The Arkansas Razorbacks, ranked 21st with a 16-6 record and 6-3 in the SEC, will play the Mississippi State Bulldogs (11-11, 3-6 SEC) in Starkville on Saturday. The game is scheduled for an 11:00 am Central Time tipoff at Humphrey Coliseum and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Both teams are coming off midweek byes. Arkansas has not lost consecutive games this season, though they fell to Kentucky last Saturday. Mississippi State recently suffered a narrow defeat at Missouri, ending with a score of 84-79.
This matchup marks the 62nd meeting between Arkansas and Mississippi State since Arkansas joined the SEC in the 1991-92 season. The Razorbacks have faced LSU most frequently (72 times), followed by Ole Miss and now both Mississippi State and Auburn, which they will also play for the 62nd time this season.
Arkansas leads the all-time series against Mississippi State with a record of 36-34 and holds a slight edge since joining the SEC at 31-30. However, Mississippi State has won nine of the last twelve meetings and leads games played in Starkville, winning 24 out of 31 matchups there since Arkansas entered the conference. The Bulldogs have taken six straight home victories over Arkansas; the Razorbacks’ last win in Starkville was in February 2015.
Head coach John Calipari has a strong record against Mississippi State, standing at 21-1 overall and undefeated (9-0) at Humphrey Coliseum. His only loss to them came during the 2021 SEC Tournament.
Statistically within conference play, Arkansas ranks first in field goal percentage (.507), second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.75), third in scoring (86.11 points per game), assists (16.11), turnover margin (+2.44), fourth in defensive rebounding percentage (.691), and blocked shots (4.89).
Freshman Darius Acuff Jr., averaging 20.3 points per game, is on track to surpass school records for freshman scoring averages and total points set by George Kok (18.7 ppg) and Scotty Thurman (540 points). With eleven guaranteed games remaining, Acuff projects to finish with about 667 points if he maintains his current pace.
Another standout performer is Meleek Thomas, who is making nearly half his three-point attempts in conference games—47.5 percent—which puts him ahead of Rotnei Clarke’s school record set in 2011.
Following their game against Mississippi State, Arkansas will travel to face LSU before returning home to host Auburn on Valentine’s Day.
For more information about Arkansas Men’s Basketball, updates are available via @RazorbackMBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
