Jason Storm
Free Picks Newsletter Lead Researcher
145-94-1 Overall Record
 
College Basketball: Mississippi State (+7) vs Vanderbilt (-7) Over – Under 140.5

 

These are two good SEC teams and expect both to still be around in Tournament time. The SEC outside of Kentucky isn’t getting much respect, but this conference is deeper than most realize.

We are getting a great battle this Saturday Morning between Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. There is a ton of star power in this game.

Mississippi State has solid players all over the court. They are lead by big man Arnett Moultrie. Moultrie scores 16.1 ppg and 11 rpg. He is a force inside. He is a great shooter and as long as Mississippi St gets him the ball. He will able to score. At 6’11 he is the tallest guy on the floor but certainly not the biggest.

Renardo Sidney was all world in high school. At 6’10 280lbs he is a beast of man. Unfortunately because of his size, he plays in spurts. Even in limited time, Sidney makes a big impact in games. His size wears down defenders. He scores easy, and although he only averages 10 .6 ppg, he can dominate any time he wants. He shoots 58% from the field. He scored 17 points in his last game and pulled down 9 rebounds. his big body is going to be important tonight.

This size Mississippi State is what makes them tough out, but what makes them special is on the outside they have two very talented guards. Rodney Hood is only a Freshman and may be up for the Freshman of the year award. He is a pure scorer averaging 11ppg and shooting 48%. However he is not the best guard this team has, that honor belongs to Dee Bost. Bost can score, pass, penetrate a defense. He can do it all.

Mississippi State is a talented bunch of guys that know they need this game. However, Vanderbilt is talented offensively themselves. They score 74.6 ppg and one of the best 3 point shooting teams in country.

 That isn’t much of a surprise when Jenkins on your team. John Jenkins who is leading the SEC in scoring at nearly 20 ppg. He has a lightening quick release and can get hot from 3 at any time. He has hit 45.3% of his 3 point shots, and is shooting 48.2 % from the field. But he is more than just a jump shooter. He is a pure scorer that can create his own offense. Jenkins dropped 29 points on Mississippi State in their last meeting including letting him hit 5 three pointers.

Jenkins isn’t the only offensive threat on this well balanced team. Jeffery Taylor, another guard on this team, is averaging 16.9 ppg! He too is a deadly accurate shooter making 53.6% of his shots. That’s very impressive for a guard.

 

However, this year I don’t expect these guys to have it as easy as last season. Mississippi State is a solid defensive team. This season they are only allowing 31% from three. This is good perimeter defense. They are going to get additional help from one of the best Freshman in the country, Rodney Hood. At 6’8 he can match up with either Jenkins or Taylor. This is something that the Bulldogs didn’t have last season, the size outside to contain the 2 over sized guards.

Hood has publicly stated he is going to make defense a priority in this game. Mississippi State has the players to make it tough for any team to score. Last season the Bulldogs only allowed 41% shooting. I expect it to be tougher for Vanderbilt than the spread indicates.

These two teams are too evenly matched for a spread this big.

 

Pick: Mississippi State +7