NCAA Basketball: Purdue, Marquette rise in latest top 25 power ranking
By Joey Loose
20. Mississippi State (6-0)
That Chris Jans hire from 2022 continues to look great as he has the Bulldogs playing inspired basketball to start the season. We already had Mississippi State on our mind for their elite defense and a few nice wins over Pac-12 foes, though they continued their winning ways this past week.
First off, the Bulldogs actually claimed the Hall of Fame Tip-Off championship back on Sunday with a 66-57 win against Northwestern, handing the Wildcats their first loss on the year. Josh Hubbard exploded for 29 points off the bench to lead the Bulldogs to their fifth straight win. Five days later Mississippi State was back in action at home, holding on for a 74-61 victory over Nicholls State. Hubbard led the team again, this time with 15 points off the bench, while starter Jimmy Bell Jr. had a double-double.
Clearly Mississippi State isn’t slaying giants yet this season, though they’ll certainly get their chance in January when SEC play gets underway. They are winning the games in front of them and sit among the national leaders in defensive efficiency and it’s hard to expect more than that from this team. They’ll be part of the new ACC/SEC Challenge this upcoming week, with a road game at Georgia Tech that’ll be their first true road test of the season.