NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 10 matchups for 2022 Big 12 vs SEC Challenge
By Andrew Tineo
8. Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech
Two teams with unknown identities
For Mississippi State, this is new territory, playing in this challenge in three straight seasons. Mississippi State smashed Iowa State the year prior, while Texas Tech took care of LSU in Baton Rouge.
Mississippi State took a dramatic step in the right direction in the off-season, by acquiring DJ Jeffries and Garrison Brooks. Alongside that, Iverson Molinar is expected to return, after DJ Stewart declared for the NBA.
Tolu Smith can fill up the stat sheet as he was fantastic on the glass and consistently provided double-doubles. The Bulldogs were extremely young a year ago, with just two upperclassmen in the rotation.
The Bulldogs got older and Ben Howland is hoping to get back to 2017-2019 basketball, where Mississippi State won 23+ games.
A lot of Chris Beard’s success in Lubbock came from Mark Adams. Adams has had to rebuild the roster, after the influx of talent leaving the program. Kyler Edwards heading to Houston, Micah Peavy heading back home to TCU, and Mac McClung out the door to the NBA.
The core pieces left are solid players. However, the new guys within the program are going to have to make massive strides. Davion Warren made one of the biggest strides from the Big South last season, doubling his points and finishing with 21.2 per game. However, his three-point shot is a concern, alongside his turnover rate.
Marcos Santos-Silva is the most well-known returnee, after having a fantastic first season at Texas Tech.
This is a game that is all about where each team is at in January. Both are relying on transfers and have some pieces of their that are foundational pieces to their rotation. If this game is played in November, Mississippi State wins by double-digits. However, where each team is at is a question.