How to watch Memphis vs. Mississippi State

With only two games remaining before it starts conference play, Memphis is looking to claw back to .500 before starting its American slate, and it will have an opportunity Saturday afternoon to snap a two-game losing streak against Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs enter the game with a 6-5 record, and they’ve won three of their last four games against Georgia Tech, Utah and Long Island. The only loss in that span came in a neutral-site game against San Francisco, which they dropped 65-62. 

As a team, Mississippi State averages 79.5 points per game, and they shoot 45 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from deep. Three players average more than 10 points per game, and junior Josh Hubbard leads the team, averaging 21.6 points per game.

All three of the Bulldogs’ leading scorers shoot better than 35 percent from deep, but the team has struggled as a whole shooting the ball from three-point range.

Offensively, Mississippi State doesn’t turn the ball over much, averaging 11.5 turnovers per game, but they only force 9.7 turnovers on the defensive end of the court.

In the frontcourt, Chris Jans boasts a lot of size, and the Tigers will see a familiar face in Quincy Ballard, who spent the last two seasons at Wichita State. The Bulldogs average 40.4 rebounds per game, but they give up a lot of rebounds, allowing 39 per game. 

Here’s a look at how to watch the Tigers’ game against Mississippi State:

TV: ESPN

Stream: WatchESPN

Radio: 98.9 The Roar of Memphis

Line: Mississippi State -3.5

Time: 3:00 p.m. CT

What to expect from Memphis:

Mississippi State doesn’t force many turnovers, and this needs to be a game where the Tigers find a lot of offensive success while protecting the rock. Memphis enters the game only averaging 13.6 turnovers per game, but it had 20 in its most recent showing against Vanderbilt. 

After the loss to the Commodores, Penny Hardaway said that the team needed a pecking order offensively, and it will be interesting to see if he makes any changes ahead of Saturday’s game. Hardaway has started a different lineup in eight of the first 10 games of the season, and it’d be safe to assume he could make another change ahead of the Mississippi State game.

Both Curtis Givens III and Julius Thedford have missed multiple games, but it seems likely that if one of the guards is able to play on Saturday, they could be inserted into the starting five.

Three starters finished in double figures Wednesday night, but Zach Davis and Aaron Bradshaw combined for three points on 0-for-7 from the field. Memphis needs both to play better, especially in an important road game. 

After beating New Orleans and Baylor, the American named Davis its conference player of the week, but in the last two games, the senior has combined for seven points, shooting 25 percent from the field. The last time Davis played in Starkville, he finished with 22 points, and he’ll be a player to watch to see if he can get back into a rhythm on the road.

Memphis continues to look for consistent scoring from its roster, and Hasan Abdul Hakim looks like he could fill that role. The UTRGV transfer missed the first six games of the season and looked rusty when he returned to make his debut. 

Abdul Hakim combined for seven points on 23 percent shooting, but he bounced back with two solid performances against Louisville and Vanderbilt. The guard shot 57.1 percent from the field in those two games, and Memphis could use that consistency on a nightly basis moving forward.