Overview
- Tip is set for 5 p.m. CT at the Moody Center on SEC Network, with Texas entering 9-4 and Mississippi State 8-5.
- Both teams carry underwhelming NET rankings from nonconference play, raising the stakes of early SEC results for NCAA hopes.
- Mississippi State leans on high-scoring guards Josh Hubbard and Jayden Epps, a tough test for a Texas perimeter that has allowed a high three-point percentage.
- Texas projects an interior edge behind Matas Vokietaitis and a strong rebounding profile, facing a Bulldogs squad that has struggled to generate consistent frontcourt scoring.
- The Bulldogs arrive on a four-game win streak after a 49-27 rebounding edge vs. Alabama State, while Texas confronts immediate road trips to ranked Tennessee and Alabama that heighten the need to protect home court.