24. Mississippi State Bulldogs - 16-6 (4-5 SEC)
The Bulldogs had a pair of ranked opponents at home, an opportunity to move up the SEC ladder. Their first opponent was Alabama, in what ended up being one of the games of the week. It turned into a shootout, with Mississippi State having the chance to win in the end but came out short, 88-84.
It’s a disappointing result for the team, wasting a career-high 38 points from Josh Hubbard on 14/28 shooting from the field. Forward KeShawn Murphy had 18 points and six rebounds off the bench, along with the missed layup at the end of the game. No one else was in double figures for the Bulldogs, relying too much on Hubbard in the game.
Mississippi State had a chance to bounce back at home against Missouri but came out completely flat on the defensive end. They were down 10+ points all throughout, ultimately falling 88-61. Hubbard had another good game with 24 points on 6/11 shooting from deep, while Murphy had 16 points and nine rebounds. But again, no one else was in double figures.
The Bulldogs have a week to lick their wounds, but they’ll have to do it on the road. They take on Georgia on Saturday, with a loss likely taking them out of the top 25 altogether.