Where: Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, Mississippi
Contrasting styles will be on display when high-scoring Mississippi State meets Georgia State, a team with a physical mentality, in Starkville, Miss., on Friday.
Mississippi State overpowered visiting West Georgia 95-60 on Monday, while Georgia State opened by defeating Ball State 71-66 in Atlanta in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.
The Bulldogs made it a priority to improve their 3-point shooting in the offseason. After making only 32.2 percent from distance a season ago, they made 14 of 30 in the opener.
All-SEC second-team selection Josh Hubbard picked up where he left off during his successful freshman season by scoring 26 points -- including six 3-pointers -- in the opener. Claudell Harris Jr., a transfer from Boston College, scored 20 in his debut.
"We still have a long way to go, and we are just getting started," said Mississippi State forward KeShawn Murphy. "We're starting to figure out how to play as a team. I'm just excited to be here because it's different from the previous years."
Georgia State showed its new inside-friendly philosophy in the opener, with three players -- all transfers -- producing double-doubles. Cesare Edwards (Missouri State) had 17 points and 11 rebounds, Zarique Nutter (Northern Illinois) had 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Nick McMullen (UNC-Asheville) had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
"Ball State was as physical a bunch as we expected them to be," Georgia State coach Jonas Hayes said. "But like I tell our guys, they were no more physical than we are on ourselves every single day in practice. It was a great way to start our year. This is our identity."
Toneari Lane, a preseason All-Sun Belt selection, scored 14 points.
Mississippi State leads the all-time series 4-0 and won the last meeting 79-50 in December 2021. But Georgia State bounced back later that season to win the Sun Belt Conference tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
--Field Level Media
| W/L | Strk | Home | Away | Neutral | Day | Night | Conf | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia St. | 1-0 | W1 | 1-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| Mississippi State | 1-0 | W1 | 1-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| Georgia St. | Mississippi State | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Away | Home | Pts | Reb | FG% | Pts | Reb | FG% |
| 12/14/21 | GSU 50 | MSST 79 | 50 | 26 | 32.8 | 79 | 37 | 54.5 |
| Previous Matchup |
|---|
| Points | Player | Total | FG% | FTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia St. | C. Allen | 13 | 38.5 | 1 |
| Mississippi State | I. Molinar | 18 | 83.3 | 7 |
| Rebounds | Player | Total | Off | Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia St. | C. Allen | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Mississippi State | D. Fountain | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Assists | Player | |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia St. | K. Williams | 5 |
| Mississippi State | A. Garcia | 4 |
| Season |
|---|
| Points | Player | Total | FG% | FTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia St. | C. Edwards | 17 | 50.0 | 1 |
| Mississippi State | J. Hubbard | 26 | 76.9 | 0 |
| Rebounds | Player | Total | Off | Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia St. | N. McMullen | 13 | 3 | 10 |
| Mississippi State | K. Murphy | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| Assists | Player | |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia St. | Z. Nutter | 6 |
| Mississippi State | K. Murphy | 4 |
 Georgia St. Off vs
 Mississippi State Defense |
|---|
|
71.0 Points For
60.0 Points Against
41.5 FG%
38.9 FG%
48.0 Reb
30.0 Reb |
|
Mississippi State Off vs
Georgia St. Defense |
|---|
|
95.0 Points For
66.0 Points Against
55.4 FG%
32.4 FG%
29.0 Reb
41.0 Reb |