Mississippi State's once-promising season has been derailed by a surprising three-game losing streak.
Now conversations about a deep run in the NCAA Tournament have suddenly turned into a debate if the Bulldogs (19-8, 6-6 Southeastern Conference) can make the tournament at all.
And things don't get any easier when No. 1 Kentucky (26-1, 12-0) comes to town Tuesday night, bringing its 18-game winning streak and multiple NBA prospects to Humphrey Coliseum.
''I've seen a lot of Kentucky teams and this may be as good as I've seen,'' coach Rick Stansbury said.
While Mississippi State can't be considered as talented as Kentucky, the Bulldogs do have a roster that comes closer than many others. Arnett Moultrie, Renardo Sidney, Dee Bost and Rodney Hood are all scoring in double-figures this season and many of them harbor professional aspirations.
Kentucky usually brings out the best in Mississippi State. The teams have split the past six in the series, with two of the past three going to overtime.
''They have the talent on the team. No one's questioning it,'' Kentucky coach John Calipari said. ''I'm not. I've watched them. I think they've got a bunch of really good players, and any of them can go off at any point.''
But the Bulldogs haven't played well of late, losing close games to Georgia, LSU and Auburn.
That's a trio of SEC teams that have a combined 13-23 league record. The Bulldogs weren't terrible in any of the losses - losing two of them in overtime - but that hasn't done anything to soften the frustration. Stansbury was certain he had the talent and leadership to recover from the unexpected skid.
''I have confidence in us, that's for sure,'' he said. ''Guys, it's a fine line. We wouldn't have even been thinking about having these conversations if we make one more play in two games. That's what a fine line it is. There's two games we lose in overtime - it's one play.''
While Mississippi State is struggling, Kentucky is not. The Wildcats have won nine of their 12 league games by double-digits.
Anthony Davis, a 6-foot-10 freshman, leads a young, talented roster with 13.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.9 blocks per game.
Mississippi State's got some talented big men as well, especially if Sidney is able to play after missing Saturday's loss to Auburn because of back spasms. Senior guard Dee Bost said Sidney expects to play - and his 6-10, 285-pound body would certainly be useful if the Bulldogs want to pull off the upset.
''It's very obvious against a Kentucky team that's as talented as they are that you need everybody you can possibly get,'' Stansbury said. ''And we don't just need his body; we need his body to play well for us to have any kind of chance at all.''
MSU also has Arnett Moultrie, a 6-11 junior, who is averaging 16.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. He also leads the conference with 15 double-doubles.
''I think we match up well with them,'' Bost said. ''But we're going to have to play some defense.''
And that's been an issue. The Bulldogs are giving up more than 71 points per game in 12 conference games and have forced a league-low 100 turnovers.
Mississippi State has been forced to be less aggressive on defense because of a thin bench, but Calipari said he still expects a tough game on the road against a team that's been a recent nemesis.
''It's a great little college town and the whole town shuts down for this game - they've been talking about it for months,'' Calipari said. ''They can't wait.''
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Follow David Brandt on Twitter: (at)davidbrandtAP
