Mississippi State @ Oklahoma preview

Mississippi State has strung together three impressive victories at home and looks to take that momentum on the road when the Bulldogs play Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Mississippi State responded to three straight losses that opened the SEC season by routing Missouri and Georgia before knocking off talented Arkansas 77-70 on Wednesday.

“That was a great win over a really good team,” Bulldogs coach Ben Howland told reporters Wednesday. “They’re so difficult to match up with, the way those guards all play so unselfishly well together for them. I thought it was our best win of the year. … That’s really positive. I thought that the key to the game was taking care of the basketball for us tonight (nine turnovers).” Mississippi State has won all three previous meetings, including the last in 2002, and will take on a Sooners team that gave No. 2 Baylor all it could handle before falling 61-57 in Waco, Texas on Monday. Oklahoma has dropped three of its past four games since opening the Big 12 campaign with a pair of victories and the Sooners boast three players averaging at least 14.7 points while leading the conference in free-throw shooting percentage (76.4). Oklahoma junior forward Brady Manek is averaging almost 20 points over the last four games and has drained 18-of-30 from 3-point range in that span.

TIME: 2 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (12-6): Sophomore Reggie Perry is averaging 23.7 points the last three games while the 6-10 forward boasts four straight double-doubles and seven of his SEC-most 11 in the past eight outings. “He’s really playing phenomenal basketball at both ends,” Howland told reporters of Perry. “. … His teammates are doing a great job getting him the ball. Our percentage of times we score or get fouled when he gets the ball is really high.” Senior guard Tyson Carter averages 13.6 points and junior backcourt mate Nick Weatherspoon has added 13 per game in eight contests since returning from a suspension.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA (12-6): Manek (15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds) is tied for second in the Big 12 in made 3-pointers with 47 and fourth in accuracy from behind the arc at 43.9 percent after scoring 21 and hauling in 10 rebounds against Baylor. Senior forward Kristian Doolittle tops the team in scoring (15.9), despite managing eight at Baylor, and rebounding (8.6) while junior guard Austin Reaves contributes 14.7 points per game but was 3-for-17 from the field last time out. Freshman guard De’Vion Harmon (8.3 points) was held to four by Baylor after stringing together three straight double-figure performances for the first time.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Oklahoma junior G Alondes Williams had seven points against Baylor - his highest output in eight games.

2. Mississippi State freshman G D.J. Stewart Jr. had 14 points versus Arkansas, one shy of his season high on Nov. 8.

3. The Bulldogs boast a plus-8.4 rebound margin and Oklahoma is a minus-1.7 on the boards.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma 74, Mississippi State 72