LSU TIGERS
The Tigers enter the week off a 64-54 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday in Baton Rouge, stopping the team's 13-game home winning streak, tied for the seventh longest in Maravich Center. Jaime Lloreda led LSU with 13 points and nine boards, Antonio Hudson 11, Darrel Mitchell 10. The Mississippi State game was the first for LSU to lose in which it outshot the opponent for the game. In both losses at Houston and against Mississippi State, LSU fell behind by big margins in the first 10 minutes of the game and had to battle back. Tigers go on the road for both games this week, Wednesday at Ole Miss, Saturday at South Carolina. The Tigers are 1-0 on the road this year in the league, with a three-game league winning streak dating back to last season. LSU leads the series against Ole Miss, 107-76, with Ole Miss leading, 47-33, in games at Oxford. Last year the teams won on each other's home court. Tigers have won five of the last eight games. South Carolina leads the series, 9-6. LSU won last year's game in Baton Rouge. South Carolina leads the series, 4-3, in games played in Columbia where LSU last won in 2000.
OLE MISS REBELS
Despite a strong second-half comeback, Ole Miss fell short in its bid for its first SEC win of the season Saturday at Arkansas, 86-78. It snapped a seven-game win streak against the Razorbacks. The Rebels trimmed a 20-point deficit to five with 22 seconds remaining, thanks in part to an 11-0 run by Aaron Harper. The senior forward turned in 19 points in the second half and finished with 22, eight rebounds and six assists, all team highs. Harper knocked down four three-pointers and needs only eight more to become the Ole Miss all-time leader in threes. made. Junior guard Justin Johnson posted a career-high 20 points, while Cavadas Nunnery came off the bench for five assists and four steals. With his six boards, senior forward Justin Reed became only the fifth Rebel to rank top 10 in both career points and rebounds. Ole Miss continues its stretch of five straight SEC West encounters with LSU and Alabama this week at home. Ole Miss opened the first week of conference play with losses to Division rivals Mississippi State, 61-54 in Oxford, and Auburn, 80-53 on the Plains. Against the Tigers, Justin Reed posted his seventh 20-point game of the season and topped the team in both points (20) and rebounds (6) for the eighth time.
MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs ended LSU's 13-game home win string with Saturday's 64-54 road victory over the Tigers. MSU's 3-1 SEC mark is the team's best four-game start in league play since also opening up the 1994-95 campaign with a 3-1 conference record. With MSU's three league wins having all come against SEC Western Division competition this season, the Bulldogs will take on a pair of SEC East foes this week in Florida midweek at Gainesville and Georgia on Saturday in Starkville. State has posted a league-high six wins on the opposition's home floor this season, including a 2-0 start in league road action for the first time since the team's 1995-96 Final Four campaign. The Bulldogs head to Gainesville this week looking to snap a six-game losing skid versus nationally ranked opponents. Wednesday at the O'Connell Center, State will also be bidding to halt an 18-game road losing streak against ranked SEC opponents which spans all the way back to the school's Final Four season of 1995-96. MSU announced last week that the Bulldogs' three remaining Saturday home games (Jan. 24 vs. Georgia; Feb. 7 vs. Mississippi; and Feb. 21 vs. Alabama) are all sold out.
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS
Carlos Powell has scored in double figures every game this season and tied a career-high seven assists against UT. Josh Gonner lead the Gamecocks with a career-high 24 points. Against UT, the Gamecocks posted a 63.6 shooting percentage and made 64.7% of its three-point attempts, which are the highest percentages during Odom's tenure at USC. This marks Coach Odom's 50th win as a Gamecock. He now is 50-33 at Carolina. The only USC coach to reach the 50 win mark faster was Frank Johnson in 1974, needing only 79 games. The 85-64 win over Tennessee ties the biggest margin of victory against a SEC opponent at home since defeating Alabama by 21 points on February 19, 2000. Saturday's attendance was 17,806, making it the biggest crowd to see a Basketball game in the State of South Carolina. This breaks the previous high for a Men's game set last year against Clemson (17,072) and tops the opening day crowd of 17,712 at the USC Women's game versus Clemson in 2002. South Carolina is off to it's best start in conference play since the 96-97 team opened 4-0.
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
Tennessee returns to the friendly confines of Thompson-Boling Arena to begin a two-game home stand that begins with the fifth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats Tuesday, Jan. 20. The Vols will conclude the two-game home stay with a Jan. 25 game against eighth-ranked Louisville before hitting the road again. The Vols fell to 10-3 on the season and 2-2 in SEC action with a 64-85 loss at South Carolina Saturday. Scooter McFadgon, who entered the game leading the SEC in scoring, was held to a season-low seven points while the Gamecocks shot 63.6 percent from the field, the best in the Dave Odom era at USC. The Kentucky game continues a nine-game stretch where the Vols play seven ranked opponents. This is the 195th meeting all-time between Tennessee and Kentucky. It is UT's most-played series. Tennessee has outscored its opponents 254-132 at the free throw line this season. The Vols lead the SEC by making 74.1 percent of their free throws on the year. Tennessee has a nine-game home court winning streak. All nine wins have come this season. It is the longest home court win streak since winning 18 in a row from Jan. 15, 2000 to Feb. 14, 2001. The Vols are 11-0 when scoring 70 or more points. They are 0-3 when scoring less than 70.
VANDERBILT COMMODORES
Matt Freije, Mario Moore and Corey Smith combined to score 58 points in Vanderbilt's 86-72 victory against Florida, Saturday. Freije netted a game-high 23 points while Moore made five three-pointers in tallying 21 points. Smith scored 14 points, grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and handed out six assists. At 13-2, Vanderbilt owns its best record through 15 games since the 1973-74 squad began its season 14-1. That team went on to win the SEC and finish with a 23-5 overall record. Vanderbilt recorded its best home start of the Stallings era at 11-0 with the win over Florida. It marks the best home start since the 1992-93 Commodore squad went undefeated at home (13-0) and won the SEC Eastern Division. Freije ranks in the top 10 of seven VU career statistical categories, including points (8th - 1553), field goals made (9th - 533), field goals attempted (t10th - 1156), free throws made (10th - 344), three-pointers made (7th - 143), three-pointers attempted (8th - 400) and blocks (4th - 62). The Commodores have totaled 20 or more assists in eight of their 15 games this year. VU travels to Arkansas, Saturday, Jan. 24. The game will be televised by Jefferson Pilot Sports.
SEC GOOD WORKS TEAM PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Rashad Wright, Georgia
Georgia senior Rashad Wright will be featured this week as the SEC Good Works Team Player of the Week on Jefferson-Pilot's telecasts of the Mississippi State at Florida, Georgia at Mississippi State and Vanderbilt at Arkansas games.
The Statesboro, Georgia native is a participant in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes "Visiting Youth" , the Buckle-Up Safe Kids and Toys for Tots programs. He also participates in the Athens/Clarke County School Reading Program. The senior is a volunteer for Food Bank of Northeast Georgia and the Council on Aging programs.
The SEC sponsors Good Works Teams for football, men's and women's basketball, men's sports at-large, and women's sports at-large. Jefferson-Pilot highlights one member of the SEC Good Works Team for men's basketball during each week of its men's basketball telecasts.
SEC Good Works Team Players of the Week
Jan. 7-10 - David Lee, Florida
Jan. 14-17 Paul Wolfert, LSU
Jan. 21-24 Rashad Wright, Georgia
