Mississippi State vs Georgia preview: Bulldogs look for strong finish

Georgia wraps up its regular season home schedule with a matchup against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs remain in battle for positioning in next week's SEC Tournament and still control their own destiny. Georgia currently sits in third place in the conference standings at 10-6 but has just a one game lead over both Arkansas and Tennessee. If the Bulldogs win both of their remaining games they will assure themselves of a Top 3 finish, lose and they will need either the Razorbacks or the Volunteers to lose to remain in the Top 4. Finishing in the Top 4 awards teams a double bye in the tournament.

The Bulldogs scored a huge 75-55 road win over Mississippi State back on February 12. After falling behind by 14 points in the first half, Georgia righted the ship and finished the game in dominating fashion. Charles Mann led the way with 19 points while freshman Juwan Parker chipped in 16 off the bench.

Georgia has gone 3-2 in the five games since that win and most recently dropped an 87-75 decision at Arkansas. The Bulldogs fell behind early in the second half but battled their way to the end. Kenny Gaines continued his surge as he led the Bulldogs with 25 points.

Mississippi State comes into Wednesday's game struggling under the weight of an 11-game losing streak. They last won on January 22 and have fallen to 13-16 on the season and 3-13 in the conference. They are led by sophomore Craig Sword who averages a team-best 13.3 points per game. Sword finished with 10 to lead the Bulldogs in the previous meeting between the two teams.

Georgia's lone senior Donte Williams will be honored in senior day festivities prior to the game. Williams is currently second on the team in rebounding and along with Marcus Thornton has helped to solidify the Bulldogs' interior defense. Wednesday's game will be the 120th of Williams' Georgia career and he has career averages of 4.8 points and 4.1 rebounds.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, March 5, 7 p.m. ET

Location: Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Georgia

TV: CSS, ESPN3

Radio: Bulldog Radio Network