Mississippi State basketball’s Josh Hubbard sends respect Kentucky guard’s way after thriller

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State basketball’s Josh Hubbard and Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard put on a show in a nationally televised contest Tuesday night, which the Wildcats won 91-89. On Wednesday, one freshman guard voiced his appreciation for the other.

“(A) lot of respect for you 15,” Hubbard posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The text was accompanied by a photo of the two in front of a sold-out crowd at Humphrey Coliseum.

Hubbard posted a career-high 34 points, and Sheppard countered with a career-high 32 points. When the game was in its tightest moments, neither guard played like an underclassman.

Hubbard scored nine of his points in the final minute, including a 3-pointer to tie the game with nine seconds to go. Sheppard scored Kentucky’s last six points, highlighted by a game-winning shot in the final second.

“It was a heck of a play by Josh to give us a chance to go to overtime at that point,” MSU coach Chris Jans said postgame. “It’s a scramble situation. I’ll have to watch the film, but (Sheppard) rose up and unfortunately had a really good angle. I was pretty darn sure that it was going in. It was a heck of a play. He controlled, for his team, the last minute of the game.”

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Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.