RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech men's basketball team will open the month of December with a tough two-game road stretch that starts on Thursday night when they face SEC foe Mississippi State at 7 p.m. inside Humphrey Coliseum.
 
The matchup will be streamed on SECN+ with Bart Gregory and Matt Wyatt calling the action.  Fans can also listen to Dave Nitz and Jack Thigpen call the game on KXKZ 1075. FM (Ruston), KOKA 93.3 FM/980 AM (Shreveport) and KJVC 92.7 FM (Mansfield) as well as on the LA Tech Athletics app.
 
LA Tech (5-2) improved to 4-0 at home this past Saturday with another decisive 78-57 victory which came over Samford.  The Bulldogs forced 21 turnovers and held their opponent to 39 percent shooting.
 
They currently average 18.9 forced turnovers per game which ranks 14th in the country.  They also rank 31st in the country in field goal percentage defense, allowing just 37.3 percent shooting.
 
After starting the first six games, Kalob Ledoux came off the bench for the first time this season and provided a big spark offensively, pouring in a season-high 23 points while making four three-pointers.  The redshirt junior is now averaging a team-best 11.9 points per game.
 
Meanwhile, Mubarak Muhammed registered his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 15 rebounds.  He is currently averaging four offensive rebounds per game which ranks 11th in the country.  The senior is averaging 9.4 points and a team-high 9.6 rebounds per game.
 
Mississippi State (6-1) is off to a solid start this season as well.  They opened the year with four straight home wins, extending their SEC-leading non-conference home winning streak to 26 games.
 
They then recorded a third-place finish at the Myrtle Beach Invitational with victories over Tulane and Coastal Carolina and the lone defeat coming to nationally-ranked Villanova.
 
MSU, who was picked to finish seventh in the SEC preseason poll, is coming off a 23-11 season and an NCAA Tournament under head coach Ben Howland who is in his fifth year at the helm.
 
The Bulldogs from Starkville have five players averaging double-figures in scoring, led by guard Tyson Carter with an average of 17.6 points per game.  Forward Reggie Perry, a preseason First Team All-SEC selection and preseason All-America honoree, is averaging 14.7 points and 8.9 boards per game. 
 
MSU is one of the top rebounding teams in the country, ranking 10th in rebounding margin at +10.9 and second in offensive rebound percentage per KenPom.
 
They lead the all-time series over LA Tech, 10-5, and have won the last three meetings with the last one coming in 2007.  This marks the ninth straight season that LA Tech will face an SEC opponent.
 
Twitter users can follow @LATechHoops for live in-game updates.