NCAAB Game Preview - Mississippi State at Kentucky

Tue Feb 4, 2020 9:00 PM EST

No. 15 Kentucky will look to get forward Nick Richards and point guard Ashton Hagans back on their games as the Wildcats host one of the hottest teams in the Southeastern Conference when Mississippi State visits Lexington on Tuesday night.

Hagans fouled out after scoring just five points in 20-plus minutes in Saturday's loss at Auburn and Richards managed just seven points -- less than half of his 14.4 points-per game average entering the game -- while saddled with four personal fouls.

It ended a streak of nine consecutive double-figure performances for Richards. Hagans failed to score at least 10 points for just the second time in his last eight outings.

"We need guys to play well," coach John Calipari said after the Wildcats were outrebounded 40-28. "We got a game coming up now, Mississippi State, they're beating everybody by 20. And you know what they are? They're big and physical. If they push us around like we got pushed around today, it's going to be a hard one for us."

The loss dropped the Wildcats (16-5, 6-2) into a second-place tie with Auburn behind LSU in the league race. Mississippi State comes in riding a five-game winning streak in conference play interrupted by a one-point loss at Oklahoma in the Big 12-SEC Challenge.

The Bulldogs (14-7, 5-3) also lost by one point, 60-59, at LSU before beginning their current stretch. They have the league's fourth-leading scorer (17.2 points per game) and top rebounder (10.0 average) in 6-foot-10 sophomore forward Reggie Perry.

Perry has averaged 21.8 points and 10.6 rebounds a game in league play and is coming off a 24-12 effort in Mississippi State's 86-73 win over Tennessee last weekend. He has averaged 24.4 points and 10.4 rebounds a game in the Bulldogs' last five league games.

"The last five games he has been dominant," Bulldogs coach Ben Howland said. "And really he was very, very good for us at LSU (13 points, 15 rebounds). So he is playing great. The only game that he had a subpar game he got in foul trouble with the Oklahoma loss on the road by one. And we still gave ourselves a chance to win that game with him in limited action."

Perry had seven points and six rebounds while playing about half the game against the Sooners.

The Bulldogs also got a big game out of redshirt freshman guard D.J. Stewart in the win over Tennessee. He made four of five 3-point attempts and finished with a season-high 20 points.

"He's been phenomenal, and he's a phenomenal defensive player," Howland said. "He's always drawing the best perimeter player that's not the point guard and done a great job there. He's really just a phenomenal kid, and he's just getting better and better."

The Bulldogs will try to buck tradition in the only regular-season meeting with Kentucky.

The Wildcats have won 13 consecutive games over the Bulldogs overall and six in a row in Lexington. Mississippi State's last win in the series was a 66-57 decision in 2009 in Rupp Arena. The Wildcats are 49-5 against the Bulldogs in Lexington in program history.

--Field Level Media