Starkville - In-state rivals Mississippi State and Ole Miss enter today's game, seeking their first SEC wins. Both schools are coming off back-to-back losses to the conference's top two teams in Tennessee and Alabama, and they'll look to get back on track today.

The Bulldogs got off to a hot start of the season with an 11-0 record and reaching a #15 overall ranking, but a three-game losing skid has them trending in the other direction. The Rebels have struggled most of the season, losing games on their home court to North Alabama and UCF, but they're a tough team whose defense can keep them in it.

Both teams are defensively oriented, holding their opponents to under 65 points per game and playing at a slow pace, but their offensive attacks are quite different. The Rebels get most of their scoring from its guards. Junior Matthew Murrell leads the team with 14.4 points per game and scored a career-high 31 against Mississippi State last season, while freshman Amaree Abram and sophomore Daeshun Ruffin combine for 18.6 per game.

Mississippi State, on the other hand, is more predicated on using its size to its advantage as 6'11" senior Tolu Smith leads the team with 14.4 pts while forwards D.J. Jeffries and Cameron Matthews combine for 16 points per game.

The metrics point to Mississippi State pulling out a win on their home floor, but with both teams being stellar on the defensive end, it should be a battle that could go either way. The team that does the best job at limiting turnovers will likely be the team that walks away with a win.

HOW TO WATCH

TV: CBS

Stream: CBS Sports App

Radio: Mississippi State Radio Network

When: 1:00 p.m. CST

Where: Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, MS

RECORDS

Mississippi State: 11-3 (0-2 SEC)

Ole Miss: 8-6 (0-2 SEC)

RANKINGS COMPARISON

Mississippi State || Ole Miss

AP: N/A || N/A

NET: 45 || 93

KenPom: 47 || 76

Sagarin: 72 || 79

ESPN BPI: 50 || 79

ODDS

BetMGM: Mississippi State -5.5, O/U 125.5

KenPom: Mississippi State 63, Ole Miss 57 (Mississippi State has a 71% chance to win)

ESPN BPI: Mississippi State has a 74.2% chance to win

INJURIES

Mississippi State:

F Shawn Jones - questionable - foot

Ole Miss:

N/A

PROJECTED STARTERS