Mississippi State Bulldogs vs LSU Tigers Prediction, 1/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Mississippi State Bulldogs vs LSU Tigers

Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Location: Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA

TV: SEC Network

The Mississippi State Bulldogs (10-10) are hitting the road to Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Wednesday where they will attempt to beat the LSU Tigers (13-7).

The Mississippi State Bulldogs stepped onto the hardwood against Vanderbilt and went home with a loss by a final score of 88-56 in their last contest. Mississippi State finished the game having earned a 34.5% field goal percentage (20 of 58) and made 5 of 26 shots from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Bulldogs made 11 of their 17 tries for a percentage of 64.7%. In reference to rebounding, they collected a total of 31 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 7 assists for the contest while forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and earning 5 steals. With regard to defense, Mississippi State allowed their opponent to shoot 53.8% from the floor on 35 of 65 shooting. Vanderbilt doled out 21 assists and had 10 steals for the game. Additionally, Vanderbilt pulled down 36 rebounds (5 offensive, 31 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Vanderbilt went 90.9% from the charity stripe by making 10 of their 11 attempts. They also knocked down 8 of their 25 attempts from distance. When it comes to fouls, the Bulldogs left the arena with 11 while Vanderbilt finished the game with 19 fouls.

Jayden Epps is someone who was a major contributor for the contest. He ended up scoring 14 points on 5 of 11 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 25 minutes played and collected 5 rebounds. He finished the contest at 45.5% from the field but didn't record an assist.

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Mississippi State enters this game with a mark of 10-10 so far this year. They are losing possession via turnover 11.5 times per game and as a team are committing 15.8 fouls every game. As a team, Mississippi State is pulling in 40.6 boards per game and has 247 assists for the season, which ranks 313th in college in terms of passing the ball. The Bulldogs are hitting 29.8% on 3-pointers (150 of 504) and 68.7% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 77.7 pts per contest (160th in the nation) while going 44.0% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Bulldogs are forcing 9.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.6 personal fouls. They currently rank 168th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 270 conceded this season. The Bulldogs defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 42.6% (556 of 1,306) and they surrender 38.6 boards per game as a squad. They are giving up 30.3% on three-point shots and they rank 298th in college hoops in opponents points per game (78.5).

In their last game, the LSU Tigers went home defeated by a final of 85-81 when they faced Arkansas. With respect to cleaning up the glass, LSU allowed Arkansas to pull down 25 in all (8 offensive). They finished 45.5% from three-point range by connecting on 10 out of 22 and walked away from this one shooting 7 out of 18 from the free throw line (38.9%). The Tigers allowed Arkansas to convert 34 of their 60 attempts from the field which had them at 56.7% in the matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Tigers finished shooting 28 out of 61 from the field which gave them a percentage of 45.9%. Pertaining to 3-pointers, LSU converted 3 of their 15 attempts (20.0%). They were able to knock down 22 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 88.0%. Arkansas was called for 20 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Tigers to the charity stripe for a total of 25 tries. They also turned the ball over 9 times, while earning 5 steals for the game. The Tigers were able to snag 22 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 32 in this game.

Dedan Thomas Jr. was important for the Tigers for the game. He knocked down 6 out of 19 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 31.6%, and had 3 rebounds. He earned 16 points in his 31 mins of playing time and added 5 assists for this contest.

LSU has a win-loss mark of 13-7 on the campaign. The Tigers commit 18.3 fouls per game and they go 77.6% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 14.9 times per contest (136th in D-1) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.0 times per game. LSU has tallied 1,664 pts so far this season (83.2 per contest) and they pull down 38.1 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Tigers are shooting 49.0% from the floor, which is ranked 31st in the nation.

The LSU defense allows 34.7% on 3-pointers (167 of 481) and their opponents are making 67.5% of their free throw shots. They surrender 12.0 assists and 32.9 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 75th and 82nd in college hoops. The Tigers are ranked 183rd in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 73.5. They have forced 10.4 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 42.0% from the field (87th in the nation).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Mississippi State

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