Kentucky Battles Mississippi State WBB Pregame Preview

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Thursday’s matchup between the Mississippi State Bulldogs (17-5) and the Kentucky Wildcats (9-12) at Rupp Arena has the Bulldogs as the heavy favorite. Mississippi State is coming off a huge home upset over the 9th ranked defending champion LSU Tigers. The Cats hope to get back on track at home where they are 9-3 on the season. Game time is at 7:00 PM ET ET on February 1st. Their last time out, the Wildcats lost 91-74 to Alabama on the road.

Back in Rupp tmr. 💪

Preview ≫ https://t.co/MH1sEH5xrR pic.twitter.com/YJIcRQeONg
— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) January 31, 2024

Kentucky vs. Mississippi State Game Info

When: Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Where: Rupp Arena in Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky

Kentucky Schedule Analysis

The Wildcats beat the Arkansas Razorbacks in a 73-63 win on January 4 — their best win of the season.
The Wildcats have eight losses against Quadrant 1 teams, tied for the sixth-most in Division 1.
When facing Quadrant 2 opponents, Kentucky is 1-3 (.250%) — tied for the 49th-most defeats.

HBD, JORDY!!! 🥳💜😍@jordybeballin pic.twitter.com/VLrbvoGv5m
— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) January 31, 2024

Kentucky 2023-24 Best Wins

73-63 at home over Arkansas (No. 43) on January 4
76-71 at home over Missouri (No. 83) on January 21
83-81 at home over Boston College (No. 101) on November 30
87-80 at home over Lipscomb (No. 179) on December 21
74-66 at home over East Tennessee State (No. 183) on November 7

Kentucky Leaders

Ajae Petty: 14.4 PTS, 11 REB, 1.2 STL, 54.9 FG%
Maddie Scherr: 13.8 PTS, 1.6 STL, 34.1 FG%, 29.4 3PT% (25-for-85)
Eniya Russell: 9.5 PTS, 45.2 FG%, 22.7 3PT% (5-for-22)
Brooklynn Miles: 6.5 PTS, 1.1 STL, 43.2 FG%, 11.5 3PT% (3-for-26)
Saniah Tyler: 9.4 PTS, 31.4 FG%, 32.8 3PT% (40-for-122)

Our next three home games' promos & themes! 😍😍😍 pic.twitter.com/oaBbKi9bNG
— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) January 30, 2024

Kentucky Performance Insights

The Wildcats are being outscored by 8.6 points per game with a -180 scoring differential overall. They put up 66 points per game (172nd in college basketball) and allow 74.6 per contest (341st in college basketball).
Kentucky’s points-per-game average in SEC games (66 per game) matches its overall average.
The Wildcats are scoring 74 points per game in home games. In away games, they are averaging 58.2 points per contest.
Kentucky gives up 68.8 points per game when playing at home this season, compared to 82.7 on the road.
The Wildcats have been scoring 69.6 points per contest in their last 10 appearances, an average that’s slightly higher than the 66 they’ve scored over the course of the 2023-24 campaign.

Mississippi State Schedule Analysis

In their signature win of the season, the Bulldogs defeated the No. 9 LSU Tigers, 77-73, on January 29.
The Bulldogs have four wins versus Quadrant 1 teams, tied for the 11th-most in Division 1.
Mississippi State has four Quadrant 2 wins, tied for the 18th-most in Division I. But it also has four Quadrant 2 losses, tied for the 22nd-most.

TOP-10 WIN FOR THE DAWGS🔥#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/slIrwYf5M1
— Mississippi State Women's Basketball (@HailStateWBK) January 30, 2024

Mississippi State 2023-24 Best Wins

77-73 at home over LSU (No. 9/AP Poll) on January 29
66-63 on the road over Arkansas (No. 43) on January 11
69-57 at home over Ole Miss (No. 47) on January 14
89-77 on the road over Florida (No. 63) on January 22
63-62 on the road over Belmont (No. 67) on November 19

Mississippi State Leaders

Jerkaila Jordan: 17.4 PTS, 2.4 STL, 46.1 FG%, 34.6 3PT% (27-for-78)
Jessika Carter: 14.5 PTS, 9.6 REB, 1.9 BLK, 52.4 FG%
Lauren Park-Lane: 10.0 PTS, 5.8 AST, 42.3 FG%, 37.1 3PT% (26-for-70)
Debreasha Powe: 10.8 PTS, 44.8 FG%, 41.9 3PT% (49-for-117)
Erynn Barnum: 8.2 PTS, 43.7 FG%

The Starting 5️⃣ for Week 13 is HERE ‼️@HannahHidalgo of @ndwbb @Jerk2Brazy of @HailStateWBK @Taisheka20 of @TroyTrojansWBB @ChelliaWatson of @UBwomenshoops @SerahWilliams25 of @BadgerWBB #NCAAWBB pic.twitter.com/n3aZkkR2dO
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) January 31, 2024

Mississippi State Performance Insights

The Bulldogs outscore opponents by 15.4 points per game (posting 76.9 points per game, 37th in college basketball, and giving up 61.5 per contest, 117th in college basketball) and have a +337 scoring differential.
Mississippi State has averaged 5.9 fewer points in SEC play (71.0) than overall (76.9).
At home the Bulldogs are scoring 77.6 points per game, 6.2 more than they are averaging on the road (71.4).
Mississippi State concedes 55.5 points per game at home, and 69.1 on the road.
While the Bulldogs are putting up 76.9 points per game in 2023-24, they have fallen short of that over their previous 10 games, producing 75.9 points per contest.

This week on the road the Wildcats continued to struggle with two more losses at Arkansas and Alabama. They return home where they have played much better. Coach Kyra Elzy needs Ajae Petty to return to her double double form and Maddie Scherr to shoot better than this past week. Brooklynn Miles is coming off one of her best games and Eniya Russell has played her best of the season as of late. Players like Emma King and Cassidy Rowe need to be more offensive minded at times as Saniah Tyler continues to lead the team from behind the three-point line.

Emma King used to dream of playing in a Kentucky jersey. Now she’s got just a short time left in her final year. I sat down with Emma to talk about her choice to return this season, her most influential teammates and more. @KentuckyWBB @Emma_King34 https://t.co/2DsgUU9I78
— Caroline Makauskas (@cmakauskas) January 19, 2024

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