Mississippi
Inside the run that epitomizes Mississippi State basketball’s NCAA tournament potential
STARKVILLE — South Carolina basketball had just started to show signs of life late in the first half.
Mississippi State had led by 22 points only a few minutes earlier, but the gap shrunk to 15. Any more cuts to the lead, and the Gamecocks would be the ones with momentum entering halftime. That’s when MSU locked it down.
The Bulldogs finished the half on a 10-0 run in two minutes of game time. All five baskets were layups — three of them off turnovers and on the fast break. Defense was turned to offense. It was a crucial moment in Mississippi State’s 85-50 dismantling of South Carolina (10-4, 0-1 SEC) that got the Humphrey Coliseum crowd on its feet in the SEC opener.
It also epitomized how No. 16 Mississippi State (13-1, 1-0) can be at its best.
“When we’re at our best, we’re very active on the ball, we’re handsy and got frenetic activity off the ball,” MSU coach Chris Jans said after the win. “They’re all wired and bought in. And when we are lethargic and not in stances, which obviously we’ve done a ton this particular season, we’re just getting exposed. And so hopefully this will make them feel good about what we’ve been trying to preach to them and get them to buy in even more in this particular group, so we can play that style of basketball.”
Mississippi State self-identified a weakness
There aren’t many stats that indicate the Bulldogs have a weakness except for one: 3-point defense. They entered Saturday’s game allowing 35.5% on 3-pointers, No. 294 in the country. No. 13 UConn was the only other ranked team in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll with a worse mark.
Jans said Saturday that Mississippi State is at the bottom of the SEC in contesting 3-pointers, and it has been a point of emphasis in the past few weeks.
MSU’s two other baskets during the 10-0 run came off missed South Carolina 3-pointers. Both of them were contested.
“I think that just comes down to us wanting to just sacrifice and do what it takes to win,” said Josh Hubbard, who led Mississippi State with 21 points. “It all starts with Jans’ game plan, and we all believe in it. When we have that connectedness and that toughness, it shows on the court.”
South Carolina made only two 3-pointers on 19 attempts, the fewest Mississippi State has allowed since coach Ben Howland’s last game on March 16, 2022.
“You hear me say this all the time like a broken record, but it usually goes back to, in that particular possession, to the point of attack, and what we did or didn’t do,” Jans said. “It’s usually a mistake that happens there that maybe doesn’t show up for a pass or two, and then they get a wide-open look.
“The last three or four games, we’ve been better. Tonight, obviously was really good numbers-wise, but even the other games, we’ve been getting slowly better at it.”
Mississippi State’s win vs South Carolina broke records
Mississippi State’s blowout win set two records:
- Largest margin of victory for an SEC game in the Jans era.
- Fewest points allowed in an SEC game in the Jans era.
It was also the second-largest margin of victory in all games in the Jans era, two points behind the 2022 win against South Dakota.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Mississippi lawmakers face pressure to counter looming federal cuts to health care after punting this session
Wicker: Mississippi powered Artemis II
Published 4:00 pm Monday, April 20, 2026
For nine days this month, space travel captivated the world. Families gathered around their screens as four astronauts strapped into the Integrity spacecraft docked at the Kennedy Space Center. As the launch countdown ended, four Mississippi-tested RS-45 engines ignited, and the ground shook. Seven seconds later, the Integrity had liftoff. For six intense minutes, the RS-45 engines rocketed the crew into high Earth orbit, sending them on their historic lunar flyby mission.
Mississippi should take a bow. The four RS-45 engines were tested at our very own Stennis Space Center, where Mississippians have been ensuring the quality of rocket engines since the Apollo program. For eight years, engineers, safety managers, and logistics specialists from the state have tested the engines that powered the Integrity and will power future Artemis launches. Their work paid off, and the launch was a marvel of engineering. NASA leadership made special mention of the rocket engine burn, calling it “flawless.”
One Mississippian in particular helped make the mission a success. Hernando native Matthew Ramsey handled a great deal of responsibility as the mission manager for Artemis II. The Mississippi State University graduate helped set the focus for the mission and equip the astronauts and staff for the job. Matthew also served as the deputy of the Mission Management Team, the group of NASA staff that comes together just days before a launch. The team assumes the risks of the mission ahead, and they make tough calls during flight if challenges arise.
As the Artemis II journey progressed, the world could not stop watching. Our social media feeds were full of photos and videos beamed down from the heavens. They captured humorous situations, such as the astronauts adjusting to life without gravity or testing their plumbing skills.
We also witnessed moments of majesty. On the fifth day, the Integrity began using the Moon’s gravity to slingshot our astronauts back home. That trajectory led the crew around the Moon, farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone. As the explorers looked upon outer space, they captured stunning images. Among the most remarkable is Earthset, in which Commander Reid Wiseman photographed Earth as it appeared to fall below the horizon of the moon.
When their spacecraft returned to Earth’s atmosphere, the crew was traveling nearly 35 times faster than the speed of sound. Ten minutes later, a series of parachutes began opening. Eventually, the spacecraft’s speed fell to 20 miles per hour, and the crew splashed down into the Pacific Ocean.
Mississippi was once again there to assist. The astronauts were greeted by the USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. military vessel built in the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula. The ship’s amphibious design was suited to welcome the space travelers home—equipped with a helicopter pad, medical facilities, and the communications system needed to locate and recover the astronauts safely. Crucially, the USS Murtha was built with a well deck, a sea-based garage that stored the Integrity on the journey to shore.
Artemis II was a resounding success, paving the way for planned future flights. When the Artemis program returns humans to the moon, Mississippi will be there every step of the way.
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