TV, lineups, story lines for UK-Miss. State
NO. 1 KENTUCKY (27-0, 14-0)AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (12-15, 5-9)
Game time: 7 p.m. ET
Site: Humphrey Coliseum (10,500), Starkville, Miss.
Favorite: Kentucky by 19
Series: UK leads 91-20. Last meeting: Kentucky won 69-59 on Feb. 8, 2014 in Starkville.
Television: SEC Network (Dave Neal, Jon Sundvold, Kaylee Hartung)
Radio: WHAS-AM 840 (Tom Leach, Mike Pratt)
MISSISSIPPI STATE
Pos. Player Ht. Cl. Rb. Pts.
G-I.J. Ready 5-11 So. 2.2* 8.2
G-Craig Sword 6-3 Jr. 2.4 9.8
G-Travis Daniels 6-8 Jr. 4.1 6.6
F-Roquez Johnson 6-7 Sr. 5.5 9.9
F-Gavin Ware 6-9 Jr. 7.4 10.2
* assists per game
Key reserves – Fred Thomas, G, 6-5, Jr., 9.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg; Trivante Bloodman, G, 6-0, Sr., 4.1 ppg, 2.0 apg; Fallou Ndoye, F, 6-11, Fr., 2.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg; Oliver Black, F, 6-9, Fr., 1.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg; Demetrius Houston, F, 6-7, Fr., 2.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg.
KENTUCKY
Pos.Player Ht. Cl. Rb. Pts.
G-Andrew Harrison 6-6 So. 4.1* 8.5
G-Aaron Harrison 6-6 So. 2.3 11.0
F-Trey Lyles 6-10 Fr. 5.0 7.5
F-Karl-Anthony Towns 6-11 Fr. 6.4 9.2
C-Willie Cauley-Stein 7-0 Jr. 6.3 9.3
* assists per game
Key reserves – Devin Booker, G, 6-5, Fr., 11.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.3 apg; Dakari Johnson, C, 7-0, So., 7.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.9 bpg; Tyler Ulis, G, 5-9, Fr., 5.4 ppg, 3.6 apg; Marcus Lee, F, 6-9, So., 2.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg; Dominique Hawkins, G, 6-0, So., 1.7 ppg, 0.8 apg.
STORY LINES
1. Bulldogs increasingly competitive. While it's still a struggle – Mississippi State has lost 4 of 5 and is remains four games below .500 in SEC play – Rick Ray has made small steps forward in his third season as coach. The team went 24-41 overall and won just nine conference games in his first two years. This year the Bulldogs, the only team in the league that returned all five starters, have beaten Florida State and won on the road at Tennessee and LSU (a likely NCAA Tournament team). They've also lost seven games by six points or fewer, including five in SEC play. They fell 65-61 to Arkansas – the league's clear No. 2 team – on Saturday.
"They had Mississippi down 10, had a chance to win that game. Had Arkansas down at the half, had a chance to win that game," UK coach John Calipari said. "I've hit Rick throughout the season. When I've watched his team, I'm amazed at how hard they're playing, how in sync they are with each other. They're playing zone, they're playing man, they're digging the post. They're fighting you on every possession.
"They're getting up in people. I told him I think he's doing a fabulous job. You have to understand, when he took over, that thing was not in great shape. And it's taken time, but he's building a culture and it's being built on work and defense and rebounding and toughness. That's how you begin the process of taking that program where he wants it to go."
2. Tyler Ulis still "not healthy right now." That was Calipari's official update Monday on his freshman backup point guard, who has been battling shin splints in his right leg for several weeks. That won't keep him off the court, though. Ulis played 33 minutes at Florida on Feb. 7 and 30 minutes at Tennessee a week ago. "Tyler's a guy that leaves it all out on the floor. You just love to watch him play," UK assistant coach Barry Rohrssen said. "You know he's fearless, he's reckless, he gives everything he has every minute he's out on the court. You know you're going to catch some injuries along the way there, but he's a fighter. He battles through it and he may go from one injury to another injury, but he still comes back."