STARKVILLE — Mississippi State men’s basketball coach Rick Ray sees his team’s game at 6 tonight (ESPNU) against TCU in the Big 12/SEC Challenge as a chance at redemption against a quality opponent.

Ray hopes MSU (5-1) can offer a better performance than it did in an 87-68 loss to Utah State last month in Logan, Utah.

“We failed our first test against quality competition when we played at Utah State, so we get a chance to go out and see what we really are as a basketball team,” Ray said.

MSU has defeated Jackson State (58-56) and Loyola-Chicago (65-64 in overtime) since the game against Utah State. Even though it has struggled, it has relied on sophomore guard Craig Sword in the final minutes to secure victories at Humphrey Coliseum. Sword averaged 18 points and five rebounds in those games, even though he didn’t score in the first half against Jackson State.

“We probably would have found a way to lose those games, (and) you don’t want to be in those situations, but the most important thing is when you are in those situations you have success,” Ray said. “I think ‘Chicken’ (Sword’s nickname) is instant offense in transition and is really hard to deal with because of his explosiveness.”

Sword used his athleticism to get to the basket to score the winning baskets in each game. Sword scored 24 points, one shy of his career-high, against Loyola-Chicago. He had five of the Bulldogs’ nine points in overtime.

“With the new rules, they’re almost going to have to foul him in order to keep (Sword) out of the paint,” Ray said. “Last year, it was either going to be a spectacular play for Chicken or it was going to be a turnover. Now he’s grown and matured to the point he’s making spectacular plays without turning the ball over as much.”

TCU (4-3), which is coached by former Nevada and LSU coach Trent Johnson, is going through injury and depth issue that plagued MSU last year. The Horned Frogs lost Amric Fields (broken left hand) and Brandon Parrish (sprained thumb) to injuries in the championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout. Fields could miss more than a month, although no timetable has been announced. Parrish and Hudson Price (illness) are day to day, Johnson said, and might be available tonight.

Fields has played in four games off the bench since returning from a knee injury he suffered early last season. He has established himself as TCU’s only consistent low-post scoring and rebounding threat.

Ray said MSU was preparing to face Fields, the 2012 Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year award winner, but reports suggest he’ll be inactive. It is uncertain at press time if Fields traveled with the team to Starkville.

MSU also is dealing with injuries. Freshman point IJ Ready (hamstring) hasn’t been ruled out of tonight’s game. He hasn’t played since Nov. 14 in a victory against Kennesaw State. He left that game in the second half with what later was diagnosed as a hamstring strain. After getting the diagnosis, Ray said Ready would be out for two to four weeks.

“The next thing we’re looking for is today to see how he responds to 5-on-5 activity,” Ray said.

Ray said Ready responded well in drills earlier in the week. If Ready handled practice in team drills Wednesday, he could return to action after missing four games.

Ready had 14 points in a 71-56 season-opening victory against Prarie View A&M.

Follow Matt Stevens on Twitter @matthewcstevens.