first win on the road.

Tennessee: 85 Mississippi State: 78