2014 SEC Tournament: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Mississippi Rebels start time, TV channel, live stream, point spread and more

Feb 15, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels guard Marshall Henderson (22) looses control of the ball in front of Georgia Bulldogs guard Kenny Gaines (12) during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia defeated Mississippi 61-60. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Date: March 14, 2014

Tip-off Time: 9:25 PM ET (Approximate)

TV Channel: SEC TV (Check Local Listings), ESPN3 (Online)

Radio: Georgia Radio Network (Online, $), Full list of Local Affiliates

Live Stream: Georgia All-Access (Online, $), Watch ESPN (Click here)

It seems like an eternity since the Georgia Bulldogs have been on the basketball court, but after earning a “double bye” into the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, Mark Fox and his club are ready to take on the Mississippi Rebels late on Friday night in the Georgia Dome. Ole Miss had to come from behind to knock off their in-state rival in Mississippi State on Thursday, and as such, the Bulldogs may be getting a reasonably tired opponent in this one.

On the floor, this is an extremely tight match-up from a skill perspective. The Bulldogs have won 8 of their last 10 since starting SEC play at 4-4, but in that stretch, UGA needed all 40 minutes to knock off these same Rebels in Stegeman Coliseum (final score of 61-60), and Ole Miss does present some match-up concerns.

Marshall Henderson and company like to play at a brisk pace (45th nationally in adjusted tempo) while Georgia plays notoriously slow (278th in the same category), and the winner of the battle of pace could have the upper hand. Speaking of Henderson, Mississippi’s leading scorer (19 points per game) is someone who can singlehandedly down an opponent, but he can also shoot them out of a game (Henderson took NINETEEN threes on Thursday night), and that could be something to focus on once the ball is in the air.

Las Vegas has set the line for the game as a pick ’em, and with KenPom projecting a narrow 1-point victory, it further reflects just how close these teams are in talent. Georgia fans still hold out some semblance of hope at an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, but more importantly, some feel as if the Dawgs can make a legitimate run to the finals, and that all begins here with a must-win game.

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