Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State: How to watch, start time, TV channel, spread

Ole Miss has bounced back from four losses in five SEC games with three straight wins, including hard-fought road trips to LSU and South Carolina.

Next for the Rebels (19-6, 8-4 SEC) is a rematch with in-state rival Mississippi State (17-7, 5-6). Tipoff in Oxford is Saturday, February 15 at p.m. CT on ESPN2.

The Rebels won’t play again until their trip to Vanderbilt next Saturday, February 22 at 2:30 p.m. CT.

“We don’t get much sleep, but I’ve never been a big fan of putting the coach or player on a different kind of pedestal because of how they work,” second-year Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said after the win at South Carolina. “My mom was a cross-walk worker for an elementary school. She woke up every day and took the kids across the street and went back at 3 p.m. when school ended. She had to take care of my old man at night, so she didn’t get much sleep ever and nobody asked her about it. Everybody works in college basketball. Who doesn’t grind in this profession? Sleep is precious. 

“In the SEC we get the one bye week. Ours is coming up after (Mississippi State). We certainly don’t look too far ahead, but it wouldn’t be truthful to tell you that everybody in our program knows when that bye is so we can get a couple days off and a little more sleep.”

A win Saturday would secure for the Rebels the 19th 20-win season in school history and 14th since 2000. 

Ole Miss won 20 last year, too. The Rebels last went back-to-back with 20-win seasons from 2015-17.

Ole Miss has the nation’s sixth-toughest remaining strength of schedule, according rot ESPN’s Basketball Power Index. The Rebels are currently projected as a 5-seed in NCAA Tournament bracketology from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.

HOW TO WATCH

Television/Online: ESPN2
Play-by-Play: John Schriffen
Analyst: Richard Hendrix

HOW TO LISTEN

Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Analyst: Marc Dukes

SERIES HISTORY

Ole Miss-Mississippi State is the 12th most-played series in college basketball and dates back to 1914. 

Saturday will be the 272nd all-time meeting between the teams, who last month met while both were ranked in the Top 25 for the first time ever. 

Mississippi State came out on top in overtime, 84-81. Jaemyn Brakefield led the Rebels with 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Ole Miss is sitting at No. 19 this time around, while Mississippi State is No. 22. They split the series last season, with both teams winning on their home floor.

GAME SPREAD

A line for the game hasn’t been set yet. However, Ole Miss is 14-11-0 against the spread this season. Mississippi State is 10-14-0. 

The Rebels are 11-14-0 in hitting the over, with the Bulldogs 12-12-0. Ole Miss is 4-6 ATS in its last 10 games, while Mississippi State is 2-8.

SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE

Mississippi State picked up notable non-conference wins over Utah, SMU, No. 18 Pittsburgh and No. 21 Memphis. The Bulldogs have SEC wins over South Carolina (x2), Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Georgia. They’re No. 30 in the NET. Ole Miss is No. 21.

Sophomore guard Josh Hubbard leads the Bulldogs and ranks fourth in the SEC in points per game (17.6). Hubbard is a former 4-star in-state recruit. He signed with the Rebels in November of 2022 but was released of his NLI following the dismissal of former Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis. 

Hubbard is second in the SEC in made 3s per game (3.21) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.35). KeShawn Murphy is the Bulldogs’ top rebounder (7.5 per game). Cameron Matthews is tops in the SEC and ninth nationally in steals per game (2.50).

Mississippi State is No. 36 in college basketball in both turnover margin (+3.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.48).The Bulldogs are averaging 9.3 steals, good for third in the SEC and 22nd in the NCAA. They’re 19th in bench points (30.4 per game).