Mississippi State has made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and has one of the game’s top stars in sophomore guard Josh Hubbard. But that wasn’t enough to get the Bulldogs into the preseason Associated Press Top 25 rankings.
“I love the fact that there’s nine (Southeastern Conference) teams in the AP 25,” Bulldogs coach Chris Jans said at SEC Media Day. “Obviously we’re not one of them, so it’s great motivation for our players here in the last two, three weeks of practice before we get on the floor.”
Jans and Mississippi State will begin their quest to show they’re worthy of a ranking as they open the season against West Georgia on Monday night in Starkville, Miss.
The Bulldogs are 2-0 in season openers under Jans, and they will be heavy favorites to knock off a West Georgia team that will make its debut as a Division I basketball program in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Mississippi State finished 21-14 last season (8-10 in the SEC) and lost to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Hubbard is the unquestioned go-to player for the Bulldogs and averaged 17.1 points last season. Forward Cameron Matthews is another player to watch as he earned All-SEC Defensive Team honors a year ago.
For West Georgia, which will not be eligible for postseason play until the 2028-29 season due to the NCAA’s reclassification policy, this game is a milestone moment as the program begins its Division I era. Dave Moore enters his seventh season at the helm, and he’s led the Wolves to consecutive 20-win seasons. Last year, the Wolves went 27-6 and won the Gulf South Conference regular-season and tournament titles.
The top returning player is forward Kolten Griffin, who averaged 8.1 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds last season. Griffin recently appeared on the WOLF Sports Network and discussed the offseason.
“It’s been good, just kind of settling in with the new guys, seeing where they fit, see what they do, how we play around each other,” Griffin said. “It’s all coming together so far — just a lot of learning right now. It’s all going to jell together. I have a good feeling about this year.”
–Field Level Media
