Skip to main content

Live Updates: No. 5 Tennessee vs. Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey03/15/24

GrantRamey

Tennessee Basketball
Tennessee Athletics

Postseason basketball is finally here. No. 1-seed Tennessee opens its SEC Tournament stay this afternoon against No. 9-seed Mississippi State at Bridgestone Arena. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. Eastern Time start on ESPN.

Follow along for all the live updates before, during and after today’s game on The General’s Quarters

The Vols (24-7) lost 77-72 at Mississippi State (20-12) on January 10 in Starkville and State remains the lone SEC team that Tennessee did not beat during the regular season, on its way to the outright SEC regular-season championship. 

Mississippi State beat No. 8-seed LSU on Thursday in Nashville thanks to 24 points from Josh Hubbard and 12 more from DaShawn Davis. Hubbard scored 25 points against Tennessee in the win over the Vols in Starkville in January. Tolu Smith had 23 points and the Bulldogs led by as many as 15 points in the first half.

How To Watch: No. 5 Tennessee vs. Mississippi State

Start Time: Friday, 1 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Bridgestone Arena (18,500)

TV: ESPN

Streaming: WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App

Radio: WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee

KenPom Prediction: Tennessee 75, Mississippi State 68 (Vols 75% chance to win)

The Line: Tennessee -9.5 (via FanDuel)

A Closer Look: Mississippi State Bulldogs

Mississippi State is currently one of Joe Lunardi’s last four byes — teams not going to the First Four — after the Quad 2 win over LSU on Thursday. State was a No. 11 seed in Lunardi’s seed list as of Tuesday.

Top 10

  1. 1

    New CFP Top 25

    College Football Playoff rankings revealed

    Hot
  2. 2

    Strength of Schedule

    CFP Top 25 SOS ranking

    New
  3. 3

    12-Team CFP bracket

    Updated College Football Playoff bracket

    Trending
  4. 4

    Hunter Dickinson ejected

    Kansas big man kicks Duke player in head

  5. 5

    Colbie Young status

    Kirby Smart reveals latest on Georgia WR

View All

After the win over Tennessee on January 10, Mississippi State lost five of its next seven games, then won five straight, then ended the regular season on a four-game losing streak. 

Friday’s game is a Quad 1 game for both teams and another opportunity to improve their respective NCAA Tournament resumes. The Vols are still chasing the program’s first No. 1 seed and needs wins in the SEC Tournament to match North Carolina in the ACC Tournament

Mississippi State on Thursday was ranked No. 42 in the NET. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 39 overall in the KenPom.com ratings. They’re No. 22 in adjusted defensive efficiency, giving up 96.8 points per 100 possessions, and are No. 64 in adjusted offensive efficiency, at 113.6 points per 100 possessions.

Tennessee is No. 5 in the NET with a 7-6 Quad 1 record, 6-1 Quad 2 record and a combined 11-0 record in Quad 3 and Quad 4.

You may also like