NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Michigan, Texas Tech climb further

MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 01: Deshawn Corprew #3 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates with teammates during the second half against the Memphis Tigers of the HoopHall Miami Invitational at American Airlines Arena on December 1, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

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DAYTON, OH – NOVEMBER 30: Head coach Howland of the Mississippi State Bulldogs reacts. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

24. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Last Week: Unranked

True road wins are hard to come by this early in the college basketball season. Yet, Mississippi State snagged a big one this past week when they took down the Dayton in UD Arena. Sure, the Flyers are not expected to be a great team this year but that is a tough place to play every year. Head coach Ben Howland has to be happy with his team’s effort during that performance as they fought back in the final minutes to pull out the win.

This win pushed Mississippi State’s overall record to 6-1 with their only loss coming to Arizona State (more on them in a bit). And while the Bulldogs could be ranked much higher than this, they are yet to secure a true resume-defining win. With solid, albeit not elite, matchups coming up against Clemson, Cincinnati, Wofford, and BYU prior to the end of non-conference play, they could improve their resume a bit more.

An extremely balanced offensive team, four different Bulldogs are currently averaging in double-figures. Quinndary Weatherspoon (17.6 points) has been the go-to scorer at this point in the year but it would be a mistake to overlook at Lamar Peters (10.3 points, 5.3 assists) is the playmaking presence of the offense. Still, the hallmark of this team is its defense, which is holding opponents to 61.3 points per game.

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