Both the Pitt Panthers (22-11) and the Mississippi State Bulldogs (21-12) had their conference crown dreams crushed by the eventual champions. Now, they have the opportunity to shatter each other’s national title aspirations.
Pitt’s ACC Tournament run was brought to an end by Duke, and it got ugly quickly. The Panthers faced an 11-point deficit in less than three minutes and trailed for the entire contest, ultimately falling by 27. Neutral courts have been a struggle for Pitt this season, as they’re now 1-3 in neutral site games.
Mississippi State has to be happy that they’re finished with SEC opponents for the foreseeable future. The Bulldogs went 13-2 against out-of-conference opponents, as opposed to 8-10 in the SEC. Their SEC Tournament was ended by the top overall seed, Alabama, and that also wasn’t a competitive match.
Both teams had seasons to be proud of, but one must come to an end on Tuesday night. Let’s see Pitt and Mississippi State stack up with their season on the line.
Pitt vs. Mississippi State Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | Money Line |
| Pitt | +2.0 (-110) | Over 132.5 (-110) | +110 |
| Mississippi State | -2.0 (-110) | Under 132.5 (-110) | -130 |
Pitt vs. Mississippi State Match Details
Fixture: Pitt Panthers vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Date and Time: Tuesday, March 14 2023, 9:10 p.m. EST
Venue: UD Arena
Pitt vs. Mississippi State Key Stats
Pitt’s strength this year was on offense, as they were very efficient on that end. The Panthers hit 36.0% of their three-pointers and shot 45.3% from the field. They also converted 76.1% of their free throw attempts, the 35th-highest rate in the nation. As a mid-tempo team, Pitt put up 76.1 points per game.
Their defense was fine but not nearly as potent. They gave up 70.5 points per contest on that end and only came up with 5.2 steals per game. Their opponents shot 33.5% from deep and 42.6% from the floor. Those are solid numbers but not exceptional.
Especially not when compared to Mississippi State’s defense, which was one of the nation’s toughest. The Bulldogs, aided by a slow tempo, allowed only 61.0 points per game this season. Their opponents shot 39.4% from the field this year. The numbers are both 10th in the nation. They limited opposing teams to 30.8% on three-pointers as well, which was “only” 33rd nationally. The Bulldogs also came up with 8.8 steals per contest, another top-20 mark.
On offense, Mississippi State struggles to find the bottom of the net sometimes. They finished with the worst three-point percentage in college basketball, all 363 teams, with a 26.6% mark, 1.7% worse than 362nd. The Bulldogs weren’t much better at the charity stripe, only hitting 64.7% of their free throws. Overall, they put up 65.9 points on 42.3% shooting.
Pitt vs. Mississippi State Betting Prediction
Both teams would love nothing more than to wipe away their last outing, and obviously keeping their season alive is everyone’s goal this time of the year. Something that helps tremendously in March, when every opponent is quality and desperation comes into play earlier than usual, is being able to knock down free throws. One of the teams was 35th nationally in free-throw percentage, and the other was 346th. This game should be tight based on how these teams are oriented, but in the end, you should trust the Panthers more to knock down free throws. Take Pitt to win.
