Mississippi State Basketball: 3 reasons why the Bulldogs will win the SEC

2. Strong recruiting class

Ben Howland’s recruiting classes are coming of age in Starkville, demonstrating a similar ability to pull in talent he displayed at UCLA. But the new kids may be Howland’s best batch yet.

247 Sports ranks Mississippi State’s 2018 recruiting class as fourth in the SEC, behind Kentucky (of course), LSU, and Vanderbilt. The recruiting website also ranked the class in the top 20 of the entire nation.

Power forward Reggie Perry is the best among the recruits. One of the best recruits in the state, the 6-foot-9 Perry could make an immediate impact in Mississippi State’s frontcourt. The former Arkansas commit has the potential to be a double-double machine at the next level.

Other members of the class include four-star small forward Robert Woodard and four-star shooting guard DJ Stewart, both of whom hail from Mississippi. Landing great players are important, but landing Mississippi players builds a level of trust between the program and the state it operates within.

Center Jethro Tshisumpa, one of the ten best JUCO recruits in the country according to 247 Sports, is the icing on the proverbial cake. He played for Arizona State two years ago and was a defensive anchor at the junior college level last year.