SEC Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2021-22 season

By Matt Melton | Apr 13, 2021

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 12: Juwan Gary #4 and Jahvon Quinerly #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrate connecting on a alley oop dunk as head coach Ben Howland of the Mississippi State Bulldogs calls a timeout during the first half of their quarterfinal game in the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 12, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

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SEC Basketball Iverson Molinar Mississippi State Bulldogs (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

No. 10 – Mississippi State Bulldogs

Coming off a solid postseason run to the NIT Championship Game, Mississippi State is one of the more intriguing teams to watch of the offseason. The Bulldogs finished the 2020-2021 season at 18-15 overall, and 9th in the SEC at 8-10 in conference play.

Mississippi State will lose a few prominent players off this past season’s team but will return their top three scorers Iverson Molinar, DJ Stewart Jr, and Tolu Smith, each of whom averaged 12+ PPG. The Bulldogs return depth, particularly in the front-court with Derek Fountain, Quinten Post, and Javian Davis looking to step in for the departing Abdul Ado.

The Bulldogs also bring in the #11 recruiting class in the SEC that will provide depth with 3-star forwards KeShawn Murphy and Alden Applewhite, as well as 3-star guard Camryn Carter. Mississippi State will however need to add to their backcourt depth to replace freshman Deivon Smith who announced he was transferring at season’s end.

The Bulldogs will return a deep team that talent-wise stacks up with the top teams in the SEC. If they can add one-to-two more instant impact transfers to their roster this offseason, Mississippi State may be a sneaky team in the SEC next season.

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